Ian H. McKinley

Ian H. McKinley is a retired Canadian diplomat and writer of “fantastic realism,” fantasy that escapes the tropes of pure good versus ultimate evil. Rather, Ian’s narratives are driven by alignments and/or collisions of human interests and values. His first novel, The Gallows Gem of Prallyn explored an explosive mixture of zealotry, class oppression, and nationalism, the results of which take the reader on a gripping adventure.

Ian unveiled his second novel, Harbinger, Book One of Northern Fire, at the 2016 Frye Festival (Atlantic Canada’s largest literary event), in which he participated as a “Prélude Emerging Writer.” Harbinger explores the role of violence in society and between different peoples as well as the question of whether an individual can change the fate of an entire nation.

An Ottawa-based publisher, Lugar Común Editorial, secured the rights to the Northern Fire series in 2019 and has republished the first book in two volumes. The Winter Wars, Book Three of Northern Fire, was published in 2022. The Rune Slate, Book Four of Northern Fire is due for release at the end of 2023 or in 2024.

Where to find Ian’s books

Ian is an avid Blood Bowl player, having purchased the first edition of the game back in 1986. Forced into a hiatus owing to his postings overseas, he got back into the hobby upon moving to Montreal in 2017 (where he won the Championship of the Longueuil Conference of the prestigious Kasse Gueule in the spring of 2019). He is currently notorious for his offensive contributions to the Ottawa-Gatineau Blood Bowl League Facebook page.

Ian was born in Calgary, Alberta, and grew up in Northern Ireland and on the Canadian prairies. He has served Canada abroad in Colombia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations in New York.

For more information about Ian’s books, check out his website.

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