David Lee Stone (born 1978) is an English children's fantasy author best known for The Illmoor Chronicles. He has also written under the pen names David Grimstone and Rotterly Ghoulstone. His books have been published by, among others, Hodder Children's Books and Disney Hyperion, Penguin Razorbill in the United States, and Sony in Japan.
The Illmoor Chronicles (2003–2007)
The Illmoor Chronicles is Stone's debut series, set in the fictional continent of Illmoor. After being rejected by several publishers, Stone received a £500,000 contract for the initial trilogy in 2003, and the comedic writing has been compared to that of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. The series was published by Hodder Children's Books in the United Kingdom and Disney Hyperion in the United States; audio adaptations were produced for BBC Worldwide and Random House. The first two books were also released in Dutch translation as De rampzalige ratzooi (2004) and Yankergeklungel (2005).
No. Title Year UK publisher US publisherISBN 1 The Ratastrophe Catastrophe 2003 Hodder Children's Books Disney Hyperion 2 The Yowler Foul-up 2004 Hodder Children's Books Disney Hyperion 3 The Shadewell Shenanigans 2005 Hodder Children's Books Disney Hyperion 4 The Dwellings Debacle 2006 Hodder Children's Books Disney Hyperion 5 The Vanquish Vendetta Hodder Children's Books Disney Hyperion 6 The Coldstone Conflict 2007 Hodder Children's Books Disney Hyperion
Standalone / early work
Title Year Publisher NotesISBN Davey Swag 2008 Hodder Children's Books Later reworked and reissued by Kingsbrook Publishing as Curse of the Voodoo Ostrich
Gladiator Boy series (2009–2010)
Written under the pen name David Grimstone, the Gladiator Boy series was published by Hodder Children's Books in the United Kingdom. The series follows Decimus Rex, a young slave who must fight his way to freedom in an ancient Roman arena.
Series 1 (2009)
No. TitleISBN 1 A Hero's Quest 2 Escape from Evil 3 Stowaway Slaves 4 The Rebels' Assault 5 Rescue Mission 6 The Blade of Fire
Series 2 (2010)
No. TitleISBN 1 The Living Dead 2 The Raging Torrent 3 The Three Ninjas 4 The Insane Fury 5 The White Snake 6 The Golem Army
Series 3 (2010)
No. TitleISBN 1 The Screaming Void 2 The Clone Warriors 3 The Ultimate Evil
Undead Ed series (2011–2012)
Written under the pen name Rotterly Ghoulstone, the Undead Ed series was first published in May 2011. The three titles were published by Hodder Children's Books in the United Kingdom and Penguin Razorbill in the United States, and in Germany by Baumhaus Verlag. The series, illustrated throughout by Nigel Baines, follows thirteen-year-old zombie Ed Bagley.
No. Title Year NotesISBN 1 Undead Ed and the Howling Moon 2011 2 Undead Ed and the Demon Freakshow 3 Undead Ed and the Devil's Fingers 2012 Published in the United States as Undead Ed and the Fingers of Doom
Outcasts series (2016–2017)
Written under the pen name David Grimstone, the Outcasts series was first published in May 2016. All three volumes were published by Hodder Children's Books, which held exclusive worldwide rights to the series.
No. Title Year ISBN 1 Outcasts: The Game 2016 2 Outcasts: Thunderbolt 2017 3 Outcasts: Destiny
Kingsbrook Publishing works
In 2022, Stone and his wife Chiara founded Kingsbrook Publishing, an independent press specialising in young adult, fantasy, and children's fiction.
The Vanquish Trilogy (2022)
No. Title Year ISBN 1 Shadow of the Shapeshifter 2022 2 The Venom of Vanquish 3 The Might of Moltenoak
Other works
Title Year NotesISBN Too Much Information: The Hilarious Diary of an Oversharer 2022 Autobiographical/memoir work Wrath of the Ratlord 2024 Reissue of The Ratastrophe Catastrophe (2003) The Lark & the Loftwing Reissue of The Yowler Foul-Up (2004) Dances with Drumsticks: Weird Tales from Other Places Short story collection The Shinbone Shadowhunter Standalone Illmoor novella The Trials of Teethgrit 2025 Reissue of The Shadewell Shenanigans (2005) Bad Apples Standalone novel
Short stories
Stone's short fiction has appeared in professional magazines and anthologies since 1997. Between 1997 and 2002, his work appeared in Interzone, SFX, Games Workshop's Citadel Journal, The Edge, and many others. He has also written review columns for Interzone and SFX, and fictional histories for Games Workshop and their Warhammer universe.
Title Year Publication Notes "The Dulwich Assassins" 1997 Xenos First short story publication "The Dulwich Assassins" 1998 Knights of Madness, ed. Peter Haining (Souvenir/Orbit) Reprint; credited as David L. Stone. The anthology also included stories by Terry Pratchett, Tom Sharpe, Woody Allen, Ray Bradbury, and Philip K. Dick, among others. "The Lickspittle Leviathan" 2018 Shoal: A Thanet Writers Anthology (Thanet Writers)
References
External links
Kingsbrook Publishing – Stone's independent imprint David Lee Stone at Fantastic Fiction David Lee Stone at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database