Qntm
British science fiction author and programmer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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' short stories include "Lena", about the first digital snapshot of a human brain. His serial novels include Ra and Fine Structure.[1][4][5] He has also written for the SCP Foundation wiki. His book There Is No Antimemetics Division began as an entry 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][9]
- Author
- programmer
Sam Hughes | |
|---|---|
At MCM Comic Con London, 24 October 2025 | |
| Born | 1983 (age 42–43) |
| Pen name | qntm |
| Occupation |
|
| Nationality | British |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Notable works | |
| Website | |
| qntm | |
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]
Selected works
Serial novels
| Title | Began | Completed | Published as a single work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed | 2003 | 2005 | 2013 |
| Fine Structure | 2006 | 2010 | 2018 |
| Ra | 2011 | 2018 | 2018 |
| There Is No Antimemetics Division | 2008 | 2020 |
|
Anthologies
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories | 2022 | Author | |
| The Big Book of Cyberpunk | 2023 | Contributor | Contributed the short story "Lena" |
