Gareth Ward

Gareth, aka The Great Wardini, is a magician, hypnotist, storyteller, bookseller and author. He has worked as a Royal Marine Commando, Police Officer, Evil Magician, and Zombie. He basically likes jobs where you get to wear really cool hats.

He currently resides in Hawke’s Bay where he runs two independent bookshops, Wardini Books and Wardini Books Napier, with his wife Louise. He has a goldfish called Luna and a dog called Tonks, and is certain his letter from Hogwarts has been lost in the post.

His first novel, The Traitor and the Thief, a rip-roaring young adult Steampunk adventure, won the 2016 Storylines Tessa Duder Award, the 2018 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel, a 2018 Storylines Notable Book Award and was a finalist in two categories at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

His second novel, The Clockill and the Thief, was released in August 2019 and won the Sir Julius Vogel award for Best Youth Novel.
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Brasswitch and Bot is Gareth’s third novel and the first in the Rise of the Remarkables series. It is set in the city of York, where Gareth went to university. The sequel releases in August 2021.


Gareth Ward at DWRF 2021:
Escaping the Humdrum 
Schools Programme - Making a Life in the Arts ​