John Marsden (1950-2024)
Author John Marsden, 74, died December 18, 2024 in Australia. He wrote more than 40 books in various genres and was best known for his Tomorrow series of young-adult SF novels.
Marsden was born September 27, 1950 in Melbourne, Australia. He moved to Sydney with his family at age ten and later attended Sydney University for a time before dropping out. He worked various jobs before becoming an English teacher, when he became interested in writing for teenagers. His first novel was So Much to Tell You (1987). In addition to his writing career, he was a school principal and founded two schools in Australia.
His first work of genre interest was YA fantasy The Journey (1988). Tomorrow, When the War Began (1993) launched the near-future SF Tomorrow, which also includes The Dead of the Night (1994), The Third Day, the Frost (1995), Darkness, Be My Friend (1996), Burning for Revenge (1997), The Night Is for Hunting (1998), and The Other Side of Dawn (1999). The related Ellie Chronicles include While I Live (2003), Incurable (2005), and Circle of Flight (2006). The first book was adapted as a film in 2010. Standalone works of note include Out of Time (1990) and Hamlet (2008). He also wrote the text for The Rabbits, illustrated by Shaun Tan (1998).
For more, see his entry in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
