The next Paolini?
02/08/2012 by Charlotte Williams
An 18-year-old classical musician is tipped to be the teenage prodigy of 2013 with his debut novel, released with a self-composed soundtrack
Stefan Bachmann is currently studying music at the Zurich Conservatory in Switzerland, and began writing The Peculiar when he was 16.
Set in an alternative Victorian England, The Peculiar follows Bartholomew Kettle, a changeling child, despised by both humans and faeries. His mother keeps him locked away, but when changelings start surfacing in the Thames, their bodies empty of blood and bone and their skin etched with red tattoos, he realises something is coming for him.
Bachmann plans to compose musical pieces to be released throughout the publication season of both The Peculiar and the sequel, which will then be used to create a multimedia e-book. Nick Lake from HarperCollins said: "Stefan Bachmann is a disgustingly talented young man, and The Peculiar is just the kind of book I love. Readers of almost all ages will be utterly enchanted by this magical and beautifully written tale, as well as by the exceptional fusion of storytelling and music that will come from experiencing the book alongside its brilliant soundtrack."
The book won't be released for more than a year, making Bachmann 19 years old - the same publishing age as the best-selling Inheritance author Christopher Paolini, who, at 28, has sold more than 30 million books.
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