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Sean Williams
 
Book List

Books

  • Her Perilous Mansion
    released April 2020
    Allen & Unwin
    Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book Nominated for the Patricia Wrightson Prizen for Children' Literature Nominated for the Aurealis Award, Best Children's Fiction
    A middle-grade fantasy novel about two children trapped in a mysterious house - out now from Allen & Unwin.
    April 2020
    Allen & Unwin
    Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book Nominated for the Patricia Wrightson Prizen for Children' Literature Nominated for the Aurealis Award, Best Children's Fiction
    Age: 10+
  • Impossible Music
    released July 2019
    Allen & Unwin
    CBCA Notable Book Nominated for the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.
    My first mainstream novel, about a young heavy metal guitarist who suddenly loses his hearing. A Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book! For more information, visit www.impossiblemusic.info. Cover: Clarion Books, US; artist Peter Strain; designer, Lisa Vega; creative director Jessica Handelman.
    July 2019
    Allen & Unwin
    CBCA Notable Book Nominated for the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.
    Age: 12+
  • Let Sleeping Dragons Lie
    released October 2018
    Allen & Unwin
    The sequel to Have Sword, Will Travel, co-written with Garth Nix. Out soon in the UK, US and Australia!
    October 2018
    Allen & Unwin
    Age: 10+
  • Have Sword, Will Travel
    released October 2017
    Scholastic (US)
    “A true-blue errant-knight tale, complete with dragons, sassy enchanted objects, and a destiny that comes before anyone is ready ... Hand to just about any middle-grader looking for a swashbuckling adventure.” - Booklist
    The first in a new series co-written with Garth Nix, this book has it all: talking swords, adventure, dragons! Out now! More info here.
    October 2017
    Scholastic (US)
    “A true-blue errant-knight tale, complete with dragons, sassy enchanted objects, and a destiny that comes before anyone is ready ... Hand to just about any middle-grader looking for a swashbuckling adventure.” - Booklist
    "Odo and Eleanor did not set out to find their destiny. At best, they were hoping for eels."
    Age: 8+
  • Escape From Thorngate Hall
    released February 2016
    A collaboration between me and the schoolkids of South Australia! Art by Stephen Stanley. Chapter one here. More info here.
    February 2016
    EXPLORING the creepy old house that is their new home, four children stumble into a room full of secrets. Acclaimed Adelaide author Sean Williams has written the first chapter in our progressive story, Escape From Thorngate Hall, with illustrations by cartoonist Stephen Stanley.
    Age: 8+
  • Hollowgirl
    released November 2015
    Allen & Unwin
    Recommended by Locus Nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best SF Novel (2015)
    The epic final novel in the Twinmaker saga. Aka Fall in Austalia. See Twinmakerbooks.com for more info.  
    November 2015
    Allen & Unwin
    Recommended by Locus Nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best SF Novel (2015)
    “will haunt readers as they grapple with deep questions of reality, humanity, and how to strike a balance between opposite ways of thinking. Williams’ world shares many qualities with modern polarized human society, and it is this intelligent consideration that continues to set these books apart.”—Booklist (on Hollowgirl)
    Age: 12+
  • 113 (Twinmaker)
    released September 2015
    The full, radically reconceived edition of Twinmaker (Jump) that later became "I, Q". Available for free on Wattpad (link).
    September 2015
    "Places meant as little to me as emotions, then. Clair’s home was in Maine, but it could have been in Manhattan or on the Moon for all I cared. Names were nothing but labels, I thought. D-mat, the technological marvel that made human civilization on Earth and elsewhere sustainable, was just a means of moving data from cache to cache. That some of those caches were built out of atoms was irrelevant to me."
    Age: 12+
  • Spirit Animals: Blood Ties
    released March 2014
    Scholastic (US)

    The adventure continues in this third book of the epic multiplatform fantasy series.

    Erdas is a land of balance. A rare link, the spirit animal bond, bridges the human and animal worlds. Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan each have this gift-and the grave responsibility that comes with it.

    But the Conquerors are trying to destroy this balance. They're swallowing whole cities in their rush for power-including Meilin's home. Fed up with waiting and ready to fight, Meilin has set off into enemy territory with her spirit animal, a panda named Jhi. Her friends aren't far behind . . . but they're not the only ones.

    The enemy is everywhere.

    March 2014
    Scholastic (US)
    Age: 8+
  • Troubletwisters: The Missing (Missing, Presumed Evil)
    released April 2014
    Egmont (UK)

    Jack and Jaide Shield finally learn what it really means to be a warden in training as they pit their wits and their gifts against a rival - who is also a troubletwister! But as they explore the forbidden dark of the Evil dimension, they also have to come to terms with the truth about Grandma X's twin sister and face their greatest challenge ever...

    April 2014
    Egmont (UK)
    Age: 8+
  • Crashland
    released November 2014
    Egmont (UK)
    The sequel to Twinmaker. AKA Crash in Australia. See Twinmakerbooks.com for more info.
    November 2014
    Egmont (UK)
    “The story powers on to a relentless, shocking conclusion that will leave readers howling for more. Recommend alongside other sci-fi titles with ethical complexity and logical quandaries, like Mary E. Pearson’s The Adoration of Jenna Fox (2008), William Sleator’s The Last Universe (2005), and Neal Shusterman’s Unwind (2007).”—Booklist (on Crashland)
    Age: 12+
  • Troubletwisters: The Mystery
    released May 2013
    Egmont (UK)

    When Grandma X is put out of action by an accident that may or not have been caused by The Evil, it’s up to Jack and Jaide Shield to help their father recover a lost Golden Card from Portland’s strangest landmark: The Rourke Castle.

