Brian Staveley

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-09-05

Brian Staveley is an American fantasy writer based in Vermont. Before turning to fiction full time, he taught literature, philosophy, history, and religion. He debuted with The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne (2014-2016), an epic fantasy trilogy following three imperial siblings navigating conspiracy and civil war; the first volume won the Gemmell Morningstar Award and was praised by io9 as one of the year's breakout epic war fantasies, while the concluding volume was described by critics as a deeply satisfying but bleak and dark work, even as early installments drew some criticism for their treatment of female characters. In 2017 he published Skullsworn, a prequel novel following the assassin Pyrre and set in the swampy city of Dombang, which received praise for its visceral action scenes, memorable characters, and a more confident, assured narrative voice than his debut. He has since continued the wider series with Ashes of the Unhewn Throne, beginning with The Empire's Ruin (2021) and projected to run to three or more volumes, extending the world years after the events of his original trilogy.

Universe(s)

Books

• The Emperor's Blades (2014) · Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne Core Canon
• The Providence of Fire (2015) · Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne Core Canon
• The Last Mortal Bond (2016) · Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne Core Canon
• Skullsworn (2017) · Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne Expanded Canon

Aggregate across all universes

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 3 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 1 (1 won)

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