Stephen Marley was born of Irish parents in Derby, England but his earliest childhood memories are of Galway in Ireland. He graduated in Social Anthropology in London, gained an M.Sc in the Sociology of Science and worked on a PhD on ancient Chinese science while lecturing in Manchester. He took up writing full-time in 1985.

Stephen’s first two novels were published in 1988, one of which, Spirit Mirror, introduced his Chia Black Dragon series. The second in this series, Mortal Mask, was acclaimed a ‘masterpiece’ in the respected Clute/Grant Encyclopedia of Fantasy. His other works range from controversial historical fiction (The Life of the Virgin Mary) to the dark comedy SF of Managra and Dread Dominion. To date, he has published eight novels and several short stories.