Jack Heath (writer)
Encyclopedia
Jack Heath, is a writer
of young adult fiction. He has resided in Canberra since age 9. Heath is best known for the Six of Hearts series, for being one of Australia's youngest bestselling authors, and for the high action content in his novels (his work is often compared to that of Matthew Reilly
, to the CHERUB
written by Robert Muchamore
and to the Alex Rider
series by Anthony Horowitz
.)
Jack Heath's second book, Remote Control was shortlisted for the 2007 Aurealis Award
for Best Science-Fiction Novel, and he is the 2009 ACT Young Australian of the Year
.
, greed, heroism, and nature vs. nurture
. However, Heath has been quoted as saying that he writes only "to entertain . . . to keep people entertained from the first page to the last. I'm not trying to force issues onto anyone."
The narrative is always third-person and past tense
, except in dream sequences and the final chapter of Third Transmission (which led some critics to speculate that the end might be a dream.) Heath frequently uses onomatopoeia and lots of detail in his action scenes to create a "slow-motion" effect. Another consistent element is the lack of a stated geographical setting. The Six of Hearts series is set in an overpopulated, capitalist metropolis known only as "the City", which covers an entire continent. (The continent is described as being 7.5 million square kilometres in area, which is only slightly less than Australia, so this seems the most likely location.) Money Run is set in a Western nation where the currency is dollars, but where the police Miranda warning
resembles that used by British law enforcement, which might indicate that the book is set in Australia or New Zealand.
Heath is also known for his in-jokes - for instance, the names of many of his characters are anagrams of famous actors, (e.g. "Serfie Thaldurken" is an anagram of Kiefer Sutherland
) and some of the firearms in his novels are named after fictional weapons from films such as Aliens
. Similarly, his website includes humorous hidden captions behind all images and links, and the site's 404 error message
has been replaced with a short story entitled 404.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of young adult fiction. He has resided in Canberra since age 9. Heath is best known for the Six of Hearts series, for being one of Australia's youngest bestselling authors, and for the high action content in his novels (his work is often compared to that of Matthew Reilly
Matthew Reilly
Matthew John Reilly is an Australian action thriller writer. His novels are noted for their fast pace, twisting plots and intense action.- Biography :...
, to the CHERUB
CHERUB
CHERUB is a series of young adult spy novels, written by the English author Robert Muchamore, focusing around a division of the British Security Service named CHERUB, which employs minors, predominantly orphans, as intelligence officers...
written by Robert Muchamore
Robert Muchamore
Robert Kilgore Muchamore is an English author, most notable for writing the CHERUB and Henderson's Boys novels.-Prior to writing:...
and to the Alex Rider
Alex Rider
Alex Rider is a series of spy novels by British author Anthony Horowitz about a 14-15 year old spy named Alex Rider. The series is aimed primarily at young adults. Nine novels have been published to date, as well as three graphic novels, three short stories and a supplementary book...
series by Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Craig Horowitz is an English novelist and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television, adapting many of Agatha Christie's...
.)
Jack Heath's second book, Remote Control was shortlisted for the 2007 Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award.-History:...
for Best Science-Fiction Novel, and he is the 2009 ACT Young Australian of the Year
Australian of the Year
Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
.
Notable characteristics and themes
Most of Jack Heath's works so far have contained one or more of the following elements: atonement/redemption, coming of age, commercialism, conspiracy, corruption, genetic experimentationHuman genetic engineering
Human genetic engineering is the alteration of an individual's genotype with the aim of choosing the phenotype of a newborn or changing the existing phenotype of a child or adult....
, greed, heroism, and nature vs. nurture
Nature versus nurture
The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities versus personal experiences The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature," i.e. nativism, or innatism) versus personal experiences...
. However, Heath has been quoted as saying that he writes only "to entertain . . . to keep people entertained from the first page to the last. I'm not trying to force issues onto anyone."
The narrative is always third-person and past tense
Past tense
The past tense is a grammatical tense that places an action or situation in the past of the current moment , or prior to some specified time that may be in the speaker's past, present, or future...
, except in dream sequences and the final chapter of Third Transmission (which led some critics to speculate that the end might be a dream.) Heath frequently uses onomatopoeia and lots of detail in his action scenes to create a "slow-motion" effect. Another consistent element is the lack of a stated geographical setting. The Six of Hearts series is set in an overpopulated, capitalist metropolis known only as "the City", which covers an entire continent. (The continent is described as being 7.5 million square kilometres in area, which is only slightly less than Australia, so this seems the most likely location.) Money Run is set in a Western nation where the currency is dollars, but where the police Miranda warning
Miranda warning
The Miranda warning is a warning given by police in the United States to criminal suspects in police custody before they are interrogated to preserve the admissibility of their statements against them in criminal proceedings. In Miranda v...
resembles that used by British law enforcement, which might indicate that the book is set in Australia or New Zealand.
Heath is also known for his in-jokes - for instance, the names of many of his characters are anagrams of famous actors, (e.g. "Serfie Thaldurken" is an anagram of Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
) and some of the firearms in his novels are named after fictional weapons from films such as Aliens
Aliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
. Similarly, his website includes humorous hidden captions behind all images and links, and the site's 404 error message
HTTP 404
The 404 or Not Found error message is a HTTP standard response code indicating that the client was able to communicate with the server, but the server could not find what was requested. A 404 error should not be confused with "server not found" or similar errors, in which a connection to the...
has been replaced with a short story entitled 404.
The Six of Hearts series
- 2006 The LabThe Lab (novel)The Lab is Australian writer Jack Heath's first novel, released in 2006.Jack Heath started writing The Lab when he was 13 and attending Lyneham High School. Jack started writing The Lab to impress a girl at school who liked reading. He finished the first draft at the age of 17. He kept his age a...
(Pan Macmillan Australia) - 2007 Remote Control (Pan Macmillan Australia, shortlisted for the Aurealis AwardAurealis AwardAurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award.-History:...
for Best Science-Fiction Novel, 2007) - 2008 404 (short story, published on jackheath.com.au)
- 2009 Third Transmission (Pan Macmillan Australia)
- 2012 Dead Man Running (Pan Macmillan Australia) (announced, release date 2012)
The Ashley Arthur series
- 2008 Money Run (Pan Macmillan Australia)
- 2008 Freak Show (short story, published by the State Library of Queensland)
- 2010 Hit List (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Stand alone short stories
- 2006 Sleep (published in Voiceworks, issue #65)
- 2007 The Mistress (published in Voiceworks, issue #68)
- 2007 Right-angles and hair (published in The Sex Mook)
- 2008 Emma (published in lip, issue #16)
- 2009 The Beach (written for Salon 3 - Stoker and Shelley, and published on Tara MossTara MossTara Moss is a bestselling Canadian-Australian author, television presenter, journalist and former model....
's blog, The Book Post) - 2010 Flesh (written for Salon 5 - Pinol and Wells, and published on The Book Post)