The Writers of Wales Database

THORPE, DAVID

Temperance Cottage, Taliesin, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 8JH
Tel: 01970 832993
Email: hello@davidthorpe.info
Website: http://www.davidthorpe.info  

David has made his career as a writer and editor working in a variety of media, and runs his own media company, Cyberium (a marriage of delirium and cybernetics!). He lives in beautiful mid-Wales but was born in Robin Hood country -  Nottingham.

His career includes tv and film scriptwriting and interactive scriptwriting. And being the only person in the world (probably) to hold a degree in Dada and Surrealism!

David is the author of Hybrids  (HarperCollins Children’s, 2007), described as "Essential reading for the cyberspace generation" and winner of the HarperCollins-Saga Magazine 2006 Childrens Novelist competition. He has also published a novella, Doc Chaos: the Chernobyl Effect (Hooligan Press, 1988), and has written many comics and cartoon strips such as Captain Britain, Doc Chaos, Public Servants and Managing Hell.

He has also written a lot of environmental material, non-fiction and journalism, as this is a big passion for him. The non-fiction includes educational books for kids, such as How The World Works (Two-Can, 1992).

David was also a co-founder and committee member of the London Screenwriters Workshop, and co-wrote ’The Fastest Forward for Comic Relief’, a feature film starring Jerry Hall. He has edited about eighty publications on sustainable technologies (CAT Publications 1992-2007) and been News Editor for the Energy and Environmental Management magazine (Defra, 2000-date).

Reviews
With respect to Hybrids (HarperCollins Children’s, 2007):

"…A stunningly clever novel. Hybrids will get boys (and girls) talking and thinking about a brave new world without technological stimuli…"
The Times

"...There is vigour and validity in Hybrids... a commendable first novel..."
James Lovegrove, Financial Times

"...The writing is sharp, the dialogue good, and the action pacey and page-turning. But there’s a real depth to this story, too. Like all good fiction it makes the reader see the world in a different light..."
Helen Dunmore, Orange-prize winning author

"...A fast-paced plot, good dialogue and engaging characters. Thorpe injects a seriously Orwellian feel...Readers aged 13+ should enjoy an exciting read with substance from this great debut..."
Donal Cumiskey, Inis; Childrens Books Ireland

"...Perfect for teaching at Year 7 and above! Essential reading for the cyberpace generation. A powerful and compelling story which raises relevant issues for the next generation and is sure to spark debate amongst your students..."
Collins Educational, Book of the Month

With respect to Doc Chaos: the Chernobyl Effect (Hooligan Press, 1988):

"...In the scriptwork of Dave Thorpe and Lawrence Gray there’s a wit and intelligence that nudges comic art a bit closer to the literary possibilities of the mainstream... the acid satires of a John Sladek say, or Wild Bill Burroughs in one of his more nastily comedic moods. "DOC CHAOS is one of the most exciting and refreshing pieces of graphic literature I’ve seen in a long time..."
Alan Moore (Introduction)

"..Wild Tin-Tin style adventure of corporate corruption and bioengineering..."
i-D magazine

"...No one could be fully prepared for DOC CHAOS. This is a comedy of terrors. ... DOC CHAOS is the product of three well-virused minds..."
Don Watson, NME

Selected Publications:
Fiction
Doc Chaos: the Chernobyl Effect (Hooligan Press, 1988)
Hybrids (HarperCollins Children’s, 2007)

Non-Fiction:
How The World Works (Two-Can, 1992)
The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union Trading Cards (Eclipse Books, 1990; 1995)

Contributed to:
Captain Britain (co-writer) (Marvel, 1995)
It`s a Breeze!: a guide to choosing windpower (co-writer, editor) (CAT Publications, 1995)
Fertile Waste(co-writer, editor) (CAT Publications, 1994)
Safe to Drink?  (co-writer, editor) (CAT Publications, 1996)
 

Doc Chaos: the Chernobyl Effect (Hooligan Press, 1988)

The satirical autobiography of nuclear power personified as the totally amoral archetype of science-&-capitalism, Doc Chaos, culminating in the consummation of his marriage at Chernobyl, 1986.

 To purchase this title from amazon.co.uk, please click on its front cover

Hybrids (HarperCollins Children’s, 2007)

Johnny and Kestrella are teenage hybrids, victims of a pandemic sweeping the UK which causes sufferers to merge with frequently-used pieces of technology. Kestrella, her hand a mobile phone, challenges computer-boy Johnny to help her find her mother, who has gone missing. This catapults them into a paranoid world of mayhem and politics, in which they become fugitives, outlaws, fighting for survival.

To purchase this title from amazon.co.uk, please click on its front cover