S. M. Stirling

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-08-06

S. M. Stirling is a Canadian-American author of science fiction and fantasy, born Stephen Michael Stirling on September 30, 1953, at a Royal Canadian Air Force base in Metz, France, to an English mother and Canadian father. He has been an active novelist since the 1980s, specializing in alternate history and time-travel narratives that emphasize military conflict, technological development across divergent timelines, and strong female protagonists. His major works include the Draka series of alternate-history novels, the Nantucket series exploring time-displaced societies, and the Emberverse series, a long-running post-apocalyptic saga beginning with Dies the Fire. Stirling has collaborated with a number of prominent genre authors, including David Drake, Jerry Pournelle, Anne McCaffrey, and Raymond E. Feist, reflecting his deep ties to the science fiction and fantasy community. He was married to fellow author Jan Stirling, who died in 2021, and he currently resides in New Mexico. Known for meticulous research into historical and military detail, Stirling's fiction frequently explores how societies would rebuild or transform following catastrophic technological or historical divergence, a hallmark of his long career across multiple interconnected series.

Universe(s)

Books

• Jimmy the Hand (2003) · Riftwar Cycle Expanded Canon

Aggregate across all universes

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 23 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 7 (1 won, 6 finalist mention)

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