Cryptic crossword No 1,711

Link in reply with spoilers

Thanks Flush. Much of this went in quite easily to my surprise and it was quite enjoyable. My top picks were 1a, 23a, 26a, 27a, 5d, and 23d. Spoiler in reply

Thanks Flush. Some very clever stuff here, if a little complex in places. I particularly enjoyed 12a, 20a, 28a, 1d, 5d, 14d and others. The cluing was clear enough for me to solve without resorting to any reveals, although with some I needed to review closely to parse the wordplay and in a couple of cases check with your annotated solution. The length of clues mostly didn’t bother me, although we could both do with some tightening up occasionally. Interesting way to theme - it helped! Thx again!

Thanks Flush, some nice and inventive cluing here. Liked the 26a / 6d pair, also 7d and the great anagram in 1a. I've got a couple of thoughts for the next one which I hope you won't mind me sharing in a reply.

Thanks Flush. I was helped by getting the two long across clues fairly early on. An interesting inspiration for the puzzle. I think Chameleon has given some sound advice and would agree with your own assertion, acknowledged by others, that some of the cluing is a tad unwieldy: I shall look forward to your next one with the tight short surfaces you promise! The 26a/6d pairing was my favourite, too. Thanks again. PM

Love, love, love the inspiration (you certainly made life hard for yourself) but where’s Earthly Powers? Or The Magus? Surely the best intros ever! You’ve got a unique style which I applaud. And I had much fun here. Re 25a, I think your choice of (3) was definitely the way to go. 26a is smart and 19d is fun. Not everyone is, but I’m rather fond of Django-esque long ‘uns. Even so, 1a’s bold start is a tad long. Great imagery, mind. Enjoyed it, ta.

Getting the two longs pretty quickly gave be a smooth ride here. I enjoyed the audacidity of the clueing here, which had a verve of its own! I agree with the more detailed points here, but hope you keep that chutzpah.