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Martha Wells

(b.1964)

Martha Wells is the author of more than a dozen science fiction and fantasy novels, including the Ile-Rien series (The Death of the Necromancer) and the Books of the Raksura (The Cloud Roads). Her work has been nominated for the Nebula and Compton Crook awards and published in seven languages. Wells lives in College Station, Texas.

Awards: Hugo (2021), Nebula (2020) see all

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy

New and upcoming books

October 2025

Queen Demon
(Rising World , book 2)

Series

Ile-Rien
1. The Element of Fire (1993)
2. The Death of the Necromancer (1998)

Fall of Ile-Rien
   1. The Wizard Hunters (2003)
   2. The Ships of Air (2004)
   3. The Gate of Gods (2005)

Books of the Raksura
   1. The Cloud Roads (2011)
   2. The Serpent Sea (2012)
   3. The Siren Depths (2012)
   The Tale of Indigo and Cloud (2014)
   4. The Edge of Worlds (2016)
   5. The Harbors of the Sun (2017)

Emilie
1. Emilie and the Hollow World (2013)
2. Emilie and the Sky World (2014)

Stories of the Raksura
0. The Falling World (2014)

Murderbot Diaries
   0.5. Compulsory (2023)
   1. All Systems Red (2017)
   2. Artificial Condition (2018)
   3. Rogue Protocol (2018)
   4. Exit Strategy (2018)
   4.5. Home (2021)
   5. Network Effect (2020)
   6. Fugitive Telemetry (2021)
   7. System Collapse (2023)

Rising World
1. Witch King (2023)
2. Queen Demon (2025)

Novels

   City of Bones (1995)
   Wheel of the Infinite (2000)
   Blade Singer (2014) (with Aaron de Orive)

Collections

Between Worlds (2015)
Take Us to a Better Place (2020) (with others)

Novellas and Short Stories

Thorns (1995)
Bad Medicine (1997)

Series contributed to

Stargate Atlantis
2. Reliquary (2006)
6. Entanglement (2007)

Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion
1. Razor's Edge (2013)

Tor.Com Original
Home (2021)

Books containing stories by Martha Wells

Robotic Ambitions (2023)
edited by
Lesley Conner and Jason Sizemore

The Long List Anthology Volume 7 (2022)
(Long List Anthology, book 7)
edited by
David Steffen

Nebula Awards Showcase 54 (2020)
(Nebula Award Stories, book 54)
edited by
Nibedita Sen

More books

Awards

	2024 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel : System Collapse
	2024 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel : Witch King
	2023 Dragon Award for Best Fantasy Novel : Witch King
	2022 Locus Award for Best Novella : Fugitive Telemetry
	2021 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel : Network Effect
	2021 Hugo Award for Best Novel : Network Effect
	2020 Nebula Award for Best Novel : Network Effect
	2019 Locus Award for Best Novella : Artificial Condition
	2019 Hugo Award for Best Novella : Artificial Condition
	2018 Nebula Award for Best Novella : All Systems Red
	2018 Locus Award for Best Novella : All Systems Red
	2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella : All Systems Red

Award nominations

	2024 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Witch King
	2024 Hugo Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Witch King
	2024 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (nominee) : System Collapse
	2023 Nebula Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Witch King
	2020 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (nominee) : Network Effect
	2019 Prometheus Award (nominee) : Exit Strategy
	2019 Nebula Award for Best Novella (nominee) : Artificial Condition
	2019 Locus Award for Best Novella (nominee) : Rogue Protocol
	2019 BSFA Award for Best Shorter Fiction (nominee) : Exit Strategy
	2017 Philip K Dick Award (nominee) : All Systems Red
	1998 Nebula Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Death of the Necromancer
	1996 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (nominee) : City of Bones
	1994 Locus Award for Best First Novel (nominee) : The Element of Fire

Martha Wells recommends

Shadow of the Smoking Mountain (2024)
(Chronicles of Hanuvar, book 3)
Howard Andrew Jones
"[N]ot-to-be-missed epic fantasy..."

The Terraformers (2023)
Annalee Newitz
"Brilliantly thoughtful, prescient, and gripping."

The Genesis of Misery (2022)
(Nullvoid Chronicles, book 1)
Neon Yang
"Come for the giant robot space battles, stay for the fascinating worldbuilding and the heartbreaking insight into the politics of fanaticism and emotional manipulation."

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (2022)
(Monk & Robot, book 2)
Becky Chambers
"An optimistic vision of a lush, beautiful world."

Siren Queen (2022)
Nghi Vo
"Nghi Vo has become one of my favorite writers, and Siren Queen is lush and brilliant, a mesmerizing journey into a pre-code Hollywood that is all sharp edges, with the darkest magic and highest stakes."

Winter's Orbit (2021)
(Winter's Orbit, book 1)
Everina Maxwell
"A captivating love story with engaging characters, wrapped around a murder mystery with high-stakes multi-world politics. Winter’s Orbit reminds me in the best way of the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. I can’t wait to see what Maxwell does next!"

This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019)
Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
"This is How You Lose the Time War is rich and strange, a romantic tour through all of time and the multiverse, and you shouldn't miss a moment."

Empress of Forever (2019)
Max Gladstone
"This is galaxy-saving space opera with cool original settings and a unique band of adventurers that change each other for the better. It was a wild ride and I really enjoyed it."

The Luminous Dead (2019)
Caitlin Starling
"A tense psychological thriller and a gripping survival story that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. It's a dark ride that's worth every step."

A Memory Called Empire (2019)
(Teixcalaan, book 1)
Arkady Martine
"A Memory Called Empire is a murder mystery wrapped up in a political space opera, and deeply immerses the reader in a unique culture and society. I very much enjoyed it and look forward to what Martine does next."

At the Table of Wolves (2017)
(Dark Talents, book 1)
Kay Kenyon
"At the Table of Wolves is a fabulous read. It's got the feel of Foyle's War and the tense mystery plot of a spy thriller. I enjoyed every bit of it."

Duskfall (2016)
(Chaos Queen, book 1)
Christopher Husberg
"This is a dark epic and a gritty page-turner, with complex characters making hard decisions and wrestling with the past. It's a great fantasy debut and shouldn't be missed."

No Return (2013)
(Jeroun, book 1)
Zachary Jernigan
"NO RETURN is a rich, diverse, inventive fantasy, in a style that reminds me in some ways of Tanith Lee's TALES FROM THE FLAT EARTH books. Zachary Jernigan has created a stunningly original world and I can't wait to see where he takes it next."

The Whitefire Crossing (2011)
(Shattered Sigil, book 1)
Courtney Schafer
"A tense adventure fantasy, with magic, intrigue, and engaging characters in a desperate race to cross a deadly mountain range... an exciting original read."

More recommendations

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