Jay Kristoff

Jay Kristoff (born 11 November 1973) is an Australian author of fantasy and science fiction. He writes both for adult readers and young adults. He lives in Melbourne.

Biography

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

Works

The Lotus War

Kristoff is the author of ''The Lotus War'', a Steampunk series inspired by Tokugawa-era Japan. The first novel, ''Stormdancer'', was a finalist for a 2012 Aurealis Award, was shortlisted for two 2013 David Gemmell Awards (for best novel and best debut novel), and was a finalist for the 2013 Compton Crook Award. The prequel novella ''The Last Stormdancer'' was the winner of the 2013 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Fiction. Kristoff refers to the series as crossover fiction that appeals to older young adults and adults.

The Illuminae Files

Kristoff's second series, ''The Illuminae Files'', was acquired by Random House in a preempt in 2013. Kristoff co-wrote the series with fellow Melbourne author, Amie Kaufman. 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, and eventually reached the #2 spot. In November 2015, it was announced that Brad Pitt and his production company, Plan B Entertainment, had acquired the film rights to ''Illuminae''. ''Illuminae'' was nominated for the 2016 Prime Minister's Literary Award, won the 2015 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction novel, the 2016 Gold Inky Award for best teen fiction, and the 2016 Australian Book Industry Award Book of the Year for Older Children. The sequel to ''Illuminae'', ''Gemina'', debuted at #3 on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list and won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction novel. The final book in the series ''Obsidio'', was published in May 2018, and debuted at #6 on the ''New York Times'' bestselling series list as the #1 young adult bestseller in Australia, and as a USA Today bestseller. Kristoff refers to the series as young adult fiction.

The Nevernight Chronicle

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. The sequel ''Godsgrave'' was published in October, 2017, and won the 2017 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy novel. In 2019, it was announced Screen Australia had funded a film adaptation of the first novel. The series finale ''Darkdawn'' was published in September, 2019, debuting on the Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller lists. In the same month, the trilogy was published in Italy by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore and became an instant bestseller.

Lifelike

In March 2016, Kristoff announced another young adult series, entitled ''Lifel1k3''. ''Lifel1k3'' was published in May, 2018, and won Kristoff his fifth Aurealis Award, again for best Science Fiction Novel. The sequel, ''Dev1at3'', was published in June, 2019. A third and final book in the series, ''Truel1f3'', is expected June, 2020.

The Aurora Cycle

Kristoff and his ''Illuminae'' co-author Amie Kaufman announced a new science fiction series, entitled ''Aurora Rising'', which was acquired by Random House, the publishers of the ''Illuminae'' series. ''Aurora Rising'' was published in May 2019, and debuted at #2 on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list. as the #1 young adult bestseller in Australia, and as a USA Today bestseller. In June 2019, it was announced that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had acquired the television rights to ''Aurora Rising''. A sequel, titled ''Aurora Burning'', was published in May, 2020.

Empire of the Vampire

In January 2019, Kristoff announced his next adult series, an illustrated fantasy epic entitled ''Empire of the Vampire'', which was acquired by Macmillan publishers, the publisher of his ''Nevernight'' and ''Stormdancer'' series. ''Empire of the Vampire'' was published in September 2021. It debuted on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today bestseller lists in the US and was a Sunday Times bestseller in the UK, as well as hitting #1 bestseller spots at Barnes and Noble in the USA and Dymocks Books in Australia.

Themes

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

Books

''The Lotus War'' Series

# ''Stormdancer'' (Thomas Dunne Books, 2012)
# ''Kinslayer'' (Thomas Dunne Books, 2013)
# ''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)

# ''Illuminae'' (Random House, 2015)
# ''Gemina'' (Random House, 2016)
# ''Obsidio'' (Random House, 2018)
* ''Memento'' (Prequel novella; Random House, 2019)

''The Nevernight Chronicle''

# ''Nevernight'' (Thomas Dunne Books, 2016)
# ''Godsgrave'' (Thomas Dunne Books, 2017)
# ''DarkDawn'' (Thomas Dunne Books, 2019)

''Lifel1k3''

# ''Lifel1k3'' (Random House, 2018)
# ''Dev1at3'' (Random House, 2019)
# ''Truel1f3'' (Random House, 2020)

''The Aurora Cycle'' (co-authored with Amie Kaufman)

# ''Aurora Rising'' (Random House, 2019)
# ''Aurora Burning'' (Random House, 2020)
# ''Aurora's End'' (Random House, 2021)

''Empire of The Vampire''

# ''Empire of The Vampire'' (HarperCollins, 2021)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kristoff, Jay
Australian fantasy writers
Steampunk writers
Living people
Writers of young adult science fiction
1973 births
Australian male novelists
Writers from Perth, Western Australia