Elf Sternberg

Who is Elf Sternberg?

Elf Mathieu Sternberg, born May 7, 1966, is the former keeper of the alt.sex FAQ. He is also the author of many erotic stories and articles on sexuality and sexual practices, and is considered one of the most notable and prolific online erotica authors.

Sternberg’s best known piece of writing is probably the erotic short story “The Only Fair Game”, which became famous/infamous for raising legal questions about fan fiction. Its speculation about homosexual and BDSM practices among Larry Niven’s Kzinti got Sternberg a cease-and-desist letter from Niven’s lawyers in an incident that to date remains notorious within the SF fandom community. Elf Sternberg claims the story is covered under parody protections; Larry Niven maintains that the story is a violation of copyright, but has not pursued further legal action. Larry Niven commented directly on this issue in a Slashdot interview.

Elf is also the creator of The Journal Entries of Kennet R’yal Shardik, a long-running series of short erotica featuring a massive body of work covering the fictional ringworld Pendor, and the wide variety of humans, humanoid species, robots, and artificial intelligences that inhabit it.