Tomorrow When the War Began was initially published 1993 by Pan Macmillan's Australian imprint. Marsden's second novel (but his first in quite a few years), Tomorrow When the War Began is described by the publisher as a "young adult invasion novel." The novel is set in Australia, which has been invaded by a fast-moving and aggressive foreign power. Australia is then occupied by that foreign power, who quickly encounters resistance from people across the country.
Tomorrow When the War Began is told from the perspective of the novel's narrator, Ellie Linton. Linton and her small, ragtag group of teenagers have had enough of the invading force. To that end, Linton and her group starts a guerilla war against the enemy force that was occupying her small, fictional town of Wirrawee. Chaos and violence ensues, and the teenagers must work together to achieve their ultimate goal.
Marsden's novel was adapted into a feature film of the same name. Released in 2010, the film was directed by Stuart Beattie. It received mediocre reviews when it was released and was considered a financial failure, grossing $16.5 million USD against a budget of $27 million Australian dollars (approximately $17 million in 2022 dollars). Marsden was only tangentially involved in the adaption.
Tomorrow When the War Began was initially conceived as a series of films. However, only one film ended up getting made. Five years later, though, the novel was adapted into a television series of the same name. That series earned better reviews than the film, but only lasted one season.