    Negotiating secret passages, talking parrots and animated suits of armour is all in a day’s work for the troubletwisters, whose Gifts are steadily coming under control. But agents for The Evil are everywhere, including one apparently masquerading as an old and trusted friend. Soon the race is on. Whoever gets the card first will gain access to a Gift more terrible than any other--if only the twins knew what it was.

    Their quest takes them deep into the hidden spaces of Rourke Castle, exposing secrets kept safely from them, until now. In the process they gain a deeper understanding of The Evil, the Wardens, their father and grandmother--and themselves.

    May 2013
    Egmont (UK)
    Age: 10+
  • Twinmaker
    released November 2013
    Egmont (UK)

    “In the masterful hands of Williams, the technology, which has eerie parallels to contemporary life, provides a solid platform for great storytelling, and teens will revel in the drama, Clair’s tenacity, and the memorable characters who discover that their utopia isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”—Booklist, starred review

    Quote from PublishersMarketplace. See Twinmakerbooks.com for more information.

    November 2013
    Egmont (UK)
    Age: 15+
  • Troubletwisters: The Monster
    released May 2012
    Egmont (UK)

    Last time, twins Jaide and Jack defeated the evil with luck and intuition. This time they must truly master their powers as Troubletwisters. The second exciting, mysterious instalment in the series, from fantasy masters Garth Nix and Sean Williams.

    After The Evil's assault on Portland, everything returns to relative normality...for the moment. The twins continue to work hard to control their Gifts, and at school they make a new friend, Tara. But then the instruments in Grandma X's antique store begin registering Evil activity, and Tara's dad turns out to be the suspicious big-city property developer working on the house next door. Matters turn from bad to worse when the twins discover that Grandma's cats are fighting an important battle of their own. Can the twins solve the mystery of the living Ward before it's too late?

    May 2012
    Egmont (UK)
    Age: 10+
  • Fixers: Curse of the Vampire
    released 2011
    Omnibus/Scholastic (Australia)

    Ollie is lost. The world he came from is just one of many. Some of them are almost identical to his. Others contain cyborg pirates, living castles, talking cats - and now, hungry vampires too. Getting back home is proving surprisingly difficult.

    Fleeing from the eerie Fixers, Ollie lands in a village cursed by blood-sucking neighbours. It's easy to take sides. But does Ollie choose the wrong one, this time? And if so, how can he possibly put it right?

    2011
    Omnibus/Scholastic (Australia)

    "...a thrilling, imaginative read, perfect for ages seven and up. Paired with comic-book-style illustrations from the brilliant Nial O’Connor, [the] Fixers series is sure to be a hit with younger readers who like their adventures with a bit of a fantastic bent." (Readings)

    Age: 8+
  • Fixers: Invasion of the Freaks
    released 2011
    Omnibus/Scholastic (Australia)

    Ollie really has his work cut out for him this time. Getting safely to the Fixers' home world is just the first step. Then he has to find out what their plan is, seal up the holes in the multiverse, and get home again, all before his parents wake up and find him gone.

    Psychic typewriter - check. Telepathic TV - check. Wicked widget - check.

    He needs every advantage imaginable-and all the help from himself he can get.

    2011
    Omnibus/Scholastic (Australia)

    "...a thrilling, imaginative read, perfect for ages seven and up. Paired with comic-book-style illustrations from the brilliant Nial O’Connor, [the] Fixers series is sure to be a hit with younger readers who like their adventures with a bit of a fantastic bent." (Readings)

    Age: 8+
  • Troubletwisters
    released May 2011
    Egmont (UK)

    Twin siblings Jack and Jaide discover they are pivotal to a secret supernatural organisation that protects the earth from marauding Evil! Portland might seem like a quiet coastal town, and their grandmother is perhaps no dottier than anyone else's, but it soon becomes apparent that the strange things going on around them are anything BUT ordinary.

    It's all very well discovering that you suddenly have magical powers, but when you don't know exactly what they are, or how to use them, then facing impending peril doesn't seem like a very good idea at all...

    May 2011
    Egmont (UK)

    "Troubletwisters is a collaboration between two of Australia’s finest authors. Garth Nix and Sean Williams have both created some of the most memorable fantasy series in recent times (Sabriel, Keys to the Kingdom, Broken Lands Trilogy), so I couldn’t wait to see what these two brilliant minds have come up with together. Troubletwisters certainly didn’t disappoint, and the result is a fast-paced adventure complete with talking cats, bloodthirsty crocodile skulls and fantastic powers. This is a cracking start to a highly original series that will really appeal to fantasy fans aged nine and up." (Readings)

    Age: 10+
  • Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
    released 2010
    Del Rey (US)

    Scribe Award Nominee

    As ruthless apprentice to Darth Vader, Starkiller was mercilessly schooled in the ways of the dark side, commanded to exterminate the last of the purged Jedi Order, and groomed for the ultimate Sith power play: assassination of the Emperor. He served without question, killed without remorse, and lost his heart without warning to beautiful Imperial fighter pilot Juno Eclipse, never suspecting that he was just a tool in the schemes of his masters—until it was too late to escape their lethal betrayal.

    Juno mourned Starkiller as dead...but now he is back, purged of all memories and programmed to kill. And as fate brings Juno and Starkiller closer to reuniting, with Darth Vader determined not to lose his assassin a second time, they will both have to make a stand. The prize is freedom. The punishment for failing will be eternal enslavement to the dark side of the Force...

