Thomas Thiemeyer (born 22 March 1963) is a German
illustrator and
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
of fantasy novels. Since 2018, he also has published crime stories set in
Corsica under the
pen name ''Vitu Falconi''.
Thiemeyer studied
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
and
geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...
in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
. His first children's book was published in 1989 by the
Ravensburger
Ravensburger AG is a German game and toy company, publishing house and market leader in the European jigsaw puzzle market.
History
The company was founded by Otto Robert Maier in Ravensburg, a town in Upper Swabia in southern Germany. He bega ...
publishing house, where he also worked as graphic advisor. Two years later, he decided to become a freelance artist, illustrating games, children's books, book covers and much more.
Among other publishers, he has worked for
Heyne Verlag
The Heyne Verlag (formerly Wilhelm Heyne Verlag) is a German publisher based in Munich, which was founded in Dresden in 1934 and sold to Axel Springer in 2000. In 2004 it became part of Random House. Heyne was one of the largest publishing houses ...
,
Arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
,
Fantasy Productions
Fantasy Productions Medienvertriebsgesellschaft GmbH (a.k.a. FanPro) is a German publishing company based in Erkrath.
History
The company was founded in 1983 by Ulrich Kiesow, Werner Fuchs and Hans Joachim Alpers to produce small metal miniatu ...
,
Beltz & Gelberg
Hans-Joachim Gelberg (27 August 1930 – 17 May 2020) was a German writer and publisher of children's books, who received several awards.
Biography
Gelberg was born in Dortmund and later lived in Weinheim, Baden Württemberg.
Gelberg founded i ...
,
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...
,
Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
and
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games. It is currently a subsidia ...
. In 2014, one of his paintings based on the biblical story of Noah was exhibited in an art show in New York City curated by the American film director
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are noted for their surrealistic, melodramatic, and sometimes disturbing elements, often in the form of psychological fiction.
Arono ...
.
In Germany, Thiemeyer's work was repeatedly awarded the ''
Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis'' and the ''Deutscher Phantastik-Preis'' (a German
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
award).
In 2004, his
debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
''Medusa'' published by
Droemer Knaur
Droemer Knaur is a publishing group based in Munich. The group consists of the book publishers Droemer, Knaur, the Pattloch Publisher and O.W. Barth. Droemer Knaur belongs to the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group.
Program
Droemer Knaur Pu ...
became an international success. Many other novels both for adults as well as for young readers followed, some of them became bestsellers. His novels have been translated into English,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
,
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
,
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
,
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
,
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
,
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
,
Turkish,
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
,
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
as well as
Slovenian
Slovene or Slovenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe
* Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia
* Slovenes
The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Sloven ...
.
His stories are set in the tradition of classic adventure novels and often deal with the discovery of ancient cultures, including supernatural threats by mysterious powers. - As he had previously illustrated a picture book on dinosaurs, Thiemeyer was invited in 1998 to draw pictures for a book for young readers in Tanzania on the
dinosaurs of Tendaguru, the historic and most important discovery of dinosaur fossils in Africa.
Thomas Thiemeyer lives in
Stuttgart, Germany, with his wife and two sons.
Novels
Novels for readers of all ages:
*''Medusa'', Knaur publishers, Munich 2004, and ASIN B07V49GRMD (English edition)
Researcher Hannah Peter makes a strange discovery: a
Medusa
In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...
sculpture, with snakelike extremities and a cyclops eye, indicates that there is a cave deep in the mountains, where a fantastically beautiful and incredibly dangerous object is located. A team from the National Geographic Society is assigned to search for this treasure. Along with Chris, the climatologist of the group, Hannah discovers the origin and at the same time the end of an age-old culture.
* ''Reptilia'', Knaur publishers, Munich 2005, (German edition) and ASIN B07V498TVQ (English edition)
The young
geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processes ...
David Astbury is asked by a wealthy friend of his father's for help, as her daughter Emily has disappeared while on an expedition in the Congo. She was on a hunt for the legendary monster
Mokèlé-mbèmbé, the sole survivor of the age of dinosaurs. Thus, David prepares to go into the depths of the jungle of the Congo. He is accompanied by a Congolese biologist and two foreign game hunters. When they seek out the ancient reptile at
Lake Tele
Lake Tele ( French Lac Télé) is a freshwater lake in Epena District, Republic of the Congo.
Description
Located at in the north-eastern area of the Republic of the Congo, Lake Tele was formed in Pliocene alluvial sediments by an unknown geol ...
, strange events begin to unfold. The reptile holds a genetic secret, which could forever change the way of life on earth.
