Theatre Professor Hartley Publishes New YA Thriller

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Andrew Hartley, Robinson Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare in the Department of Theatre, has written a new young adult fantasy-adventure-mystery for young adult readers. Steeplejack: A Novel will be released by Tor Teen on June 14. Set in 19th-century South Africa, the book has already received glowing reviews, particularly for its young female protagonist. The monthly book review publication, BookPage, named it the Top Teen Pick for June 2016. Steeplejack is the first book in a series of three.

Dr. Hartley, who writes fiction under the name A.J. Hartley, has published numerous novels of fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction for adults and young adults, including novelizations of two Shakespeare tragedies, Macbeth and Hamlet (written with David Hewson). He recently collaborated with platinum-selling musician Tom Delonge to write Sekret Machines Book 1: Chasing Shadows, the first of three volumes, which was released by Simon & Schuster in April.

Among his scholarly publications are two books published in 2014: Julius Caesar (Shakespeare in Performance), published by Manchester University Press, and Shakespeare on the University Stage, published by Cambridge University Press.