Red Shift by Nudd

Puzzle explanation

Letters from wordplay in down clues spelt “decode Carroll cipher NE to SW”. Initial letters of the restored words in across clues spelt “key is an author’s name”. In Red Shift by Alan Garner, characters communicate using a Vigenère cipher, which was described by Lewis Carroll. Decoding the grid’s diagonal with a key of ALAN GARNER (subtracting letter values with A = 0, B = 1 etc) revealed his previous novel, The Owl Service and made new words in the grid.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Shifted word Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1   FLASHBACK FLASH + BACK
7 inept → (K)een OTT O(versee) + TT
11 Hybrid → (E)astern SIJO IS < + JO
12 Urumqi → (Y)okozuna MASSY ASS in M
13 obsolescent → (I)nept OTAKU TAK in OU
15 nest → (S)eat NEMEA MEN < + EA
16 Mozambican → (A)maryllis NERINE INNER * + E(ar)
17   MBIRA MB + IRA
18 testimony → (N)otes SOPRANI POS < + RANI
20 smooth → (A)rmoured SCADS CAD in SS
22 effort → (U)rumqi LIKIN LIKIN(g)
24   LATHEN
27   AIOLIS A1 + OILS *
28   ULTIMO (I MOULT) *
29 notes → (T)estimony RAPPER R + PAPER *
30 Amaryllis → (H)ybrid UGLIS (h)UG(e) + (o)L(d) + (d)IS(h)
32 eastern → (O)bsolescent BREVE BREVE(t)
35   RAMENTA MEN in RAT + A
38 seat → (R)unway DROME R in DOME
40 Armoured → (S)mooth TERETE TÊTE around RE
42 runway → (N)est AIERY (kit)E in AIRY
43   SHYER HYE in SR
44 yokozuna → (A)ppetite SNARF S, N + À + RF
45 keen → (M)ozambican MZEE M + ZEE
46 appetite → (E)ffort EKE (nativ)E KE(lp)
47   HAIR-GRASS GRASS after (H + AIR)
Down
1   FOOL’S PARADISE (RAPS DELIA’S FOO[D]) *
2   ALAN AN around [E]-LA
3   SYKER SYKE + [C]R
4   BIKINI BLINI with [O]IK for L(abour)
5   CONES SECON[D] *
6   SAMBA S[E]AM + BA
8   TSARS S[C]ARTS *
9   TYRANNOSAURUS (TYRANNOSAURUS + T(olkien’s) L(ord)) * = (SAURON ULTRA-N[A]STY) *
10   ATROPIA PORT < in A[R]IA
11   SURA SUR + [R]A
12   MEM (Ro)ME[O] M(ontague)
14   UNINJURED R in (INJUN * in DUE[L] *)
19   PLOP P + POL[L] <
21   CALL C[C] + ALL
23   KIEV W[I]KI − W + EV
25   HISN HI[P]S + N(ag)
26   EMITTER (d)EM(o) + [H]ITTER
31   GARNER GAR + NE + [E](lido)R
32   BRANK RANK after B[R]
33   EMERY REME[N] < + Y
34   ETYMA (velv)ETY M[E]A(dowsweet)
36   MESE [T]MESE(s)
37   ETHER ETHE + [O]R
39   ERF F after [S]ER
41   EYRA [W]EARY *
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