Delacorte Press Announces the Publication of a New Book in the #1 New York Times Bestselling Maze Runner Series by James Dashner
New York, NY — Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, will publish the fifth novel in James Dashner’s #1 New York Timesbestselling Maze Runner series, which has sold 6.5 million copies, as announced today by Barbara Marcus, President and Publisher of Random House Children’s Books. THE FEVER CODE is a prequel novel that delves into the time before the Maze, and will tell the story of how Thomas, Teresa, and the Gladers found themselves in the Maze, and how the Maze itself was created. Dashner’s The Maze Runner movie was released in theaters by Twentieth Century Fox on September 19 and opened at #1 at the box office this past weekend, and at #1 in 50 countries around the world. Krista Marino, Executive Editor, Delacorte Press, and editor from the series launch in 2009, will once again edit Dashner’s latest work. The deal, which includes U.S., Canadian, and Open Market rights, was brokered by Beverly Horowitz, Vice President and Publisher, Delacorte Press, and Michael Bourret, Vice President and Literary Agent, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. The novel will be published in 2016.
The second movie based on the series, entitled Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, is scheduled to release on September 18, 2015.
“From the very beginning, I’ve always wanted to write a prequel about Thomas, Teresa, Newt, Minho, Alby, and all the Gladers that leads up to the very moment Thomas enters the Box,” said Dashner. “There are so many things hinted at that will be fun to reveal in depth. For years, fans have made it abundantly and enthusiastically clear that they want the same thing, so now seems like the perfect time to give readers the story of how the Maze began.”
With 6.5 million copies of the series sold (which includes The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, and The Kill Order), a major motion picture from Twentieth Century Fox of The Maze Runner—which opened at #1 in 50 countries its week of release and grossed a combined total of $81.5 million according to Deadline.com—and a second major motion picture slated for The Scorch Trials in 2015, the series continues to gain fans worldwide, with readers eager for all things related to James Dashner and his beloved series.
“We are thrilled to go back to the world of The Maze Runner,” said Marino. “At this point these characters are like real people to us. Also, we want to find out the answers to some of these secrets as badly as the fans do!” Marcus added: “Dashner has a truly global fan base, and the response to The Maze Runner movie from his readers worldwide has been amazing to watch. We are so pleased to offer these fans a new novel that explores this world even more, and we are equally excited for readers who will come to the series for the first time.”
James Dashner is the award-winning author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, the Mortality Doctrine series, the Thirteenth Reality series, and the first and seventh book in the Infinity Ring series. Born and raised in Georgia, Dashner now resides in Utah with his family. You can follow James on Twitter at @jamesdashner or via Facebook and his website. Join the Dashner Army (#DashnerArmy) at DashnerArmy.com.
Random House Children’s Books (randomhousekids.com) is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, ebooks, and apps, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company.
