Sarah Rees Brennan
{{short description|Irish writer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Sarah Rees Brennan
| image = Sarah_Rees_Brennan_2018.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption =
| pseudonym =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|09|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = Ireland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Writer
| nationality = Irish
| period = 21st century
| genre = fantasy, young adult fiction
| subject =
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| movement =
| alma_mater = Kingston University London
| notableworks = {{plainlist}}
- The Demon's Lexicon
- In Other Lands
- Long Live Evil
{{endplainlist}}
| awards =
| signature =
| website = {{URL|sarahreesbrennan.com}}
}}
Sarah Rees Brennan (born 21 September 1983){{Cite web |title=sarahtales - Profile |url=https://sarahtales.livejournal.com/profile |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=LiveJournal |language=en-us |archive-date=6 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106001645/https://sarahtales.livejournal.com/profile |url-status=live }} is an Irish fantasy novelist. Her books are bestsellers in both the UK and USA.{{cite web |title=Weekly Bestsellers, 9 September 2024 |url=https://locusmag.com/2024/09/weekly-bestsellers-9-september-2024/ |website=Locus Online |date=9 September 2024}}
Rees Brennan's first novel, The Demon's Lexicon (2009), was longlisted for the 2010 Carnegie Medal.{{Cite web|url=http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/pressdesk/press.php?release=pres_nom_car_2010.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107030950/http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/pressdesk/press.php?release=pres_nom_car_2010.html|title=The CILIP Carnegie Medal Nominations for 2010|archive-date=2010-01-07|accessdate=April 30, 2025}} Her fantasy novel In Other Lands was a finalist for the 2017 Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2018-hugo-awards/|title=2018 Hugo Awards|date=19 August 2018|accessdate=April 30, 2025}} Her adult fantasy novel Long Live Evil debuted on the USA Today's best seller list and became a #1 Sunday Times bestseller on release in the UK,{{cite web |title=Long Live Evil |url=https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/sarah-rees-brennan/long-live-evil/9780356522494/ |date=17 January 2024}} and appeared on both The New York Times 2024 Best of Fantasy list and The New York Times Best of Romance list.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/books/review/best-science-fiction-fantasy-books-2024.html|title=New York Times The Best Science Fiction Novels of 2024|date=6 December 2024|accessdate=April 30, 2025}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/05/books/review/best-romance-books-2024.html|title=New York Times The Best Romance Fiction Novels of 2024|date=5 December 2024|accessdate=April 30, 2025}} Rees Brennan's work was listed twice in the 2024 Locus Recommended Reading List - her Hansel and Gretel retelling "Happily Ever After Comes Round" was recommended in the Short Stories category and Long Live Evil was recommended in Novels - Fantasy.{{Cite web|url=https://locusmag.com/2025/02/2024-recommended-reading-list/|title=Locus 2024 Recommended Reading List |date=1 February 2025|accessdate=April 30, 2025}}
Life and career
Rees Brennan was born in Ireland. She obtained a Creative Writing MA from Kingston University in London[https://www.kingston.ac.uk/postgraduate-course/creative-writing-ma/after-you-graduate.html Sarah Rees Brennan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207195206/https://www.kingston.ac.uk/postgraduate-course/creative-writing-ma/after-you-graduate.html |date=7 December 2019 }} - After you Graduate, Kingston University London. and worked as a librarian in Surrey, England{{Cite web |url=http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/sarah-rees-brennan/ |title=Sarah Rees Brennan |access-date=6 February 2009 |archive-date=14 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214091922/http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/sarah-rees-brennan/ |url-status=live }} before moving to Dublin where she currently lives.
Rees Brennan has been writing since the age of five.[Back of first novel, Interview with Sarah Rees Brennan, author of The Demon's Lexicon] {{full citation needed|date=February 2014}} She has a blog on LiveJournal which has over 4000 subscribers.{{Cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/sarahrsquos-magic-touch-lands-the-writer-a-threebook-deal-1334941.html |title=Sarah's magic touch lands the writer a three-book deal |access-date=4 February 2009 |archive-date=2 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081102212622/http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/sarahrsquos-magic-touch-lands-the-writer-a-threebook-deal-1334941.html |url-status=live }}
She wrote her first novel, The Demon's Lexicon, while studying for her Creative Writing MA. The publishing house Simon & Schuster obtained a three-book contract deal with her which involved an undisclosed six-figure sum. Since then she has written and collaborated on many bestselling and award-nominated works including In Other Lands and her tie-in work with Netflix.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} Rees Brennan's most recent novel is Long Live Evil which debuted on the USA Today's best seller list and was a number one best seller on the Sunday Times in the UK.{{cite web |title=Long Live Evil |url=https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/sarah-rees-brennan/long-live-evil/9780356522494/ |date=17 January 2024}}
Rees Brennan is a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2017.{{Cite news |url=https://www.her.ie/news/people-complimenting-weight-loss-sarah-rees-brennan-battling-cancer-499595 |title='People were complimenting my weight loss' Sarah Rees Brennan on battling cancer |work=Her.ie |author=Press Association |date=16 February 2020 |access-date=23 September 2021 |archive-date=25 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025113901/https://www.her.ie/news/people-complimenting-weight-loss-sarah-rees-brennan-battling-cancer-499595 |url-status=live }}
