Lynn Abbey

2 universes Last reviewed 2026-08-27

Lynn Abbey was born September 18, 1948, in Peekskill, New York. She began studying astrophysics at the University of Rochester before switching to European history, earning a B.A. in 1969 and an M.A. in 1971. She worked as a computer programmer for insurance companies before turning to writing full time; after a 1977 car accident, science fiction author Gordon R. Dickson mentored her through developing the manuscript that became her 1979 debut novel, Daughter of the Bright Moon. That same year she contributed the story "The Face of Chaos" to the seminal shared-world anthology Thieves' World. In 1982 she married editor Robert Asprin and became co-editor of the Thieves' World series with him, helping define the shared-world anthology format that influenced much of 1980s fantasy publishing. Around 1994 she wrote for TSR, Inc., contributing Forgotten Realms and Dark Sun novels including The Brazen Gambit and The Rise and Fall of a Dragon King. Following her 1993 divorce from Asprin, Abbey returned to the Thieves' World universe, publishing the 2002 novel Sanctuary and editing subsequent anthologies such as Turning Points, and later worked with Green Ronin on a 2006 Thieves' World game adaptation. She has resided in Leesburg, Florida, since 1997, continuing to write and edit within the fantasy genre she helped shape.

Universe(s)

Books

• Thieves' World (1979) · Thieves' World Core Canon
• Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn (1981) · Thieves' World Core Canon
• The Simbul's Gift (1997) · Forgotten Realms Expanded Canon
• The Nether Scroll (2000) · Forgotten Realms Expanded 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: 42 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 2 (2 nomination)

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