Robert Muchamore

Robert Muchamore, born in London in 1971, is an English author primarily recognized for his young adult fiction series. He began writing the CHERUB series because his nephew struggled to find books he enjoyed. This series, which has sold over 15 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than twenty languages, features young orphans trained as spies for a secret British intelligence unit. Agents undergo a rigorous 100-day training program before undertaking missions, with mandatory retirement at seventeen.

Muchamore also created Henderson's Boys, a prequel series set during World War II that details the origins of the CHERUB organization. His other notable works include the Rock War series, a modern musical competition narrative, and a new Robin Hood-inspired series set in the 2020s. He has also written standalone novels like Killer T and Arctic Zoo, exploring themes relevant to contemporary adolescent experiences. Some of his unpublished works, such as 'Home' and 'Little Criminals', have been shared online or with fans.

Robert Kilgore Muchamore was born on December 26, 1971, in Tufnell Park, London. He is the youngest of four children, with a father who worked as a milkman and a mother who was a cleaning lady. After attending St. Johns Upper Holloway and Acland Burghley School, where he received a D in A-Level Economics, Muchamore initially harbored ambitions of becoming an architect, photographer, or writer. His first employment was with an heir hunters firm named Fraser & Fraser.

Muchamore's motivation for creating the CHERUB series stemmed from his nephew's difficulty finding suitable reading material. He aimed to write stories that he himself would have enjoyed as an adolescent, bridging the gap between children's and adult literature. The CHERUB series centers on James and Lauren Adams, orphans recruited by a clandestine branch of British intelligence known as CHERUB. These young agents are trained as spies, leveraging their perceived innocence to infiltrate and investigate targets ranging from international terrorists to criminal leaders. The demanding 100-day basic training course prepares agents for the inherent dangers of their missions, with agents retiring from service at age seventeen. The series comprises seventeen novels and a World Book Day novella, achieving over 15 million sales globally and garnering numerous awards, including multiple accolades for 'The Recruit'.

Following the success of CHERUB, Muchamore developed Henderson's Boys, a six-novel series that explores the origins of the CHERUB organization. Set during World War II, these novels chronicle the efforts of British secret agent Charles Henderson in establishing the precursor to CHERUB, focusing on four children central to its formation. Subsequently, he introduced the CHERUB: Aramov series, a sub-series within the CHERUB universe. The first three books of this series, beginning with 'People's Republic' in 2011, feature the Aramov Clan as the primary antagonists, expanding the narrative scope of the CHERUB world.

In 2014, Muchamore launched the Rock War series, a departure from the espionage themes of CHERUB, focusing on a musical competition. This series includes a novella and four main books. More recently, he embarked on a new Robin Hood-inspired series, set in the 2020s, which is planned to span at least eight books, with the first installment, 'Hacking Heists & Flaming Arrows,' released in 2020. Muchamore has also penned standalone novels such as 'Killer T,' set in a near-future Las Vegas with commonplace genetic modifications, and 'Arctic Zoo,' which delves into themes of protest, sexuality, and mental health. His unpublished novel 'Home,' depicting civil war in a Central African state, has been released online by the author.