Jack Heath
| Jack Heath | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 August 1986 |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality |  Australia |
| Genres | Young Adult Fiction |
|
www.jackheath.com.au |
|
Jack Heath, (born 23 August 1986 in Sydney, Australia), is a writer of young adult fiction. He has resided in Canberra since age 9.[1] Heath is best known for the Six of Hearts series, for being one of Australia's youngest bestselling authors, and for the high action content in his novels (his work is often compared to that of Matthew Reilly,[2] to the CHERUB written by Robert Muchamore and to the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.)
Jack Heath's second book, Remote Control was shortlisted for the 2007 Aurealis Award for Best Science-Fiction Novel, and he is the 2009 ACT Young Australian of the Year.
Contents |
[edit] Notable characteristics and themes
Most of Jack Heath's works so far have contained one or more of the following elements: atonement/redemption, coming of age, commercialism, conspiracy, corruption, genetic experimentation, greed, heroism, and nature vs. nurture. However, Heath has been quoted as saying that he writes only "to entertain . . . to keep people entertained from the first page to the last. I'm not trying to force issues onto anyone."[3]
The narrative is always third-person and past tense, except in dream sequences and the final chapter of Third Transmission (which led some critics to speculate that the end might be a dream.[4]) Heath frequently uses onomatopoeia and lots of detail in his action scenes to create a "slow-motion" effect. Another consistent element is the lack of a stated geographical setting. The Six of Hearts series is set in an overpopulated, capitalist metropolis known only as "the City", which covers an entire continent. (The continent is described as being 7.5 million square kilometres in area,[5] which is only slightly less than Australia, so this seems the most likely location.) Money Run is set in a Western nation where the currency is dollars, but where the police Miranda warning resembles that used by British law enforcement,[6] which might indicate that the book is set in Australia or New Zealand.
Heath is also known for his in-jokes - for instance, the names of many of his characters are anagrams of famous actors, (e.g. "Serfie Thaldurken" is an anagram of Kiefer Sutherland) and some of the firearms in his novels are named after fictional weapons from films such as Aliens. Similarly, his website includes humorous hidden captions behind all images and links, and the site's 404 error message has been replaced with a short story entitled 404.
[edit] Books
[edit] The Six of Hearts series
- 2006 The Lab (Pan Macmillan Australia)
- 2007 Remote Control (Pan Macmillan Australia, shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for Best Science-Fiction Novel, 2007[7])
- 2008 404 (short story, published on jackheath.com.au)
- 2009 Third Transmission (Pan Macmillan Australia)
- 2012 Dead Man Running (Pan Macmillan Australia) (announced, release date 2012[8])
[edit] The Ashley Arthur series
- 2008 Money Run (Pan Macmillan Australia)
- 2008 Freak Show (short story, published by the State Library of Queensland[9])
- 2010 Hit List (Pan Macmillan Australia)
[edit] Stand alone short stories
- 2006 Sleep (published in Voiceworks, issue #65)
- 2007 The Mistress (published in Voiceworks, issue #68)
- 2007 Right-angles and hair (published in The Sex Mook)
- 2008 Emma (published in lip, issue #16)
- 2009 The Beach (written for Salon 3 - Stoker and Shelley, and published on Tara Moss's blog, The Book Post)[10]
- 2010 Flesh (written for Salon 5 - Pinol and Wells, and published on The Book Post)[11]
[edit] References
- ^ "About page on Jack Heath's official website". Jackheath.com.au. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
- ^ "Victorian Association for Teachers of English review". vate.org.au. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
- ^ Interview with Tom Doig, published in Voiceworks issue #65, 2006.
- ^ Q&A at the New Plymouth Library, 2009
- ^ The Lab, Scholastic Press, 2008, page 297
- ^ Money Run, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2008, page 190
- ^ "List of finalists in the 2007 Aurealis Awards". Aurealisawards.com. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
- ^ "[1]". blog.jackheath.com.au Retrieved 2011-06-22.
- ^ "State Library of Queensland Website".
- ^ http://blog.taramoss.com/index.php?itemid=76
- ^ http://blog.taramoss.com/index.php?itemid=388
