Allan Cole (November 19, 1943 – March 29, 2019) was an American author and television writer, who wrote or co-wrote nearly thirty books. The son of a CIA operative, Cole was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. He collaborated with Chris Bunch on the Sten science fiction series, as well the , and the historical novels, and . He coauthored a non-fiction book——with his uncle, ; and a fantasy novel——with Russian author Nick Perumov. His solo books include the fantasy novels that make up the Timura Trilogy and the thrillers, and .