Benedict Jacka

{{short description|British author (born 1980)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox writer

| name = Benedict Jacka

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|09|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = London

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| occupation = Writer

| nationality = British

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| genre = fantasy, urban fantasy

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| website = {{URL|http://benedictjacka.co.uk/}}

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Benedict Jacka (born 25 September 1980) is a British author, best known for his Alex Verus series.{{cite web|last=Fox|first=Rose|title=PW Talks with Benedict Jacka, Cont.|url=http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/genreville/?p=2025|publisher=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=8 October 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018230435/http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/genreville/?p=2025|archivedate=18 October 2012}}

Biography

Jacka was born in England and attended the City of London School. He later attended Cambridge University, where he graduated with a Bachelors in philosophy and met his editor Sophie Hicks from Ed Victor Ltd.{{cite web|last=Sambuchino|first=Chuck|title=How I Got My Agent: Benedict Jacka|url=http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/june-7-needs-edit-benedict-jacka-higma|publisher=Writer's Digest|accessdate=8 October 2012}} His first novels were three children's fantasy novels that didn’t get published, followed by To Be A Ninja (later changed to Ninja: The Beginning), a children's non-fantasy novel, which was. In 2000 he began working on a fantasy setting with teenage elementals, for which he wrote four unpublished novels. In 2009, he decided to try again with an adult character and a more information-based ability.{{cite web|title=Orbit's website|url=http://www.orbitbooks.net/2013/06/14/francis-knight-interviews-benedict-jacka-author-of-the-alex-verus-novels/#more-35704|accessdate=6 October 2014}} Three years later, in 2012, he published the first book of the Alex Verus series, two more followed the same year.{{cite web|title=Jacka's website|url=http://benedictjacka.co.uk/about-me/|accessdate=8 January 2012}} Jacka married in 2015 to Rolari Kuti.{{cite web|title=Sng Weddings|url=http://loveweddingsng.com/2015/07/yeni-kutis-daughter-rolari-weds-benedict-jacka-awgz-photography/|accessdate=4 October 2018}}

Critical reception for Jacka's work has been mostly positive.{{cite web|title=Fiction Review: Fated|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-937007-29-4|publisher=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=8 October 2012}}{{cite web|title=Fiction Review: Taken|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-937007-72-0|publisher=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=8 October 2012}} Of the Alex Verus series, SF Site has cited the series' characters and chapter cliffhangers as highlights.{{cite web|last=Petersen|first=Katherine|title=Taken Benedict Jacka|url=http://www.sfsite.com/09a/tk375.htm|publisher=SF Site|accessdate=8 October 2012}}{{cite web|last=Petersen|first=Katherine|title=Review: Cursed|url=http://www.sfsite.com/06b/cu370.htm|publisher=SF Site|accessdate=8 October 2012}} SF Crowsnest gave an overall positive review for Cursed, while stating it was "an enjoyable, if unchallenging, read".{{cite web|last=Russell|first=Vinca|title=Review: Cursed|url=http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2012/Cursed-Alex-Verus-novel-book-2-by-Benedict-Jacka-16859.php|publisher=SF Crowsnest|accessdate=8 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813154517/http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2012/Cursed-Alex-Verus-novel-book-2-by-Benedict-Jacka-16859.php|archive-date=13 August 2012|url-status=dead}}

Bibliography

=Alex Verus series=

  • Fated (2012)
  • Cursed (2012)
  • Taken (2012)
  • Chosen (2013)
  • Hidden (2014)
  • Veiled (2015)
  • Burned (2016)
  • Bound (2017)
  • Marked (2018)
  • Fallen (2019)
  • Forged (2020)
  • Risen (2021)

In June 2021 Jacka released "Favours", a novella which takes place between books 6 and 7;{{cite web |title=Favours Release Day |url=https://benedictjacka.co.uk/2021/06/18/favours-release-day/ |website=Benedict Jacka |access-date=31 October 2022}} in October 2022 he released "Gardens", a novella which takes place after book 12.{{Cite web |title=Gardens Released Today |url=https://benedictjacka.co.uk/2022/10/31/gardens-released-today/ |access-date=1 November 2022 |website=Benedict Jacka}}

=Inheritance of Magic series=

  • An Inheritance of Magic (2023)
  • An Instruction in Shadow (2024)
  • A Judgement of Powers (2025)

=Ninja series=

  • Ninja: The Beginning (2005)
  • Ninja: The Battle (2007)

References

{{reflist|2}}