Michael Cobley was born in Leicester, England, but for all of his teenage and adult years has lived in or near Glasgow, Scotland. Having a Scottish mother and an English father has given him an uncommon insight into the richness and vitality of life and culture on either side of the 'border', and led to a strong belief that what unites us is more important than what divides us.

He attended Clydebank High School and studied engineering at the University of Strathclyde, but without gaining a degree. He was a DJ for several years at Strathclyde University's Student Union (of which he is an Honorary Life Member), and later wrote the acerbic Phaedrus column for the campus newspaper. In the mid- to late-80s he became involved in local politics and stood as a Scottish Liberal Democrat in the regional council elections of 1988.

In that same year he sold his first professional short story, Waltz In Flexitime, to Robert Holdstock and Chris Evans for the Other Edens II anthology. He had already had several short stories published in the SF small press, and had also self-published and distributed freely a polemical broadsheet, Shark Tactics, to the SF community. A series of stories in a dark, more cyberpunk character appeared after 1988, leading to the publication of Corrosion in Interzone in 1992 (reprinted in the Czech magazine, Ikarie). After almost (but not quite) selling a space opera novel in 1993, he turned to more domestic concerns, while still writing a few short stories. In 1995/6 he began work on the background that would lead to the Shadowkings epic. Since then he has had yet more short stories published, mainly in the small press, with the wildly extravagant With CoAxe In Tibet most recently appearing in FOCUS, the writers magazine published by the British Science Fiction Association.

Michael's reputation thus far has been mainly that of an SF short story writer and critic, so the publication of a fantasy trilogy may come as a surprise those acquainted with his earlier work. He himself sees no contradiction in this since he is a great fan of both SF and fantasy, and has several well-worked out ideas for science fiction novels ready and waiting for the right moment.

Also, the Shadowkings Trilogy will itself be no ordinary trilogy: the first two volumes will deal with the events of the great struggle against the Lord of Twilight while the third volume - set nearly three hundred years later - will show the consequences of that struggle and lead the entire story into unexpected territories of darkness out of which light (eventually) triumphs.

A brief bibliographical sketch

A Tower In The Fury Eternal (published in Dream Magazine)

Writing For A Dying (Cassandra Anthology)

The Recondite Rebus (?????)

Synopsis Of A Looking Glass Rebellion (Back Brain Recluse & The Infinity Plus Site)

The New Creatures (Back Brain Recluse)

Tactics At Twilight (The Unusual Genitals Party {Glasgow SF Circle collection} & The Infinity Plus Site)

Concrete Fire (The Drabble Collection 1)

Waltz In Flexitime (Other Edens II Anthology)

Marbleye In Midnight Black (Edge Detector & REM Magazine)

Dark Territories (Edge Detector & Zakladna)

Corrosion (Interzone 65 & Ikarie)

The Undertaker Faker Caper (Noesis)

Have You Heard The Word? (Albedo 1)

Born In Eclipse (Roadworks)

With CoAxe In Tibet (BSFA magazine FOCUS)

Non-Fiction

Shark Tactics broadsheet (1986 - 1989)

Articles and interviews written for: Strathclyde Telegraph (student newspaper for Strathclyde University), Science Fiction Eye, Territories, and Best For Music.