C.S.E. Cooney

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-08-18

C. S. E. Cooney was born December 12, 1981, and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, for twenty years before living in Chicago, Rhode Island, and later Queens, New York. She studied fiction writing with a theater minor at Columbia College Chicago, and beyond writing she works as a poet, musician, actor, and audiobook narrator. She is married to author and game designer Carlos Hernandez. Her debut novel, Saint Death's Daughter (2022), won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2023 and was named by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best science fiction and fantasy books of the year. Her short story collection Bone Swans (2015) won the World Fantasy Award for Best Collection in 2016, and her novella Desdemona and the Deep was published in 2019. Her poetry collection Jack o' the Hills (2011) contains 'The Sea King's Second Bride,' which won a Rhysling Award that same year. She also won a Locus Award in 2021 for editing the anthology The Book of Dragons, reflecting a career spanning fiction, poetry, and editorial work across speculative genres.

Universe(s)

Books

• Saint Death's Daughter (2022) · Saint Death's Daughter Core Canon
• Saint Death's Herald (2025) · Saint Death's Daughter Core Canon

Aggregate across all universes

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 2 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 1 (1 won)

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