Richard John Denning (born 11 August 1967) is an English

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 ...

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

s and fantasy novels. Currently he has published seven novels. The genre of his books are historical fiction, horror, and fantasy. Denning also is a board game designer.

Biography

Denning was born in

Ilkeston Ilkeston is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England, on the River Erewash, from which the borough takes its name, with a population at the 2011 census of 38,640. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/texti ...

in 1967. He attended

Myton School Myton School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form. Most students live locally, although the school attracts students from outside the priority area. The school is located on Myton Road in the town of Warwick in Warwickshire, Englan ...

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

and the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, where he studied medicine. After graduating he worked in a hospital in the West Midlands before completing training as a General Practitioner (GP). Since 1994, Denning has been working in a surgery in North Birmingham. He is married with two children. He is a writer of historical fiction novels as well as horror and fantasy. Other than writing, his main interests are games of all types. He is the designer of a board game based on the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the ...

. He is an organiser of

UK Games Expo UK Games Expo (UKGE) is tabletop-game convention and trade fair held annually at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and the Hilton Birmingham Metropole. UK Games Expo is the largest Hobby Games Convention in the UK - where all aspects of t ...

, an exhibition of board games, card games and role-playing games held annually in Birmingham in the UK.

Novel series

Northern Crown Series

Cerdic and his friends witness and become key participants in the great events of the late 6th and early 7th century which will lead to the golden age of the

Kingdom of Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

: the Kingdom of

Bede Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...

, where the roots of much of the traditions that form England originate. One day, the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

would sweep it all away, but by then the mark left on the history of England by the golden age of Northumbria, could not be erased. The first book of the Northern Crown series is ''The Amber Treasure''. The main character, Cerdic, is the nephew of a great warrior who died a hero of the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

country of

Deira Deira ( ; Old Welsh/Cumbric: ''Deywr'' or ''Deifr''; ang, Derenrice or ) was an area of Post-Roman Britain, and a later Anglian kingdom. Etymology The name of the kingdom is of Brythonic origin, and is derived from the Proto-Celtic *''daru' ...

. Growing up in a quiet village, he dreams of the glories of battle and of one day writing his name into the sagas. He experiences the true horrors of war, however, when his home is attacked, his sister kidnapped, his family betrayed and his uncle's legendary sword stolen. Cerdic is thrown into the struggles that will determine the future of 6th century Britain and must show courageous leadership and overcome treachery, to save his kingdom, rescue his sister and return home with his uncle's sword. ''The Amber Treasure'' has been awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion. The story continues in ''Child of Loki'', in which the focus shifts North to the fledgling Scottish kingdom of

Dal Riata In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of ...

and involved the

Battle of Degsastan The Battle of Degsastan was fought around 603 between king Æthelfrith of Bernicia and the Gaels under Áedán mac Gabráin, king of Dál Riada. Æthelfrith's smaller army won a decisive victory, although his brother Theodbald was killed. Very ...

in the year 603. In the third novel, ''Princes in Exile'', Cerdic accompanies Princes Edwin and Hereric of Northumbria into Exile.

The Hourglass Series

Young Adult Time Travel adventure series. The first book of the Hourglass series is ''Tomorrow's Guardian''. The main character Tom Oakley experiences disturbing episodes of déjà-vu and believes he is going mad. Then he discovers that he's a “Walker” – someone who can transport himself to other times and places. Tom dreams about other “Walkers” in moments of mortal danger: Edward Dyson killed in a battle in 1879; Mary Brown who perished in the Great Fire of London; and Charlie Hawker, a sailor who drowned on a U-boat in 1943. Agreeing to travel back in time and rescue them, Tom has three dangerous adventures, before returning to the present day. But Tom's troubles have only just begun. He finds that he's drawn the attention of evil individuals who seek to bend history to their will. Soon, Tom's family are obliterated from existence and Tom must make a choice between saving them and saving his entire world. The second book of the Hourglass series is ''Yesterday's Treasures''. Everyone is searching for pieces of The Crown of Knossos: historical artefacts which when assembled allow control over all of history in this and in the Twisted reality. The Hourglass Institute, Redfeld's masters and even the Directorate are soon in the hunt. One by one the pieces are found but eventually Tom and the others discover who is really after The Crown and what their motivations are. It is only then that they realise the extent of the danger, for 'Yesterday's Treasures' can mean the destruction of tomorrow.

The Praesidium Series

The first book of this series is ''The Last Seal''. 17th century London - two rival secret societies are caught in a battle that threatens to destroy the city and beyond. When a truant schoolboy, Ben, finds a scroll revealing the location of magical seals that binds a powerful demon beneath the city, he is thrown into the centre of a dangerous plot that leads to the Great Fire of 1666.

Nine Worlds Series

''Shield Maiden'' is the first book in The Nine Worlds series in which the historical world of Anglo-Saxon England meets the mysterious world of myths and legends, gods and monsters they believed in.

Board Games

Richard Denning is the founder of Medusa Games. Medusa Games is based in Birmingham UK and is developing board and card games. Great Fire: London 1666 The players are men of wealth and standing who own property around London. They can use the trained bands to fight the fire, use demolitions to destroy blocks of housing to prevent the fire flowing or turn a blind eye and allow the fire to spread and damage rival's property. Victory can belong to the player with the most property left but putting out fires can give you a boost. In addition each player will have several hidden objectives which might include helping another player or protecting parts of the city. Players 3-6, duration 75 to 90 minutes.

Bibliography

*2009 – ''The Amber Treasure'' *2010 – ''Tomorrow's Guardian'' *2010 - ''The Last Seal'' *2011 - ''Yesterday's Treasures'' *2012 - ''Child of Loki'' *2012 - ''Shield Maiden'' *2013 - ''Princes in Exile''

References

External links

Author's official site

Medusa Games site for Great Fire board game

The UK Games Expo website

A reading from The Amber Treasure

A reading from Tomorrow's Guardian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denning, Richard J English historical novelists 1967 births Living people Alumni of the University of Manchester Medical doctors from the West Midlands (county) Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Writers of historical fiction set in the modern age People from Ilkeston British general practitioners