Justine Larbalestier Books In Order

Publication Order of Magic or Madness Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Writing Young Adult fiction for a number of years now, the Australian writer Justine Labalestier is hugely popular, both at home and abroad. Winning a number of awards for her work, she has created a highly influential and impressive career for herself. A highly versatile writer of well-received fiction by both the critics and the general public alike, she will definitely be an important figure in the industry for many years to come.

Early and Personal Life

Born in 1967 on the 23rd of September, she was brought up in the area of Sydney in Australia where she was born and raised. With a strong passion for the written word held ever since she was a child, she harnessed her writing talents from a young age. Over the years these would bloom and blossom into a fully fledged adult career as an important and influential writer.

Educated in English, she continued to hone and refine her craft over the years, building both her style and her voice. Taking in inspiration from the world around her, she would use her many experiences to inform her writing and material. This is what has allowed her to create a set of novels that resonate with many readers worldwide, both young and old.

Working as an academic prior to becoming a full-time writer, she would edit a collection of feminist science-fiction. This also helped her to discover more about her own voice, learning more tools of the craft in the process as well. She would also use this essential experience to produce her own work ‘The Battle of the Sexes in Science-Fiction’.

Continuing to write to this very day, she still manages to put out a large amount of quality work at a steady pace. Working between Sydney and New York City, she writes from the unique perspective of an Australian-American. With a lot more set to be released in the near future, she currently lives with the science-fiction writer Scott Westerfeld who she married in 2001.

Writing Career

Starting out by writing non-fiction works such as ‘The Battle of the Sexes in Science-Fiction’, which was published in 2002, she soon went on to creating fiction of her own. Writing her first fiction novel in 2005, she made her initial debut onto the literary scene with ‘Magic or Madness’. This was also the first of a brand new series as well, also titled ‘Magic or Madness’ and running for over three books in total.

Not just stopping there, she has created a whole host of highly popular titles, including her well-received novel ‘Liar’ in 2009. Writing a lot of stand-alone novels, with ‘Magic or Madness’ being her only full series to date, she appeals mostly to an audience of young adults. Her ‘Magic or Madness’ series is the franchise and books that she is perhaps best known for, with masses of readers continuing to discover her work every day.

Recognized for her work by both her peers and contemporaries alike as well, she is also an award-winning author too. From a Hugo nomination back in 2003 for her non-fiction ‘The Battle of the Sexes in Science-Fiction’ title to the Locus Award in 2009 for her book ‘Liar’; she is not without critical acclaim. Appreciated on a worldwide scale both nationally and internationally, she is successful both critically and commercially.

All of this has lead to her becoming one of the most prominent voices within her field to date, capturing the style sought by her readers so perfectly. With a global audience, her highly popular writing has come to appeal to its ever increasing audience on a universal scale. Having drawn scores of young readers, she has really captured the essence of her demographic, creating something that is new and unique in the process.

Still writing to this very day, there is plenty more novels to come from the author Justine Larbalestier. Living between New York and Sydney, she gets the best of both worlds as a writer, all whilst being happily married to the science-fiction author Scott Westerfeld. This is something that doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon, as her writing career grows from strength-to-strength on into the foreseeable future.

Liar

Originally published in 2009 on the 1st of October through the Bloomsbury USA Children’s publishing label, this was a stand-alone novel from Larbalestier. With her having very much come into her own by this stage, her confidence as a writer is definitely clear to see here. Offering her long time fans more of the quality they’ve now come to expect, it also allows newcomers easy accessibility as well.

Living her life constantly telling lies, this thriller finds the compulsive liar Micah in over her head after telling one lie too many. Following the brutal death of her boyfriend, she finds that everything has now reached boiling point, as all her lies start to catch up with her. Constantly telling lies to her classmates and friends, it seems that she may never be able to tell the truth again, or even if she knows what it is anymore. Will she ever learn to be honest again? Can the truth ever hop to get out? Is she really destined to be a liar?

My Sister Rosa

Initially published in 2016 on the 27th of January through the Allen and Unwin publishing house, this was one of the later novels from Larbalestier. Showing clear development as a writer, this shows an author who is definitely at the peak of her career as a novelist. With a lot of her themes and ideas, it is a real progression from many of her earlier novels, and a definite must for all her fans.

Worrying that his little sister Rosa is a psychopath, Che Taylor has a lot to deal with, not just in his personal life, but his social life too. His sister Rosa has a knack for deception, almost too good, as she’s intelligent, pretty and talented; the last person anybody would expect to be a psychopath. When she starts playing games, though, it is up to Che to keep her out of harm’s way, and others from being harmed. Will he be able to protect his sister? Can she keep herself from harming again? What will happen when Che faces the question of ‘what will become of my sister Rosa’?