Jay Kristoff

Jay Kristoff is an Australian New York Times and internationally bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. He lives in Melbourne.

Biography

Kristoff was born in Perth, Australia in 1973.^[1] As a child, Kristoff read frequently and played tabletop games,^[2] including Dungeons and Dragons.^[3] Kristoff is 6'7" tall.^[4] He graduated from college with an Arts degree.^[5] He worked in creative advertising for television for eleven years before beginning his literary career.^[6] He lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and a Jack Russell Terrier,^[5] named Samwise.^[3]

Works

Kristoff is the author of The Lotus War, a Japanese Steampunk series. The first novel, Stormdancer, was a finalist for a 2012 Aurealis Award,^[7] was shortlisted for two 2013 David Gemmell Awards (for best novel and best debut novel),^[8] and was a finalist for the 2013 Compton Crook Award.^[9] The prequel novella The Last Stormdancer was the winner of the 2013 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Fiction.^[10] The inspiration for Stormdancer was a dream.^[3] Kristoff refers to the series as crossover fiction that appeals to older young adults and adults^[11]

Kristoff's second series, the Illuminae Files, was acquired by Random House in a preempt in 2013.^[12] The first book in the series, titled Illuminae, was published in late October 2015. It debuted at #5 on the New York Times Best Seller List Young Adult Hardcover list,^[13] and eventually reached the #2 spot.^[14] In November 2015, it was announced that Brad Pitt and his production company, Plan B Entertainment, had acquired the film rights to Illuminae.^[15] Illuminae was nominated for the 2016 Prime Minister's Literary Award,^[16] won the 2015 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction novel,^[17] the 2016 Gold Inky Award for best teen fiction,^[18] and the 2016 Australian Book Industry Award Book of the Year for Older Children.^[19] The sequel to Illuminae, Gemina, debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list^[20] and won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction novel.^[21] Kristoff co-wrote the series with fellow Melbourne author, Amie Kaufman. Kristoff refers to the series as young adult fiction.^[11]

Kristoff's second solo series, an adult epic fantasy entitled the Nevernight Chronicle, commenced publication with Nevernight in August 2016. Nevernight earned Kristoff his second David Gemmell Awards nomination, and won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy novel.^[22]

In March 2016, Kristoff announced another Young Adult series, entitled Lifel1k3, which has been acquired by Random House and commences publication in 2018.^[23]

Kristoff and his Illuminae co-author Amie Kaufman have also announced a new series, tentatively entitled Andromeda, which has been acquired by Random House and commences publication in 2018.^[24]

Themes

Kristoff's works deal with themes of familial bonds, friendship, love, loss, and betrayal. His fiction suggests that "victory without sacrifice is meaningless."^[25]

Books

The Lotus War Series

1. Stormdancer (Thomas Dunne Books, 2012)
2. Kinslayer (Thomas Dunne Books, 2013)
3. Endsinger (Thomas Dunne Books, 2014)

• The Last Stormdancer (prequel novella to Stormdancer; Thomas Dunne Books, 2013)
• "Praying for Rain" (free short story, posted online 2013)

The Illuminae Files (co-authored with Amie Kaufman)

1. Illuminae (Random House, 2015)
2. Gemina (Random House, 2016)
3. Obsidio (Random House, to be published March 2018)

The Nevernight Chronicle

1. Nevernight (Thomas Dunne Books, 2016)
2. Godsgrave (Thomas Dunne Books, to be published 2017)
3. Untitled (Thomas Dunne Books, to be published 2018)

Lifel1k3

1. Lifel1k3 (Random House, 2018)
2. Untitled (Random House, to be published 2019)
3. Untitled (Random House, to be published 2020)

Andromeda (tentative title, co-authored with Amie Kaufman)

1. Untitled (Random House, 2018)
2. Untitled (Random House, to be published 2019)
3. Untitled (Random House, to be published 2020)

References