Julian Sedgwick

Julian Sedgwick writes and illustrates fiction shaped by his study of Chinese language and philosophy, his work in visual art, and his experience with performance skills such as juggling. The Black Dragon opens the Mysterium trilogy and introduces twelve-year-old Danny Woo, the British-Chinese son of circus performers who died in a mysterious fire. After an explosion closes Danny's school, he travels to Hong Kong with his journalist aunt Laura, who is investigating Triad gangs. Her disappearance draws him into a search that connects stage illusion, family history, criminal networks, and questions about his parents' deaths. Hodder Children's Books introduced the book to British readers in 2013 as Mysterium: The Black Dragon. Carolrhoda Books issued a 2016 American edition illustrated by Patricia Moffett. The Palace of Memory and The Wheel of Life and Death continue the trilogy. Sedgwick makes Danny's knowledge of escapology, hypnosis, and reading an audience practically useful, so the circus background becomes a set of investigative tools rather than decorative atmosphere.