    2010
    Del Rey (US)

    Scribe Award Nominee

    Age: 12+
  • Fixers: Castle of the Zombies
    released 2010
    Omnibus/Scholastic (Australia)

    Ollie Jolson has stumbled across a secret so big no one will ever believe him. He's fallen into a world where walls can literally have ears - and eyes, and brains, and stomachs too. The despicable Lord Wight wants to take over everything and everyone, and only a couple of kids stand in his way. One of them is still in his pyjamas.

    When you're lost in a space-time continuum, getting home is much harder than it sounds.

    2010
    Omnibus/Scholastic (Australia)

    "...a thrilling, imaginative read, perfect for ages seven and up. Paired with comic-book-style illustrations from the brilliant Nial O’Connor, this first book in the Fixers series is sure to be a hit with younger readers who like their adventures with a bit of a fantastic bent." (Readings)

    Age: 8+
  • Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance
    released 2010
    Del Rey (US)

    New York Times bestseller

    From across the galaxy they’ve come: agents of both the Republic and the Sith Empire, an investigating Jedi Padawan, an ex-trooper drummed out of the Republic’s elite Blackstar Squad, and a mysterious Mandalorian. An extraordinary auction has drawn them all together—in quest of a prize only one can claim. Each is prepared to do what he must to possess the treasure, whose value may be the wealth of a world itself. None intend to leave empty-handed. All have secrets, desires, and schemes. And nothing could ever unite them as allies—except the truth about the deadly danger of the object they covet. But can Sith and Jedi, Republic and Empire—enemies for millennia—join as one against the certain doom of the galaxy?

    2010
    Del Rey (US)

    New York Times bestseller

    “one of the most solidly entertaining Star Wars novels I’ve read” (Fantasy Book Review)

    Age: 12+
  • Fixers: Planet of the Cyborgs
    released 2010
    Omnibus/Scholastic (Australia)

    Eo's Castle was just the beginning of Ollie's troubles. Armed with nothing but a psychic typewriter, Ollie resumes his quest to get back home to the street where nothing works quite right, and the sinister Fixers are breaking holes in much more than the sidewalk.

    Instead he finds himself on a rescue mission in deep space, fighting pirates who are more machine than human, with a cat who wishes he was human . . .

    2010
    Omnibus/Scholastic (Australia)

    "...a thrilling, imaginative read, perfect for ages seven and up. Paired with comic-book-style illustrations from the brilliant Nial O’Connor, [the] Fixers series is sure to be a hit with younger readers who like their adventures with a bit of a fantastic bent." (Readings)

    Age: 8+
  • Astropolis: The Grand Conjunction
    released 2009
    Ace (US)

    Aurealis Award Nominee

    Six hundred thousand years after Imre Bergamasc's abdication, the Host rules the supposedly peaceful galaxy. But revolution is fomenting - and Imre's unexpected return may be all it takes to light the final fuse.

    2009
    Ace (US)

    Aurealis Award Nominee

    “a tale of unimaginable span. ... It doesn’t seem possible that a series of books could do or contain more. The Grand Conjunction concludes a grand achievement. Five stars.” (Terra Incognita)

    Age: 18+
  • Broken Land: The Scarecrow
    released 2009
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee

    Ros is heading for the coast with Adi and Know-it-All the camel, hoping to drop the crystal containing the Golem of Omus to the bottom of the ocean.

    Arriving in Samini, a small town on the outskirts of the Strand, the friends meet Quirk, who tells them outrageous stories about Ros's 'heroic' adventures. Ros doesn't suspect Quirk's treachery until he disappears - along with Varis, Adi's kinsman and bodyguard.

    Ros and Adi use the Change to track Varis down, but now they're up against the Scarecrow, a lethal amalgamation of man and material who will do anything to get hold of the power contained in the crystal Ros holds.

    2009
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee

    "This is speculative fiction of the highest quality." (West Australian)

    Age: 10+
  • Broken Land: The Dust Devils
    released 2008
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee

    Adi′s body has been borne away across the desert by her Clan, but her spirit remains Ros′s constant companion. If he can′t find the travellers in time, Adi will be presumed dead and her body cremated, leaving her a ghost forever.

    But Ros is not prepared for the dangers lurking in the shifting sands. Rescued from bandits and Dust Devils by a boy named Yury, he takes refuge in Yury′s home - an extensive network of tunnels known as Dunetown - and learns that Yury in turn needs Ros′s help. His family has been kidnapped by the sand bandits, a ruthless gang led by a psychopath obsessed with treasure and power.

    Ros must learn to trust again, and to overcome those who cannot ever be trusted. Darker things lurk in the desert than Dust Devils and sand bandits. And, all the while, Adi′s voice is a constant reminder that time is running out ...

    2008
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee

    "a master-piece of speculative fiction... [Williams'] skill is as limitless as the universe." (Aurealis)

    “something special indeed, as readable by adults as it is by younger people. ... riveting and one not to be missed." (West Australian)

    Age: 10+
  • Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
    released 2008
    Del Rey (US)

    #1 New York Times bestseller

    The overthrow of the Republic is complete. Absolute power now rests in the iron fist of Darth Sidious–the cunning Sith Lord better known as Emperor Palpatine. But more remains to be done. Pockets of resistance in the galaxy must still be defeated and missing Jedi accounted for . . . and dealt with. These crucial tasks fall to the Emperor’s ruthless enforcer, Darth Vader, who in turn has groomed a lethal, nameless Sith apprentice to secretly dispatch the last of his masters’ enemies. This acolyte’s journey will take him across the far reaches of the galaxy and test him with shattering revelations that strike at the very heart of all he believes, stirring within him long-forgotten hopes of reclaiming his name . . . and changing his destiny.

