FROSTFIRE will be Kai´s next book in English

January 2009

Originally published in Germany in 2005, FROSTFIRE is a stand-alone fantasy novel set in St Petersburg, Russia, in the late 19th century. The British translation, once again by Anthea Bell, will be published by Egmont in autumn/winter 2009. (No date for an American version yet.)

From the beginning of time the Snow Queen has ruled over the white desert at the edge of the world. Her realm is cold and her heart made of ice. But then the young magician Tamsin Spellwell succeeds in doing what no-one else has dared to do before - she steals an icicle from the Snow Queen´s heart, in order to destroy the tyrant´s power. In St Petersburg, in the iciest winter ever known, the two encounter one another again. With their magical powers they engage in a fantastic duel - yet in the end it is not magic that determines the winner, but the courage of Tamsin's young friend, twelve year old shoe-shine-girl Mouse ...

FROSTFIRE won the Corine award award for best young adult & children´s book 2005. In addition to Germany and the United Kingdom it has been published in Korea, Russia, the Czech Republic, Finnland, Poland, Greece, Holland, Turkey and Romania. A Manga adaptation is being prepared in Germany.

THE VOW - New movie based on Kai´s novel

December 2008

Kai´s historical novel DAS GELÜBDE (The Vow, 1998) has been turned into an award-winning movie by director Dominik Graf and is out now on DVD. A version with English subtitles is available for film festivals; it was shown at the "Berlinale" and several other European arthouse festivals in spring and summer 2008. Take a look at the trailer (sorry, German language only):



In early 19th-century Germany, the poet Clemens Brentano - creator of the Loreley myth - turns his back on his worldly ways to devote himself to transcribing the visions of Sister Anna Katharina Emmerick - a collaboration that ignites a pure but ultimately dangerous passion in the poet's heart. (Read more about it on our "movies" page.)

Out now in paperback: The final book in the WAVE WALKERS trilogy

December 2008

PIRATE WARS (aka THE WATER WEAVERS in Britain), the final book in THE WAVE WALKERS trilogy, is out now in paperback.

The battle for the coral city of Aelenium has begun. Soledad, Walker and Buenaventure arm themselves with pistols and swords, ready for the armies of kobalins and cannibals set to overrun the city, while Griffin mounts a flying ray, to attack from the air. Meanwhile, Jolly and Munk dive to the bottom of the ocean. They must travel to the Crustal Breach in the sea-bed to confront and defeat the evil force known as the Maelstrom. It is commanding the sea-monsters and the cannibals. Its goal? To destroy all humankind. There will be many battles, and many struggles - both inward and outward. And more than one transformation. Can Jolly and Munk work together after all they've been through? Who is the mysterious Aina, and will Munk see her for who she really is - before it's too late? Will the friends all survive this terrifying and exhausting war for the survival of their world? And what role do the enigmatic Water Weavers play?

Please note: The WAVE WALKERS or WAVE RUNNERS trilogy is published under different titles in America and Britain. While Kai´s US publisher Simon & Schuster decided to use new titles, Egmont in the UK goes with the translated titles of the original German editions.

USA:
Pirate Curse
Pirate Emperor
Pirate Wars

UK:
The Wave Runners
The Shell Magicians
The Water Weavers





The artwork on the right is an unused cover illustration by Christian Nauck for the German graphic novel adaptation of THE WAVE WALKERS trilogy. Click here if you like to find out more about it.

THE GLASS WORD published in paperback

October 2008

THE GLASS WORD, the third book in the DARK REFLECTIONS trilogy, has just been published in paperback. After their initial run in hardcover all three books are now available in trade editions.

Merle, the Flowing Queen, Junipa and Vermithrax the stone lion are in snow-bound Egypt, surrounded by ice, mirrors and sphinxes. They encounter Seth, the Pharaoh's dangerous chief priest. Why is he offering to help them? Meanwhile, Serafin, Eft the mermaid and Lalapeya, the sphinx with a secret, are travelling to Egypt to help the others. They carry the knowledge of the Glass Word, which will enable Merle and Junipa to walk through mirrors to confront the evil Professor Burbridge one last time, and perhaps ultimately to save their own lives. But the Son of the Mother has awoken, and there will be a terrible final battle and a necessary sacrifice. And Merle will find out who she really is...

"A complex work of high fantasy." - Publisher's Weekly (Starred Review)

If you would like to see the illustrations of the Japanese editions of all three books click on the picture below: