Extreme survivalist Bear Grylls has been signed to write a series of action-adventure thrillers for adults, it has been confirmed by publisher Orion. The publisher has said it had paid “a healthy seven figure sum” for UK and Commonwealth rights. The series will be a collaboration with bestselling author and war journalist Damien Lewis and will see the first book, Ghost Flight, published in May 2015.
The book series stars ex-SAS ecologist and adventurer Dan Ranger. In each book, Ranger embarks on a new expedition, leading a group of adventurers on challenging journeys. With historical detective conventions, the book series sees Ranger and his team investigating compelling mysteries from the past and post-Nazi subject matter. Each book also features a strong ecological message, which Bear feels passionately about.
‘This series of novels will combine the best of Bond, Bourne, & Indiana Jones in one gripping series of books. We take the former SF soldier Dan Ranger into the murky depths of covert modern-day Nazism, gritty survival and the Special Forces brotherhood in a way we have never seen before. Hold tight for the adventure!’ says Bear.
The series will feature authentic tales from Bear about his survival and military training, which hinge on the plots covered in the Dan Ranger series. In being set in the worlds of outdoor adventure and military Special Forces, the books are an extension of the Bear Grylls global brand.
The crime and thriller market was worth around £97m in 2013, according to book sales body Nielsen Bookscan. The genre far outweighed science fiction and fantasy (£34m), romance (£20m) and historical fiction (£18.5m).
About Bear Grylls
Bear Grylls is a former SAS soldier, adventurer, survivalist and global TV personality with a global viewership of over one billion. He is also a bestselling non-fiction author and has even created his own outdoor clothing line in partnership with Craghoppers.
Bear served three years in the British Special Forces, where he learnt many of the survival skills he deploys in his TV shows. After breaking his back in a free-fall parachuting accident and enduring months of rehabilitation, Bear bounced back to become one of the youngest people to ever climb Mount Everest.
Bear is the star of acclaimed Channel 4 and Discovery Channel TV programmes Man vs. Wild and Born Survivor. With around 1.2 billion viewers, Born Survivor is one of the most successful shows of recent times. An organic extension of the programmes, Bear’s bestselling books A Survival Guide For Life, Born Survivor, Living Wild, Great Outdoor Adventures, Facing Up, Facing the Frozen Ocean, and To My Sons have been published worldwide.
Bear is also known for completing tough challenges and leading record-breaking expeditions. His Antarctica to the Arctic expedition was successfully completed for charity and raised over $2.5million. Bear has been widely recognised for his charitable services and expertise, being appointed Chief Scout to 500,000 Scouts in the UK, an honorary commission as a Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy and as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Marines Commandos.
Ben Giles is an avid traveller who has explored almost every corner of the world. He is writing a blog about his experiences on safari in Africa this summer.
