Lin Carter (1930–1988) was an American author, editor, and critic best known for his work in fantasy and science fiction. He wrote numerous novels—often in the sword and sorcery or planetary romance genres—and was heavily influenced by writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. P. Lovecraft, and Lord Dunsany.
Carter gained particular acclaim as the editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in the 1970s, which revived many forgotten classics and helped shape modern fantasy literature. He also collaborated with authors like L. Sprague de Camp on Conan stories and produced pastiches and “posthumous collaborations” with the works of Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith.
Though his own fiction was sometimes criticized for being derivative, his passion for the genre and his efforts as an editor left a lasting legacy in speculative fiction