I thought it might be fun to talk about one of my beloved childhood books, which—long before Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One—centers on life inside a video game. Press enter for Gillian Rubinstein’s Space Demons!
Here’s the first paperback edition’s back copy:
They came pouring across the screen like alien and menacing insects. Excitement hit him like a fist in the pit of his stomach. Life suddenly seemed more interesting. He re-set his watch and began to play Space Demons again.
The description emphasizes the visceral reaction evoked by the game, and implies its habit-forming power, both of which the novel develops in memorable detail.