    2008
    Del Rey (US)

    #1 New York Times bestseller

  • Astropolis: Earth Ascendant
    released 2008
    Ace (US)

    Aurealis Award Nominee
    Ditmar Award Nominee

    Imre Bergamasc is the First Prime of the Returned Continuum, ruling Earth and the far-flung regions of the galaxy. But dissidents and saboteurs threaten to bring his reign to an end.

    2008
    Ace (US)

    Aurealis Award Nominee
    Ditmar Award Nominee

    "breathless space combat and desperate gambits...a truly jaw-dropping piece of SF extrapolation and large-scale thinking" (BookGeek)

    “Words like riveting, gripping, and page-turning get tossed around pretty cavalierly, but they all apply to the Astropolis series.” (F&SF)

    Age: 18+
  • Broken Land: The Changeling
    released 2008
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee (twice)

    Ros is in real danger. His family are so desperate to save their drought-stricken farm that they′ll sacrifice anything - even him - for rain. His only friend is Escher, an unseen entity with a voice that whispers in Ros′s head, continuously warning him to leave before it′s too late.

    Escaping from his vengeful family astride a stolen camel, Ros decides to try his luck in the desert, discovering along the way a power he never knew he had. Through Escher, Ros learns to control the Change, a magical force that taps into the land, the water, fire and the air. He also meets Adi, a girl from a travelling clan of nomads, who asks him to save her from a future she′s desperate to avoid.

    When tragedy strikes, Ros seeks help from a powerful Stone Mage, but when even she can′t save him, he starts to question everything that has happened on his journey. He must decide who is telling the truth, and who his real friends are.

    2008
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee (twice)

    "In a smashed and parched land so reminiscent of the back-slopes of the Mt Lofty Ranges in summer, the beautifully grim and driving narrative had me hooked, deeply anxious to learn Ros’ fate. Sean Williams is an acknowledged master of adult stories, and in The Changeling he proves that wonderful and terrible tales for younger folk are well within the ambit of his prodigiously talented and prolific pen." (David Cornish)

    Age: 10+
  • Astropolis: Cenotaxis
    released 2007
    Monkeybrain (US)

    Ditmar Award Nominee

    In the far future, in the aftermath of a mysterious galactic catastrophe, a false prophet comes face to face with his greatest adversary yet: a man who thinks he's god, and might very well be right.

    While the battle for Earth rages around them, they face off, one wanting to conquer the world and the other to redeem it, and the victory may well decide the future of the galaxy, and of humanity itself.

    (Astropolis 1.5)

    2007
    Monkeybrain (US)

    Ditmar Award Nominee

    "Science fiction is at its best in the short form. And it is here that Sean Williams excels." (Jack McDevitt)

    Age: 15+
  • Astropolis: Saturn Returns
    released 2007
    Ace (US)

    Philip K Dick Nominee
    Aurealis Award Nominee
    Ditmar Award Nominee

    In the forty-third millennium of human history, Imre Bergamasc awakens after two hundred years to the realization that he has been the victim of an elaborate murder plot-a plot that also destroyed the intergalactic transport milieu known as the Continuum. But now that Imre has been reborn, he will stop at nothing to help bring forth the rebirth of the galaxy.

    2007
    Ace (US)

    Philip K Dick Nominee
    Aurealis Award Nominee
    Ditmar Award Nominee

    "[a] Jacobean revenge melodrama [featuring] a mysterious, memory-damaged, morally-ambiguous but militarily potent hero; even-more-mysterious masked opponents; a gang of companions evincing varying degrees of loyalty, sympathy, and resentment; wildly various, extra-large-scale, magical-technology-filled environments; murky pasts, secret histories, hidden agendas, sudden reversals, murky and shifting alliances; plus the usual amusements of chases, captures, escapes, kidnappings, rescues, befriendings, betrayals, and blowing stuff up." (Locus)

    Age: 18+
  • Books of the Cataclysm: The Devoured Earth
    released 2006
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Haunted by a ghost from the future, Shilly and her man’kin allies are drawn into the snowbound mountains on a mission to save the world.  Yod, trapped by the Castillo twins in the Void Beneath, may finally be close to breaking free.  Hard on Shilly’s heels are Sal and his father, and an uneasy alliance of Sky Wardens, Panic and foresters.  The stakes are high.  Strange and ancient forces struggle for ascendancy, including the glast and a dragon with its own agenda.

    If the Goddess rises from her Tomb the fate of the Ice Eaters will be sealed, and they will kill anyone who tries to get in their way...

    2006
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    "Williams is a master storyteller, and this novel is a celebration of his wild talent. (Jack Dann)

    Age: 12+
  • Geodesica: Descent
    released 2006
    Harper Voyager

    Aurealis Award Nominee

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    The system of Bedlam has been devoured by a surge of nanotech. Believing that an artificial intelligence from Sol, the Archon, was behind the destruction, three unlikely allies begin plotting their revenge.

    Human rebel Melilah Awad has fled deeper into the ancient labyrinth of Geodesica than anyone has ever dared, searching for its secrets. Isaac Forge Deangelis-former Exarch of Bedlam and guardian of Geodesica-will betray everything he believes in to see the Archon defeated. And pilot Palmer Horsfall, inhabited by another rogue Exarch, will risk her not-so-human life to avenge her sister's death.

    Three Davids, against one Goliath. And whoever controls Geodesica controls the universe.

