Brian Ruckley is the author of five fantasy novels, including The Free, The Edinburgh Dead, and the three novels of The Godless World trilogy. Before he became a full-time writer in the 2000s, he attended Edinburgh and Stirling Universities and had a series of assorted jobs around London, most of them in the charity-sector. Much of his work has involved extensive overseas travel, environmental and community projects, nature conservation, and fundraising. He now lives back in Edinburgh with his wife and misses the excitement of London only a little, and only occasionally.