Reclusion | Alex Shvartsman's Speculative Fiction

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.

Leave a Comment » | Acceptances & Publications | Tagged: BSFA Award, Reclusion, Routledge, translation, Yefim Zozulya | Permalink
Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Introducing Reclusion the video game!

August 13, 2025

In January of this year I joined the new and exciting video game studio, Card Advantage Games, as a Narrative Director. I’ve been working with amazingly talented group of people on our first game — a mashup of science fiction, historical fantasy, and our protagonist’s personal growth.

This week we’ve unveiled the game and will show off an early demo at the Seattle Worldcon. We will soon have the demo video available online as well, so those who can’t attend in person are able to check it out. For now, you can visit our website and follow our social media channels.

But that’s not all! We’ve teamed up with some amazing award-winning and best-selling authors to write stories set in the world of Reclusion and produced a collectable hardcover anthology which you can only get your hands on at exclusive CAG appearances, the first of which is Worldcon!

The book includes stories by Esther Friesner, Alan Dean Foster, R.R. Virdi, Julia Vee, and me. Stop by our booth at Worldcon to get your copy, but hurry because we’re sure to run out of the daily allotment quickly.

Not going to Worldcon or missed your chance? No worries–you can get a FREE ebook of the anthology any time. Simply visit our website and join he mailing list. The EPUB file will be automatically sent to you.