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Dennis Lester McKiernan (born April 4, 1932) is an American writer best known for hishigh fantasyThe Iron Tower. His genres includehigh fantasy (set in various fictitious worlds), science fiction,horror fiction, andcrime fiction. His primary setting, Mithgar, was originally meant to host Middle-Earth stories that were sequels to Tolkien's work. It has since grown to reflect a much broader variety of influences, including "fairy tales and Oz books and folk tales and other such stories".^[1]

McKiernan was born inMoberly, Missouri, where he lived until he served theU.S. Air Force for four years, stationed within US territory during theKorean War. After military service, he attended theUniversity of Missouri and received aBS inelectrical engineering in 1958 and anMS in the same field fromDuke University in 1964. He worked as an engineer atAT&T, initially atWestern Electric but soon atBell Laboratories, from 1958 until 1989. In 1989, after early retirement from engineering, McKiernan began writing on a full-time basis.

In 1977, while riding his motorcycle, McKiernan was hit by a car that had crossed the center-line, and he was confined to a bed, first in traction and then in ahip spica cast, for many months. During his recuperation, he began writing a sequel toJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings. The publisherDoubleday showed an interest in his work and tried to obtain authorization from Tolkien's estate but was denied. Doubleday then asked McKiernan to rewrite his story, placing the characters in a different fictitious world, and also to write a prequel supporting it. The prequel, of necessity, resemblesThe Lord of the Rings; the decision of Doubleday to issue the work as a trilogy increased that resemblance; and some critics have seen McKiernan as simply imitating Tolkien's epic work. McKiernan has subsequently developed stories in the series that followed along a story line different from those that plausibly could have been taken by Tolkien.

McKiernan's Faery Series expands tales drawn fromAndrew Lang's Fairy Books, additionally tying the selected tales together with a larger plot.

McKiernan currently lives inTucson, Arizona.

• The Iron Tower (Omnibus edition 2000)
  • The Dark Tide (1984)
  • Shadows of Doom (1984)
  • The Darkest Day (1984)
• The Silver Call (Omnibus edition 2001)
  • Trek to Kraggen-Cor (1986)
  • The Brega Path (1986)
• Dragondoom (1990)
• Tales from the One-Eyed Crow: The Vulgmaster (short story adapted as a graphic novel by David Keller andAlex Niño) (1991)
• The Eye of the Hunter (1992)
• Voyage of the Fox Rider (1993)
• Tales of Mithgar (1994)
• The Dragonstone(1996)
• Hèl's Crucible Duology
  • Into the Forge(1997)
  • Into the Fire (1998)
• Silver Wolf, Black Falcon (2000)
• Red Slippers: More Tales of Mithgar (2004)
• City of Jade (2008)
• Stolen Crown (2014)

• Once Upon a Winter's Night (2001)
• Once Upon a Summer Day (2005)
• Once Upon an Autumn Eve (2006)
• Once Upon a Spring Morn (October 2006)
• Once Upon a Dreadful Time (October 2007)

• Caverns of Socrates (1995) (re-published asShadowtrap in ebook format, 2014)
• Shadowprey (2014)

• At the Edge of the Forest (2012)

• “The Ornament” inThe Magic of Christmas (1990) edited by John Silbersack and Christopher Schelling
• “Straw into Gold: Part II” with Mark A. Kreighbaum inDragon Fantastic (1992) edited by Rosalind M. Greenberg,Martin H. Greenberg andTad Williams
• "The Halfling House" inAfter the King (1992) edited by Martin H. Greenberg
• "The Source of It All" inAlien Pregnant by Elvis (1994) edited byEsther M. Friesner
• "Alas, Me Bleedin..." inWeird Tales from Shakespeare (1994) edited byKatharine Kerr and Martin H. Greenberg
• "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" inThe Shimmering Door (1996) edited by Katharine Kerr
• "I Sing the Dark Riders" inElf Fantastic (1997) edited by Martin H. Greenberg
• "The Lesser of..." inHighwaymen: Robbers & Rogues (1997) edited byJennifer Roberson
• "In the Service of Mages" inWizard Fantastic (1997) edited by Martin H. Greenberg
• "Of Tides and Time" inWizard Fantastic (1997) edited by Martin H. Greenberg
• "The Divine Comedy" inOlympus (1998) edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Bruce D. Arthurs
• "Final Conquest" inLegends: Tales from the Eternal Archives #1 (1999) edited byMargaret Weis
• "Darkness" in999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense (1999) edited byAl Sarrantonio
• "For the Life of Sheila Morgan" inSpell Fantastic (2000) edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Larry Segriff
• "Perfidy" inTreachery and Treason (2000) edited byLaura Anne Gilman and Jennifer Heddle
• "A Tower with No Doors" inFlights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy (2004) edited by Al Sarrantonio

• Dennis L. McKiernan's website
• Mithgarpedia – McKiernan FanpageArchived March 19, 2015, at theWayback Machine
• The Halls of Mithgar
• Fantastic Fiction Author Page
• Dennis L. McKiernan at theInternet Speculative Fiction Database

• 1932 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American novelists
• 21st-century American novelists
• American fantasy writers
• American male novelists
• American science fiction writers
• Duke University Pratt School of Engineering alumni
• People from Moberly, Missouri
• Writers from Tucson, Arizona
• United States Air Force airmen
• University of Missouri alumni
• Novelists from Missouri
• American male short story writers
• 20th-century American short story writers
• 21st-century American short story writers
• 20th-century American male writers
• 21st-century American male writers
• Novelists from Arizona

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