After completing his PhD in Classics, Julian Barr became a teacher, hated being called ‘sir,’ and dived into storytelling. Based in Brisbane, Australia, he writes fantasy with a strong mythological and historical flavour. His previous books include the Ashes of Olympus trilogy, the Viking-inspired Tooth and Blade and the high fantasy World Breaker. An avid comic book fan, he co-writes the ongoing series Slayhemn.

In 2024, Julian won Sapere Books’ competition and received a five-book publishing deal for a series based on the Arthurian legend. As an academic, Julian taught undergraduate courses on Greco-Roman history and mythology. Mostly this consisted of doing his best minotaur impression on demand. Julian now edits fiction on a freelance basis and works for the publishing arm of Signum University, where he also teaches creative writing. During his travels in Europe, he has been known to wander around Roman ruins while munching on jammy dodgers. His scholarly research includes publications on Roman medicine, early Christianity and the gastronomic habits of centaurs, but he prefers to think of himself as an itinerant bard.

Julian’s books combine his love of myth and magic with gritty historical detail. His books tend to explore the nature of heroism and the making of legends. When he’s not perusing texts in dead languages, Julian enjoys rainforest hiking and running RPG adventures.