Gillian Rubinstein Books In Order

Publication Order of Space Demons Trilogy Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Gillian Rubinstein is an Australian author and playwright that writes science fiction and fantasy. Gillian has won numerous awards for her novels, short stories, and articles.

+Biography

Gillian Rubenstein was born in 1942 in Potten End, Berkhamsted which is in England. The author grew up in three villages, namely: Potten End, Drayton, and Whiteparish. But her most drastic transition came when her mother and stepfather moved to Nigeria.

Gillian was fourteen at the time and she had to join her sister at a boarding school for the duration. The occurrence was transformational because the author had to split her time between England and Nigeria.

And the visits to Nigeria for the summer holidays gave her a new appreciation for languages. Gillian was impressed by the many bilingual individuals she encountered, and she longed to join them.

As such it came as no surprise when she studied Spanish and French at University and proceeded to learn Japanese. Gillian believes that learning new languages gave her a new appreciation for her own language which, in turn, refined her writing abilities.

Fans of the author will tell you that she places special emphasis on the way her characters talk. And even the feline protagonists in her books are designed to bring a distinct voice to the table.

Gillian’s first novel was published in 1986. ‘Space Demons’ was a surprising success that elicited interest from a wide variety of readers almost overnight. The book also earned Gillian award recognition.

She proceeded to write several dozen novels most of which she targeted towards children and teenagers.

Gillian has been a winner of the Children’s Council Book of the Year prize. She has also won the Festival Award on more than one occasion.

+Literary Career

Gillian Rubinstein doesn’t remember learning to read. But she remembers sparking a passion for reading at a very early age. She blames her older sister Jocelyn for getting her hooked on the written word.

And she was definitely hooked. By the time she was eight, the author was reading books at such a rapid rate that finding new titles to engage her became difficult. She was primarily drawn to myths and legends during those early years.

She also had a curiosity for Britain. And she read everything about English history, from the lives of famous women to the adventures of the explorers. Writing came into the picture later on.

Gillian remembers making up stories as a child. And it wasn’t just a few random tales that danced around her head. She would create entire sagas with complex continuities that kept her entertained when she was bored, especially at school.

The author was fortunate to have a sister willing to listen to her stories and friends that had the spirit to act out her dramas. Because Gillian Rubinstein loved books with drama and adventure, the stories she told were just as intense.

Her father had a notable impact on her eventual decision to pursue a writing career. He died when Gillian was fourteen. The pair would spend many an hour making up poems and playing with words.

They also read all the classics from Edward Lear to Lewis Carroll. Gillian’s foundation as an author was further molded by her love for animals. She was absolutely crazy about them.

As a child, her parents often found that giving her an assortment of pets was the easiest way of appeasing her. The author remembers really wanting a pony. She didn’t get it so she began to populate her imagination with horses.

She imagined taking them out for a stroll and cantering through fictional fields. None of her friends and family was that shocked when she began to churn out novels and short stories chockfull of animal characters.

As an adult, Gillian Rubinstein doesn’t read much science fiction and fantasy. And even though people tend to categorize her books as science fiction and fantasy, she disputes those descriptions.

Most of the author’s novels tend to emphasize the characters above all else. Gillian rarely shows any interest in exploring the minutiae of the sci-fi and fantasy worlds she creates.

Gillian’s ideas for novels begin with either a setting or a character. After that, she begins to identify the key scenes and relationships she will explore in the story. By the time the author sits down to write, she only has a vague idea of what the finished work will look like.

While Gillian does perform some research for her stories, the majority of her creative process involves taking long walks and pondering every idea fumbling around in her head.

For the most part, Gillian Rubinstein writes by the seat of her pants. She prefers sitting down at her computer and waiting to see what happens rather than crafting a detailed outline and attempting to follow it.

The author has no particular source of inspiration. The ideas just leap into her mind unbidden.

Gillian is married to Phillip. They have three children.

+Space Demons

Space Demons is a video game. But it is more than just another exciting pass time. Space Demons has the capacity to draw you in and make you part of the game. And sometimes, there’s no coming back.

This book marked Gillian Rubinstein’s entry into the publishing arena. Space Demons is a Young Adult novel from the 1980s and it reads like one. The novel tells the story of Andrew who receives a cartridge with a game on it from his father.

The game initially seems quite tame. But then Andrew realizes that the game has the power to suck its players into a virtual environment where they must fight for survival against the horde of demons programmed to attack them.

+Skymaze

A group of children has no idea what to expect when they begin exploring a video-game maze. When things get dangerous, they must join forces to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.

Skymaze is the sequel to Space Demons. The book follows Andrew after his mother remarries and drags him across the country to live with his stepfather. Andrew’s personal life only grows more complicated after that. So he is more than happy to immerse himself in the sequel to Space Demons.