Michelle Michiko Sagara (born May 5, 1963) is a Canadian author of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

literature, active since the early 1990s. She has published as Michelle Sagara, as Michelle West (using her husband's surname) and as Michelle Sagara West. Sagara has received two nominations for the John W. Campbell Award.Michelle Sagara West. (January 5, 2000). ''Baker & Taylor Author Biographies.'' EBSCOhost. Accessed October 20, 2020.Dewey, Joseph. "Michelle West." ''Guide to Literary Masters & Their Works.'' Database: Literary Reference Center Plus She lives in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and is employed part-time at

Bakka-Phoenix Bakka-Phoenix Science Fiction & Fantasy Bookstore is an independent bookstore in Toronto, Ontario, which specializes in science fiction and fantasy literature. History Bakka was started on Toronto's Queen Street West in May 1972 as a combined ...

, a local bookstore.

Biography

Sagara is the eldest child of Japanese immigrants. As a child, Sagara loved reading Nancy Drew mysteries as well as the works of

Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been tra ...

and

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

. She studied physics, then English, at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

before dropping out to pursue writing. After she married in 1990, she began publishing under Michelle West. Her debut book, ''Into the Dark Lands'' was published in 1991. She has said, in a 2008 interview: "I submitted the first novel to

Del Rey books Del Rey Books is an imprint (trade name), imprint of the Random House Group, a division of Penguin Random House. The imprint was established in 1977 under the editorship of Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, author Lester del Rey. Today, th ...

in 1987. It was rejected, but with a phone call, and in the end I revised the manuscript and sent it back. The revision was passed on to

Lester del Rey Lester del Rey (June 2, 1915 – May 10, 1993) was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the author of many books in the juvenile Winston Science Fiction series, and the fantasy editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy an ...

, who was alive at the time. He rejected it with a four-page single space letter

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

had all the trademark curmudgeonliness for which he was famed. But buried in that four-page letter was a very definite 'This flashback of 94 pages needs to be its own damn book, and it should be book one.' So... I wrote that novel, and I submitted that novel, and that's the novel they bought."

Bibliography

Novels

Books of the Sundered

(as Michelle Sagara,

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major American book publisher that is a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Ballantine was founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. Ballantine was acquired by Random House in ...

/Michelle Sagara West,

BenBella Books BenBella Books is an independent publishing house based in Dallas, Texas. BenBella was founded by Glenn Yeffeth in 2001. It specializes in Non-fiction novel, nonfiction books on popular culture, business, health, and nutrition, along with books ...

) Originally published as a Michelle Sagara work, ''Books of the Sundered'' is a Tolkienesque tale of love, betrayal, and redemption. Previously out of print, the series was reissued by

under the name Michelle Sagara West. #''Into the Dark Lands'', 1991 #''Children of the Blood'', 1992 #''Lady of Mercy'', 1993 #''Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light'', 1994

The Sacred Hunt

(as Michelle West,

DAW Books DAW Books is an American science fiction and fantasy publisher, founded by Donald A. Wollheim, with his wife, Elsie B. Wollheim, following his departure from Ace Books in 1971. The company claims to be "the first publishing company ever devoted ...

) The Kingdom of Breodanir is facing a threat unlike any seen for centuries. An orphan boy and his adopted brother struggle against the ties that bind them together (and to their land) as they complete an impossible journey to save the world—at the risk of their own destruction. These are the first books set in the Essalieyan universe to be published. #''Hunter's Oath'' (October 1995) #''Hunter's Death'' (June 1996)

The Sun Sword

(as Michelle West,

) Sixteen years after the events of ''The Sacred Hunt'', the Empire of Essalieyan and the Dominion of Annagar are at war due to machinations of the Kialli. The resulting struggle for power will define the lives of those who would bring an end to the Kialli threat. Events laid out in ''The Sacred Hunt'' are referenced, but are not necessary to follow the story. ''The House War'' series intersects ''The Sun Sword'' series in the Essalieyan universe. Michelle Sagara published a synopsis of ''The Sun Sword'' series to give necessary background to readers of ''The House War''. #''The Broken Crown'' (July 1997) #''The Uncrowned King'' (September 1998) #''The Shining Court'' (August 1999) #''Sea of Sorrows'' (May 2001) #''The Riven Shield'' (July 2003) #''The Sun Sword'' (January 2004)

The House War

(as Michelle West,

) Set in the Essalieyan universe, ''The House War'' chronicles the story of Jewel and her rise in House Terafin. The first three novels return to the origin of Jewel and the discovery of her den. They also revisit some of the narrative from ''Hunter's Death'', though told from different (and complementary) character perspectives. #''The Hidden City: A Novel of the House War, Book 1'' (March 2008) #''City of Night: A Novel of the House War, Book 2'' (February 2010) #''House Name: A Novel of the House War, Book 3'' (January 2011) The concluding volumes, beginning with ''Skirmish'', take place after events of ''The Sun Sword''. #

''Skirmish: A Novel of the House War, Book 4'' (January 2012)

#''Battle: A Novel of the House War, Book 5'' (December 2012) #''Oracle: A Novel of the House War, Book 6'' (May 2015) #''Firstborn: A Novel of the House War, Book 7'' (February 2019) #''War: A Novel of the House War, Book 8'' (June 2019)

The Burning Crown

(as Michelle West, self-published) Set in the Essalieyan universe, ''The Burning Crown'' is the final arc in the overarching series. #''Hunter's Redoubt'' (October 2023) #''The Wild Road'' (June 2025)

Chronicles of Elantra

(as Michelle Sagara,

Luna Books Harlequin Enterprises ULC (known simply as Harlequin) is a publisher of romance, women's fiction and various other genres under multiple publishing imprints. Founded in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1949, from the 1960s, it grew into the largest publish ...

