Mark Lawrence

Mark Lawrence (born January 28, 1966, in Urbana–Champaign, Illinois) is a highly acclaimed American-British fantasy author and former AI research scientist with a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Imperial College London. He was raised in the UK from an early age and maintains dual nationality. Before launching his writing career, he worked on the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative and held secret-level clearance from both the U.S. and U.K. governments .

Lawrence burst onto the fantasy scene with Prince of Thorns (2011), the first in his Broken Empire trilogy. The series—King of Thorns and Emperor of Thorns—became international bestsellers, earning multiple Goodreads Choice nominations and the prestigious David Gemmell Legend Award for Emperor of Thorns in 2014.

He continued to expand his rich fictional universe with The Red Queen’s War trilogy (Prince of Fools, The Liar’s Key, The Wheel of Osheim), earning another David Gemmell Award in 2016 for The Liar’s Key. His Book of the Ancestor series—Red Sister, Grey Sister, Holy Sister—offers a compelling female-led narrative, while the Impossible Times trilogy and the Book of the Ice trilogy showcase his versatility in blending time-bending and elemental fantasy.

In 2023, Lawrence launched The Library Trilogy with The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, followed by The Book That Broke the World (2024), and the latest The Book That Held Her Heart (2025). The trilogy has been praised for its rich exploration of knowledge, memory, and the power of stories.

Beyond his novels, Lawrence hosts the annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO), which he founded in 2015 to bring attention to indie fantasy writers. The contest has helped launch several successful authors. He was also nominated in 2021 for a Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to justice reform.

Lawrence's works are translated into more than 20 languages, with over 2 million copies sold worldwide . Married with four children—and serving as primary caregiver to one—he lives in Bristol, England, preferring to work from home rather than attending conventions.