Jane Gaskell

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-08-26

Jane Gaskell, born Jane Gaskell Denvil on July 7, 1941, in Lancaster, Lancashire, grew up in Fulham, London, where her father ran a news agency shop. She wrote her acclaimed debut novel, Strange Evil, at just fourteen years old; it was published in 1957 and later praised by critic John Grant as a major work of the fantastic imagination, while author China Miéville listed it among his top ten examples of weird fiction. Her best-known work is the Atlan Saga, a five-book fantasy series set in a prehistoric world encompassing South America and the lost continent of Atlantis, told largely through the perspective of protagonist Cija. Her 1964 novel The Shiny Narrow Grin, featuring a sympathetic vampire character, was identified by critic Brian Stableford as an early example of the 'revisionist vampire novel.' She also wrote science fiction, including A Sweet, Sweet Summer (1969), depicting alien visitors in a violent future Earth, and social-realist fiction such as Attic Summer (1963), All Neat in Black Stockings (1966, adapted into a 1969 film for which she co-wrote the screenplay), and Summer Coming (1972). She received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1970, shared jointly with Piers Paul Read. Gaskell worked as a journalist for the Daily Mail from the 1960s into the 1980s and later became a professional astrologer.

Universe(s)

Books

• The Serpent (1963) · The Atlan Saga Core Canon
• Atlan (1965) · The Atlan Saga Core Canon
• The City (1966) · The Atlan Saga Core Canon
• Some Summer Lands (1977) · The Atlan Saga Core Canon

Aggregate across all universes

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 4 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 0 (None recorded)

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