Michael Scott (The Alchemyst, The Magician) shortlisted for 2009 Irish Book Awards
Ireland’s leading children’s author, Michael Scott, casts a spell over readers as he is shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards 2009
This shortlisting gives further proof to Michael’s position as one of the leading writers for young people and fantasy fans in the world. THE MAGICIAN is the second novel following on from the international bestseller, THE ALCHEMYST.
Michael Scott uniquely weaves historical fact with myth and legend to create un-put-down-able fantasy adventure novels. Michael stumbled across the idea for the books on a trip to Paris: “I can pinpoint, almost to the day when the idea solidified into The Alchemyst. It was late September 2000, in Paris, and I had stumbled – entirely by accident – across Nicholas Flamel’s own house in the narrow Rue du Montmorency: the Auberge Nicolas Flamel.” Michael realised what an interesting character Nicholas Flamel was; a man who, himself, has been the subject of hearsay and rumours since his supposed death in the 15th century.
But Michael’s books are certainly not dusty tomes of historical fact: “I wanted to write a contemporary fantasy, one set very firmly in the present, with modern teenagers as my heroes, characters who used computers and cell phones, who sent emails and text messages.”
It’s this juxtaposition between modern-day action/adventure and the history and myth that make Michael’s work so original. And he has legions of fans – Michael receives over 1000 emails per week from children and fantasy readers throughout the world wanting to know more about the books.
Irish-born Michael Scott [link to biography, bibliography] began writing over twenty-five years ago, and is one of Ireland’s most successful and prolific authors, with over one hundred titles to his credit, spanning a variety of genres, including Fantasy, Science Fiction and Folklore. He writes for both adults and young adults and is published in thirty-four countries and in twenty-four languages.
He is considered one of the authorities on the folklore of the Celtic lands and is credited with the resurgence of interest in the subject in the mid-1980’s. A bookseller for over 20 years, Michael is an accomplished scriptwriter and headed up the drama department in Tyrone Productions, the creators of Riverdance, where he also scripted for high profile events such as the Special Olympics and the Irish Film and Television Awards. He has worked as a television producer and a presenter.
Praised for his “unparalleled contribution to children’s literature,” by the Guide to Children’s Books, Michael Scott was the Writer in Residence during Dublin’s tenure as European City of Culture in 1991, and has featured in the 2006 edition of Who’s Who in Ireland as one of the 1000 “most significant Irish.”
This is the fourth year of the Irish Book Awards and for the first time, this year, the overall winners of the children’s categories will be chosen by a public vote. Fans can vote at www.irishbookawards.ie
Posted: April 12th, 2009
Author: Floresiensis
Categories: Michael Scott
Do you have something to add to this post? Please leave a comment
Book of the Month
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And its been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
Latest interviews
Interviews plus question and answer sessions with authors, narrators and publishers.
Must-reads
The following reviews are of books that begin the very best fantasy series available.
Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe
Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.
