Stew Hotston (he/him)
@stewarthotston.com
Author, LARP (Curious Pastimes), physics and finance. Subjective Chaos and BFA finalist. Treasurer @BFS, Chair @BSFA. Rep: John Baker at BLM.
Read: stewarthotston.com
New Writer at Hugo award winner, http://www.nerds-feather.com
Project Hanuman is out!
Read: stewarthotston.com
New Writer at Hugo award winner, http://www.nerds-feather.com
Project Hanuman is out!
Hello fine folks. My latest novel, the weird-assed space opera, Project Hanuman, is on the BSFA longlist. If you're a member could I ask that you consider voting for it in the best novel category?
You should also vote for a bunch of other stuff :-)
You can vote here: www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-awards-...
You should also vote for a bunch of other stuff :-)
You can vote here: www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-awards-...
Vote for the BSFA Awards
www.bsfa.co.uk
January 28, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Hello fine folks. My latest novel, the weird-assed space opera, Project Hanuman, is on the BSFA longlist. If you're a member could I ask that you consider voting for it in the best novel category?
You should also vote for a bunch of other stuff :-)
You can vote here: www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-awards-...
You should also vote for a bunch of other stuff :-)
You can vote here: www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-awards-...
Reposted by Stew Hotston (he/him)
www.nerds-feather.com/2026/01/film...
congratulations, Timur Bekmambetov, you’ve earned @carturo222.bsky.social rarest score for the second time (and no, it is not 10/10) ...
congratulations, Timur Bekmambetov, you’ve earned @carturo222.bsky.social rarest score for the second time (and no, it is not 10/10) ...
Film Review: Mercy
If you had to endure 90 minutes of this garbage, you’d legalize summary executions too Timur Bekmambetov, who still hasn’t paid for his prev...
www.nerds-feather.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:30 AM
www.nerds-feather.com/2026/01/film...
congratulations, Timur Bekmambetov, you’ve earned @carturo222.bsky.social rarest score for the second time (and no, it is not 10/10) ...
congratulations, Timur Bekmambetov, you’ve earned @carturo222.bsky.social rarest score for the second time (and no, it is not 10/10) ...
not to sub-skeet but that racist novel I wrote about? Seeing it being shortlisted for awards...which is a thing. You kind of get used to it but still, if I were a 'magic thinking' kind of guy that would seem a bit on the nose.
January 27, 2026 at 10:20 AM
not to sub-skeet but that racist novel I wrote about? Seeing it being shortlisted for awards...which is a thing. You kind of get used to it but still, if I were a 'magic thinking' kind of guy that would seem a bit on the nose.
I've had two people tell me nice things about my writing today - I cannot stress enough how much this kind of thing boosts a writer's very fragile ego. :-)
January 25, 2026 at 10:31 PM
I've had two people tell me nice things about my writing today - I cannot stress enough how much this kind of thing boosts a writer's very fragile ego. :-)
Reposted by Stew Hotston (he/him)
Also, an FYI. @writeopolis.bsky.social is happening tonight though I am not. The brilliant @stewarthotston.com is filling in.
January 25, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Also, an FYI. @writeopolis.bsky.social is happening tonight though I am not. The brilliant @stewarthotston.com is filling in.
Haha quiet quitting. Love it. It’s also about the only thing ti be done - slow, careful and managing the wider investment book along the way
India’s holdings of US Treasury bonds have fallen to a 5-year low as the nation pushes to support its currency and diversify its reserves, Bloomberg reports.
People “are looking to diversify away from US assets, and I would kind of describe it as quiet-quitting of US bonds,” Katie Koch said.
People “are looking to diversify away from US assets, and I would kind of describe it as quiet-quitting of US bonds,” Katie Koch said.
January 24, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Haha quiet quitting. Love it. It’s also about the only thing ti be done - slow, careful and managing the wider investment book along the way
Review: Is ‘Cry, Voidbringer’ a new type of grimdark?
I confess that I didn't immediately vibe with Cry, Voidbringer. Its world seemed at once too familiar and a little too cliched to be of interest. I was wrong. Cry, Voidbringer is that kind of story that keeps taking the turn you hoped the…
I confess that I didn't immediately vibe with Cry, Voidbringer. Its world seemed at once too familiar and a little too cliched to be of interest. I was wrong. Cry, Voidbringer is that kind of story that keeps taking the turn you hoped the…
Review: Is ‘Cry, Voidbringer’ a new type of grimdark?
I confess that I didn't immediately vibe with Cry, Voidbringer. Its world seemed at once too familiar and a little too cliched to be of interest. I was wrong. Cry, Voidbringer is that kind of story that keeps taking the turn you hoped the characters would avoid and it's all the better for it. It's not that Elaine Ho doesn't like to ratchet up the stakes with each turn of the plot but it's that she does so intelligently.
stewarthotston.com
January 24, 2026 at 11:32 AM
Review: Is ‘Cry, Voidbringer’ a new type of grimdark?
