Brandon Mull

Brandon Mull is an American author best known for the New York Times bestselling fantasy series, Fablehaven. Mull has also written The Candy Shop War and the Beyonders trilogy, as well as numerous other popular young adult novels.^[2] Mull travels the country speaking to students, with the message that "imagination can take you places."^[3] In an interview, Brandon Mull has said that:

"I've been trying to pull off a writing career, dreaming of it since high school and trying sincerely since college, which has been quite a few years already, so."

He has stated that his greatest inspirations for his stories are J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and J. K. Rowling.^[4]

Education and early work

Brandon Mull went to Mt. Diablo Elementary School in Clayton, California, United States. Mull then attended Pine Hollow Middle School as a student, and then attended Clayton Valley. He currently lives in Alpine, Utah and graduated from BYU (Brigham Young University) in Utah.^[5] While at BYU Mull lead the sketch comedy group Divine Comedy (BYU).^[6] Mull served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile. Brandon Mull has worked as a comedian, a filing clerk, a patio installer, a movie promoter, a copywriter, and briefly as a chicken stacker.^[7]

Writer

Brandon Mull also spearheaded a seven-book series called Spirit Animals. Each book is written by a different author, but he was given the charge to create the fantasy world where the characters will live, and all the books will be based. The first installment, written by Brandon, is called Wild Born and was released in September 2013.^[8]

Another series Brandon Mull has authored is called Five Kingdoms. The first book is titled Sky Raiders and was released March 11, 2014. The second installment, Rogue Knight, arrived November 18, 2014. The third, Crystal Keepers, also arrived on March 17, 2015. The fourth, Death Weavers, was recently released on March 1, 2016. Of this series, Brandon Mull says, "It'll be for the kind of readers who liked Fablehaven. A Halloween spook alley turns out to be a front for slave traders taking kids into another world. It'll be cool, promise."^[9]

On Mull's Facebook page he mentioned that he is planning a second Fablehaven series, but wouldn't get serious about it until some of his other projects are finished, like Spirit Animals, possibly not until 2015. Brandon announced at the launching of Spirit Animals that there is a very good plan for the Fablehaven sequel series to be published in 2016.^[10]

Fablehaven is currently optioned by Schaffer Studios. The movie is in the beginning/planning phase as described in a radio interview Brandon Mull did with Clark Schaffer in June 2013.^[11]

Published works

Fablehaven

Fablehaven is about siblings Seth and Kendra Sorenson who find out their grandfather and grandmother run Fablehaven, one of the last places mythical creatures can live in peace.

(ages 8–13)

• Fablehaven, Shadow Mountain, 14 June 2006, ISBN 978-1-59038-581-4
• Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, Shadow Mountain, 1 May 2007, ISBN 978-1-59038-742-9
• Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague, Shadow Mountain, 12 April 2008, ISBN 978-1-59038-898-3
• Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, Shadow Mountain, 24 March 2009, ISBN 978-1-60641-042-4
• Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison, Shadow Mountain, 23 March 2010, ISBN 978-1-60641-238-1
• The Caretaker's Guide to Fablehaven, Shadow Mountain, 13 October 2015, ISBN 978-1629720913

Beyonders

Beyonders is a series about a teenage boy named Jason who gets summoned as the last chance to save Lyrian, a doomed realm ruled by the wizard Maldor.

(ages 8–13)

• Beyonders: A World Without Heroes, Aladdin, 15 March 2011, ISBN 978-1-41699-792-4
• Beyonders: Seeds of Rebellion, Aladdin, 13 March 2012, ISBN 978-1-41699-794-8
• Beyonders: Chasing the Prophecy, Aladdin, 12 March 2013, ISBN 978-1-41699-796-2

Dragonwatch

(ages 8–14)

• Sequel series to Fablehaven that will span 5 books. Book One is to be released on Spring 2017.
• According to hints given by Mull, it follows the same storyline as Fablehaven, although it is focused more on Wyrmroost, the dragon sanctuary.

Five Kingdoms

Five Kingdoms is a series about an 11-year-old boy named Cole who gets stolen by slave traders and gets sucked away to another world called the Outskirts.

(ages 8–13)

• Five Kingdoms: Sky Raiders, Aladdin, 11 March 2014, ISBN 978-1-4424-9700-9
• Five Kingdoms: Rogue Knight,^[12] Aladdin, 18 November 2014, ISBN 978-1-4424-9703-0
• Five Kingdoms: Crystal Keepers, Aladdin, 17 March 2015, ISBN 978-1-4424-9706-1
• Five Kingdoms: Death Weavers, Aladdin, 15 March 2016, ISBN 978-1-4424-9709-2
• Five Kingdoms: Book Five, Aladdin, March 2017

Candy Shop War

Candy Shop War follows Nate in a strange town full of magical candies and crazy arcades.

(ages 8–13)

• The Candy Shop War, Shadow Mountain, 11 September 2007, ISBN 978-1-59038-783-2
• Arcade Catastrophe, Shadow Mountain, 23 October 2012, ISBN 978-1-60907-179-0

Pingo

• Pingo, illustrated by Brandon Dorman, Shadow Mountain, 5 August 2009, ISBN 978-1-60641-109-4, for ages 4–8
• Pingo and the Playground Bully – Prequel to Pingo, illustrated by Brandon Dorman, Shadow Mountain, 9 October 2012, ISBN 978-1-60907-178-3

Spirit Animals

• Mull has written two of the seven books in the series: Wild Born (Book 1) and the story Special Edition: Tales of the Great Beasts (21 October 2014). Wild Born tells the story of four 11-year-old kids (Conor from Eura, Meilin from Zhong, Rollan from Amaya, and Abeke from Nilo) who summon the legendary Four Fallen (Briggan with Connor, Jhi with Meilin, Essix with Rollan, and Uraza with Abeke). The kids must work together to find the first talisman with the Greencloaks, leading to a heroic battle against the Ravens and the Conquerors. The Special Edition covers the story of the four great beasts: Briggan the Wolf, Uraza the Leopard, Jhi the Panda, and Essix the Falcon before they sacrifice themselves to protect the land and become the legendary Four Fallen Spirit Animals.

References

External links

• Official website
• Blog
• Fablehaven series (official)
• Candy Shop War Vol. 2: The Arcade Catasrophe (official)
• Interview by Glenn Beck (2008), CNN Headline News (YouTube)
• Interview by the Dr. Pat Show, Seattle-based talk
• Brandon Mull at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Brandon Mull at Library of Congress Authorities, with 17 catalog records