Christopher Swampstead (London, 1968) is a British writer and essayist, known for his novels that blend historical fiction with speculative elements. A graduate in medieval history from the University of Cambridge, he made his debut in 1995 with the novel "The Echo of Aethelburg," which garnered critical acclaim for its rigorous historical reconstruction. He achieved international recognition in 2004 with "The Ice Manuscript," a literary thriller that earned him the prestigious H.G. Wells Prize for Speculative Fiction. His subsequent works include "The Amber Sundial" (2011) and the essay collection "Topographies of Memory." His prose is characterized by a precise style and a profound reflection on the relationship between past, identity, and technological progress. For his contribution to literature, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018.