Barry Lyga is a bestselling young adult novelist, known for his innovative concepts and rebellious approach to the genre. Hailing from New York, Lyga has published more than twenty novels over the course of more than a decade, many of which have become New York Times bestsellers. His debut novel, "Archvillain," was the first in the series of the same name, published in 2010. Lyga has since published several series, including "Flash" and the New York Times bestselling series "I Hunt Killers." His works have been translated into several languages and published in Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia.
Lyga's writing career began in the comic book industry, where he worked for ten years before turning to his true passion of writing. His novels are known for their diverse subject matter, ranging from the aftermath of child abuse to pre-teens with superpowers to serial killers. In 2018, Lyga collaborated with Marvel Cinematic Universe to write the novel "Thanos: Titan Consumed." His most popular series, "I Hunt Killers," tackles themes of nurture versus nature and has been praised for its innovative concept. The series is set to be adapted into a TV series by Silver Pictures/Warner Bros. Currently, Lyga lives in New York City with his wife, Morgan Baden, where he writes his novels and collects comic books.
Lyga, who has been called a "YA rebel-author" by Kirkus Reviews, has published more than twenty novels in various genres in his dozen-plus-year career. His books have been or are slated to be published in nine different languages in North America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. After graduating from Yale with a degree in English, Lyga worked in the comic book industry before quitting to pursue his lifelong love of writing. In 2006, his first young adult novel, "The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl," was published to rave reviews, including starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal. Publisher's Weekly named Lyga a "Flying Start" in December 2006 on the strength of the debut. His second young adult novel, "Boy Toy," received starred reviews in SLJ, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus. VOYA gave it its highest critical rating, and the Chicago Tribune called it "...an astounding portrayal of what it is like to be the young male victim." His third novel, "Hero-Type," according to VOYA "proves that there are still fresh ideas and new, interesting story lines to be explored in young adult literature." Since then, he has also written "Goth Girl Rising" (the sequel to his first novel), as well as the "Archvillain" series for middle-grade readers and the graphic novel "Mangaman" (with art by Colleen Doran).