Stan Nicholls is the author of more than two dozen books, most of them in the fantasy and science fiction genres, for both children and adults. His books have been published in over twenty countries. Before taking up writing full-time in 1981, he co-owned and managed West London bookstore Bookends, and managed specialist SF bookshop Dark They Were and Golden Eyed. He was also Forbidden Planet's first manager, and helped establish and run the New York branch.

A journalist for national and specialist publications, and the Internet, he was the science fiction and fantasy book reviewer for London listings magazine Time Out for six years, and subsequently reviewed popular science titles for the magazine. He received the Le'Fantastique Lifetime Achievement Award for Contributions to Literature in April 2007. Find out more about the orcs at www.theorcsarecoming.com.