A great treat for fans of the Summoner and Contender series – Taran Matharu to visit Pyrkon 2026!
6 February 2026
It is with great pleasure that we announce that Taran Matharu, a British fantasy and science fiction author, is set to visit the Literature Zone! He is one of the most recognizable contemporary fantasy creators of the young generation, whose books have been attracting new readers around the world for years. Taran started writing as a child, he created his first story when he was only 9 years old! He was made popular by the Summoner series, which became a “New York Times” bestseller and was translated into fourteen languages.
Meet Taran Matharu
At the age of twenty-two, he began publishing his debut YA fantasy series: Summoner on Wattpad.com. The series quickly became an incredible, viral phenomenon – the novel accumulated over 3 million reads in less than 6 months, and its creator attracted the attention of the media, including NBC News.
This breakthrough success is what launched Taran’s professional writing career. Since then, millions of copies of his books have been sold and translated into seventeen languages. Taran Matharu has written eleven books, including the Summoner fantasy series, a science fiction series entitled Contender, as well as his very first story for adult readers, ‘Dragon Rider’, which is an introduction to The Soulbound Saga.
He has won numerous literary accolades, including the Japanese Sakura Medal and the French ‘Journal de Mickey’ award. He also worked with the National Literacy Trust and was a resident writer at BookTrust. Promoting reading is extremely important to him – particularly among teenage boys.
Taran’s books in Poland
Taran’s works are published in Poland by Jaguar Publishing House, which systematically releases the author’s successive books, so readers can keep up to date with the writer’s work. Matharu’s writing is addressed mainly to young people, young adults and fantasy fans.
His Summoner trilogy brought Taran international popularity and to this day remains the series for which he is best known. It is a young adult fantasy story with clear RPG inspirations. It tells the story of Fletcher, a boy from a poor neighbourhood, who discovers the ability to summon demons. The series combines dynamic action, slice of life in a magic academy, political conflicts and social threads such as class prejudice and racism.
Taran’s literary output also includes a science fiction series for young adults, set in the world of virtual reality and tournaments reminiscent of brutal games, Contender. Cade, the hero of the series, has no choice but to take part in a competition in which the stake is not only victory, but often – life. The series explores the themes of technology, corporate power, social inequality, and the moral costs of entertainment.
The Soulbound Saga, however, is Matharu’s first fantasy series addressed explicitly to an adult audience. It tells of a world in which the bond between the rider and their dragon is almost mystical, and magic is intertwined with politics, war and the brutal realities of power. It’s a darker, more mature tale of loyalty, sacrifice, and the price of power.
We are already looking forward to meeting Taran Matharu and lifting the veil of secrecy related to the creative process, inspirations and future literary projects of this fantastic writer! See you in the Literature Zone at Pyrkon 2026!
Agnieszka Mróz
Osoba pogrążona we własnych myślach, którą tylko nieliczni potrafią zrozumieć. Kocha książki, mangi i anime. Czytanie rozbudziło w niej miłość do pisania. Bujna wyobraźnia i uwielbienie fantastyki doprowadziły do tego, że chce zyskać moc kreowania nowych światów, w których można spotkać ulubionych bohaterów.