MARK LAWRENCE

Mark Lawrence is a dark fantasy powerhouse whose debut, Prince of Thorns, turned heads and hearts in 2011. Born in the U.S. but raised in the UK, Mark blends sharp wit with grim worlds, weaving stories full of flawed heroes and philosophical twists. 

He burst onto the fantasy scene in 2011 with Prince of Thorns, the first book in his Broken Empire trilogy, a brutal, brilliant, and wildly popular series that redefined the term “grimdark.” That debut alone became a Goodreads Choice finalist and kicked off a cult following. The trilogy concluded with Emperor of Thorns, which earned the prestigious David Gemmell Legend Award.

But Mark didn’t stop at one world. He expanded his storytelling universe with The Red Queen’s War, a parallel trilogy set in the same gritty, post-apocalyptic landscape, and later with The Book of the Ancestor, The Impossible Times, and The Book of the Ice series. Each new saga brings fresh characters, moral complexity, and his signature mix of lyrical prose and ruthless narrative drive.