It seems as if the greats of the world always come from big cities like Los Angeles, New York or London. No matter the craft they choose, one of these three cities can provide them with the best environment to excel. This is not always the case, however. Utah is home to a few greats as well, especially in the field of literature. Some of the most famous authors of our time are from right here in Utah and they represent our state excellently as they create their stories for people all over the world to read.
James Dashner, the author of the famous “Maze Runner” series is from Utah. “The Maze Runner” spent 63 weeks in the top ten of The New York Times Best Seller list during 2013. It has since been made into a box office movie trilogy which features stars like Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Kaya Scodelario.
Ally Condie is a Utah native and is the author of the young adult dystopian “Matched” trilogy which spent a significant amount of time on The New York Times Best Seller list. In this series, the characters are matched with their partners at the age of 17.
Brandon Mull is the renowned and well-known author of the “Fablehaven” series in which magical creatures of all sorts are treated as endangered animals. “Fablehaven” was also on the The New York Times Best Seller list.
One half of the popular adult romance duo Christina Lauren, Christina Hobbs, lives in Utah. Christina Lauren are well known for their romantic and steamy novels like “Roomies,” “Love and Other Words” and “The Beautiful Series.”
Although she is not from Utah, Stephenie Meyer, author of the popular young adult vampire series “Twilight” graduated from BYU. “Twilight” has been adapted into a movie series as well with popular stars like Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart.
Orson Scott Card is an alumnus of both BYU and the University of Utah and is the author of “Ender’s Game,” a military science fiction novel. “Ender’s Game” was also made into a movie in 2013.
Brandon Sanderson is the author of novels such as “A Memory of Light,” “The Rithmatist” and “Steelheart.” All three of these novels received several awards. Sanderson is also the recipient of two HUGO awards and a professor of creative writing at BYU.
Margaret Stohl lives part-time in Park City and is the co-author behind the “Beautiful Creatures” young adult series. A film based on the first book of the series was released in 2013 as well.
Shannon Hale is the mind behind the “Ever After High” series. It follows the lives of children of famous fairytale characters as they attend a prestigious boarding school. The series was adapted into a cartoon tv series on Nickelodeon and now sells dolls of all the characters in toy stores as well.
These are just some of the talented authors who have come from our very own home state. They set the example: if you work hard enough you can achieve anything and it’s not necessary for you to move to a “big” city for it to happen. Sometimes the best stories are the ones which are crafted at home.