    2006
    Harper Voyager

    Aurealis Award Nominee

    "Williams and Dix have a flair for combining slam-bang adventures, intriguing characters and cutting-edge scientific and philosophical speculations, resulting in books that elevate your adrenaline and your intellect. This latest series is no exception to their reign." (Paul di Filippo)

    Age: 15+
  • Books of the Cataclysm: The Hanging Mountains
    released 2005
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    The Divide is flooded.  Habryn Kail and the Homunculus are missing, presumed dead.  Sal and his companions seek the source of the flood in the legendary Hanging Mountains, hoping to head off a crisis that was put into motion a thousand years ago.  As conflict erupts between two long-forgotten civilisations, the outsiders find allies are hard to come by.  Taken captive and separated, they uncover uncomfortable truths about the world and how it relates to the one that came before--our world.

    Something dark and deadly is stirring in the heart of the mountains.  And the closer it comes to waking, the more certain it seems the Homunculus may not have been the enemy at all...

    2005
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    "The Hanging Mountains has something of the decaying uncertainty of the fantasy novels of China Mieville and James Lovegrove. Since it is the third book in a series of four novels--which themselves follow an earlier trilogy--there is a lot of assumed familiarity with the setting and the characters... However, this does not detract from the intrigue of the world or the pleasure of the story." (Australian Bookseller & Publisher)

    Age: 12+
  • Books of the Cataclysm: The Blood Debt
    released 2005
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    When the Homunculus emerges from the Void Beneath, Sal and Shilly are enticed out of hiding to help track it down. In return, the Sky Wardens will not prosecute them for dabbling in arcane secrets. But just what is this strange creature? What is its connection to the world’s fragmented history? And what is the connection to Highson Sparre, Sal’s missing father?

    Family secrets and political manoeuvring, live ghosts and dead bodies ... Sal and Shilly will have to deal with all these things to discover the truth about the Void Beneath, and about the mysterious Divide ...

    2005
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    "Most fantasy writers have a set-piece, battlefield kind of approach to their worlds, adding extra levels of fable or fiction to keep them interesting. But Williams has been much less mechanical in his approach, stepping through time, and coming from unexpected angles. This time, however, the sense of connectedness in all his landscapes and books is palpable, and various difficult-to-resolve threads have begun to twirl together. ... Williams' writing is suffused with themes of orphanhood, broken parenthood and flawed relations, and in this book the emotional themes and the physical landscape truly begin to reflect one another. It's the best of the books so far" (Adelaide Advertiser)

    Age: 12+
  • Geodesica: Ascent
    released 2005
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Ditmar Award Winner
    Aurealis Award Nominee

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    The year is 2388.  Humanity has spread to the stars, but the far-flung Arc Systems chafe under the tight control of the Exarchs, post-human AIs whose domination of faster-than-light technology7 gives them unsurpassed power.  Then the discover of an alien artefact--dubbed Geodesica--changes everything.  Promising rapid transfer between systems, it could give humans the advantage they need to bring down the Exarchs.

    Now, a handful of men and women--including the VOIDship pilot Palmer Eogan, who is no longer quite human, and the revolutionary leader, Melilah Awad--are about to risk everything to unlock the secrets of Geodesica.  And what they find will be far more dangerous than anyone--human or AI--could imagine...

    2005
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Ditmar Award Winner
    Aurealis Award Nominee

    "Splendid fun, brimming with heroes, villains, chicanery, neat imaginative details, some seriously cool space battles, and one of the most mind-twisting alien artifacts ever imagined." (Alastair Reynolds)

    Age: 15+
  • Orphans: Heirs of Earth
    released 2004
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee
    Locus Bestseller

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    Earth has been destroyed, and the natural order of things destroyed with it.  What little remains of humanity is caught between the Spinners and the Starfish, unsure whether to run, hide, or fight back.  None of the options is particularly attractive, none offers much hope for survival.

    The mysterious aliens known as the Spinners brought great gifts to humanity--and those Gifts brought great destruction in their wake.  Now, the Spinners are gone--and the genocidal Starfish who came after them are continuing their reign of destruction.  Time is running out for the handful of surviving humans, their engram brethren, and the newfound alien species that has allied itself with them.  Faced with almost certain annihilation, Caryl Hatzis, Peter Alander, and a crew of desperate beings hatch a last-ditch plan--they will take one small ship and attempt to penetrate the very heart of the Starfish fleet...

    2004
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee
    Locus Bestseller

    "Williams and Dix do an amazing job of creating the impression of some vast order behind the alien actions, a large and almost comprehensible pattern. That outline, too large or maybe too small to see, lurks in the corner of the entire series and gives the uncertain ending the concrete inevitability of the inexplicable tragedies humans have always faced.  Desperate and tightly paced, Heirs of the Earth is a disturbing end to a discomforting series.  Sean Williams and Shane Dix turn away from the often comforting rules of fiction, forcing the real and sometimes intolerable uncertainty of survival on their heroes and their readers. It's not an easy book to read but it's much harder to ignore." (Rambles)

    Age: 15+
  • Books of the Cataclysm: The Crooked Letter
    released 2004
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Winner
    Ditmar Award Winner

    Hadrian's mirror twin, Seth, is dead, stabbed in front of him, and the woman he and his brother both loved has seemingly disappeared.  As Hadrian searches for her, the cityscape becomes more nightmarish by the second.

    Figures from legend swirl around him to help and hinder.  These figures give darks hints of secret histories and sleeping gods stirring.  Was everything he ever knew about the world a lie?

    Caught between ancient forgotten magic and an uncertain future, Hadrian must learn to trust in the only person he has left: himself.

    2004
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Winner
    Ditmar Award Winner

    "The Crooked Letter is an edge-of-your-seat, intelligent contemporary fantasy. Compulsively readable, utterly enthralling, seriously disturbing. One of the finest fantasy novels I've read in a long, long time."  (Sarah Douglass)

    Age: 15+
  • Star Wars: New Jedi Order: Refugee
    released 2003
    Del Rey (US)

    New York Times bestseller

    Rife with hostile cultures and outright enemies, the Unknown Regions holds many perils for Luke Skywalker and the Jedi, searching for Zonama Sekot, the living planet that may hold the key to dealing once and for all with the Yuuzhan Vong.

    Meanwhile, on the edge of the galaxy and in the heart of a trusted ally, old enemies are stirring. The Yuuzhan Vong have inflamed long-forgotten vendettas that are even now building up to crisis point. And as Han and Leia journey on their quest to knit the unraveling galaxy back together, betrayal and deception await them. . . .

    2003
    Del Rey (US)

    New York Times bestseller

    Age: 12+
  • Orphans: Orphans of Earth
    released 2003
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee
    Ditmar Award Nominee

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    In the wake of Earth's demise, true human Caryl Hatzis and human engram Peter Alander have but one goal: to warn the surviving colonies of a coming menace--deadly alien ships, seemingly intent on the destruction of everything in their path.  The only way to defend against them is to use the Gifts, advanced technological devices given to humanity under mysterious circumstances.  But no one really understands the Gifts--and there is mounting evidence that it is their very use that attracts attack.

    With time running out, Hatzis and Alander are desperate to find a way to save the scattered orphans of planet Earth.  And then help arrives--from an unexpected and unwelcome source...

    2003
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee
    Ditmar Award Nominee

    "High adventure in deep space for fans of far-future SF" (Library Journal)

    Age: 15+
  • Star Wars: New Jedi Order: Remnant
    released 2003
    Del Rey (US)

    New York Times bestseller

    From the ashes of the New Republic—torn to shreds by the savage Yuuzhan Vong forces—the newly formed Galactic Alliance has risen, determined to bring peace to the entire galaxy. But first the Yuuzhan Vong must be contained once and for all. And so Luke Skywalker seeks a world long lost to legend: Zonama Sekot, a sentient planet believed to have repelled an invasion by the Yuuzhan Vong decades ago. Deciphering the enigmatic secrets of Zonama Sekot just might turn the tides of a relentless war.

    Aboard the Jade Shadow, Luke, his wife Mara, Jacen Solo, and other Jedi head off into the Unknown Regions, where rumors and clues suggest Zonama Sekot might be found. Yet the mission has barely begun when the searchers stumble into a horrific battle. The Imperial Remnant, in retreat from the mighty Yuuzhan Vong, is about to be destroyed. It would seem those aboard the Jade Shadow have little choice but to leave the Empire to its fate. But these are no ordinary space travelers, they are Jedi. . . .

    2003
    Del Rey (US)

    New York Times bestseller

    Age: 12+
  • Star Wars: New Jedi Order: Reunion
    released 2003
    Del Rey (US)

    New York Times bestseller

    The harrowing search for Zonama Sekot is finally over for Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo, and the others aboard the Jade Shadow. But joy turns to alarm when the living planet sends a defiant message: it refuses to follow them back to a galaxy full of war, exploitation, and misery.

    While Luke works feverishly to persuade the elusive planet to reconsider, the Yuuzhan Vong launches a full-scale attack aimed at the heart of the new alliance. Sent to defend a major communications base, Han and Leia find themselves hopelessly outnumbered. Reinforcements are just too far away to help before everything is destroyed. So the courageous pair must now fight an unrelenting battle against staggering odds. Whether they actually survive is another matter. . . .

    2003
    Del Rey (US)

    New York Times bestseller

    Age: 12+
  • Books of the Change: The Sky Warden & the Sun
    released 2002
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Notable Book
    Ditmar Award Nominee

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    Sal's life has been thrown into turmoil.  Homeless and haunted by a past he never suspected he had, he is unsure where he is running to -- but Shilly is very clear on what she wants.  She wants to find Lodo's old teacher and learn from him.  To search for the Mage Van Haasteren they must head north to the Interior, where Sal's mother was born.  But even if they reach the Interior there is guarantee that the Stone Mages will help them.

    The journey over rugged mountainous country on the Old Line is dangerous and the Sky Warden, Shom Behenna, is in hot pursuit.  It will take all their ingenuity and courage to reach the Divide and get across to the other side...

    2002
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Notable Book
    Ditmar Award Nominee

    "whip-crack adventure... [Williams'] layering of innocence and mystery and unknown forces is very effective, as is the scale of his vision." (Adelaide Advertiser)

    Age: 12+
  • Orphans: Echoes of Earth
    released 2002
    Harper Voyager

    Ditmar Award Winner
    Aurealis Award Nominee

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    In the early 22nd century, humans have shed their bodies to travel through space.  Produced through nanotechnology, their electronic reproductions, known as engrams, have been sent on fact-finding missions throughout the known universe--searching for signs of alien life.

    As the crew of a survey ship watches, ten orbital towers are constructed around an uninhabited planet's equator--by unidentifiable, spindle-shaped entities.  Then, without any attempt at communication, the spindles withdraw.  Cautiously exploring the towers, Peter Alander finds what appear to be gifts from a technologically-advanced race, including a faster-than-light ship.  But when Alander pilots the shop back to Earth with news of the unprecedented event, he may be giving humanity a gift it can't afford to accept...

