James Barclay (born 15 March 1965) is a British high fantasy author who has written multiple series including ''

Chronicles of the Raven ''Chronicles of the Raven'' is the first of two trilogies by James Barclay which revolves around a band of mercenaries named The Raven. The trilogy consists of three novels, all set in the fantasy world of Balaia: * ''Dawnthief'' * ''Noonshade'' ...

'' and ''Legends of the Raven''."James Barclay." ''Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors'', Gale, 2012. ''Gale Literature Resource Center''. Accessed 18 April 2023. '' The Bookseller'' has called him "One of the UK's most popular genre fantasy authors."

Biography

Early life

Barclay was born in

Felixstowe, Suffolk Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northea ...

in 1965. He attended

Sheffield City Polytechnic Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegia ...

. Prior to his breakthrough as an author in 2004, Barclay worked as an actor and a policeman. He was also an advertising manager for a financial investment company.

Writing career

Barclay said his main inspirations as a writer were David Gemmell and the novel '' The Legacy of Heorot'' by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and

Steven Barnes Steven Barnes (born March 1, 1952) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and mystery writer. He has written novels, short fiction, screen plays for television, scripts for comic books, animation, newspaper copy, and magazine articles. Career ...

. A reviewer has since compared his work with Gemmell's. An origin story of the company of The Raven entitled "Or So Legend Has It" appears in the 2013 short story collection ''Legends: Stories in Honour of David Gemmell''.

Works

Chronicles of the Raven ''Chronicles of the Raven'' is the first of two trilogies by James Barclay which revolves around a band of mercenaries named The Raven. The trilogy consists of three novels, all set in the fantasy world of Balaia: * ''Dawnthief'' * ''Noonshade'' ...
series

* ''Dawnthief.'' Gollancz, 2002. * ''Noonshade''. Pyr, 2009''.'' * ''Nightchild''. Pyr, 2009.

Legends of the Raven series

* ''

Elfsorrow ''Elfsorrow'' is a book by James Barclay James Barclay (born 15 March 1965) is a British high fantasy author who has written multiple series including '' Chronicles of the Raven'' and ''Legends of the Raven''."James Barclay." ''Gale Literatur ...

''. Pyr, 2010. * ''Shadowheart''. Pyr, 2010. * ''Demonstorm''. Pyr, 2011. *''Ravensoul''. Gollancz, 2008.

Elves series

* ''Once Walked with Gods''.Gollancz, 2010. * ''Rise of the TaiGethen''. Gollancz, 2012. * ''Beyond the Mists of Katura''. Gollancz, 2013.

The Ascendants of Estorea series

* ''Cry of the Newborn''. Orion Publishing Group, 2005. * ''A Shout for the Dead''. Gollancz, 2006.

Other novels

* ''Heart of Granite'' (Gollancz, 2016) * ''The Queen's Assassin'' (Gollancz, 2022)

References

External links

Official website

James Barclay
on Goodreads
Interview with James Barclay
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barclay, James 1965 births Living people 21st-century English novelists English fantasy writers English bloggers English male short story writers English short story writers English male novelists 21st-century British short story writers 21st-century English male writers British male bloggers