About the Author
Matthew John Reilly was born on 2 July 1974 in Sydney, Australia.
He is an action thriller writer whose novels are noted for their fast pace, twisting plots and intense action.
After graduating from Sydney's St Aloysius' College in 1992, Reilly studied Law at the University of New South Wales, where he was also a contributor to the student law society publication "Poetic Justice".
Reilly wrote his first book Contest while just 19 and self-published it in 1996. It was rejected by every major publishing company in Sydney, leading Reilly to self-publish 1,000 copies using money borrowed from his family.
His dedication paid off, and was discovered by Pan Macmillan's then commissioning editor Cate Paterson. His first industry-produced novel, Ice Station, proved so monumentally popular, that it had to be reprinted six times in its first two years.
The continued success of his novels has been attributed to not only the accessible, 'storyteller' style of writing, but also the highly charged and kinetic action sequences that take place throughout his works, deliberately making use of his 'unlimited budget' of imagination to create scenes 'too big for Hollywood'.
Reilly's second book, Ice Station was also written whilst a student at the University of NSW.
Matthew's novels have also - unexpectedly - become a major tool in the fight to get teenagers into reading. While written for a mature readership, Matthew's novels have become very popular with reluctant male readers. This may stem from Matthew's own childhood experience, citing his dislike for set reading projects in high-school as his main inspiration to 'do it better'.
Reilly owns several movie prop reproductions including a life-size statue of Han Solo frozen in carbonite (Star Wars), a golden idol (Raiders of the Lost Ark) and a working DeLorean DMC-12 (Back to the Future). A big fan of Hollywood blockbusters, Reilly hopes to direct one of his own books as movies someday.
Outside of the entertainment industry, Matthew has also partaken in several charity, celebrity and publicity based events. As part of a charity dinner for the NSW Cancer Council in 2002, he offered to name a character in Scarecrow after the highest bidder. The winner was Alec Christie. Look for his name in Scarecrow! Matthew has played in several celebrity cricket matches and golf days alongside members of INXS, rugby union legend Matthew Burke and a host of other Australian celebrities.
He regularly attends writer's festivals around Australia as a speaker or panelist.
In 2000, Matthew was a delegate at the What Makes a Champion conference in Sydney. Nelson Mandela gave the opening address at the conference, and it featured such luminaries as Edmund Hillary, Richard Butler and Shane Gould.
On January 1st, 2001, Matthew walked in the Australian Centenary of Federation Parade as a representative of Australian Literature.as appeared on the Big Breakfast television show in Britain.
In 2001 and 2002, Matthew was a special ambassador for National Youth Week, an initiative designed to get young people to chase their dreams.
In 2003, he is one of the faces of the Australian government's National Literacy and Numeracy Week.
In August, 2003, his book, Ice Station, will be one of six books sold at less than half price as part of a special literacy-driven project called Books Alive.
Matthew Reilly has trekked to the base of Mount Everest.
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