BSFA 2026 Long List

January 22, 2026

The British Science Fiction Association Award long list has been announced and I am honored to have two entries on it this year.

My long novelette “The Messenger Birds” written for the Reclusion video game and appearing in the Reclusion anthology is on the list! It’s a reimagining of the Olga of Kiev story–a Kievan Rus revenge tale that’s bloodier than anything that happened in Game of Thrones! This is a good time to remind everyone that you can get an absolutely free copy of the Reclusion anthology by signing up for our mailing list at reclusiontehgame.com!

Black Hole Heart and Other Stories by K.A. Teryna (Fairwood Press) is a nominee in the collection category. This book is really good, you guys. And if want to try before you buy just check out several of K.A. Teryna’s stories available online (and linked in my bibliography page)

And speaking of translations, I am in a textbook! My translation of “The Tale of Ak and Humanity” has found a home in a Routledge anthology along with other early classics of speculative fiction. I mean, inflicting pain on unsuspecting college students is pretty rad, right? Also, people still say rad, right? No? Ah, well.

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

“Songs of the Snow Whale” is a BSFA Award finalist

March 19, 2025

BSFA posted the short list for their annual awards and “Songs of the Snow Whale” written by K.A. Teryna and translated from Russian by me is a finalist this year! I’m super excited for the recognition this story is receiving. Huge thanks to Ann Vandermeer who acquired it for Reactor!

K.A. Teryna’s English language short story collection will be released late this year and I expect we’ll be able to share the very cool cover in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Meantime, you can read “Songs of the Snow Whale” here:
https://reactormag.com/songs-of-the-snow-whale-k-a-teryna/

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

BSFA Award Shortlist: “The Unknown Painter”

March 1, 2024

“The Unknown Painter” by Henry Lion Oldie (and translated by me) is a BSFA Award finalist in the newly-added category of Best Translated Short Fiction. The award ceremony will take place in Telford, UK over the Easter weekend.

Huge congratulations to Dmytro Gromov and Oleg Ladyzhensky who collectively write under the nom de plume of Henry Lion Oldie. I am pretty sure theirs is the first Ukrainian short story to be nominated for a major English language award, and possibly the first such story translated from the Russian language overall.

Also, major kudos to BSFA for introducing the translated fiction category. It is long overdue. I hope Hugo, Nebula, and Locus administrators will take notice.

You can read “The Uknown Painter” free at the link above, but also consider buying The Digital Aesthete anthology which includes this and many other fabulous stories.

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman