Michael R. Underwood is an accomplished American author, well-known for his works in the urban fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction genres. He is the author of the Ree Reyes series, among other novels and short novellas. From a young age, Underwood was drawn to storytelling, inspired by his parents who were involved in musical theater. His love for mythic stories and speculative fiction was sparked after watching a Star Wars movie as a toddler.
Underwood had a nomadic childhood, living in various places such as New York, Indiana, Texas, New Jersey, Maryland, and Oregon. Despite the frequent moves, he found solace in stories, immersing himself in video games, comics, movies, tabletop RPGs, and books. His vast experience at the Game Preserve in Bloomington, Indiana, where he played various CCGs and RPGs, would later inspire his Ree Reyes series.
Underwood earned a B.A. in Creative Mythology and East Asian Studies from Indiana University and a M.A. in Folklore Studies from the University of Oregon. He is also a graduate of the 2007 Clarion West Writers Workshop. In addition to his writing, Underwood has held various jobs, including being a barista, a bear builder, a sales representative, and the North American Sales & Marketing Manager for Angry Robot Books. He currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife and their dog.
Underwood's works include the Genrenauts series, a r/Fantasy Stabby Award-finalist science fiction adventure series in novellas; the Ree Reyes urban fantasy series about magicians who channel the power of popular culture; Born to the Blade, a political action fantasy about duelist diplomats vying for their nation's interests in a world on the brink of war; Shield and Crocus, a superheroes-meets-epic fantasy novel; and The Younger Gods, a supernatural thriller. He is also a co-host of Speculate!, an actual play podcast starring a rotating cast of speculative fiction professionals.