Born in Sydney in 1974, Matthew Reilly was not always a big fan of reading. It was only after he read To Kill A Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies in Year 10 that he realized reading could transport you to another world. Following this revelation, Matthew soon began creating stories of his own and set about writing his first novel, Contest, at the age of 19 while still at university studying law.
Following rejections from all the major publishers, Matthew self-published Contest in 1996, printing 1000 copies. He produced a big-budget-looking novel which he sold into bookshops throughout Sydney, one shop at a time.
In January 1997, a Commissioning Editor for Pan Macmillan Australia walked into Angus & Robertson’s Pitt Street Mall store and bought a copy of Contest. The editor tracked Matthew down through his contact details in the front of the book. Interestingly, those original self-published editions of Contest have now become much sought-after collectors’ items. One recently sold on eBay for $1200!
Author website: http://www.matthewreilly.com
Books in order of publication:
Stand-alone novels
Contest (1996; republished in 2000)
Temple (1999)
Troll Mountain (2014)
The Great Zoo of China (November 2014)
The Secret Runners of New York (March 2019)
Cobalt Blue (August 2022)
Shane Schofield novels
Ice Station (1998)
Area 7 (2001)
Scarecrow (2003)
Hell Island (2005)
Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves (2011), re-titled as Scarecrow Returns in the United States.
Jack West Jr novels
Seven Ancient Wonders (2005), retitled as 7 Deadly Wonders in the United States and The Seven Ancient Wonders after a re-release in Australia in March 2021.
The Six Sacred Stones (2007)
The Five Greatest Warriors (2009)
The Four Legendary Kingdoms (2016)
The Three Secret Cities (2018)
The Two Lost Mountains (2020)
The One Impossible Labyrinth (October 2021)
Oak Lawn Library Friends 