    2002
    Harper Voyager

    Ditmar Award Winner
    Aurealis Award Nominee

    "High adventure in deep space for fans of far-future SF" (Library Journal)

    Age: 15+
  • Books of the Change: The Storm Weaver & the Sand
    released 2002
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Winner
    Ditmar Award Nominee
    Locus Recommendation

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    When the three runaways--Sal, Shilly and Skender--finally arrive at the remote island of the Haunted City, home of the Sky Wardens, Sal's great-aunt, the Syndic, is determined to keep them under control.  And if that means imprisonment, so be it.

    But the Syndic isn't the least of Sal's worries.  The ghost that live behind the ancient glass of the city are restless and no one know why or what they can do.  The golem will force Sal to do its bidding by whatever means necessary...even murder.  And it seems that the Weavers have their own plans for the three of them--but what and who are they?  Few people believe they exist, and those who do keep their knowledge close to their chests.

    Whichever path Sal chooses, it seems the price to pay is very high for those closest to him.  But he must decide...or submit to a future not of his making.

    2002
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Winner
    Ditmar Award Nominee
    Locus Recommendation

    "The Storm Weaver & the Sand is a superior Australian fantasy novel, but more than this; it is simply superior fantasy." (The West Australian)

    Age: 12+
  • Evergence: The Dark Imbalance
    released 2001
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Winner

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    In the Sol System, Earth is no more.  But aboard the various starships and space stations orbiting the still-burning sun live the remnants of mankind -- unaware of the danger they're in from an army of genetically enhanced warriors determined to destroy all humanity.

    Renegade intelligence agent Morgan Roche has been charged by the High Humans to protect mankind from the threat of the clone warriors.  Pursuing one such warrior into Sol System, she strives to learn the true identity of the enemy, and how to defeat them.

    It is here, in the light of the star called Sol, that Morgan will learn the truth -- about the artificial intelligence known as the Box, about the man who calls himself Adoni Cane, about the High Humans, and about her destiny.

    2001
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Winner

    "Space opera, like its grand musical cousin, couldn't exist without duplicity, ambition, lust, stupidity, and greed, and by the time the fat lady sings, whole worlds can be laid waste - and, oddly enough, it's this recognition of pain and evil as the generating forces of adventure that make A Dark Imbalance so satisfying." (Locus)

    Age: 12+
  • Books of the Change: The Stone Mage & the Sea
    released 2001
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    In a world where the huge, red-sanded deserts are ruled by Stone Mages and the vast coastlines by Sky Wardens, any child with magic ability is taken away to the Haunted City to be trained in the Change.

    Fundelry is a small town much like any other in the Strand.  The people have little tolerance for anyone who stands out, and Sal and his father are strangers, running from someone ... or something.  Sal is rescued from the local bully by Shilly and her teacher Lodo, a mysterious tattooed man who seems to know more about Sal than Sal himself.  And, strangely, Sal's father seems to want to say put for a while.

    But soon the Sky Wardens will come to Fundelry -- before then Sal must uncover the connection between Lodo and the mother he never met, in order to escape a fate that seems to have been chosen for him before he was even born ...

    2001
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Nominee

    "The reason why I haven’t given up completely on fantasy trilogies is because there are people out there who believe in the genre and continue to put out interesting books rather than following the formula. Sean Williams is one of those people." (Cheryl Morgan)

    "an alchemical blend of elemental magic, tragic romance and the coming of age of a young boy who is yet to come into his own power which exists, poised between Earthsea and Mad Max, where the magic of fantasy meets the wonder of science fiction." (Locus)

    Age: 12+
  • Evergence: The Dying Light
    released 2000
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Ditmar Award Winner
    Aurealis Award Nominee

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    Long before the Commonwealth of Empires, long before the Dato Bloc rebellion, the Sol Apotheosis Movement created a group of super-soldiers to spread their agenda throughout the galaxy.  But something went dreadfully wrong, and entire solar systems ceased to exist.

    Morgan Roche had been an intelligence agent for the Commonwealth of Empires.  But she turned renegade to determine the truth about a man named Adoni Cane.  The answer -- that he was the last of the genetically enhanced warriors called the Sol Wunderkind -- shook the foundations of her world.

    Now Roche is faced with an even more frightening fact: Cane may not be the last of his kind.  A star has vanished, leaving only a terrible emptiness in space.  Word spreads across the galaxy: The Sol Wunderkind have returned.

    Roche finds herself at the centre of the coming conflict, as she struggles to penetrate the layers of deception surrounding the origins of the super-soldiers -- and the even deeper mystery concerning the artificial intelligence called "the Box" -- an entity that seems to have a sinister agenda of its own...

    Long before the Commonwealth of Empires, long before the Dato Bloc rebellion, the Sol Apotheosis Movement created a group of super-soldiers to spread their agenda throughout the galaxy. But something went dreadfully wrong, and entire solar systems ceased to exist ...

     

    THE ENHANCED WARRIOR

     

    Morgan Roche had been an intelligence agent for the Commonwealth of Empires. But she turned renegade to determine the truth about a man named Adoni Cane. The answer -- that he was the last of the genetically enhanced warriors called the Sol Wunderkind -- shook the foundations of her world.

     

    Now Roche is faced with an even more frightening fact: Cane may not be the last of his kind. A star has vanished, leaving only a terrible emptiness in space. Word spreads across the galaxy: The Sol Wunderkind have returned.

