Robin Jarvis (born 8 May 1963) is a British

young adult fiction Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

(YA) and children's novelist, who writes

dark fantasy Dark fantasy, also called fantasy horror, is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporates disturbing and frightening themes. The term is ambiguously used to describe stories that combine horror fiction, horror ...

, suspense and supernatural thrillers. His books for young adults have featured the inhabitants of a coastal town battling a monumental malevolence with the help of its last supernatural guardian ''(The Witching Legacy)'', a diminutive race of Werglers (shape shifters) pitched against the evil might of the

faerie Fairyland (Early Modern English: ''Faerie''; (Scottish mythology; cf. (Norse mythology)) in English and Scottish folklore is the fabulous land or abode of fairies or ''fays''. Old French (Early Modern English ) referred to an illusion or enchan ...

hordes ''(The Hagwood Trilogy)'', a sinister "world-switching"

dystopian A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmenta ...

future, triggered by a sinister and hypnotic book ''(Dancing Jax)'', Norse

Fates The Fates are a common motif in European polytheism, most frequently represented as a trio of goddesses. The Fates shape the destiny of each human, often expressed in textile metaphors such as spinning fibers into yarn, or weaving threads on a ...

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

crow-demons and a time travelling, wise-cracking teddy bear. ''(The Wyrd Museum series)'', dark powers, a forgotten race and ancient evils on the

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

coast ''(The Whitby Witches trilogy)'', epic

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

adventure ''(The Oaken Throne)'' and

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

dramatising the "nefarious intrigue" within an alternate Tudor realm, peopled by personalities of the time,

automata An automaton (; : automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions. Some automata, such as bellstrikers i ...

servants and animals known as Mechanicals and ruled by

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

. ''(Deathscent)''. Jarvis' books for younger readers have featured

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

rodents and small mammals – especially mice - as featured in the Deptford Mice series. A number of his works are based in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, in and around

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

and

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

where he used to live,

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, containe ...

, or in

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk, North Yorkshire, River Esk and has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. From the Middle Ages, Whitby ...

, the setting for ''The Whitby Witches trilogy'' and his latest series: ''The Witching Legacy''.His first novel – '' The Dark Portal'', featuring the popular Deptford Mice – was the runner up for the Smarties book prize in 1989. His work has been described as "genre Busting" and "original, spooky, unusual, psychological supernatural horror fantasy with a very modern twist". Jarvis has said that he is not a writer of

horror fiction Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare an audience. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon, in 1984, defin ...

, however his work has also been compared to that of "…

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

, but for Young Adults." The Deptford Mice was adapted and dramatized by Tiny Dog Productions, and staged in January 2010 and April 2011.

Biography

Jarvis was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, the youngest of four children, and grew up in

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

, attending Penketh High School. His favorite subjects at school were

Art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

and English and he went on to study

Graphic Design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

Newcastle Polytechnic Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

(now Northumbria University). After college, he moved to London and worked in the television and advertising industries as a model-maker. He lives in

in southeast London.

Bibliography

The Witching Legacy

:'' The Power of Dark'' (June 2016) :''The Devil's Paintbox'' (March 2017) :''Time of Blood'' (July 2017) :''Legacy of Witches'' The Witching Legacy is a four title series published by Egmont Books, in which Jarvis returns to the

town of

. Jarvis said in a 2015 press release. "Now the time is right to climb those 199 steps once more and discover what’s been happening. Gasp – very grave and Dark things…" He further said of the town "The place won't leave me alone, it compels stories out of me. It's such a perfect blend of every location you could want, with a fabulously rich history that stretches back over a thousand years." '' The Power of Dark'' follows the story of two friends who get caught up in a supernatural vendetta from the past. "Something is brewing in the town of Whitby. To best friends Lil and Verne, it just seems like a particularly bad storm, but Cherry Cerise, the last of the Whitby witches, fears that ancient forces are at work, reviving the curse of a long lost magical artifact." ''The Devil's Paintbox'' continues the adventures of Lil when "More than ever she needs the support of best friend Verne and the witch Cherry Cerise, but they are preoccupied by their attempts to uncover more secrets of the golden Nimius. When Lil finds an antique box of watercolour paints she welcomes the diversion, little realising that every time she uses it something nasty escapes. But it is while they are distracted an old enemy finds a path to their door . . ." ''Time of Blood'' In this third title, the sinister Mister Dark is more powerful than ever and has enslaved young Verne to his will. Can Lil save her best friend before their enemy unleashes his most audacious and insane plan yet? Even with the help of new, surprising allies - a witch, a mysterious man of many disguises and the secretive aufwaders beneath the cliff - all seems hopeless. Whitby has never been a more frightening and dangerous place to live, and the murdered dead refuse to rest in peace.

The Whitby Witches Trilogy

:'' The Whitby Witches'' (Originally published 1991) (Re-published as an Egmont Modern Classic 2017,"...and the inspiration for '' The Power of Dark'' and its sequels.") :'' A Warlock in Whitby'' (1992) :''The Whitby Child'' (1994)

The Hagwood Trilogy

:'' Thorn Ogres of Hagwood'' (1999) (Re-published December 2012) (eBook and print on demand) :''Dark Waters of Hagwood'' (June 2013) (eBook and print on demand) :''War in Hagwood'' (July 2016) (eBook and print on demand) Originally published by

Puffin Books Puffin Books is a longstanding children's imprint of the British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s, it has been among the largest publishers of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world. The imprint now belongs to ...

, ''Thorn Ogres of Hagwood'' has been published online by

Open Road Integrated Media Open Road Integrated Media or ORIM (stylized as OR/M and also called Open Road) is a digital media company in New York City that was created by Jane Friedman and Jeffrey Sharp in 2009 with a focus on publishing ebook editions of older works of ...

. The sequel ''Dark Waters of Hagwood'' was published in June 2013, and the series finale; ''War in Hagwood'' in July 2016. After the original publication of the first instalment, the long-awaited second and third books were finally published over ten years later. The series follows the heroic battle for survival of a peace-loving race of Werlings who have the power to Wergle or shape shift. Living an untroubled existence, they unwittingly become embroiled in an epic struggle against the mighty powers of dark faerie magic and the least likely champion must find the hero within. The first title in the series has been described as "Fun for Hobbit-addicts and Potter-philes of all ages."

Dancing Jax

:''Dancing Jax'' (February 2011) :''Freax and Rejex'' (February 2012) :''Fighting Pax'' (July 2014) The Dancing Jax trilogy is a

series for Young Adults, published in the United Kingdom by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

. Jarvis has said the series was inspired by a dream. "...it gave me everything I needed, the title of the book, the characters and their names and other key 'ingredients'". The series relates the hypnotic and destructive power held over its readers by a devilish book, originally written in the 1930s by an evil magician. The book acts as a gateway to Mooncaster, "a fairytale world, full of Jacks, Queens and Kings, unicorns and wolves", but further described as "No fairytale", and by the author himself as "Not for the faint-hearted". The book explores themes of

Many-worlds interpretation The many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts that the universal wavefunction is Philosophical realism, objectively real, and that there is no wave function collapse. This implies that all Possible ...

Popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art

f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...

or mass art, sometimes contraste ...

Dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...

and

Fear conditioning Pavlovian fear conditioning is a behavioral paradigm in which organisms learn to predict aversive events. It is a form of learning in which an aversive stimulus (e.g. an electrical shock) is associated with a particular neutral context (e.g., a r ...

. The first, second, and third volumes of the trilogy have been published in Germany by Script5.

Tales from the Wyrd Museum

:'' The Woven Path'' (1995) (Re-published July 2011) :'' The Raven's Knot'' (1996) (Re-published October 2011) :'' The Fatal Strand'' (1998) (Re-published February 2012)

The Deptford Mice

;'' The Deptford Mice Trilogy'' :'' The Dark Portal'' (1989) (Re-published May 2012) (eBook edition) :'' The Crystal Prison'' (1989) (Re-published May 2012) (eBook edition) :'' The Final Reckoning'' (1990) (Re-published May 2012) (eBook edition) ;''The Deptford Histories'' :'' The Alchymist's Cat'' (1991) :'' The Oaken Throne'' (1993) :''

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

'' (1995) '' The Deptford Mice Almanack'' (1997) ;''The Deptford Mouselets'' :'' Fleabee's Fortune'' (2004) :'' Whortle's Hope'' (2007) ''The Deptford Mouselets'' are a series of stand-alone prequel novels for younger children, featuring characters from ''The Deptford Mice'' and ''The Deptford Histories'' series.

Intrigues of the Reflected Realm

:'' Deathscent'' (2001)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jarvis, Robin English children's writers English fantasy writers 1963 births Writers from Warrington Alumni of Northumbria University Living people Novelists from Liverpool English male novelists