Thank you for visiting Meet Robert Stanek! A new destination site for Robert Stanek's books.

Meet Robert Stanek is part of the WRS Network. A prolific author, Robert Stanek has written many books for young people and adults.

Robert Stanek has written quite a few books over many years. Although he doesn’t really keep count, sometimes his publishers will ask when they’re editing his bio and that’s how he realized 2013 was the year his 150th book would be published. He’s been writing stories most of his life, though a professionally published author only since 1995.

When asked recently about where he gets his ideas from, Robert Stanek said, “I’m getting a bit long in the tooth, but the young man I once was got ideas from everywhere. I used to wake up with my thoughts spinning. New characters. New stories. New plot turnings. Someday I hope to get back to that place in my life where ideas flow like water over a falls.”

Robert Stanek is the bestselling author of over 150 books, read by nearly 7.5 million people. Writing as William Stanek and Robert Stanek, he has over 50 #1 bestsellers to his credit, including nearly every technical book he's ever written and many of his fiction books. He's been a professionally published writer since 1995 when two books he wrote called 'Electronic Publishing Unleashed' and 'Web Publishing Unleashed' became international bestsellers and helped define electronic and web publishing in the digital age. Dubbed 'A Face Behind the Future' in 1996 by The Olympian, he's been helping to shape the future of computing and the Internet for nearly two decades. In his fiction writing, Robert Stanek transports readers to imagined worlds.

Robert Stanek's most popular imagined lands include stories that take place in Ruin Mist and a BIG little place called Bugville. When Robert Stanek brought Ruin Mist to audio in 2005, the books catapulted to #1 on Audible for FOURTEEN consecutive weeks and then stayed on the Kids & YA Top 10 for the next THREE YEARS. Robert Stanek's books have been written about and recommended by the YA librarian staff at VOYA, Publisher's Weekly, Parenting Magazine, the Journal of Electronic Defense, The Children's Bookshelf, Children's Writer, the Wall Street Journal, Popular Series Fiction for Middle School and Teen Readers: A Reading and Selection Guide, and other fine publications and periodicals.

Wondering where to start reading Stanek's work? Consider "The Best of Robert Stanek" list from OverDrive's "ContentWire for Libraries"...

#1 The Pieces of the Puzzle
#2 Keeper Martin's Tale
#3 Bugville Collection #1: Visit Mom and Dad At Work, Go to School, Have a Sleepover, Visit Garden Box Farms
#4 The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches
#5 In the Service of Dragons
#6 Journey Beyond the Beyond
#7 Stormjammers: The Extraordinary Story of EW Operations in the Gulf War
#8 Bugville Critters: Every Number Counts
#9 Absolutes & Other Stories
#10 Exploring Ruin Mist: Special Edition for "The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches" and "In the Service of Dragons"

Awards, Accolades for William Robert Stanek's Books

Awards, Accolades for Technical Books

6-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award for outstanding commitment to technical communities worldwide.

Series Editor for the award-winning Pocket Consultant Series

40 #1 bestsellers in their respective categories

Multiple awards for excellence in technical writing. From the Communications of the ACM, books that have received top awards for Excellence in Technical Writing include: Windows Command-line Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Windows Server 2003 Inside Out, and Windows Scripting Bible.

Multiple awards for outstanding contributions. From the Communications of the ACM, books that have been recognized as outstanding include SQL Server Pocket Consultant, Windows Server Pocket Consultant, Windows Pocket Consultant and Windows Server 2008 Inside Out.

Awards, Accolades for Ruin Mist / Kingdoms & the Elves / Service of Dragons

In 2002, Keeper Martin's Tale and Elf Queen's Quest were instant bestsellers spending 26 weeks on the Amazon.com Sci-Fi/Fantasy Top 50 list.

Review by the YA Librarian Staff at VOYA - the leading magazine for YA librarians - regarding the original series: "Dramatic illustrations draw the reader into the Tolkienesque world of Ruin Mist, plunged into darkness after a Great War five hundred years past. Blaming magic for their demise, the Kings of Men have decreed that all things magical be destroyed. Yet despite their efforts, the magical Dark Lord is slowly returning to power. Stanek augments the beginning of this complex tale with illustrations that are sure to attract fans of graphic novels and classic Tolkien alike."

Foreword Magazine: "No matter how fascinating a fantasy world is, it fails if not animated by a compelling story and Stanek gives us not just one, but three, tales. A prolific non-fiction writer, Stanek's focus on instruction influences his fiction with a penchant for clear and simple prose. He also prefers swift, action-oriented scenes. Solidly built. Stanek moves among his main characters with ease, always switching at a climactic moment to maintain suspense. The accessible, brisk language keeps things moving."

Ruin Mist was featured in the Publisher's Weekly Cover Story in April 2009. Nearly a million people have read the Ruin Mist books. The books are available via Amazon, Audible, Playaway, OverDrive, and more than a dozen other retail and library partners.

The books have been written about in several printed books including The Complete Idiots Guide to Elves and Fairies, Ancient Art of Faery Magick, and Popular Series Fiction for Middle School and Teen Readers: A Reading and Selection Guide (Children's and Young Adult Literature Reference).

Awards, Accolades for The Pieces of the Puzzle

The Pieces of the Puzzle was an instant Top 10 Mystery Bestseller and a #1 Fiction Bestseller on Audible in 2005.

Awards, Accolades for Bugville Critters

Follett Early Learning recommended. "A series of stories that address all major issues of growing up, and features Buster Bee and Lass Ladybug. Combines facts about the natural world with instructive and entertaining fiction."

Foreword Magazine recommended. "Author Stanek has a long list of best sellers, including technical publications and fiction for adults and teens. The bright, colorful illustrations are reminiscent of David Kirk's Little Miss Spider books and will captivate the young reader for whom the book is intended. This series, The Bugville Critters, helps children sort out real lessons about life, family and the natural world."

The Audio Book Store recommended. "Robert Stanek is one of our most featured and respected Kids & Young Adults, K-12 Educators and Kids authors."

Parenting Magazine "Recommended Series"

Awards, Accolades for Stormjammers

The Journal of Electronic Defense recommended. "EC-130s have participated in every significant combat operation US forces have been involved in for nearly two decades. Now, thanks to this book by former Compass Call "crew dog" Robert Stanek, readers can ride along with Stanek and his Grey Lady Compass Call crew during 32 combat missions from January to March 1991, during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. It is impossible not to share the relief and pride of the individual crew members when the attack missions they protect exit Iraq safely because the Iraqi air defense command and control nets were completely defeated by Compass Call's powerful, targeted jamming."

Other Awards, Accolades

Robert Stanek's books have also been featured in Children's Writer, The Children's Bookshelf, Writer's Digest, The New York Times, and other fine publications and periodicals.

Military Commendations

Robert Stanek's distinguished accomplishments during his 11-year military career earned him 29 commendations, including the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal. In precedence order, the complete list of his commendations follows:

§ Distinguished Flying Cross

§ Air Medal

§ Air Force Commendation Medal

§ Air Force Achievement Medal

§ Joint Meritorious Unit Award

§ Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with 4 devices

§ Combat Readiness Medal

§ Air Force Good Conduct Medal with 2 devices

§ National Defense Service Medal

§ Southwest Asia Service Medal with 2 devices

§ Humanitarian Service Medal

§ Air Force Overseas Long Tour Ribbon with 2 devices

§ Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with 1 device

§ NCO Professional Military Education Graduate Ribbon

§ Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon

§ Air Force Training Ribbon

§ Kuwait Liberation Medal

§ Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Robert Stanek served in support of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Desert Shield, and Operation Provide Comfort.