) Kaylin is a young woman with a complicated history. Although taking place in a fantastical universe, this series has a strong tone of urban fantasy and a single character perspective. The books tend to be more procedural than the author's other novels, but with an underlying, driving plot. #''Cast in Shadow'' (August 2005) #''Cast in Courtlight'' (July 2006) #''Cast in Secret'' (August 2007) #''Cast in Fury'' (October 2008) #''Cast in Silence'' (August 2009) #''Cast in Chaos'' (August 2010) #''Cast in Ruin'' (October 2011) #''Cast in Peril'' (September 2012) #''Cast in Sorrow'' (October 2013) #''Cast in Flame'' (July 2014) #''Cast in Honor'' (November 2015) #''Cast in Flight'' (October 2016) #''Cast in Deception'' (January 2018) #''Cast in Oblivion'' (January 2019) #''Cast in Wisdom'' (January 2020) #''Cast in Conflict'' (June 2021) #''Cast in Eternity'' (November 2022) #''Cast in Atonement'' (August 2024) #''Cast in Blood'' (Provisional title, publication date not announced) ''Cast in Moonlight'' is a novella that describes Kaylin's introduction to the Hawks of Elantra. It was first published in ''Harvest Moon'', a short story collection released by

in 2010, and later became available as a stand-alone work. The ''Chronicles of Elantra'' have also been made available as audio books.

The Academia Chronicles

(as Michelle Sagara,

Mira Books MIRA Books is a book publishing imprint of Harlequin Enterprises that focuses on mainstream fiction. It was launched in 1994. Profile MIRA publishes a range of fiction from thrillers to fantasy to chick-lit to historical fiction. It has featu ...

) This series starts shortly after the events in "Cast in Eternity" (Chronicles of Elantra book 17). This series has also been called "Lessons of the Academia" by the Goodreads book review site.). The characters and events in The Academia Chronicles have substantial overlap with the Chronicles of Elantra series similar to the overlap with Wolves of Elantra. #''Shards of Glass'' (November 2023) #''Heir of Light'' (Forthcoming May 27, 2025)

The Wolves of Elantra

(as Michelle Sagara,

) Multiple races carefully navigate the City of Elantra under the Dragon Emperor's wing. His Imperial Wolves are executioners, the smallest group to serve in the Halls of Law. The populace calls them assassins. This series is the backstory of the character Severn Handred introduced in Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra series. #''The Emperor's Wolves'' (October 2020) #''Sword and Shadow'' (February 2022)

Queen of the Dead

(as Michelle Sagara,

) Emma Hall is a high school student whose first (and only) boyfriend died in the summer in a car accident She spends far too much time in the cemetery at Nathan's grave and begins to see things she's never seen, and to hear things that no one else hears. Distinctly more "contemporary" urban fantasy than her other series. #''Silence'' (May 2012) #''Touch'' (January 2014) #''Grave'' (February 2017)

Short stories

* "For Love of God" (1993) (in

Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct mag ...

's alternate history anthology '' Alternate Warriors'') * "What She Won't Remember" (1994) (in Mike Resnick's alternate history anthology ''

Alternate Outlaws ''Alternate Outlaws'' is an alternate history anthology edited by Mike Resnick, published in the United States by Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company ...

'') * "The Sword in the Stone" (1997) (in Mike Resnick's alternate history anthology '' Alternate Tyrants'') * "Dust" (2000) (in '' How I Survived My Summer Vacation'', a

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

anthology) * ''Speaking with Angels'' (as Michelle West) - a collection of short stories (2003) Other short stories by Michelle Sagara West have appeared in magazines and anthologies under a variety of surnames. The author has decided to release many, if not all, of her short stories as e-books, as her schedule permits. Additionally, the six stories specifically related to the Essalieyan novels are available together in a single-volume, on-demand print format titled ''Memory of Stone and other stories''. "Sigurne" is a short story created from material that was edited out of ORACLE. Michelle Sagara has made the short story available for free download in PDF format on her website.

Review columns and blog

Under the name Michelle West, Sagara writes a long running book review column, ''Musing on Books'', for ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...

''. As of the end of 2019, she has written 56 columns. On her ow
personal website
she writes
blog
where she regularly gives updates on her writing and other events.

References

External links

Official Home PageMichelle West Yahoo Discussion Group
*
"75+ Urban Fantasy Writers Who Aren’t White"
July 18, 2020. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sagara, Michelle 1963 births Living people Canadian women novelists Canadian fantasy writers Canadian people of Japanese descent Canadian writers of Asian descent Canadian women science fiction and fantasy writers The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction people