Markus Heitz studied history, German language and literature; he currently lives in Zweibrücken/Germany. His sensational debut Schatten über Ulldart (the first in a series of epic Fantasy novels) won the 'Deutscher Phantastik Preis' (German Fantasy Award) in 2003. The bestselling trilogy Die Zwerge (The dwarves), Der Krieg der Zwerge (The War of the dwarves, Deutscher Phantastik Preis in 2005) and Die Rache der Zwerge (The Revenge of the dwarves) finally earned him a place among Germany's most successful Fantasy authors.