Clock Tower lands YA sci-fi gaming series by Sullivan

Sweet Cherry imprint Clock Tower Publishing has acquired M J Sullivan’s YA sci-fi series inspired by gaming and virtual reality.

Publishing in summer 2022, The Rise of the Raid Mob is the first book in the four-part Game Over series written by the Stockport-based school teacher and educational consultant.

The deal was closed by Sweet Cherry’s development editor Jasmine Dove who acquired world rights to the series from the author directly.

The sci-fi adventure series follows the Raid Mob: four teenage misfits whose lifelong friendship involves obsessing over old movies, surviving school bullies and being four of the best gamers on the entire planet – a secret that they protect as fiercely as they do each other. When a radical new way to play "Distant Dawn" is unveiled, the Mob’s precious anonymity is blown to pieces and an adventure begins that straddles the real world and the virtual – blurring the line between both – travelling from the depths of deep-buried memories to the edge of the known universe.

The series is inspired by the author's own lifelong hobby of gaming, his love of sci-fi, and teaching experiences. "Sullivan explores future possibilities of gaming and virtual reality, with gaming acting as a lifeline to those who struggle in the real world," the synopsis explains. "His diverse cast of characters — Jack, Megan, Cameron and Ayo — are of a wide range of social statuses and backgrounds. What binds them together and makes their friendship so strong is their complete acceptance of each other, and of the hardships each of them face. The Raid Mob is more than a gaming clan: it’s the alternative family that each of its members so desperately needs."

Sullivan said: "I’m happier than Mario with a pocketful of coins that the first book in the Game Over series is almost here! Readers will get to experience some wildly diverse worlds, from hectic schools full of trying teachers and big bad bullies, to virtual gaming spaces that take them all the way across the known universe. They’ll also get to follow the Raid Mob – a pack of reclusive rebels whose ascension to global gaming celebrity brings all kinds of unwanted (and potentially lethal) attention. I can’t wait for the Mob to make their mark in the minds of readers around the world!"

Clock Tower is one of two recently launched Sweet Cherry imprints and aims to champion new voices in publishing and "authentically represent diversity and inclusivity" in trade fiction.