Steven Erikson (pseudonym of Steve Rune Lundin) is a New York Times bestselling Canadian author who studied anthropology, archaeology, and creative writing at the University of Manitoba, the University of Victoria, and the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop before channeling his extraordinary professional history—ranging from working for 18 years as a field archaeologist to unearthing ancient artifacts across Central America—into writing massive, multi-volume epic fantasy and science fiction novels. Celebrated by global audiences for his unmatched world-building complexity, deeply layered historical realism, and uncompromising subversion of typical genre tropes, his literary career launched to immediate acclaim in 1999 with Gardens of the Moon. This breakout success allowed him to fully transition from excavating real-world ruins to meticulously constructing one of the most sprawling, sophisticated, and critically revered universes in modern fantasy literature: the Malazan Empire.