Ellen Kushner

2 universes Last reviewed 2026-08-27

Ellen Kushner was born in 1955 and is an American editor and author of fantasy fiction for adults and children. Her first publication was as editor of Basilisk (1980), an anthology of fantasy stories and poems, and she followed this with her debut short story, "The Unicorn Masque," in 1981, which helped establish her voice in the emerging fantasy-of-manners subgenre. Her most acclaimed work is the Riverside series, beginning with Swordspoint (1987), which was inducted into the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Hall of Fame in 2000. Another major work, The Privilege of the Sword (2006), earned her a Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. Her standalone novel Thomas the Rhymer (1990) won both the World Fantasy Award and the Mythopoeic Award. Beyond novels, Kushner has maintained a prolific career across short stories, edited volumes, and children's books, and has co-written works with her wife, fellow fantasy author Delia Sherman, including The Fall of the Kings. Kushner is also known for her long-running work in public radio, having hosted the syndicated show Sound & Spirit. She remains an influential figure in the fantasy-of-manners tradition, blending wit, romance, and richly imagined secondary worlds.

Universe(s)

Books

• Swordspoint (1987) · Riverside Core Canon
• Thomas the Rhymer (1990) · Thomas the Rhymer Core Canon
• The Fall of the Kings (2002) · Riverside Core Canon
• The Privilege of the Sword (2006) · Riverside Core Canon

Aggregate across all universes

These are separate, unrelated universes; the totals below are plain sums of already-published per-universe facts, never a blended or averaged score across them. See each universe's own figures above.

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 4 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 4 (2 won, 2 nomination)

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