OXFORD, England — A 20-year-old Oxford student has been dubbed the “new J.K. Rowling” after signing a six-figure deal for her futuristic adventure series with the publishers of the “Harry Potter” books.
Samantha Shannon landed the multimillion-pound deal with Bloomsbury for her first novel, “The Bone Season,” and two sequels.
Shannon, currently studying English at St. Anne’s College, Oxford, said she was studying “Hamlet” when her agent called with the good news. “I was completely amazed and overwhelmed,” she told The (London) Sunday Times.
She has mapped out her story to be spread over seven books, just like Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series, following the adventures of Paige, a 19-year-old clairvoyant who escapes from life in a criminal underworld.
“The Bone Season” is set in 2059 where Paige is captured by the repressive government, Scion, and sent to Oxford, a town which has been kept secret, where she meets Warden, who becomes her “keeper.”
Shannon, who began “The Bone Season” just over a year ago, said she kept her writing a secret.
“I told virtually nobody until very recently — certainly not my family or even close friends,” she said.
Bloomsbury’s editor-in-chief, Alexandra Pringle, said she bought Shannon’s book almost immediately after reading it. “The book is an utterly consuming adventure and we are committed to the seven,” Pringle said.
“The Bone Season” will be published in September 2013, just after Shannon graduates from university.
Books from Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series, which follows the adventures of an orphan at wizard school, have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide.