Space Demons
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| Author | Gillian Rubinstein |
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| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
Publication date | 1985 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| ISBN | 978-1-86291-287-8 |
| OCLC | 38379783 |
Space Demons is a young adult novel written by Gillian Rubinstein, first published in 1986. It details the story of five children playing a video game which begins to influence real world events. It is the first of a trilogy, followed by Skymaze (1989) and Shinkei (1996). It was adapted as a play by Richard Tullough, published in 1990.
The novel is used in education in Australia, in the New South Wales syllabus[1] for example.
Plot
Andrew Hayford's father presents Andrew with a new Japanese videogame called Space Demons. Andrew introduces his best friend Ben Challis to the game. While playing together, Andrew sees Ben disappear for a moment. When he comes back, Ben tells Andrew that he feels like he went into the game. After Ben goes home, Andrew also finds himself pulled into the world of the game.
When they meet up after school a couple weeks later, Andrew reveals that a gun from the game came back into reality with him. Andrew and Ben have a big fight over the game and Ben's newfound friendship with their schoolmate Elaine Taylor. Andrew tells Ben that he hates him. This initiates the next stage of the game and Ben is swept into the console. Andrew conspires to use Elaine's dislike of him to progress in the game and save Ben. After convincing Elaine to come over, Andrew explains that Ben is trapped in the game and goads her into pointing the gun at him.
Inside the game, Andrew finds Ben, who is angry at him for landing them both in the game. Ben explains that the game feeds on hate and that to leave the game, they must advance to the cliff top. Elaine drops into the game with the gun. The others try to take the gun from her, which results in each of them being granted their own gun. A battle ensues with the space demons. They are ultimately victorious and find themselves on the floor of Andrew's room.
Over the next few days, all three experience nightmares and hallucinations. Andrew loses the gun while hitching a ride with his friend Mario Ferrone. Convinced that this was part of the game's plan, Andrew invites Mario to Andrew's house, where Mario shoots himself, affording him entrance to the game. Mario and Andrew play Space Demons more and more frequently despite concerns from Andrew's mother Marjorie about Andrew's behaviour. During one of their sessions, Mario disappears from the game.
Space demons from the game begin to manifest in the real world. Only those who have played the game can see them. Anger and resentment build between the players, driven by difficult events in their home lives. Andrew's nightmares become darker as he dreams about killing people with the gun from the game. Marjorie sends Andrew to a psychiatrist. That night, he realises that he can beat the game if he refuses to hate.
Mario's brother, John, tells Elaine that Mario did not come home last night and was not at school. Ben and Elaine visit Andrew to find out what has happened to Mario. Andrew and Elaine argue and end up in the game, where they find the space demons have all been replaced by clones of Mario. While hiding from the clones, Andrew and Elaine confront their own personal issues, realising there are some things in life they cannot control and that trying will only make things worse.
Elaine sees a message that says the game can be ended by returning the gun. They both return the guns. Andrew realises that paying Mario compliments kills the demons. Elaine and Andrew witness the destruction of all the space demons. They encounter Mario near the cliff face, still holding a gun. Elaine and Andrew convince Mario to return the gun. The game ends and Andrew, Ben, Mario and Elaine end up back on the floor of Andrew's bedroom.
Characters
Andrew Hayford: is the central protagonist as the recipient of the Space Demons game. Andrew is known for his good looks and charm. Andrew gets his friend Ben Challis involved with the game. Andrew struggles with the hatred of the game and his morality. Eventually he comes to accept that his addiction to the game, and the hatred it encourages is not healthy and learns to love himself and others.
Ben Challis: is Andrew's best friend and a protagonist. Ben is known for his intelligence and good nature. Their relationship struggles as Andrew becomes enraptured by the game. As Ben moves away from Andrew, he forms a friendship with Elaine and Jon. This friendship leads Elaine and Jon's involvement in the game.
Marjorie Hayford: is Andrew's mother. Marjorie and her husband Robert Hayford fight a lot. This is a source of distress for Andrew. They hide their relationship issues from Andrew to try and protect him, but this ultimately leads to a monumental shock, when their divorce is revealed to Andrew.
Robert Hayford: is Andrew's father. He is a Doctor. He purchases the Space Demons game for Andrew.
Elaine Taylor: is a protagonist and friend of John Ferrone and Ben Challis. Elaine is known for her acrobatic skill. Elaine has travelled all over the country with her dad, David Taylor, in the circus and as David repairs old houses. Elaine meets John Ferrone and later, Ben Challis –who all become good friends, hanging out after school and at the school gym.
David Taylor: is Elaine's father and a carpenter. He does home renovations all over the country. He volunteers at Elaine's school as a cleaner.
John Ferrone: is a protagonist and friend of Elaine Taylor and Ben Challis. John is Mario Ferrone's brother and Elaine's neighbour. John known for being very friendly and talkative.
Mario Ferrone: is the central antagonist. He is known for his non-conformity and aggression. Mario serves a key role in driving conflict in the later stages of the novel.
Mr Russell: is the children's teacher. Mr Russell encourages and supports the children while on their life journey.
Linda Schulz: is a pupil at the children's school. She likes Andrew Hayford and dislikes Elaine Taylor.
