Greg Hamerton
Encyclopedia
Greg Hamerton is a South African fantasy
novelist and extreme sports writer.
) in 1991 and completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Cape Town
in 1994. He qualified as a paragliding
instructor and managed an active paragliding school in Cape Town. He worked in the film industry, and as a paragliding instructor in the UK. Upon returning to South Africa he began to write sports articles for various magazines, mostly to the international free-flying magazine Cross Country. He also worked at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (2008–2010).
His first novel Beyond The Invisible was published in 1998 by Eternity Press. This was followed by a non-fiction guidebook for Paragliding in South Africa (1999), The Fresh Air Site Guide. His epic fantasy series, The Tale of the Lifesong, began with The Riddler's Gift (published 2007) and continues with Second Sight (published 2010).
and The Lord of the Rings
as having been particularly memorable films (see profile). His work shows elements of magical realism and has a vivid visual style. Although taking some inspiration from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, he writes with a more contemporary approach similar to Robert Jordan
and Terry Goodkind
. In an interview he referred to Stephen Donaldson
and Robin Hobb
as having influenced his work, as well as the satirical Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett
.
In an interview (Something Wicked Magazine, Winter 2007) he commented on his motivation to write:
"For me it's a very personal joy. I really enjoy being in the mental state one reaches when writing creatively. It's a kind of meditation, and one I find envigorating. It feels that I'm wiser when writing than in the normal everyday world."
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novelist and extreme sports writer.
Biography
He was educated at Waldorf school (based on the Rudolf Steiner system). He matriculated from South African College Schools (SACSSouth African College Schools
The South African College Schools, commonly referred to as SACS, is a primary and secondary education institution located in Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa. Founded in 1829, it is the oldest school in South Africa and one of four schools expressly named by Cecil John Rhodes to offer an annual...
) in 1991 and completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
in 1994. He qualified as a paragliding
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
instructor and managed an active paragliding school in Cape Town. He worked in the film industry, and as a paragliding instructor in the UK. Upon returning to South Africa he began to write sports articles for various magazines, mostly to the international free-flying magazine Cross Country. He also worked at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (2008–2010).
His first novel Beyond The Invisible was published in 1998 by Eternity Press. This was followed by a non-fiction guidebook for Paragliding in South Africa (1999), The Fresh Air Site Guide. His epic fantasy series, The Tale of the Lifesong, began with The Riddler's Gift (published 2007) and continues with Second Sight (published 2010).
Writing Influences
He mentions that his writing comes to him visually, and on his website he lists The MatrixThe Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
and The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
as having been particularly memorable films (see profile). His work shows elements of magical realism and has a vivid visual style. Although taking some inspiration from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, he writes with a more contemporary approach similar to Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. , under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.-Biography:Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina...
and Terry Goodkind
Terry Goodkind
Terry Goodkind is an American writer and author of the epic fantasy The Sword of Truth series as well as the contemporary suspense novel The Law of Nines, which has ties to his fantasy series, and The Omen Machine, which is a direct sequel thereof. Before his success as an author Goodkind worked...
. In an interview he referred to Stephen Donaldson
Stephen R. Donaldson
Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist, most famous for his Thomas Covenant series...
and Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb is the second pen name of novelist Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden who produces primarily fantasy fiction, although she has published some science fiction....
as having influenced his work, as well as the satirical Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
.
In an interview (Something Wicked Magazine, Winter 2007) he commented on his motivation to write:
"For me it's a very personal joy. I really enjoy being in the mental state one reaches when writing creatively. It's a kind of meditation, and one I find envigorating. It feels that I'm wiser when writing than in the normal everyday world."
Paragliding
He began flying in 1992, and took part in world record attempts in 1994 and 2007 in the X-SA Challenge. He flew in the Paragliding World Cup circuit in 1997. His passion for open-distance cross country flying has taken him to many countries around the world and seen him set site records in South Africa. His experience in exploration and bivouac flying led to the filming of Fresh Air Riders (2000), a collaboration with South African Hang-gliding Champion Johan Anderson, directed by extreme sports documentary film-maker Nic Good of the Fresh Air Crew. This was followed by his directorial debut The Journey produced by Eternity Press in 2008.External links
- Official Site
- Greg Hamerton on MySpace
- Interview with author