Steph Swainston is a British literary

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

science fiction author This is a list of noted science-fiction authors (in alphabetical order): A *Dafydd ab Hugh (born 1960) *Alexander Abasheli (1884–1954) *Edwin Abbott Abbott (1838–1926) *Kōbō Abe (1924–1993) * Robert Abernathy (1924–1990) *Dan Abn ...

, known for the ''Castle'' series. Her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, '' The Year of Our War'' (2004), won the 2005

Crawford Award :::''See also'' Crawford Medal The IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (short: Crawford award) is a literary award given to a writer whose first fantasy book was published during the preceding 18 months. It's one of several awards presented by ...

and a nomination for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

Profile

Stephanie "Steph" Jane Swainston was born in Bradford in 1974. She attended St. Joseph's College, Bradford, followed by Girton College, University of Cambridge, and the

University of Wales , latin_name = , image = , caption = Coat of Arms , motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd , mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth , established = , , type = Confederal, non-member ...

. Outside writing, Swainston has had a broad range of occupations, which include

bookseller Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of libra ...

, archaeologist,

lock keeper A lock keeper, lock tender, or lock operator looks after a canal or river lock, operating it and if necessary maintaining it or organizing its maintenance. Traditionally, lock keepers lived on-site, often in small purpose-built cottages. A lock ke ...

information scientist The term information scientist developed in the latter part of the twentieth century to describe an individual, usually with a relevant subject degree (such as one in Information and Computer Science - CIS) or high level of subject knowledge, prov ...

, and

pyrotechnician Pyrotechnicians are people who are responsible for the safe storage, handling, and functioning of pyrotechnics and pyrotechnic devices. Although the term is generally used in reference to individuals who operate pyrotechnics in the entertainment ...

. Swainston's novels to date take place in the Fourlands, which the author has described as a secret childhood

paracosm A paracosm is a detailed imaginary world thought generally to originate in childhood. The creator of a paracosm has a complex and deeply felt relationship with this subjective universe, which may incorporate real-world or imaginary characters ...

,Profile at orionbooks.co.uk
/ref>Interview at clarkesworldmagazine.com
further influenced by aspects of her later adult life, including the competitive academic world. The novels centre on the life of the Circle, an elite group of

immortals Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

created and sustained by the Emperor, a near god-like figure engaged in a prolonged conflict with

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

-like creatures, apparently from another world. Told in the first person, the novels follow the life of Jant, a winged humanoid with a distinctly flawed personality. The ''Castle'' series is also marked by the existence of multiple worlds, including the fantastic, baroque "Shift". The novels have been labeled by others as New Weird fantasy. Swainston has argued against labeling writers, including herself, within genres, on the basis that good fantasy and mainstream literature form a continuum. She has been critical of the conservative nature of much commercial fantasy writing.Profile at uksfbooknews.net
Her writing, unlike most works classified as traditional fantasy depicts drug use and graphic sex scenes, alongside the hyper- realistic depiction of warfare. Swainston describes her work as appealing to the ongoing deep structures of universal storytelling, as literature written as much in response to the author's own needs than as a response to specific market requirements. Swainston took a break from writing in 2011 to become a chemistry teacher, but subsequently returned to writing.Blog entry
Fair Rebel - the fifth Castle book
(2 October 2015) Her fifth novel, ''Fair Rebel'', was published in 2016.

Bibliography

Books

Novels

* '' The Year of Our War'' (Gollancz SF, 2004) * '' No Present Like Time'' (Gollancz SF, 2005, hardcover) * '' The Modern World'' (Gollancz SF, 2007, hardback) * ''Above the Snowline'' (Gollancz SF, 2010, hardcover) * ''Fair Rebel'' (Gollancz SF, 2016, paperback)

Omnibus

* ''The Castle Omnibus: "The Year of Our War", "No Present Like Time", "The Modern World"'' (Gollancz SF, 2009, paperback)

Short fiction

* "The Wheel of Fortune" (included in ''The Best British Fantasy 2013'', Salt Publishing, 2013, paperback) * ''Wrought Gothic and Other Scenes'' (collection) (Air and Nothingness Press, 2016, paperback) * ''Aftermath'' (an excerpt from a book-length sequel to ''Fair Rebel'' entitled ''The Savant and the Snake'', and other material) (Air and Nothingness Press, 2016, paperback) * ''Turning Point'' (collection) (Air and Nothingness Press, 2018, paperback) * "Velocity" (included in ''The Best of British Fantasy 2018'', NewCon Press, 2019)

References

External links

* *
Interview
conducted by Jeff VanderMeer for

Clarkesworld Magazine ''Clarkesworld Magazine'' (ISSN 1937-7843) is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. It released its first issue October 1, 2006 and has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Elizabe ...

Interview
conducted in 2006 by Jay Tomio
Reviews
of all three books in the ''Castle'' series
HarperCollins interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swainston, Steph 1974 births Living people Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Wales English fantasy writers Writers from Bradford Date of birth missing (living people) British women short story writers Women science fiction and fantasy writers English women novelists 21st-century English women writers 21st-century English writers 21st-century British novelists People educated at St. Joseph's Catholic College, Bradford 21st-century British short story writers Weird fiction writers