Anna Smith Spark Explained

Anna Smith Spark
Occupation:Author, civil servant
Education:The Hertfordshire and Essex High School
Genre:Grimdark fantasy
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Children:2[1]

Anna Smith Spark (born 1978 or 1979) is a British fantasy fiction writer and civil servant from Bishop's Stortford. She wrote a trilogy titled Empires of Dust as well as several other standalone works, and has been styled the "Queen of Grimdark".[1] [2]

Early life

Smith Spark is from Bishop's Stortford, where she was educated at The Hertfordshire and Essex High School. Academically she has a BA from University College London (UCL), an MA from the University of Essex, and a PhD from Birkbeck, University of London, focused on classical and cultural history.[3] [4]

Career

As well as authoring fantasy literature, Smith Spark works in the civil service.[1]

The Court of Broken Knives, Smith Spark's first novel and the first in the Empires of Dust trilogy, was released in 2017. Focused on four protagonists, the story is a grimdark fantasy about an attempt to overthrow the Sekemleth Empire. It was released to positive critical reception, with Kirkus magazine stating that it should "appeal to grimdark fans looking for the extreme edge", but that "others may well find it nasty, brutish, and not short enough".[5] [6] The sequel, The Tower of Living and Dying, was released in 2018. The previous protagonist, Marith Altrersyr, becomes king and leaves behind a "trail of violent death". A review in Publishers Weekly states that Smith Spark "fascinates and entertains", with no sign of "middle-book sag".[7] The concluding novel in the "blood-spattered" trilogy, The House of Sacrifice, was released in 2019.[8]

In 2023, Smith Spark published A Woman of the Sword. Set in the same world as the Empires of Dust, the novel is character-led, focusing more on "grunt" characters, including from a feminist perspective and addressing PTSD and the trials of motherhood. A review in Grimdark magazine stated that the book "hurts to read", but is "unputdownable at times".[1] [9] Also released in 2023 was the novel A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, about a retired warrior, Kanda, who is now a wife and mother living peacefully until ancient foes return and threaten the agrarian existence of herself and her family. It was described by Liz Rourke of Locus Magazine as a "peculiar, ambitious novel" that recalls "oral epic poetry" and is reminiscent of the Táins.[2] [10] [11]

Personal life

Smith Spark and her husband Jamie have two children.[4]

Awards

In 2018 Smith Spark's novel The Court of Broken Knives was nominated for both a David Gemmell award and a British Fantasy Award.[12] [13]

Bibliography

Empires of Dust

Other novels

Short stories

Articles

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Corr . Sinead . Anna Smith Spark: Fourth novel A Woman of the Sword is new direction for Bishop's Stortford's Queen of Grimdark after The Court of Broken Knives, The Tower of Living and Dying and The House of Sacrifice . 30 June 2024 . Bishop Stortford Independent . 6 March 2023 . 6 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230306184041/https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/whats-on/anna-smith-sparks-new-fantasy-novel-explores-a-womans-role-9301581/ . live .
  2. Web site: Mauro . John . ANNA SMITH SPARK: WHERE TO START READING . Grimdark Magazine . 1 July 2024 . 7 March 2024. 2204-4655.
  3. Web site: Lindberg . S. E. . Disgust and Desire. An interview with Anna Smith Spark . blackgate.com . Black Gate . 8 July 2024 . 18 May 2019.
  4. Web site: My Stortford: Author Anna Smith Sparks home-town favourites. Bishop's Stortford Independent. 10 March 2018. 26 September 2024.
  5. Web site: Collins . Adrian . REVIEW: THE COURT OF BROKEN KNIVES BY ANNA SMITH SPARK . Grimdark Magazine . 30 June 2024 . 22 September 2017 . 2204-4655. 2 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231002175915/https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-the-court-of-broken-knives/ . live .
  6. Web site: THE COURT OF BROKEN KNIVES . . 30 June 2024 . 2017 . 5 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240305134356/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/anna-smith-spark/court-broken-knives/ . live .
  7. The Tower of Living and Dying: Empires of Dust, Book 2 . . 2018 . 265 . 25 . 30 June 2024 . 30 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240630213718/https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=130207351&lang=en-gb&site=eds-live&scope=site . live .
  8. News: Nicol . Patricia . GAME OF LITERARY THRONES; Patricia Nicol rounds up the next generation of hit fantasy fiction . 1 July 2024 . . 14 April 2019.
  9. Web site: Collins . Adrian . REVIEW: A WOMAN OF THE SWORD BY ANNA SMITH SPARK . Grimdark Magazine . 30 June 2024 . 19 November 2022 . 2 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231002120949/https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-a-woman-of-the-sword-by-anna-smith-spark/ . live .
  10. A Sword of Bronze and Ashes . . 2023 . 270 . 31 . 30 June 2024 . 30 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240630213718/https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=167661744&lang=en-gb&site=eds-live&scope=site . live .
  11. Web site: Bourke . Liz . Liz Bourke Reviews A Sword of Bronze and Ashes by Anna Smith Spark . . 30 June 2024 . 7 December 2023 . 25 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231225134850/https://locusmag.com/2023/12/liz-bourke-reviews-a-sword-of-bronze-and-ashes-by-anna-smith-spark/ . live .
  12. Web site: 2018 British Fantasy Awards Winners . . 2018 . 30 June 2024 . 2 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231002235146/https://locusmag.com/2018/10/2018-british-fantasy-awards-winners/ . live .
  13. Web site: 2018 Gemmell Awards Winners . . 30 June 2024 . 2018 . 8 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220308181700/https://locusmag.com/2018/07/2018-gemmell-awards-winners/ . live .

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