Mark Chadbourn is an English fantasy,

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

, historical fiction, and horror

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

with more than a dozen novels (and one non-fiction book) published around the world. Born in the

English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

from a long line of coal miners. he gained a degree in Economic History and went on to become a journalist, working for some of Britain's leading newspapers and magazines including ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'',

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

, and

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...

. His writing career began in 1990 when his first published short story ''Six Dead Boys in a Very Dark World'' won Fear magazine's Best New Author award. It attracted the attention of agents and publishers. Six of his novels have been shortlisted for the British Fantasy Society's August Derleth Award for Best Novel, and he has won the British Fantasy Award twice, for his novella ''The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke'' (2003), and for his short story "Whisper Lane" (2007).The British Fantasy Society - The BFS Awards 2008
His novel '' Jack of Ravens'' was published in the UK on 20 July 2006. It is the first in a new sequence called '' Kingdom of the Serpent''. The second book, ''The Burning Man'', was published in April 2008. The final book in the trilogy, Destroyer of Worlds, has been published in July 2009. The earlier books include two series, '' The Age of Misrule'' and '' The Dark Age''. Mark has been described as 'a contemporary bard - a post-industrial Taliesin whose visionary novels are crammed with remixed mythologies, oneiric set pieces, potent symbols, unsettling imagery and an engaging fusion of genre elements. The author's ambition is sustained by his invention: his work is distinguished by breakneck but brilliantly controlled plots, meticulous research, deft characterisation and a crisp, accessible prose style.' He also writes historical novels under the pseudonym "James Wilde". He announced on Twitter that his novel Pendragon was shortlisted for Best Published Novel in the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Award, the result to be announced in September 2018. Chadbourn was a runner-up. But a year later the best-selling adventure writer Wilbur Smith, who established the award, contacted Chadbourn and asked if he would like to collaborate on a novel, as mentioned on both authors' websites. The result, The New Kingdom, is a historical fantasy set in Ancient Egypt and will be published in September 2021. In addition to his novels he also is a scriptwriter for the BBC drama

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

. In 2014, he announced on his website that his contemporary thriller TV series ''Shadow State'' had been optioned by Clerkenwell Films.

Works

Novels

*''Underground'' (1992) *''Nocturne'' (1994) *''The Eternal'' (1996) *''Scissorman'' (1997)

The Age of Misrule

*'' World's End'' (1999) *'' Darkest Hour'' (2000) *''

Always Forever "Always Forever" is a song by American singer Bryson Tiller, released on September 21, 2020, as the second single from his third studio album, ''Anniversary''. The song sees Tiller lamenting about a lost love whose feelings are not reciprocated ...

'' (2001)

The Dark Age

*'' The Devil in Green'' (2002) *'' The Queen of Sinister'' (2004) *'' The Hounds Of Avalon'' (2005)

Kingdom of the Serpent

*'' Jack of Ravens'' (2006) *'' The Burning Man'' (2008) *'' Destroyer of Worlds'' (July 2009)

The Ghost Warrior

*''Lord of Silence'' (July 2009)

Swords of Albion

*''The Silver Skull'' (November 2009, UK (Title: "The Sword of Albion": April 2010) *"The Scar-Crow Men" (February 2011, UK: April 2011) *The Devil's Looking Glass (UK: April 2012, US: tbc)

Hereward Hereward the Wake (Traditional pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɛ.ward/, modern pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɪ.wəd/) (1035 – 1072) (also known as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resista ...
(as James Wilde)

*''Hereward'' (July 2011) *''Hereward: The Devil's Army'' (July 2012) *''Hereward: End of Days'' (July 2013) *''Hereward: Wolves of New Rome'' (July 2014) *''Hereward: The Immortals'' (July 2015) *''Hereward: The Bloody Crown'' (July 2016)

Dark Age The ''Dark Ages'' is a term for the Early Middle Ages, or occasionally the entire Middle Ages, in Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire that characterises it as marked by economic, intellectual and cultural decline. The conce ...
(as James Wilde)

*''Pendragon'' (July 2017) *''Dark Age'' (October 2018) *''The Bear King'' (January 2020) *''The New Kingdom'' (with Wilbur Smith) (September 2021)

Novellas

*''The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke'' (2002) *'' Doctor Who: Wonderland'' (2003)

Non fiction

*''Testimony'' (1996)

Other works

*''The Book of Shadows'' (2006) (

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

) *''Hellboy: The Oddest Jobs - Straight No Chaser'' (2008) *''Hellboy: The Ice Wolves'' (October 2009)

Screenwriting

*''

'' (BBC1, 2002 - 2014) Plus numerous short stories including the award-winning "Whisper Lane" in ''BFS – A Celebration'' anthology in 2006, and "Who Slays the Gyant, Wounds the Beast" in ''

The Solaris Book of New Fantasy ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (UK) December 2007

References

External links

Official website

Official blog

James Wilde Official website

Twitter page
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070812031046/http://www.thewritefantastic.com/markchadbourn.html

*
Mark Chadbourn at Internet Movie Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chadbourn, Mark 1960 births Living people 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists English fantasy writers English male short story writers English short story writers English male novelists 20th-century British short story writers 21st-century British short story writers 20th-century English male writers 21st-century English male writers English historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages