Matthew Woodring Stover (born 1962) is an American fantasy and science fiction novelist. He is most well known for his four ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' novels, including the

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

of '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith''. He has also written several fantasy novels, including '' Iron Dawn'' and '' Jericho Moon''. He has written four science-fiction/fantasy hybrid stories featuring a hero named Caine: ''

Heroes Die ''Heroes Die'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Matthew Stover, the first of a series of novels featuring the protagonist Caine. Plot The novels are set in a future dystopia Earth where a parallel world called Overworld reminiscen ...

'', ''

Blade of Tyshalle ''Blade of Tyshalle'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Matthew Stover Matthew Woodring Stover (born 1962) is an American fantasy and science fiction novelist. He is most well known for his four ''Star Wars'' novels, including th ...

'', and ''

Caine Black Knife ''Caine Black Knife'' is a 2008 science fantasy novel by American writer Matthew Stover. It is labeled as the third of the ''Acts of Caine'', and is act one of the ''Atonement'' story arc. It is published by the Ballantine Books division of Del ...

'', with the most recent, ''

Caine's Law Matthew Woodring Stover (born 1962) is an American fantasy and science fiction novelist. He is most well known for his four ''Star Wars'' novels, including the novelization of '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith''. He has also writ ...

'', released April 4, 2012.

Biography

Stover attended Danville High School in Danville, Illinois, and graduated in 1979. He then graduated in 1983 from Drake University, and settled in Chicago for many years, before relocating to

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

. He is an avid

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

and a student of the Degerberg Blend, a Jeet Kune Do concept that mixes approximately twenty-five different fighting arts from around the world. This combat style influences the way Stover writes his fight scenes, for which he has won considerable acclaim. He is also the founder and self-described "international grandmaster" of a parodic self-defense system he calls Huàn Dao ("Way of the Hedgehog"), which he has described as "self-defense for people too lazy to train and too smart to fight." He says the system was inspired by a passage from the ancient Greek soldier-poet Archilochus: "The fox is swift and clever and knows many tricks, yet still he is taken by the hounds. The hedgehog is slow and dull, and knows only one trick -- but it is a very good trick." He sometimes refers to Huan Dao as "Fatmattjitsu." His non-''Star Wars'' novels have garnered a smaller but loyal audience, primarily for the ''Acts of Caine'' cycle. As for future ''

'' novels, Stover has said that he would be interested in writing the final adventure of the heroic trio of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and

Princess Leia Princess Leia Organa is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, portrayed in films by Carrie Fisher. Introduced in the Star Wars (film), original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is princess of th ...

Works

Barra the Pict

* '' Iron Dawn'' (May 1997) , (April 1998) * '' Jericho Moon'' (April 1998) , (Sept. 1999) * ''Heart of Bronze'' (1998 SFBC omnibus ''Iron Dawn'' and ''Jericho Moon'') In January 2011, fsand.com released e-book versions of both novels. The e-books were slightly revised by Stover to restore some material cut by the original publisher.

The Acts of Caine

* ''

'' (''Act of Violence'') (1997) * ''

'' (''Act of War'') (2001) * ''

'' (''Act of Atonement, Book One'') (2008) * ''Caine's Law'' (''Act of Atonement, Book Two'') (April 3, 2012)

Star Wars

* '' Traitor (The New Jedi Order)'' (2002) * ''

Shatterpoint Mace Windu is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Windu was portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in the prequel trilogy. Jackson reprised the role in the 2008 animated film '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' and with voice only in the 20 ...

(A Clone Wars Novel)'' (2003) * '' Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) * '' Star Wars on Trial: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Debate the Most Popular Science Fiction Films of All Time'' (2006) * ''

Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in ''Star Wars'' (1977), and he returned in '' The ...

'' (December 2008) * ''Star Wars on Trial: The Force Awakens Edition: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Debate the Most Popular Science Fiction Films of All Time'' (2015)

Other

* ''

God of War A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions. Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been po ...

'', Stover and Robert E. Vardeman (May 2010) – continued by Vardeman alone, 2011 * ''Test of Metal: A

Planeswalker The Rules of Magic: The Gathering govern the play of the card game ''Magic: The Gathering''. The original rules were developed by the game's creator, Richard Garfield, and accompanied the first version of the game in 1993. The rules of Magic have ...

Novel'' ('' Magic: The Gathering'') (October 2010)

Unpublished

* '' The Real Flash Gordon'' (2001)

Short stories

* "Precursor" from ''Legends: Tales from the Eternal Archive'' (1999) * "Br'er Robert" (2001) * "Equipment" from the ''Star Wars Short Story Collection'' (2003) * "In the Sorrows" (2005, ''The Acts of Caine'') * "The Persian, the Coon, and Bullets" from the anthology ''Catopolis'' (2008) * "South Side Whipsaw: A Brock Steele Adventure" from ''Conquering Science Fiction'' (2009) * "The Tenebrous Way" (2011) from '' Star Wars Insider'' #130 * Suvudu Cage Match 2012 ** "Round 1: Caine versus Paksenarrion" (2012) ** "Round 2: Caine versus Zaphod Beeblebrox" (2012) ** "So, Conan and Elric Walk Into a Bar" (2012)Stover, Matthew
"So, Conan and Elric Walk Into a Bar"
April 27, 2012. * "A Friend in Thark" from ''A Princess of Mars (The Annotated Edition) and New Tales of the Red Planet'' (2012)

Screenplays

* ''Terminal Kill'' (2011, 2012) * ''Her Demise'' (2011) * ''Knights of the Revenant'' (2012)

References

External links

*
Matthew Stover's OverWorld: Chronicles of Ankhana"Matthew Stover's OverWorld"
at

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

Interviews

Interview with Matthew Stover
by Gabe Chouinard, October 15, 2001
Interview with Matthew Stover
December 9, 2008
Interview with Matthew Stover
by EU Cantina, January 4, 2009
Video Interview with Matthew Stover
on YouTube for Expanded Books, October 26, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stover, Matthew Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American male novelists American science fiction writers 1962 births Writers from Chicago Place of birth missing (living people) American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers Drake University alumni 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Illinois