Marcus Sedgwick was a British writer and illustrator. He authored several young adult and children's books, picture books, a work of nonfiction, and several novels for adults. Additionally, he illustrated a collection of myths and a book of folk tales for adults.

According to School Library Journal, his "most acclaimed titles" were those for young adults. His novel Floodland (2001) won the Branford Boase Award, and The Dark Horse (2002) was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. The first U.S. edition of his 2011 novel Midwinterblood won the 2014 Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association.

He was also known for novels like Witch Hill and The Book of Dead Days, both of which were nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award. His fascination with Poe is evident in his work The Restless Dead (2007), particularly in the story "The Heart of Another," inspired by Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart."