Will.i.am pens futuristic YA novel for PRH Children's

Penguin Random House UK Children’s has signed a futuristic action-adventure novel created by futurist, technologist and science fiction author Brian David Johnson and music artist will.i.am, titled Wizards and Robots.

World rights were acquired by Shannon Cullen, publishing director, and Tig Wallace, editor. Venus Brown at Buddah Brown Entertainment brokered the deal.

Wizards and Robots follows the story of Ada, a 16-year-old who gets caught up in an epic battle between ancient wizards and futuristic robots.

Johnson and will.i.am said: “We’re both hugely excited by science and technology, and wanted to show teenagers all over the world how important it is to understand what this means for our world and future. Technology is incredibly liberating, but there is a very real sense of danger that accompanies mankind’s advancements in this area, and that’s what we were especially interested to explore in our story.”

Initially conceived as a comic book, Johnson and will.i.am developed the idea with YA writer Tom Becker. During their research for the book, the pair “visited the places and sites explored in the story” and created their own robot.

Cullen said: “In Wizards and Robots Brian and will.i.am have created an extraordinarily exciting story – think Terminator meets a YA Harry Potter – that embeds science and technology within full-throttle entertainment.”

PRH Children’s will publish Wizards and Robots on 25th January 2018.