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Robert Jackson Bennett

ロバート・ジャクソン・ベネット

Rōbāto Jakuson Benetto

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1984-06-22 （Baton Rouge, Louisiana）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Baton Rouge, Louisiana → Austin, Texas

Career

Occupations
author
Active Years
2010-2025
Nominations
British Fantasy Award 2015 Best Fantasy Novel (Robert Holdstock Award) City of Stairs, Hugo Award 2018 Best Series The Divine Cities, Hugo Award 2023 Best Series The Founders Trilogy

Education

University of Texas at Austin
English
Degree: B.A. (special honors)
Year of Graduation: 2005
Country: United States

Awards

Shirley Jackson Award
2010
Work: Mr. Shivers
Category: Best Novel
Result: Won
British Fantasy Award
2011
Category: Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer
Result: Won
Philip K. Dick Award
2012
Work: The Company Man
Result: Special Citation
Edgar Award
2012
Work: The Company Man
Category: Best Paperback Original
Result: Won
Shirley Jackson Award
2013
Work: American Elsewhere
Category: Best Novel
Result: Won
Hugo Award
2025
Work: The Tainted Cup
Category: Best Novel
Result: Won
World Fantasy Award
2025
Work: The Tainted Cup
Category: Best Novel
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Hugo Award 1 appearances
  1. Edition 72 (2025) Winner
    Work: The Tainted Cup

    A bizarre murder in an imperial mansion, where a high officer is found with a tree erupting from his body, sends Din and the brilliant detective Ana into a case tangled with leviathans, state corruption, and a dangerous borderland world. The novel blends the structure of a classic mystery with an inventive fantasy setting.

    In an imperial borderland where logic collides with the monstrous, Ana and Din begin their investigation.

    432 pages
    mysteryempireleviathansmemorycorruptiondetective duo
World Fantasy Award 1 appearances
  1. Edition 51 (2025) Winner
    Work: The Tainted Cup

    In a world where a vast empire depends on uncanny biology and hidden power, an eccentric investigator and her assistant work through a murder that exposes magic, deceit, and political tension.

    A sharp fantasy mystery where magic and investigation collide.

    432 pages
    fantasy mysterymurderempireinvestigationmagic

Works

Major Works

Mr. Shivers

2010 Horror

A father's pursuit of his missing daughter leads him across Depression-era America in search of the enigmatic Mr. Shivers.

DespairPovertyTerror

The Tainted Cup

2024 Fantasy Mystery

An assistant with perfect recall and his superior investigate murders in an empire plagued by shape-shifting leviathans.

MemoryEmpireMonsters

City of Stairs

2014 Fantasy

In a world where gods have been banished, a diplomat investigates a murder in this mythic fantasy.

MythologyColonialismMagic

Foundryside

2018 Fantasy

In a world where magic is industrialized, a thief steals a sentient artifact.

MagicCapitalismRevolution

Bibliography

  • Mr. Shivers
  • The Company Man
  • The Troupe
  • American Elsewhere
  • City of Stairs
  • City of Blades
  • City of Miracles
  • Foundryside
  • Shorefall
  • Locklands
  • The Tainted Cup

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Intricate worldbuildingGenre blendingTight plotting
Recurring Motifs
Mythic elementsIndustrialized magicMemory and identity

Legacy

A prominent contemporary speculative fiction author who has won multiple major awards, including the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards for Best Novel in 2025.

Trivia

  • Lives in Austin, Texas.
  • Won the Shirley Jackson Award for debut novel.