I confess that I didn't immediately vibe with Cry, Voidbringer. Its world seemed at once too familiar and a little too cliched to be of interest. I was wrong. Cry, Voidbringer is that kind of story that keeps taking the turn you hoped the…
I confess that I didn't immediately vibe with Cry, Voidbringer. Its world seemed at once too familiar and a little too cliched to be of interest. I was wrong. Cry, Voidbringer is that kind of story that keeps taking the turn you hoped the…
I read The Everlasting. I did not have a good time. I wrote about why I think it's a deeply, deeply problematic novel here. I'm pretty nervous about posting this because my response is very emotional and quite specifically mine but there it is.
A review of the deeply problematic, The Everlasting
I wrote this review because I feel like I live in a time where we have to draw attention to narratives that abuse our sentiments about right and wrong, that use sleight of hand to have us accept da…
stewarthotston.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM
I read The Everlasting. I did not have a good time. I wrote about why I think it's a deeply, deeply problematic novel here. I'm pretty nervous about posting this because my response is very emotional and quite specifically mine but there it is.
Reposted by Stew Hotston (he/him)
Book Review: The Regicide Report by Charlie Stross
Regicide? Schmegicide says @stewarthotston.com at the NOAF blog:
www.nerds-feather.com/2026/01/book...
Regicide? Schmegicide says @stewarthotston.com at the NOAF blog:
www.nerds-feather.com/2026/01/book...
Book Review: The Regicide Report by Charlie Stross
Regicide? Schmegicide! UK Cover art: Creative Crush Charlie Stross has been dealing in the bureaucracy of the Laundry since 2010 and this i...
www.nerds-feather.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:33 AM
Book Review: The Regicide Report by Charlie Stross
Regicide? Schmegicide says @stewarthotston.com at the NOAF blog:
www.nerds-feather.com/2026/01/book...
Regicide? Schmegicide says @stewarthotston.com at the NOAF blog:
www.nerds-feather.com/2026/01/book...
given today's brilliant news, just reupping this:
Sinners, a review
Explore 'Sinners': A masterful film intertwining vampires, racial politics, and music in a haunting tale of power, community, joy and resistance in 1932 America.
stewarthotston.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:26 PM
given today's brilliant news, just reupping this:
Reposted by Stew Hotston (he/him)
real scene from upcoming He-man movie (NOT FAKE):
January 22, 2026 at 7:31 PM
real scene from upcoming He-man movie (NOT FAKE):
Good to see He-man is still in his bondage gear.
January 22, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Good to see He-man is still in his bondage gear.
The BSFA long list is out.
It's a great list with a huge number of works on it. Please go take a look and add to your lists of stuff you should be looking at/reading/listening to/watching.
I'm delighted that Project Hanuman is nominated for Best Novel. If you agree, please vote for it
It's a great list with a huge number of works on it. Please go take a look and add to your lists of stuff you should be looking at/reading/listening to/watching.
I'm delighted that Project Hanuman is nominated for Best Novel. If you agree, please vote for it
Vote for the BSFA Awards
www.bsfa.co.uk
January 22, 2026 at 2:49 PM
The BSFA long list is out.
It's a great list with a huge number of works on it. Please go take a look and add to your lists of stuff you should be looking at/reading/listening to/watching.
I'm delighted that Project Hanuman is nominated for Best Novel. If you agree, please vote for it
It's a great list with a huge number of works on it. Please go take a look and add to your lists of stuff you should be looking at/reading/listening to/watching.
I'm delighted that Project Hanuman is nominated for Best Novel. If you agree, please vote for it
Plur1bus – it’s intelligence but not as we know it
I've finally finished Plur1bus and in between finding the energy to write other things I needed to come back to this to talk about the whole season but also to specifically talk about the nature of intelligence as described in the show.…
I've finally finished Plur1bus and in between finding the energy to write other things I needed to come back to this to talk about the whole season but also to specifically talk about the nature of intelligence as described in the show.…
Plur1bus – it’s intelligence but not as we know it
I've finally finished Plur1bus and in between finding the energy to write other things I needed to come back to this to talk about the whole season but also to specifically talk about the nature of intelligence as described in the show. Specifically I wanted to talk about Plur1bus itself. I've been in a lot of conversations about the show and one thing I find myself alone in is the nature of the hivemind itself.
stewarthotston.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:57 AM
Plur1bus – it’s intelligence but not as we know it
I've finally finished Plur1bus and in between finding the energy to write other things I needed to come back to this to talk about the whole season but also to specifically talk about the nature of intelligence as described in the show.…
I've finally finished Plur1bus and in between finding the energy to write other things I needed to come back to this to talk about the whole season but also to specifically talk about the nature of intelligence as described in the show.…
I am now hate reading a book that's made me so angry I don't know how to even articulate how deeply offensive it is.
I'm going to write about properly it but I'm not sure how. Like I can't even begin to explain how it touches upon extremely difficult ideas with such a bungling hand that
I'm going to write about properly it but I'm not sure how. Like I can't even begin to explain how it touches upon extremely difficult ideas with such a bungling hand that
January 21, 2026 at 7:59 PM
I am now hate reading a book that's made me so angry I don't know how to even articulate how deeply offensive it is.
