T. H. Lain was a collective

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

used by nine separate authors writing under

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games. It is currently a subsidia ...

's ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

'' novels imprint. According to Peter Archer, WotC's Director of Publishing, the decision to credit the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' novels to just one author was made to ensure they would be shelved together, as well as to spark a certain measure of curiosity and speculation as to T.H. Lain's identity. However, it was already obvious to many from the stylistic differences between volumes that Lain's output was the work of many authors rather than one. In December 2003, WotC formally announced the nine authors whose work was published under the T.H. Lain name:

Authors

Philip Athans Philip Athans (born 1964 in Rochester, New York) is an American editor and author. Biography Philip Athans was born in 1964 in Rochester, New York, but was raised in Chicago. Athans grew up reading Marvel comics and '' Starlog'' magazines, and wa ...

, Managing Editor for

Book Publishing and editor of the

Forgotten Realms ''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as ...

novel line. * Cory Herndon, a freelance writer and one-time editor of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. * Bruce R. Cordell, an RPG designer with

TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...

and

. *

Ed Stark Ed Stark is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career Ed Stark began his career at West End Games, where he wrote for the ''TORG'' and ''Star Wars'' lines. He was the main developer behind the MasterBook system and ...

, Design Manager and Creative Director for the

line. * Johnny L. Wilson, writer for ''Computer Gaming World'' and co-author of ''High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games''. * Nate Levine, a freelance writer. * Murray J.D. Leeder, a freelance writer. *

Dave Gross Dave Gross () is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. He is also a magazine editor, and has held the position of Editor-in-Chief at ''Star Wars Insider'' and at ''Amazing Stories''. Career Dave Gross, Michael Mikae ...

, Editor-in-Chief for ''Star Wars Gamer'' and ''Star Wars Insider''. *

Jess Lebow T. H. Lain was a collective pseudonym used by nine separate authors writing under Wizards of the Coast's ''Dungeons & Dragons'' novels imprint. According to Peter Archer, WotC's Director of Publishing, the decision to credit the ''Dungeons & Drago ...

, an editor in the

Book Publishing department. In addition,

Steve Winter Steve Winter (born December 8, 1957) is an American game designer who worked on numerous products for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, which was originally published by TSR and later Wizards of the Coast. Early life Winter ...

acted as line editor, starting with ''The Living Dead''.

Books

Ten books were published under the T.H. Lain pseudonym between July 2002 and December 2003, collectively following the exploits of the iconic characters of Dungeons & Dragons. ''The Savage Caves'' was the first in the series of novels featuring the iconic heroes of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. The books in the series included: * ''The Savage Caves''—Philip Athans * ''The Living Dead''—Cory Herndon * ''Oath of Nerull''—Bruce Cordell * '' City of Fire''—Ed Stark * ''The Bloody Eye''—Johnny L. Wilson * ''Treachery's Wake''—Nate Levine * ''Plague of Ice''—Murray J.D. Leeder * ''The Sundered Arms''—Dave Gross * ''Return of the Damned''—Jess Lebow * ''The Death Ray''—Philip Athans

References

External links

"Will the Real T.H. Lain Please Stand Up!"
House names Pseudonymous writers {{D&D-stub