Alan Smale

Alan Smale is an author known for his work in alternate history, science fiction, and fantasy. His novella A Clash of Eagles, which imagines a Roman invasion of ancient America, won the prestigious Sidewise Award for Alternate History. This novella expanded into a novel series, starting with Clash of Eagles (2015), followed by Eagle in Exile (2016), and concluding with Eagle and Empire (2017), all published by Random House/Del Rey. In addition to his novels, Alan has sold 40 short stories to magazines like Asimov’s, Realms of Fantasy, Abyss & Apex, and various anthologies. His non-fiction pieces on science topics, such as terraforming and killer asteroids, have been featured in Lightspeed.

Originally from England, Alan holds degrees in Physics and Astrophysics from Oxford University. He works at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, where he conducts research on black holes and neutron stars and serves as director of an astrophysics data archive. Alongside his scientific career, Alan is also a talented musician, singing bass for the high-energy vocal group The Chromatics. He co-created the educational project AstroCappella, which teaches astronomy through a cappella music in schools across the country.