Matthew Reilly

The writerly trajectory of self-published 19-year-olds can be a thankless one, so when in 1996 every publishing house in Australia had rejected Matthew Reilly’s first novel, Contest, there was little reason to expect that his family-funded print run of 1000 copies would ever see the light of day again.

In this presentation, the author of 14 novels, with over 3.5 million copies sold in over 20 countries, discusses his particular brand of adrenaline-fuelled action thrillers.

Reilly brims with enthusiasm for pure unadulterated escapism, describing how writing allows him to write blockbuster action scenes without the restraint that might accompany something like a film.

Speaking about his new book Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves, he describes why it’s his nastiest and toughest book yet, ‘relentless in its relentlessness’. He even treats the sold-out audience to a rare reading from the book.

He talks about his other books, too, and touches on other subjects such as his interactions with Hollywood, where he finds his ideas, why he’s still not published in France and what makes a Matthew Reilly book. Plus, he shares some embarrassing admissions.