AUTHOR PRESS KIT FOR MITCH BENN
Bios, Books, Q&A and High-Res Image Download
'There will never be another Douglas Adams but Benn, combining his stand-up comedy talent with his obvious love for the genre, might be the closest you'll ever get.'
THE INDEPENDENT
100 WORD BIO
Mitch Benn is a comedian and author who has written three Science Fiction novels. The trilogy follows Terra, a human girl raised by aliens, on her adventures across the galaxy.
The final book in the series, Terra’s War, was released on 15th March 2021. Terra and Terra’s World were also relaunched with new cover art.
Why the seven year gap? Mitch explains, “I always knew how Terra’s adventure was going to end. But when my previous publisher didn’t commission the third book, I had no way of getting the story out. The sense of irresolution became overwhelming. So when the pandemic halted all live comedy, I thought ‘it’s now or never’."
200 WORD BIO
Mitch Benn is a comedian, author, satirical songwriter, musician and actor. He is perhaps best known as the resident comic songwriter on BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show from 1999 to 2016.
Mitch has written three Science Fiction novels. The Terra Trilogy is aimed at young readers (age 10+) and follows Terra, a human girl raised by aliens, on her adventures across the galaxy. The first two books, Terra and Terra’s World, were originally published in 2013 and 2014 to wide acclaim.
The long-awaited conclusion to the trilogy, Terra’s War, was released on 15th March 2021. The first two books were also relaunched with new cover art. The trilogy is available in paperback and ebook from Amazon (including Kindle Unlimited) and from Lulu.
Why the seven year gap? Mitch explains, “I always knew how Terra’s adventure was going to end. But when my previous publisher didn’t commission the third book, I had no way of getting the story out. The sense of irresolution became overwhelming. So when the pandemic halted all live comedy, I thought ‘it’s now or never’. I’m so relieved Terra finally has an ending to her epic story.”
300 WORD BIO
Mitch Benn is a comedian, author, satirical songwriter, musician and actor. He is perhaps best known as the resident comic songwriter on BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show from 1999 to 2016. As a comedian, Mitch has toured extensively in the UK and internationally over the last 20 years. Mitch’s voice acting credits include Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens TV series and the Sandman audiobooks. He also writes a weekly column in The New European newspaper.
Mitch has written three Sci-Fi novels. The Terra Trilogy is aimed at young readers (age 10+) and follows Terra, a human girl raised by aliens, on her adventures across the galaxy. The first two books, Terra and Terra’s World, were originally published in 2013 and 2014 to wide acclaim, including glowing reviews in The Times and The Independent. Terra was also listed in The Guardian’s Top 10 Sci-Fi books of the year.
The long-awaited conclusion to the trilogy, Terra’s War, was released on 15th March 2021. The first two books were also relaunched with new cover art and marketing support. The trilogy is available in paperback and ebook formats, from Amazon (including Kindle Unlimited) and from Lulu.
So why the seven year gap? Mitch explains, “I always knew how Terra’s adventure was going to end. But when my previous publisher didn’t commission the third book, I had no way of getting the story out. It was a very bruising experience and, I won’t lie, almost put me off writing forever. However, the sense of irresolution became overwhelming. So when the pandemic halted all live comedy, I thought ‘it’s now or never’. I’m so relieved Terra finally has an ending to her epic story. Now I can move on to my next novel, due out in late 2021.”
BOOK DETAILS AND DESCRIPTIONS
Title: Terra
Series: The Terra Trilogy
Volume: One
Author: Mitch Benn
Release Date: 30th November 2020
Publisher: Raging Vega Press
Length: 312 pages
Age: 10+
Formats: Paperback and ebook
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-8382887-0-9
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-8382887-1-6
Price: £2.99-£7.99
For Terra, the human alien, fitting in was never an option.
Abducted from Earth as a baby by a well-meaning alien, Terra has grown up far across the galaxy on planet Fnrr. Terra has always known she was different. Her skin isn’t grey. Her eyes are a weird blue colour. She has ... ears.
And now Terra is starting high school. A daunting prospect, even without being the only human in class.
There’s lots to like about life on Fnrr. Society is ordered and peaceful; founded on reason, logic and the pursuit of knowledge. However, its inhabitants are blissfully unaware of the impending invasion that could destroy their way of life forever ...
Before long, Terra will find herself propelled into a fierce battle to save the world she calls home.
A story for young readers - or adults who remember being one - Mitch Benn’s Terra is a warm and witty coming-of-age Sci-Fi adventure for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. Escape into a story of hope, discovery and the unbreakable bonds we naively refer to as ‘humanity’.
Praise for Terra:
'Terra is delightful ... I found myself thinking of Roald Dahl, Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, but the voice and story are uniquely Mitch Benn’s. Wise, funny, and above all, human.' NEIL GAIMAN
'High-end deadpan Sci-Fi silliness ... with added warmth. For a story set light years away, it feels wonderfully human.' MATT HAIG
'Mitch Benn is a very fine writer and Terra is a very fine book.' THE INDEPENDENT
Title: Terra's World
Series: The Terra Trilogy
Volume: Two
Author: Mitch Benn
Release Date: 1st February 2021
Publisher: Raging Vega Press
Length: 338 pages
Age: 12+
Formats: Paperback and ebook
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-8382887-4-7
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-8382887-5-4
Price: £3.99-£7.99
Terra the human girl raised by aliens, is back on Earth. But not for long.
It’s been two years since Terra returned to Earth. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time ... Get to know her real parents. Attend high school with actual humans. But Terra’s world has been anything but ordinary.
Across the galaxy, her alien homeland is in grave danger ... A death planet. A mysterious prophecy. And a society warped beyond all recognition. Terra’s adoptive father and friends desperately need help.
If Terra knew this, she’d be on the first spaceship away from Earth. But she doesn’t.
In fact, Terra has disappeared.
Mitch Benn’s second instalment in the Terra Trilogy is an action-packed Sci-Fi adventure for young readers, and adults who remember being one. Bursting with wit, warmth and optimism, immerse yourself in Terra’s perilous journey through the chaos of unintended consequences.
Suitable for age 12+
Praise for Terra's World:
'Terra’s World ups the stakes while still keeping everything that made the first novel so special ... Mitch Benn has great prose, and his storytelling skills are superb. It’s really difficult to put into words how much fun Terra’s World is.' SFF WORLD
'Another winning, witty and whipsmart tale.' SciFiNow
'There will never be another Douglas Adams, but Benn, combining his stand-up comedy talent with his obvious love for the genre, might be the closest you’ll ever get' THE INDEPENDENT
Title: Terra's War
Series: The Terra Trilogy
Volume: Three
Author: Mitch Benn
Release Date: 15th March 2021
Publisher: Raging Vega Press
Length: 425 pages
Age: 12+
Formats: Paperback and ebook
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-8382887-2-3
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-8382887-3-0
Price: £4.99-£8.99
The Everywar began with a crack in the sky.
Until that fateful moment, sixteen-year-old Terra and Billy's biggest worry was whether to continue their studies on the planet Fnrr or back on Earth.
Then a chance encounter with a murderous alien kicks off a shocking chain of events which aren't just inexplicable ... they're impossible. Terra, Billy and their Fnrrn friends are ripped from the safety of everything they thought was true.
A darkness is spreading across the universe. Everyone Terra holds dear will have their own part to play in a war that could literally destroy everything, everywhere.
The long-awaited finale to Mitch Benn's much-loved trilogy is a thrilling ride to the ends of the universe ... and beyond. From ominous beginnings to a heart-stopping climax, the conclusion of Terra's epic story is packed with wit, adventure, tragedy, and courageous, indomitable hope.
Praise for Terra's War:
'Mitch Benn ruthlessly deploys his weapons grade imagination to make you laugh and cry - often at the same time.'' BEN AARONOVITCH, AUTHOR OF RIVERS OF LONDON
'A bouncy and detailed space adventure, smooth as warm snurg butter, but with surprising depth and excellent world-building.' PAUL CORNELL, AUTHOR OF WITCHES OF LYCHFORD
AUTHOR Q&A WITH MITCH BENN
Why did you start writing Sci-Fi?
"I’ve been a Sci-Fi nerd for as long as I can remember. When I became a dad, I wanted my kids to enjoy the same rollicking, optimistic Sci-Fi adventures I had grown up with. Sci-Fi had become very dystopian … it seemed like every story was set in some hopeless, miserable environment with a despairing view of humanity. So I started writing a story full of humour, adventure and, well, hope. One reviewer said Terra's story was 'a love letter to Science Fiction' which I hope sums it up perfectly.”
Where did the idea for Terra come from?
"I was thinking one day about the classic story 'tropes', those fundamental building blocks of narrative that almost all fiction is constructed from, and in particular the lost child/'fish out of water' trope. The child lost by its parents, and found and raised by something 'other'. It turns up all the way through fantastic fiction (The Jungle Book/Tarzan), it’s in pop culture (Superman) and goes back at least as far as the Bible (Moses).
I wondered what a Sci-Fi version of that story might be, and the idea 'human baby abducted by alien who adopts and raises it as his own' popped straight into my head. Once I’d established nobody had written that book already, the idea was just too good to resist."
Why is there a seven year gap between the second and third book?
“I always knew how Terra’s adventure was going to end. But when my previous publisher didn’t commission the third book, I had no way of getting the story out. It was a very bruising experience and, I won’t lie, almost put me off writing forever.
As an entertainer you develop a thick skin to rejection – it’s part of the job. But this was different. I had become completely emotionally invested in Terra, her friends and her story. And after just twelve months as a published author - something I’d always wanted to be - I was out. It hit me far harder than I could have expected, and I carried that around for a long time.
I considered other projects to restart my writing career, but the sense of irresolution had become a real mental block - I couldn’t leave the trilogy unfinished. So when the pandemic halted all live comedy, I thought ‘this is my opportunity. It’s now or never’. I’m so relieved Terra finally has an ending to her epic story.”
What’s next for you as an author?
“Well, I’ve started my own publishing company, and I’m lucky to have an experienced Marketer on board who has been managing the Terra Trilogy launch. Ideally I want to release a new novel every year through Raging Vega Press. My next book is called ROAM: The City That Walks. It's a standalone novel, separate from the Terra Trilogy, and is part dystopian, part fantasy and aimed at older children/young teens. We’re planning to release it towards the end of 2021.”
