Michael Power was born in 1933 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal and was educated at St. Aidan's in Grahamstown, where he took an honours degree in jurisprudence. In 1964, he was associated with the founding of Blue Crane Books in order to publish the works of Credo Mutwa. His first novel, Holiday, was published in 1962, followed by A Gathering of Golden Angels. Shadow Game was first published in 1972, in London. Michael Power now lives in retirement in his home town.