Hot Key lands first posthumous project from Wilbur Smith

Hot Key Books has bagged Prey Zone, a "compelling" trilogy about technology and wildlife desecration from Wilbur Smith, co-authored by Keith Chapman and Steve Cole. The acquisition is the first Smith project the publisher has revealed since the death of the author last November. 

The Bonnier Books UK teen and Young Adult imprint acquired world rights to the new series from Kevin Conroy Scott at Tibor Jones. 

The Prey Zone trilogy takes one of Smith’s iconic families, the Ballantynes, and sets them in a near-future South Africa. The first book focuses on the teen protagonists as they set out on the trail of a mysterious predator that is terrorising their reserve. "On the hunt for answers, siblings Ralph and Robyn discover the fearsome culprit: a long-extinct beast Ralph recognises from his favourite game, Predasaur," the synopsis reads.

In developing the project that would become Prey Zone, Smith brought Chapman and Cole on board to innovate fresh plots and concepts around new iterations of his characters. Work on creating the first novel was completed shortly before Smith’s death last year.

Television writer and producer Chapman is known as the creator of children’s brands including Bob the Builder and PAW Patrol. Cole has co-authored the Astrosaurs series, Swarm Rising (Hodder Children’s) – written with astronaut Tim Peake – and more than 150 books for properties including the Doctor Who and Young Bond brands. 

Smith’s widow Niso Smith said: "Wilbur was very concerned about where African wildlife is heading, in particular the way the great herds of the Big Five were diminishing, and how important the national game reserves have become in the past 20 years. As these natural resources have been used mindlessly, the global technology sector has grown and grown. He wanted to place the future of his Ballantyne family in the middle of that dichotomy.

"In working with Keith Chapman, one of the great children’s IP creators of our time and Steve Cole, a very talented children’s writer, Wilbur was able to create a squad as strong as the story they told together. Prey Zone is not just adrenaline-pumping fun for the next generation, it’s also a warning to all young readers about the perils of destroying nature for profit."

Managing director for Children’s Trade, Helen Wicks, said: "We look forward to introducing a younger generation of readers to [Smith’s] writing, through an exciting contemporary setting where modern technology and videogames take centre stage. Keith and Steve have successfully brought all the elements that make Wilbur’s writing so compelling to a new teen audience."

The first title in the trilogy, Prey Zone, will publish in September 2022, with the subsequent titles following in 2023 and 2024.