Michelle West

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-11-02

Michelle Sagara, born Michelle Michiko Sagara on 5 May 1963 in East York, Ontario, is a Canadian fantasy author who lives in Toronto. She is the eldest child of Japanese immigrants and studied physics and then English at the University of Toronto before leaving to write. Her first novel, Into the Dark Lands, appeared in 1991. She publishes under several names: Michelle Sagara, Michelle West, her married name used from 1990 for DAW and self-published titles, and Michelle Sagara West. Under the Michelle West name she wrote the Sacred Hunt, The Sun Sword and The House War, all set in the Essalieyan universe, and she has also written the long-running Chronicles of Elantra. She works part-time at the Toronto bookstore Bakka-Phoenix and has written the review column Musing on Books for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. She has twice been nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.