I'm going to write about properly it but I'm not sure how. Like I can't even begin to explain how it touches upon extremely difficult ideas with such a bungling hand that
I'm going to write about properly it but I'm not sure how. Like I can't even begin to explain how it touches upon extremely difficult ideas with such a bungling hand that
I’m reminded of the not all men argument. When i hear it, it reminds me that I’m a man and rather than complain about victims being alarmed by men i should be doing better and actively holding myself and other men to account.
January 21, 2026 at 4:54 PM
I’m reminded of the not all men argument. When i hear it, it reminds me that I’m a man and rather than complain about victims being alarmed by men i should be doing better and actively holding myself and other men to account.
Reposted by Stew Hotston (he/him)
Italian voice actor Carlo Bononi was the voice of all of the characters on Pingu. A trained clown by trade, he used a theater technique called grammelot, which consists of "speaking" in a mix of babbled gibberish noises. He improvised all the voices live and unscripted.
January 20, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Italian voice actor Carlo Bononi was the voice of all of the characters on Pingu. A trained clown by trade, he used a theater technique called grammelot, which consists of "speaking" in a mix of babbled gibberish noises. He improvised all the voices live and unscripted.
Reposted by Stew Hotston (he/him)
Announcing the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Finalists for Criticism!
January 20, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Announcing the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Finalists for Criticism!
Carney talking smartly and clearly about the world we face.
Carney: "American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, a stable financial system... this bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition... recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as a weapon. Tariffs as leverage ... "
January 20, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Carney talking smartly and clearly about the world we face.
Gods above. I've got stuck on a book I'm really disliking (it has a mixed heritage cowardly fascist crybaby as the MC) but I need to finish it because I feel like I need to write about how this widely lauded book just entirely misses the point for someone like me as a mixed heritage person.
January 20, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Gods above. I've got stuck on a book I'm really disliking (it has a mixed heritage cowardly fascist crybaby as the MC) but I need to finish it because I feel like I need to write about how this widely lauded book just entirely misses the point for someone like me as a mixed heritage person.
here's the thing: laissez faire capitalism won't stop until the humanity has been transformed into battery chickens. Digital surveillance is a tool along that pathway. It's not the only one but this is the drive behind it. When people talk 'efficiency' they really mean the elimination of the human
January 19, 2026 at 1:32 PM
here's the thing: laissez faire capitalism won't stop until the humanity has been transformed into battery chickens. Digital surveillance is a tool along that pathway. It's not the only one but this is the drive behind it. When people talk 'efficiency' they really mean the elimination of the human
Reposted by Stew Hotston (he/him)
Happy Mid Autumn Festival! 🥮 I’m thrilled to share the cover of #TheGirlWithAThousandFaces, coming 5 May 2026 from @torbooks.bsky.social! ⭐The Girl with a Thousand Faces is a Chinese-Gothic tale set in a historical Hong Kong.
Cover art by Lindsey Carr, Cover design by Shreya Gupta
Cover art by Lindsey Carr, Cover design by Shreya Gupta
October 6, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Happy Mid Autumn Festival! 🥮 I’m thrilled to share the cover of #TheGirlWithAThousandFaces, coming 5 May 2026 from @torbooks.bsky.social! ⭐The Girl with a Thousand Faces is a Chinese-Gothic tale set in a historical Hong Kong.
Cover art by Lindsey Carr, Cover design by Shreya Gupta
Cover art by Lindsey Carr, Cover design by Shreya Gupta
good thread
Feels like something cracked today in the transatlantic alliance. Europeans have been swallowing their pride, bitting their tongues, and bending the knee. That strategy may have bought them time but it has now clearly failed. It also had a major cost - it has made the WH think Europe will cave. 1/
January 18, 2026 at 2:11 PM
good thread
1/4 It's that time of year when I'm thinking about how my summers are full of this.
We run a huge immersive world across 4 multi-day events a year with thousands of people in a hella inclusive community.
If you love D&D and being the hero in your own campaign then this could be for you.
We run a huge immersive world across 4 multi-day events a year with thousands of people in a hella inclusive community.
If you love D&D and being the hero in your own campaign then this could be for you.
Curious Pastimes - Live Action Roleplay 2024 Trailer
YouTube video by CuriousPastimes
www.youtube.com
January 17, 2026 at 11:20 AM
1/4 It's that time of year when I'm thinking about how my summers are full of this.
We run a huge immersive world across 4 multi-day events a year with thousands of people in a hella inclusive community.
If you love D&D and being the hero in your own campaign then this could be for you.
We run a huge immersive world across 4 multi-day events a year with thousands of people in a hella inclusive community.
If you love D&D and being the hero in your own campaign then this could be for you.
Reposted by Stew Hotston (he/him)
It will not surprise you to learn that Toby Youngs 'Free Speech Union' has obtained a High Court injunction banning the publication of a list of its donors open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
Who funds the Free Speech Union?
Toby Young’s outfit went to court to hide its donors. Today we reveal that funders include US anti-abortion groups, Brexit politicians and Tufton Street insiders.
open.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:45 AM
It will not surprise you to learn that Toby Youngs 'Free Speech Union' has obtained a High Court injunction banning the publication of a list of its donors open.substack.com/pub/democrac...