Stephen Michael Stirling (born September 30, 1953) is a Canadian-American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

and

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, ...

author who was born in France. Stirling is the author of the Draka series of

alternate history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...

novels, the later

time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...

/alternate history

Nantucket series The Nantucket series (also known as the Nantucket trilogy or the Islander trilogy) is a set of alternate history novels written by S. M. Stirling. The novels focus on the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts which was transported back in time t ...

and the Emberverse series.

Early life and education

Stirling was born on September 30, 1953, in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

, France—then the site of a

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

base—to an English mother and Canadian father. He has lived in several countries and currently resides in the United States in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

with his wife Jan. Stirling, along with

Eric Flint Eric Flint (February 6, 1947 – July 17, 2022) was an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his works are alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures. His works have been listed on ' ...

, was tuckerized as a

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

agent in

John Birmingham John Birmingham (born 7 August 1964) is a British-born Australian author, known for the 1994 memoir ''He Died with a Felafel in His Hand'', the ''Axis of Time'' trilogy, and the well-received space opera series, the ''Cruel Stars'' trilogy. ...

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

novel ''Weapons of Choice'' (2004).

Career

Stirling's novels are generally conflict-driven and often describe military situations and militaristic cultures. In addition to his books' military, adventure, and exploration focus, he often describes societies with cultural values significantly different from modern Western views. One of his recurring topics is the influence of the culture on an individual's outlook and values, with an emphasis on the idea that most people and societies consider themselves moral. Stirling frequently explores technological development within the context of many of his novels. The Draka, for instance, choose and face a different imperative in their conquest of Africa, and turn earlier to

breech-loading A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition from the breech end of the barrel (i.e., from the rearward, open end of the gun's barrel), as opposed to a muzzleloader, in which the user loads the ammunition from the ( muzzle ...

firearms and steam power than the rest of the Western world. The stranded islanders of the Nantucket series try to rebuild their technological base once the island is thrown back in time to 1250 BC, while the survivors of the "Event" now face a world where electricity, firearms, and internal combustion no longer work. Stirling also tends to write strong female characters who have prominent roles within the story. In the past, he has frequently collaborated with other authors, including

David Drake David A. Drake (September 24, 1945 – December 10, 2023) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran, he worked as a lawyer before becoming a writer in the military science fiction genre. Biography ...

Jerry Pournelle Jerry Eugene Pournelle (; August 7, 1933 – September 8, 2017) was an American scientist in the area of operations research and ergonomics, human factors research, a science fiction writer, essayist, journalist, and one of the first bloggers. ...

Anne McCaffrey Anne Inez McCaffrey (1 April 1926 – 21 November 2011) was an American writer known for the ''Dragonriders of Pern'' science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, ''Weyr Search'', 1968) an ...

, and Raymond E. Feist.

Bibliography

References

External links

* * *
Stirling, S M
on ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (''SFE'') is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appea ...

''
Interview with Peter Hodges

Dragon Page Podcasts Interview with Stirling
* - Magazine column discussing various titles by Stirling, including the Draka trilogy, the Nantucket trilogy, ''The Peshawar Lancers'', and ''The Sky People''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stirling, S.M. 1953 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American alternate history writers American fantasy writers American male novelists American science fiction writers American people of English descent Canadian fantasy writers Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian science fiction writers Writers from New Mexico Steampunk writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian male novelists Canadian alternative history writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers