Nicholas Fisk is the pseudonym of David Higginbottom (born in London, 14 October 1923), a writer of science fiction books, mainly for children. His works include Grinny, You Remember Me, Space Hostages and Trillions. He also wrote the Starstormers series of novels.[1]
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Published in 1965.
A group of children are kidnapped by a critically ill Flight Lieutenant aboard a top secret space craft. Left to command the ship alone, they struggle to return safely home. The book explores the dynamics of the global cold war and inter-personal relationships between the children. Published in 1967.
A mysterious shower of tiny crystals fall all over Earth. No-one knows where they came from, or what their purpose is, but they certainly behave strangely. Bonding together they mimic strange, and sometimes threatening, shapes. A boy with a microscope is just as likely to find out the answers as all the scientific pundits. Published 1971.
Grinny deals with a normal family in middle England whose lives change when they are visited by aliens. The alien takes the form of an apparently benign elderly relative who can play mind tricks on the adults in the family but not on the children. This Granny-esque figure is eventually caught out by the children's ingenuity (they realise she is no normal human being when she expects what they describe to her as a "cast-iron conker" to be made of cast iron). Published 1973. Animated as an episode of CBS Storybreak.
In You Remember Me, the same breed of aliens from previous book, Grinny, return to earth and try again to take over the earth, this time by inhabiting an attractive television presenter who can apply her mind tricks to many thousands as she presents her TV shows. Once again, she is thwarted by the children. Published 1974.
Drone workers on a grim industrial settlement on a distant planet dream of assembling a smuggled motorbike, and taking to the open spaces. But petrol and combustion engines are banned and their attempts are sure to land them in trouble with the all-seeing authorities. Published 1976.
A teenager in the late 21st century discovers he can time travel using a drug supplied by his "Uncle" Lipton, a man who has already lived over 130 years and likely to live at least 100 more. Together they escape the horrors of their mindless present to experience life in the past. But time travel has its own dangers, and Uncle Lipton isn't totally honest about his motivations. Published 1976.
This book was adapted into a film released in Denmark.
Published between 1980 and 1983 by Hodder, "Starstormers" consisted of five books; Starstormers, Sunburst, Catfang, Evil Eye and Volcano. Fed up of being left in a boarding school on earth while their parents colonize a new planet, a group of children decide to build their own spaceship out of scrap in order to join their parents, but in order to get there they will first have to deal with the mysterious Octopus Emperor.