Qntm

"Hatetris" redirects here and is not to be confused with Hatris.

Sam Hughes (born 1983),^[1] known online as and publishing under the pen name qntm (pronounced "quantum"),^[2] is a British programmer and science fiction author.^[3] Hughes writes short stories such as Lena, about the first digital snapshot of a human brain, and serial novels such as Ra and Fine Structure.^[1][4][5] He has also written for the SCP Foundation wiki. His book There Is No Antimemetics Division, a high-concept blend of science fiction and cosmic horror, began as a series on the wiki.^[6][7] In 2024, Del Rey Books acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to the book, while Ballantine Books acquired the US rights.^[8] qntm also contributed to SCP-055 alongside user CptBellman.^[9]

Sam Hughes
Born	1983 (age 41–42)
Pen name	qntm
Occupation	Author programmer
Nationality	British
Genre	Science fiction
Notable works	There Is No Antimemetics Division
Website
qntm.org

In 2022, Hughes created Absurdle, a variant of Wordle wherein the word changes with every guess, while still remaining true to previous hints.^[3][10][11] The Guardian described it as "the Machiavellian version of Wordle", and Hughes described it as an "experiment to find the most difficult [...] variant of Wordle", comparing it to one of his previous projects, the Tetris variant Hatetris.^[12]

Bibliography

Versions of most of Hughes' serials and short stories have been initially made freely available online prior to being published.

• Ed. Independently published. 20 May 2021. ISBN 979-8-5079-7398-9.
• Fine Structure. Independently published. 29 May 2021. ISBN 979-8-5120-3906-9.
• Ra. Independently published. 2 June 2021. ISBN 979-8-5140-8424-1.
• There Is No Antimemetics Division. Independently published. 19 June 2021. ISBN 979-8-5140-6303-1.
• Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories. Independently published. 9 November 2022. ISBN 979-8-3592-9806-3. Containing:
  • "Lena" (reprinted in The Big Book of Cyberpunk. Vintage Books. 26 September 2023. ISBN 9780593467237.)
  • "If You Are Reading This"
  • "The Frame-by-Frame"
  • "The Difference"
  • "Gorge"
  • "cripes does anybody remember Google People"
  • "Driver"
  • "I Don't Know, Timmy, Being God Is a Big Responsibility"
  • "A Powerful Culture"
  • "Valuable Humans in Transit"