Publication history
The following table details the publication history of the novel.
| Release Year | Format | Title | Publisher | ISBN 13 |
| 2018 | Paperback | Space Demons | Ligature Pty Ltd | 978-1925883046 |
| 1997 | Paperback | Space Demons | The Orgion Publishing Group Ltd | 978-1858814384 |
| 1996 | Paperback | Space Demons | Omnibus Books | 978-1862912874[2] |
| 1988 | Hardcover | Space Demons | Dial | 978-0803705340 |
| 1987 | Paperback | Space Demons | Omnibus/Puffin Books | 978-0140321999 |
| 1986 | Paperback | Space Demons | Omnibus/Puffin Books | 978-1862912878[3] |
Critical reception and reviews
The novel was received with contemporary critical acclaim at its time of publication. This table details the awards the novel was shortlisted for or won.
| Award | Year | Result |
| Young Australians’ Best Book of the Year | 1990 | Winner[4] |
| Children's Literature Award – National | 1988 | Winner[5] |
| The Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year | 1987 | Honour Books List[6] |
| Psychologists for Peace Interest Group Children's Peace Literature Award | 1987 | Winner[7] |
The novel is currently a suggested text in the syllabus for K-10 in NSW, Australia.[1] Lower explains that its critical reception is not surprising, given her class "wouldn’t let her put it down".[8]
Yvonne Frey says of the novel: "The story is more complex, with well-rounded characters and conflicts that are not simply drawn".[9]
Citing Rubinstein, Morris provides the author's commentary on literary review in general, disagreeing with the sentiment that the book was ‘moralistic and heavy-handed and didactic’.[10]
Themes
"Broken homes" is a theme raised by the book according to Morris[10] and Butler.[11] Foster re-iterates that in the novel, the protagonist Andrew lives in a home with divorced parents who are barely present, and a brother who treats him poorly.[12] The other characters, Ben and Mario also live-in dysfunctional homes with absent parents and abusive siblings.[12] Foster provides further Rubinstein commentary, sharing that she wrote about dysfunctional families, because "family is where we have the most pain and the most pleasure and the most intense emotions".[12]
Foster opines that the dominant thematic concern of the novel is friendship, with the evolution of Andrew's friendships with Elaine, Ben and Mario being the central development.[12]
Butler focuses on the violence of the game – "responding with hate".[13] Butler says that the counter to violence in the novel is love – the mechanism for defeating the game.[13] This mechanism parallels the path of the characters and their relationships as they transition between love and hate.[11] Butler believes that the ultimate purpose of the program is to force the player to confront hate, and in doing so, reduce their tendency toward it.[11] There is some evidence that this relationship between love and hate was not intended by the author to be a dominant theme. Citing Rubinstein, Morris provides the author's input on the theme of love, making it clear that Rubinstein merely used it as a means of ending the game.[14]
Lower comments that the book discusses modern society's "pre-occupation with television"[8] – suggesting this might be a factor in the crime and immorality of the time.
Sequels
Space Demons was the first of a three-part series. The second entry in the trilogy was Skymaze which was first published in 1989.[15] The final entry in the series was Shinkei which was published in 1996.[15]
Adaptation
Space Demons was adapted as a play by Richard Tulloch in 1990. The play received similar critical acclaim to that of the novel.[16]
References
- ^ a b NSW Board of Studies (2012). "Suggested Texts for the English K-10 Syllabus" (PDF). Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ Space Demons. Omnibus Books. 2021. ISBN 9781862912878. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Space Demons. Omnibus in association with Puffin. 2021. ISBN 9780140321999. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Young Australian Best Book Awards Council (2020). "Winners: 1990s". Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ State Library of South Australia (2021). "Previous award winners by category". Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ Children's Book Council of Australia (2019). "Previous Winners". Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ Australian Psychological Society (2021). "Children's Peace Literature Award". Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ a b Lower, Ashley (1987). "Space Demons: An allegory for our times". English in Australia. 1 (82): vii–x. doi:10.3316/informit.541174461448758 (inactive 28 February 2022).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of February 2022 (link) - ^ Frey, Yvonne (1988). "Space Demons [Review of Space Demons]". School Library Journal. 34 (11): 98.
- ^ a b Morris, Maureen (1996). "Armchair Travelling". Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. 19 (4): 361–367.
- ^ a b c Butler, Andrew. M. (2004). ""We Has Found the Enemy and They Is Us:" Virtual War and Empathy in Four Children's Science Fiction Novels". The Lion and the Unicorn. 28 (2): 174. doi:10.1353/uni.2004.0016. S2CID 144133802.
- ^ a b c d Foster, John (1991). ""Your part in this adventure is over. You have Lost": Gillian Rubinstein's Novels for Older Readers". Children's Literature in Education. 22 (2): 122. doi:10.1007/BF01142312. S2CID 143700725.
- ^ a b Butler, Andrew M. (2004). "We Has Found the Enemy and They Is Us:" Virtual War and Empathy in Four Children's Science Fiction Novels". The Lion and the Unicorn. 28 (2): 173. doi:10.1353/uni.2004.0016. S2CID 144133802.
- ^ Morris, Maureen (1996). "Armchair Travelling". Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. 19 (4): 361–367. doi:10.3316/ielapa.287024845276188 (inactive 28 February 2022).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of February 2022 (link) - ^ a b "Novels". 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ Foster, John (1991). "Your part in this adventure is over. You have Lost": Gillian Rubinstein's Novels for Older Readers". Children's Literature in Education. 22 (2): 122. doi:10.1007/BF01142312. S2CID 143700725.