Contact Details

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Agent: Kathleen Anderson of Anderson Literary Management.
Managers: Kassie Evashevski and Ryan Wilson of Anonymous Content.

Bios

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Barry Lyga is the award-winning author of more than twenty-five books for teens and adults in a variety of genres, including the New York Times bestselling I Hunt Killers, the controversial Boy Toy, and Thanos: Titan Consumed, the origin of the greatest villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Barry Lyga is the author of more than twenty-five books for teens and adults in a variety of genres, including the New York Times bestselling I Hunt Killers and Thanos: Titan Consumed, the origin of the greatest villain in the MCU. He won the Kentucky Bluegrass Award for I Hunt Killers and was named a Kentucky Colonel by Governor Steven Beshear in 2015. His novel Boy Toy was lauded as “…an astounding portrayal of what it is like to be the young male victim,” and yet has been banned in multiple districts throughout the United States for its unflinching portrayal of child abuse.

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Called a “YA rebel-author” by Kirkus Reviews, Barry Lyga has published twenty-seven books in various genres in his twenty-year career, including the New York Times bestselling I Hunt Killers.

After graduating from Yale with a degree in English, Lyga worked in the comic book industry before quitting to pursue his lifelong love of writing. His first novel, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, was published to rave reviews, including stars from Booklist and School Library Journal.

His second novel, Boy Toy, was pronounced “…an astounding portrayal of what it is like to be the young male victim” by the Chicago Tribune, and his third, Hero-Type, “proves that there are still fresh ideas and new, interesting story lines to be explored in young adult literature (VOYA).”

He has also written Goth Girl Rising, as well as the middle-grade Archvillain series and the graphic novel Mangaman (illustrated by Colleen Doran).

His most popular series is I Hunt Killers, called by the L.A. Times “one of the more daring concepts in recent years by a young-adult author” and an “extreme and utterly alluring narrative about nature versus nurture.” The first book landed on both the New York Times and USAToday bestsellers lists.

Since then, he has written a six-part epic based on The Flash, the inter-generational murder mystery Time Will Tell, and Thanos: Titan Consumed. He is also the editor of Generation Wonder: The New Age of Heroes, an anthology introducing a plethora of new superheroes to a world that desperately needs them.

Lyga lives near New York City with his wife, the novelist Morgan Baden, and their children.

Photos

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Photo: Morgan Baden

Photo: Morgan Baden

Photo: Barry Lyga

Selected Critical Praise

  • The New York Times: “Lyga captures the heartbreak of Sebastian’s situation with sensitivity and compassion, exploring how a life can be unfairly defined by just one action, how it’s tragically easy to ignore humanity in favor of a headline, and just what communication, love and sharing the truth can do, especially when it comes to forgiving oneself.”
  • Entertainment Weekly: “Affecting, and unfortunately timely, Bang is a read that’s worth your inevitable heartbreak.”
  • The New York Times: “…takes one of the more uncomfortable themes of young adult literature…and pushes it past the genre’s farthest boundaries. This is an upsetting, intense, intricately drawn portrait.”
  • VOYA: “Lyga again skillfully captures the turbulent world of high school…. Kudos for another incredible read.” (starred review)
  • Kirkus: “Deftly weaving together a painful confession and ambiguous ending, Lyga’s dynamic writing style creates an emotionally wrenching and haunting tale.” (starred review)
  • VOYA: “Lyga brilliantly combines the feel of a true crime story with mystery, adventure, and psychoanalysis in this intense story of a different kind of family bond.” (starred review)
  • Publishers Weekly: ” a taut, gory tale that can easily stand on its own as an adult thriller, with a large group of suspects and plenty of red herrings.” (starred review)
  • USAToday: “While comic fans will appreciate references to Brian Michael Bendis, Alan Moore and the like, others will be transfixed by Lyga’s deadpan yet heartfelt tale of romance and ambition. The book is an entertaining read no matter what age you are, especially if you’re a fan of sarcastic high-school tales and/or comic-book references.”
  • Booklist: “…sharply authentic…” (starred review)
  • Newsday: “Here is a novel that contains both the hopeful resilience of childhood and the shadow of despair. It takes graphic novels seriously as an art form and gives no easy answers. What a find.”

Awards & Honors

  • Named a Kentucky Colonel by Governor Steven L. Beshear
  • Amazon Pick for Best YA Novel of Spring 2017 — Bang
  • A Selection of the Junior Library Guild — Bang
  • Winner of the 2007 Cybil Award — Boy Toy
  • One of Booklist‘s 50 Best YA Novels of All Time — Boy Toy
  • Winner of the Kentucky Bluegrass Award — I Hunt Killers
  • Georgia Peach Honor — I Hunt Killers

Selected Video Interviews

Selected Podcast Interviews

Selected Print Interviews