A press release from the Birmingham Conservatoire:

Following the phenomenally successful sell-out UK tour of his critically acclaimed live show Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence, internationally best-selling children’s author, Eoin Colfer, will be returning to the stage in April 2013 with a theatrical and interactive performance inspired by Victorian Music Hall which aims to bring the magic of books and reading alive to young people.

In The Curious World of Eoin Colfer the characters of his new time-twisting novel, [[[W.A.R.P: The Reluctant Assassin]]] are brought to life by Colfer himself, actors and a magician. Packed full of danger, suspense and sleight of hand, the show includes a live bullet catch, an ‘arm-chopper’ and a literally heart-stopping moment from the show’s illusionist.

Eoin Colfer said, ‘My background is in theatre so I have always been interested in bringing a dramatic element to my readings, mainly because I am a rubbish reader with a voice like Mr Bean on helium. This show succeeds in putting what is inside my head on a stage in the most spectacular and engaging way. We have goodies, baddies and evil magicians. Eighty per cent of the magical tricks are totally safe and for the other twenty per cent we use members of the audience. If you come along there is a pretty good chance that you won’t be sawn in half. No guarantees. Also I will be reading from the new book, but I will be quick so we can all sit back and enjoy The Curious World of Eoin Colfer (which is me by the way).’

As well as being a number one bestselling author, Eoin is also a talented performer. Colfer was the first author ever to win a Herald Angel Award for Performance at the Edinburgh Festival in 2004 with his show Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence and continues to break new ground in 2013 with The Curious World of Eoin Colfer. Designed to help make books appeal to children, especially boys who are notoriously difficult to entice into reading, his show literally reveals the magic between the pages of a book.

W.A.R.P: The Reluctant Assassin is the first book in a brand new series which stars Chevie Savano as a quasi-disgraced FBI agent, and Riley, the reluctant young assassin of the title who has materialised from the Victorian era to change the course of history. Oliver Twist meets The Matrix, W.A.R.P is an adrenalin-fuelled, steam-punk, time-travel adventure.

The Curious World of Eoin Colfer can be seen at the Birmingham Conservatoire on Saturday 20th April at 2pm with a schedule of performances at literary festivals throughout 2013.

Event information:BOX OFFICE: 0121 245 4455
DATE: Saturday 20th April 2013 at 2pmTICKET PRICE: Adults and children £4
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour plus book signing
WEBSITE: Birmingham-box.co.uk
Title information: W.A.R.P: The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer is published by Puffin in hardback priced £12.99 in April 2013

About Eoin Colfer: EOIN (pronounced ‘Owen’) COLFER was a primary school teacher in Wexford, Ireland up until he secured the largest ever advance for a children’s novel by an unknown author in October 2000. He cast a spell on the publishing and film industries with his fantastically original novel, [[[Artemis Fowl]]], and hasn’t looked back since. Miramax and Tribeca productions teamed up for a film option before the book had even been auctioned at the Frankfurt Book Fair in a deal reportedly worth an unspecified six figures with a seven figure purchase price.

Colfer lives in Wexford, a seaside town in the south-east of Ireland, with his wife Jackie and their sons Finn and Sean. His first novel, [[[Benny and Omar]]] was an instant bestseller in Ireland and even knocked Harry Potter off the number-one slot for bestselling children’s books. Like Artemis Fowl, it was written after a day’s teaching and after his young son’s bedtime.

Total global sales of Eoin’s Artemis Fowl titles now exceed a staggering 20 million copies. His work is published in 41 countries.