Richard Yancey (born November 4, 1962) is an American author who writes works of suspense, fantasy, and science fiction aimed at young adults.
Life
Rick Yancey was born in a Miami suburb, Florida.
Yancey wrote his first short story in seventh grade while attending Crystal Lake Junior High School in Florida. After graduating from Lakeland Senior High School, he was accepted to Florida Southern College and majored in Communications. After a year at Florida Southern College, Yancey transferred to
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
and ultimately graduated from
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
The unive ...
with a B.A. in English. After graduation, Yancey planned on attending law school.
Ultimately, Yancey decided against law school and began teaching English classes as well as acting and directing in local community theatres. In 1991, Yancey applied for a government job and was hired by the
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...
, where he worked as an agent for twelve years.
Yancey also spent 10 years of his life in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...
, where two of his books are set.
Career
While working at the IRS, Yancey wrote screenplays in his spare time. At the suggestion of his wife and collaborator, Sandy, one of his screenplays became his first professionally published book, ''
A Burning in Homeland'' (Simon and Schuster), published in 2001.
With the success of ''
A Burning in Homeland'', Yancey resigned from the IRS in 2004 to concentrate on writing full-time. His memoir, ''
Confessions of a Tax Collector'' (HarperCollins, 2004), chronicles his days working at the IRS.
After the release of his memoir, Yancey began work on two series of books—one for adults, and one for children.
The
''Alfred Kropp'' series tells the story of an awkward teenager who saves the world when he comes into possession of King Arthur's famed sword,
Excalibur
Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
—pursued by the secret cabal of knights who have hidden it for centuries. Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Publishing in the U.S. and the U.K., and in fifteen foreign language editions, the series comprised three books: ''
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp'' (2005), ''
The Seal of Solomon The Alfred Kropp series is a trilogy of young adult fantasy novels written by American author Rick Yancey. The first book, ''The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp'', received a starred review from ''Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly' ...
'' (2007), and ''
The Thirteenth Skull'' (2008).
His ''Highly Effective Detective'' books (St. Martin’s Press) are
whodunit
A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the cl ...
s for adult readers, featuring a charming but barely competent private investigator based in Tennessee. That series consists of four titles: ''
The Highly Effective Detective'' (2006), ''
The Highly Effective Detective Goes to the Dogs
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2008), ''
The Highly Effective Detective Plays the Fool
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2010), and ''
The Highly Effective Detective Crosses the Line
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2011).
By 2010, Yancey had completed the first book in ''The Monstrumologist'' series. The tetralogy tells the tale of a 19th-century doctor and his young apprentice, who race around the world chasing—and being chased by—monsters. This highly acclaimed series, published by Simon and Schuster Children’s Books in the U.S. and the U.K, and in eight foreign language editions, comprised four books: ''
The Monstrumologist
''The Monstrumologist'' is a young adult horror novel written by American author Rick Yancey. It was published on September 22, 2009 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. It is the first book in ''The Monstrumologist'' series, followed by '' ...
'' (2009), ''
The Curse of the Wendigo
''The Curse of the Wendigo'' is a 2010 young adult horror novel by Rick Yancey. It was first published on October 12, 2010 through Simon & Schuster and is the second book in Yancey's ''Monstrumologist'' series.
Synopsis
The book follows Dr. Wart ...
'' (2010), ''
The Isle of Blood
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2011), and ''
The Final Descent
''The Final Descent'' is a horror novel by Rick Yancey, the fourth and final book in a series that he inaugurated in 2009 with ''The Monstrumologist'' (UK title, ''The Terror Beneath''). It was published in September 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books ...
'' (2013).
Bibliography
Novels
''The Highly Effective Detective'' series:
# ''
The Highly Effective Detective'' (2006)
# ''
The Highly Effective Detective Goes to the Dogs
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2008)
# ''
The Highly Effective Detective Plays the Fool
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2010)
# ''
The Highly Effective Detective Crosses the Line
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2011)
Standalone:
* ''
A Burning in Homeland'' (2003)
Young adult novels
''Alfred Kropp'' series:
# ''
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp'' (2005)
# ''
Alfred Kropp: The Seal of Solomon'' (2007)
# ''
Alfred Kropp: The Thirteenth Skull'' (2008)
* ''The Alfred Kropp Files: The Unauthorized Notes from the Author'' (2009), short stories
''The Monstrumologist'' series:
# ''
The Monstrumologist
''The Monstrumologist'' is a young adult horror novel written by American author Rick Yancey. It was published on September 22, 2009 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. It is the first book in ''The Monstrumologist'' series, followed by '' ...
'' (2009)
# ''
The Curse of the Wendigo
''The Curse of the Wendigo'' is a 2010 young adult horror novel by Rick Yancey. It was first published on October 12, 2010 through Simon & Schuster and is the second book in Yancey's ''Monstrumologist'' series.
Synopsis
The book follows Dr. Wart ...
'' (2010)
# ''
The Isle of Blood
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2011)
# ''
The Final Descent
''The Final Descent'' is a horror novel by Rick Yancey, the fourth and final book in a series that he inaugurated in 2009 with ''The Monstrumologist'' (UK title, ''The Terror Beneath''). It was published in September 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books ...
'' (2013)
''The 5th Wave'' series:
# ''
The 5th Wave'' (2013)
# ''
The Infinite Sea
''The Infinite Sea'' is a young adult science fiction novel written by American author Rick Yancey
Richard Yancey (born November 4, 1962) is an American author who writes works of suspense, fantasy, and science fiction aimed at young adults. ...
'' (2014)
# ''
The Last Star
''The Last Star'' is the third album to be released by American hard rock band Halfcocked, the band's major label début. The album was released in 2001 by the DreamWorks imprint Megatronic. It features new versions of songs from the first tw ...
'' (2016)
Children's books
* ''Empire Rising'' (2009)
Non-fiction
* ''
Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS'' (2004), memoirs
Adaptations
* ''
The 5th Wave'' (2016), film directed by
J Blakeson
Jonathan Blakeson is an English film director and screenwriter. His first feature film was ''The Disappearance of Alice Creed'' (2009), a thriller starring Gemma Arterton, Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan, which he wrote and directed. His most r ...
, based on novel ''
The 5th Wave''
References
External links
*
*
*
*
William James Henry(pseudonym) at LC Authorities, 1 record
Rick Yancey's Official Wattpad Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yancey, Rick
Living people
21st-century American novelists
Writers from Miami
Writers of young adult science fiction
1962 births
Michael L. Printz Award winners
American young adult novelists
21st-century American memoirists
American fantasy writers
American science fiction writers
American male novelists
21st-century American male writers
Novelists from Florida
American male non-fiction writers