Alison Spedding

Dr. Alison Spedding (born 1962) is a British anthropologist and fantasy author.

Spedding studied Archaeology and Anthropology at King's College, Cambridge, receiving her BA degree in 1983. She wrote a trilogy of fantasy novels, set approximately in the time of Alexander the Great. In the novels Alexander dies, and the female protagonist, Aleizon Ailix Ayndra, goes on to fulfil Alexander's destiny.

The novel trilogy is collectively referred to as A Walk in the Dark. It comprises:

• The Road and the Hills (1987)
• A Cloud over Water (1988)
• The Streets of the City (1988)

In 1989 Spedding moved to Bolivia and lectured at San Andres University in La Paz. She became an outspoken critic of the government's policy of cracking down on peasant coca farmers. In 1998 she was arrested on drug charges, having been found with 2kg of cannabis in her posession. Although she claimed the cannabis was for personal use, she received a 10 year sentence for trafficking. Academics widely considered the arrest was politically motivated and campaigned for her release. She was released in 2000 on payment of a surety.