Thomas Thiemeyer
Thomas Thiemeyer (born 1963) is a German illustrator and writer.
He studied art and geology in Cologne. His first children's book was published in 1989 by the Ravensburger publishing house, where Thiemeyer already worked as graphic advisor. 2 years later he became freelance artist. As freelance artist, he illustrates games, children's books, book covers and much more. Among others he has worked for Heyne Verlag, Arena, Fantasy Productions, Beltz & Gelberg, HarperCollins, Random House and Wizards of the Coast. In recent time he co-operated with the American director Darren Aronofsky. His work was awarded several times by the Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis and the Deutscher Phantastik-Preis (maybe translated as German Fantasy award, or German Fantastique award).
In 2004 his debut novel "Medusa" published by Droemer Knaur became an international success. Many others followed, some of them became best-sellers. His works were translated into Spanish, Dutch, Czech, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Korean, Italian, Turkish, Chinese, Portuguese as well as Slovenian.
His stories stand in the tradition of classic adventure novels and do often deal with the discovery of ancient cultures and threats by mysterious powers.
Thomas Thiemeyer lives in Stuttgart with his wife and two sons.
Novels
- Medusa, Knaur publishing house, Munich 2004, ISBN 978-3-426-66152-9.
Researcher Hannah Peter makes a strange discovery: a Medusa sculpture, with snakelike extremities and a cyclops eye, indicates that there is a cave deep in the mountains, where a fantastically beautiful and incredibly dangerous object is located. A team from the National Geographic Society is assigned to search for this treasure. Along with Chris, the climatologist of the group, Hannah discovers the origin and at the same time the end of an age-old culture.
- Reptilia, Knaur publishing house, Munich 2005, ISBN 978-3-426-63458-5.
The young geneticist David Astbury is asked by the mother of his old youth friend Emily for his help, her daughter has disappeared while on an expedition in the Congo. She was there to hunt the legendary monster Mokèlé-mbèmbé, the sole survivor of the age of dinosaurs. Thus David prepares to go into the depths of the jungle of the Congo. He is accompanied by one native biologist and two large game hunters. When they seek out the ancient reptile at the Lake Tele, the events begin to unfold. The reptile holds a genetic secret, which could forever change the way of life on Earth.
- Magma, Knaur publishing house 2007, ISBN 978-3-426-66213-7.
Seismologist Dr. Ella Jordan gets the news that strange signals are being received in the middle of the Pacific, which much too regular to be caused by anything in nature. They’re coming from the 10,000 meters deep Mariana Trench. Ella drops everything to join a team of researchers heading over there in the most advanced submarine in the world. Along with a Japanese crew, an attractive U.S. Marine officer, and a somewhat shady Swiss professor, Konrad Martin, Ella dives to the deepest spot on Earth and barely escapes disaster: They find a gigantic, perfectly round stone that reacts to their probing with a deadly heat ray. What hardly anyone knows is that hidden away in the mountains of Switzerland is an underground lab where scientists are working on a similar, though smaller ball of stone, found decades earlier next to the corpse of a geologist. Suddenly new signals are detected: first from the North Pole, then Russia, Australia, and the Antarctic. Ella and Konrad Martin find these same inexplicable stone shapes everywhere. When the stones’ signals start to be sent in unison, the resulting seismic waves are so strong that they cause earthquakes and volcanoes, and that’s just the beginning. A countdown to disaster begins, Ella recognizes the terrible truth. The threat does not come from this world.
- Nebra, Knaur publishing house 2009, ISBN 3-426-63850-9.
Around the Brocken in the Harz Mountains towns and hotels are preparing for the Walpurgis night. Archaeologist Hannah Peters is on the way there. Her job is to explore the mysterious Nebra sky disk, a spectacular Bronze Age find. What she doesn't know: the disc is the object of desire of a dark cult, lurking in the caves of the Harz mountains and waiting since long time to celebrate an all-destructive ritual. Hannah is drawn deeper and deeper into the force of the cult - and soon strange celestial phenomena announce a Walpurgis Night, that will never end.
- Korona, Knaur publishing house 2010, ISBN 3-426-66291-4.
Gorilla researcher Amy Walker has nightmares ever since a member of her team has mysteriously disappeared. Ironically, an ex-con is to strengthen the team. Nobody - accept the gorillas - is trusting him. As the team, despite threatening solar activity and strange weather phenomena, travels to the East African Ruwenzori mountains to locate the missing persons, an adventure starts that takes Amy to her limits of her mind.
- The city of the raineaters, Loewe publishing house, Bindlach 2009, ISBN 978-3-7855-6574-2
- The palace of Poseidon, Loewe publishing house, Bindlach 2010, ISBN 978-3-7855-6576-6
Audiobooks
- Magma, AME Hören 2007, read by Johannes Steck, ISBN 978-3-938046-63-0
- The city of the raineaters, Jumbo 2009, read by Dietmar Wunder, ISBN 3-8337-2437-4
- Nebra, Argon 2009, read by Franziska Pigulla, ISBN 3-86610-720-X
- Korona, Argon 2010, read by Dietmar Wunder, ISBN 3-8398-1053-1
- The palace of Poseidon, Jumbo 2010, read by Dietmar Wunder, ISBN 3-8337-2612-1
Awards/Prizes
- 1989 selection list to Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis. "Das große Buch der Saurier" Ravensburger publishing house
- 1998 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best envelope illustration. "Auf zwei Planeten" Heyne-Verlag
- 2002 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best envelope illustration. "Quest" Heyne-Verlag
- 2003 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best envelope illustration. "Jupiter" Heyne-Verlag
- 2004 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best envelope illustration. "Asteroidenkrieg" Heyne-Verlag
- 2006 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for best envelope illustration. "Die Legende von Eden und andere Visionen" Shayol
- Deutscher Phantastik-Preis 2006