* ''Magma'', Knaur publishing house 2007, (German edition) and ASIN B07WCQ8BNV (English edition)
Seismologist Dr. Ella Jordan gets the news that strange signals are being received in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They are, however, much too regular to be caused by anything natural and seem to originate from the 10,000 meter deep
Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench is an oceanic trench located in the western Pacific Ocean, about east of the Mariana Islands; it is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. It is crescent-shaped and measures about in length and in width. The maximum known ...
. Ella drops everything to join a team of researchers heading over there in the most advanced submarine in the world. Along with a Japanese crew, an attractive U.S. Marine officer, and a somewhat shady Swiss professor, Konrad Martin, Ella and her team descent to the deepest spot on earth and barely escape disaster: They find a gigantic, perfectly round stone that reacts to their probing with a deadly heat ray. What hardly anyone knows is that hidden away in the mountains of Switzerland, there is an underground lab, where scientists are working on a similar, though smaller ball of stone, found decades earlier next to the corpse of a geologist. Suddenly new signals are detected: first from the North Pole, then from Russia, Australia, and the Antarctic. Ella and Konrad Martin find these same inexplicable stone shapes everywhere. When the stones’ signals start to be sent in unison, the resulting seismic waves are so strong that they cause earthquakes and volcanoes, but that is just the beginning. A countdown to disaster begins, and Ella recognizes the terrible truth. The threat does not come from this world.
* ''Nebra'', Knaur publishers 2009, .
Around the
Brocken
The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and El ...
in the
Harz Mountains
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...
, towns and hotels are preparing for the
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night (), an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German ), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve), is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess ...
, and archaeologist Hannah Peters is on her way. Her job is to explore the mysterious
Nebra sky disk
The Nebra sky disc (german: Himmelsscheibe von Nebra) is a bronze disc of around diameter and a weight of , having a blue-green patina and inlaid with gold symbols. These symbols are interpreted generally as the Sun or full moon, a lunar cresc ...
, a spectacular Bronze Age find. What she doesn't know: The disc is the object of desire of a dark cult, lurking in the caves of the Harz mountains, having waited for a long time to celebrate an all-destructive ritual. Hannah is drawn deeper and deeper into the force of the cult - and soon strange celestial phenomena announce a Walpurgis Night, that will never end.
* ''Korona'', Knaur publishers 2010, (German edition)
Amy Walker, a biologist specializing on gorillas, has nightmares ever since a member of her team has mysteriously disappeared. Ironically, an ex-con is to join the team. Nobody - except the gorillas - trusts him. Despite threatening solar activity and strange weather phenomena, the team travels to the East African
Rwenzori Mountains
The Ruwenzori, also spelled Rwenzori and Rwenjura, are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches , and the range ...
to locate the missing persons, and an adventure starts that takes Amy to the limits of her mind.
* ''Valhalla'', Knaur Verlag, 2014, (German edition)
* ''Devil's River'', Knaur publishers, 2015, (German edition)
* ''Babylon'', Knaur publishers, 2016, (German edition)
Novels for young readers:
* ''Die Stadt der Regenfresser (The city of the rain eaters)'' Loewe publishing house, Bindlach 2009,
* ''Der Palast des Poseidon (The palace of Poseidon)'', Loewe publishing house, Bindlach 2010, and others
Audiobooks
* ''Magma'', AME Hören 2007, read by
Johannes Steck,
* ''The city of the raineaters'', Jumbo 2009, read by
Dietmar Wunder,
* ''Nebra'', Argon 2009, read by
Franziska Pigulla
Franziska Pigulla (6 May 1964 – 23 February 2019) was a German actress, news presenter and voice actress.
Biography
Pigulla was born in Neuss. After her graduation she studied Germanistics and Anglistics in Berlin. Later she took acting classe ...
,
* ''Korona'', Argon 2010, read by
Dietmar Wunder,
* ''The palace of Poseidon'', Jumbo 2010, read by
Dietmar Wunder,
Awards/Prizes
* 1989 selection list to
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...
. "Das große Buch der Saurier" Ravensburger publishing house
* 1998 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best envelope illustration. "Auf zwei Planeten" Heyne-Verlag
* 2002 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best envelope illustration. "Quest" Heyne-Verlag
* 2003 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best envelope illustration. "Jupiter" Heyne-Verlag
* 2004 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best envelope illustration. "Asteroidenkrieg" Heyne-Verlag
* 2006 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best envelope illustration. "Die Legende von Eden und andere Visionen" Shayol
* Deutscher Phantastik-Preis 2006
References
External links
Official siteTelevision documentation on YouTube.comMicrosite about the novel ''Magma''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thiemeyer, Thomas
1963 births
Living people
German fantasy writers
German-language writers
German illustrators
German male writers