Matthew Reilly is a renowned Australian novelist, celebrated for his high-octane action-thrillers. Born in Sydney on July 2, 1974, Reilly did not discover his passion for reading and writing until his teenage years. After being captivated by the novels "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Lord of the Flies" in Year 10, he realized the transportive power of literature, which inspired him to create stories of his own.
Reilly began writing his first novel, "Contest," at the age of 19 while studying law at university. Despite facing rejections from every major publisher in Sydney, he chose to self-publish 1,000 copies of the book in 1996. To promote his work, Reilly visited bookstores throughout Sydney, selling his book one shop at a time. His persistence paid off when a Commissioning Editor from Pan Macmillan Australia discovered and bought a copy of "Contest" at a bookstore in early 1997. This encounter eventually led to a successful publishing deal for Reilly's work.
Since then, Reilly has become an international bestselling author, publishing numerous novels, including the Scarecrow series, the Jack West series, and standalone novels such as "Contest," "Temple," "Hover Car Racer," "The Tournament," "Troll Mountain," "The Great Zoo of China," and "The Secret Runners of New York." His books have been translated into over 20 languages and have sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. Reilly's novels have consistently been the bestselling new fiction titles in Australia since 2005, with "Seven Ancient Wonders" marking the beginning of this successful streak.
In addition to his novels, Reilly has written several short stories, including "Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl," a prequel to "The Tournament," and other works such as "Time Tours," "The Mine," and "Altitude Rush." When not writing or working on film scripts, Reilly enjoys spending his time on the golf course. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he continues to craft captivating stories for his fans around the world.