     

    Roche finds herself at the centre of the coming conflict, as she struggles to penetrate the layers of deception surrounding the origins of the super-soldiers -- and the even deeper mystery concerning the artificial intelligence called "the Box" -- an entity that seems to have a sinister agenda of its own...

    Long before the Commonwealth of Empires, long before the Dato Bloc rebellion, the Sol Apotheosis Movement created a group of super-soldiers to spread their agenda throughout the galaxy.  But something went dreadfully wrong, and entire solar systems ceased to exist ...

     

    THE ENHANCED WARRIOR

     

    Morgan Roche had been an intelligence agent for the Commonwealth of Empires.  But she turned renegade to determine the truth about a man named Adoni Cane.  The answer -- that he was the last of the genetically enhanced warriors called the Sol Wunderkind -- shook the foundations of her world.

     

    Now Roche is faced with an even more frightening fact: Cane may not be the last of his kind.  A star has vanished, leaving only a terrible emptiness in space.  Word spreads across the galaxy: The Sol Wunderkind have returned.

     

    Roche finds herself at the centre of the coming conflict, as she struggles to penetrate the layers of deception surrounding the origins of the super-soldiers -- and the even deeper mystery concerning the artificial intelligence called "the Box" -- an entity that seems to have a sinister agenda of its own...

    2000
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Ditmar Award Winner
    Aurealis Award Nominee

    "This variety of New Space Opera, with its greatly increased possibilities for intrigue and (more important) for encounters with remnants of a long and little-understood past, is closer to the adventure pulps that ruled the magazine world when Doc Smith was just getting started. It recreates the pulpy world of exotic cities, lost wonders, and undiscovered countries that has powered everything from Talbot Mundy and A. Merritt to Leigh Brackett and Star Wars... I'm not sure what an Evergence is, but finding out promises to provide hours of fun."  (Locus)

    Age: 12+
  • Evergence: The Prodigal Sun
    released 1999
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Locus bestseller

    AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK

    In the far future, humanity has colonised the outermost reaches of the galaxy, and society has evolved into a variety of castes, from the godlike High to the barely sentient Low.  In between are the mundanes, both Pristine and Exotic.  Empires have risen and fallen, and the Dato Bloc has just seceded from the Commonwealth of Empires.

    Morgan Roche is a commander in the intelligence arm of the Commonwealth of Empires.  Her mission is to escort the artificial intelligence unit known simply as "The Box" to her superiors.  But en route her ship is attacked by Dato Bloc raiders, forcing Roche to escape to the surface of the prison planet Sciacca's World with the help of Adoni Cane -- a genetically enhanced warrior whose past is a mystery even to him.

    Marooned and hunted, Roche must protect the Box at all costs.  But what about Cane?  Who created him and why?  The answers may be the salvation of the human race -- or its damnation...

    1999
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Locus bestseller

    "genre-savvy and capably written, full of adventure and Asimovian imperial vistas...[w]ith echoes of vintage Jack Williamson and Poul Anderson, as well as Niven, Asimov and Vinge" (Asimov’s)

    " ... space opera of the ambitious, galaxy-spanning sort ... fast and furious action ...a good read."  (New York Review of SF)

    Age: 12+
  • The Resurrected Man
    released 1998
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Ditmar Award Winner
    Aurealis Award Nominee

    The year is 2069.  D-mat offers fast, cheap travel, plus the potential to turn humanity into a race of godlike starfarers.  But new technology has a dark side: d-mat allows a killer to perpetrate a series of vicious attacks without leaving a victim.  Detective Marylin Blaylock is on the case ... a case where the murdered women all resemble her.

    Jonah McEwen, a P.I. and Blaylock's ex-partner, is the prime suspect.  But Jonah's alibi is watertight.  He's been in a tub of maintenance gel, unconscious for three years.  Yet, in a bizarre twist, he could still be guilty.

    1998
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Ditmar Award Winner
    Aurealis Award Nominee

    "An Australian award-winning F/SF author strikes new sparks from an old flint: What if matter transmitters (“Beam me up, Scotty”) really worked?…Convincingly realized... with the vigorous narrative whizzing along at hyperspeed." (Kirkus)

    Age: 15+
  • Metal Fatigue
    released 1996
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Winner
    Ditmar Award Nominee

    In a dystopic world after a devastating world war, the American city of Kennedy has walled itself off from the decline of the former USA.  Determined to continue as a functioning metropolis, Kennedy strictly patrols its boundaries and struggles to maintain the semblance of a modern city.

    Now, forty years after the end of the war, Kennedy is in crisis.  Technologies are failing and replacements and repairs are not forthcoming.  It is within this atmosphere of slow death that news of Re-United States of America emerges -- a RUSA which wants Kennedy to join.

    But not everyone in Kennedy agrees with reassimilation, and a series of political assassinations and data thefts begin.  As the deadline for union looms, Phil Roads, the investigator assigned to solve the killings and robberies, is under pressure.  Caught between murderous opposing forces, with dangerous secrets emerging from his past, he needs to find out who's behind the crimes - and fast.

    1996
    HarperCollins (Australia)

    Aurealis Award Winner
    Ditmar Award Nominee

    "Metal Fatigue is [Sean Williams'] debut novel, but it reads like the work of a seasoned pro - one who hasn't lost the sense of adventure that a fictional world can create. If an author can be both a master and a novice, Williams has captured the best of both stations. [...] So, get some provisions stocked up beside your comfy chair and be ready for the long haul ... Hoo boy!"

    Age: 12+
  • Mainstream
    released