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Prequel novel to The Maze Runner to be published in 2016

The Maze Runner movie reaches #1 at the box office on opening weekend in USA

Twentieth Century Fox movie opens in the UK 10th October

Book two, The Scorch Trials, to release as major motion picture Autumn 2015

Somerset, UK. 7^th October 2014 - Chicken House Publishing Ltd. will publish the fifth novel in James Dashner's #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, which has sold 7 million copies worldwide, as announced today by publisher Barry Cunningham.

THE FEVER CODE reveals the time directly before The Maze Runner and will tell the story of how Thomas, Teresa and the Gladers found themselves trapped in the Maze and how it was created. Dashner's The Maze Runnner movie will be released in cinemas in the UK on 10^th October. It opened last month in the USA at #1 at the box office. The deal, which includes UK, Commonwealth and Open Market rights, was brokered by Barry Cunningham, Publisher, Chicken House and Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein on behalf of Lauren Abramo at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

The second movie based on the series, entitled Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, is scheduled to release on 18^th September 2015.

'From the very beginning, I've always wanted to write a prequel about Thomas, Teresa, Newt, Minho, Alby and all the Gladers that leads up to the very moment Thomas enters the Box. There are so many things hinted at that will be fun to reveal in depth. For years, fans have made it abundantly and enthusiastically clear that they want the same thing, so now seems like the perfect time to give readers the story of how the Maze began.' JAMES DASHNER

With 7 million copies of the series sold (whose titles include The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, and The Kill Order), a major motion picture from Twentieth Century Fox of The Maze Runner - which opened at #1 in 62 countries to date, and will have rung up over $200 million in ticket sales after opening in the UK and Italy this weekend- and a second major motion picture slated for The Scorch Trials, the series continues to gain fans worldwide.

'We are delighted to be James' publisher and to see the rise, and rise, of his pulse-pounding Maze Runner series, now about to reach an even wider audience this week with the UK movie opening. More than any other author we have had the good fortune to work with, James understands and believes in his audience. We are thrilled to be part of sharing THE FEVER CODE, the new book he felt compelled to write.' BARRY CUNNINGHAM

James Dashner is the award-winning author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series. Born and raised in Georgia, Dashner now lives in Utah with his family. You can follow James on Twitter @jamesdashner or via his Facebook page and website.

Chicken House Publishing Ltd was founded in 2000 by Barry Cunningham, Publisher, with Rachel Hickman, Deputy MD. Over the last decade, Chicken House has demonstrated that a small, creative publishing team based in England can make an impact on an international scale. Owned by Scholastic Inc., the world's largest children's publisher since 2005, Chicken House books are sold in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and via its export companies around the world. In 2010, Chicken House Deutschland was set up with Carlsen, who publish the Maze Runner series in translation. Follow @mazerunnerbooks