Awards and honors
Three of Brennan's books are Junior Library Guild books: Untold (2014),{{Cite web |title=Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan |url=https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/book/landing/detailedview?itemcode=9780375970429J&name=Untold |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=Junior Library Guild}} Unmade (2014),{{Cite web |title=Unmade: The Lynburn Legacy, Book 3 by Sarah Rees Brennan |url=https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/book/landing/detailedview?itemcode=9780375970436J&name=Unmade |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=Junior Library Guild}} and In Other Lands (2017).{{Cite web |title=In Other Lands: A Novel by Sarah Rees Brennan |url=https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/book/landing/detailedview?itemcode=9781618731203J&name=In_Other_Lands |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=Junior Library Guild }}
The Demon's Lexicon received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews,{{cite web |title=THE DEMON’S LEXICON |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sarah-rees-brennan/the-demons-lexicon/ |publisher=Kirkus Reviews |language=en}} Bulletin,{{cite journal |last1=McDowell |first1=Kate |title=The Demon’s Lexicon (review) |journal=Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books |date=July 2009 |volume=62 |issue=11 |pages=436–436 |doi=10.1353/bcc.0.1058}} and School Library Journal.{{cite web |last1=Rees |first1=Brennan, Sarah |title=The Demon |url=https://www.slj.com/review/the-demons-covenant-[demons-lexicon-trilogy] |website=School Library Journal}}
In 2017, The New York Times included In Other Lands on their list of the fall's best young adult fantasy novels.{{Cite news |date=2017-11-09 |title=Who's a Hero? Who's a Villain? It's Anyone's Guess in This Fall's Best Y.A. Fantasy |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/books/review/bardugo-wonder-woman-meyer-renegades-ness-release-lu-warcross.html |access-date=2023-04-05 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109031352/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/books/review/bardugo-wonder-woman-meyer-renegades-ness-release-lu-warcross.html |url-status=live }}
Publications
= Novels =
== Demon's Lexicon Trilogy ==
- The Demon's Lexicon, June 2009
- The Demon's Covenant, May 2010
- The Demon's Surrender, June 2011
== Lynburn Legacy ==
- Unspoken, June 2012 (Book 1)
- Untold, August 2013 (Book 2)
- Unmade, 2014 (Book 3)
- The Spring Before I Met You, September 2012 (Book 0.25)
- The Summer Before I Met You, September 2012 (Book 0.5)
- The Night After I Lost You (Book 1.5)
== [[The Mortal Instruments|Shadowhunters]] Universe ==
- Team Human, co-authored with Justine Larbalestier, July 2012
- The Bane Chronicles, co-authored with Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson
- Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, co-authored with Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson and Robin Wasserman
== [[Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV series)|Chilling Adventures of Sabrina]] ==
- Season of the Witch (Book 1), July 2019
- Daughter of Chaos (Book 2), December 2019
- Path of Night (Book 3), May 2020
== [[C.S. Pacat]]'s [[Fence (comic book)|''Fence'']] novelisations ==
- Fence: Striking Distance, September 2020
- Fence: Disarmed, May 2021
== [[Fate: The Winx Saga]] ==
- The Fairies' Path, as Ava Corrigan, March 2021
- Lighting the Fire, August 2022
== Time of Iron ==
- Long Live Evil, August 2024
- All Hail Chaos, forthcoming from Orbit Books
== Stand-alone novels ==
- Tell the Wind and Fire, April 2016
- In Other Lands, August 2017
= Short fiction =
- "Undead Is Very Hot Right Now" in The Eternal Kiss, ed. Trisha Telep
- "The Spy Who Never Grew Up" in Kiss Me Deadly, ed. Trisha Telep
- "Queen of Atlantis" in Subterranean Press Magazine: Summer 2011, ed. Gwenda Bond
- "Lets Get This Undead Show on the Road" in Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions, ed. Melissa Marr
- "Faint Heart" in After, ed. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
- "Treasure and Maidens" in Scheherazade's Facade, ed. Michael M. Jones
- "I Gave You My Love by the Light of The Moon" in Defy the Dark, ed. Saundra Mitchell
- "Beauty and the Chad" in Grim, ed. Christine Johnson
- "Wings in the Morning" in Monstrous Affections, ed. Kelly Link
- "Tears Waiting to Be Diamonds" Part One and Part Two in The Sunday Morning Transport{{Cite web |last=Transport |first=The Sunday Morning |title=Tears Waiting to Be Diamonds: Part One |url=https://www.sundaymorningtransport.com/p/tears-waiting-to-be-diamonds-part |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.sundaymorningtransport.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Transport |first=The Sunday Morning |title=Tears Waiting to Be Diamonds: Part Two |url=https://www.sundaymorningtransport.com/p/tears-waiting-to-be-diamonds-part-7e9 |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.sundaymorningtransport.com |language=en}}
References
{{reflist |25em}}
External links
- {{official website }}
- [https://subterraneanpress.com/magazine/summer_2011/queen_of_atlantis_by_sarah_rees_brennan Queen of Atlantis - Subterranean Press Magazine Summer 2011]
- [http://sarahtales.livejournal.com/ Blog] at Live Journal
- [http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/sarah-rees-brennan/ Cover art and more] at Fantastic Fiction
- [http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Sarah-Rees-Brennan/46599925/author_revealed Author profile at Simon & Schuster]
- {{ISFDB name|126247}}
- {{LCAuth|n2008065250|Sarah Rees Brennan|7|}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brennan, Sarah Rees}}
Category:Irish children's writers
Category:Irish women children's writers
Category:British women librarians
Category:Irish fantasy writers
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)