Howard Andrew Jones (1968-2025)
Author Howard Andrew Jones, 56, died January 16, 2025. He was diagnosed with brain cancer (multifocal glioblastoma) in September 2024.
Jones was born in Terre Haute IN. He worked as a TV cameraman, recycling consultant, editor of technical books, and writing instructor at the University of Southern Indiana. In addition to writing, he ran a small family farm in Indiana.
He began publishing with historical fantasy novel The Desert of Souls (2011), followed by sequel The Bones of the Old Ones (2013) and many short stories. The Ring-Sworn trilogy includes For the Killing of Kings (2018), Upon the Flight of the Queen (2019), and When the Goddess Wakes (2021). His Chronicles of Hanuvar series began with Prometheus Award finalist Lord of a Shattered Land (2023) and continued with The City of Marble and Blood (2023) and Shadow of the Smoking Mountain (2024). He also wrote Pathfinder Tales tie-in novels.
Howard was an expert on the works of historical fiction writer Harold Lamb, and edited eight collections by the author for University of Nebraska Press. He was a managing editor for Black Gate starting in 2004, edited Flashing Swords in 2006, and was editor for the sword-and-sorcery magazine Tales from the Magician’s Skull. Jones was nominated for a Venarium Award for Emerging Scholar in 2021 by the Robert E. Howard Foundation.
He was a mentor and a friend to many in this community, and we have seen an outpouring of grief online from his friends and colleagues. He is survived by his wife, Shannon, and their children.
