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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
an intriguing book with an anticlimactic ending. throughout the novel i felt curious about the patterns that i thought would emerge, only to be disappointed when there were actually no true patterns at all.
overall, though, the ride was intense and exhilarating— and i think that’s what Sleator aimed for. the atmosphere was thick and frigid at the same time. the emotions enveloped me and the setting trapped me. i could feel the cold stairs under my feet, i was enraged at the actions of some characters, and i was perplexed by the machine. incredibly, Sleator grabbed me and pulled me into his world, and i’m finding it hard to recover.
overall, though, the ride was intense and exhilarating— and i think that’s what Sleator aimed for. the atmosphere was thick and frigid at the same time. the emotions enveloped me and the setting trapped me. i could feel the cold stairs under my feet, i was enraged at the actions of some characters, and i was perplexed by the machine. incredibly, Sleator grabbed me and pulled me into his world, and i’m finding it hard to recover.
I read this book out of nostalgia. I remember loving Sleator's books, so this won't be my last re-read. As a kid, I could see past the 70's-style teenagers and get caught up in the horror and Sci-Fi. I'm not quite sure which book I really liked, but this is not it.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't remember when exactly I read this book, but it was before high school, probably middle school. It was a seminal moment in my reading life. Basically, it's a Young Adults Guide to Operant Conditioning, and the story and the writing were unsafe and dangerous in ways that I'd never encountered, and the consequences more visceral and real. Much like a house of stairs, it didn't feel like there was a safety net. And the last paragraph was particularly chilling.
I'd occasionally try to discuss the book with other people but apparently they'd never heard of it and I eventually lost the memory of details. But recently I somehow stumbled across it on Amazon (no Kindle version alas) and nearly immediately ordered a copy to reread. And the suck fairy has not visited the text--it's more obviously pointed at a YA audience, with a little more tell, a little less show, a little less subtlety, but that's to be expected. I've grown a little as a reader since I was ten. Even knowing what was going on, even understanding the principles of the science and how the story ended, it was still uncomfortable to read in places.
I'd occasionally try to discuss the book with other people but apparently they'd never heard of it and I eventually lost the memory of details. But recently I somehow stumbled across it on Amazon (no Kindle version alas) and nearly immediately ordered a copy to reread. And the suck fairy has not visited the text--it's more obviously pointed at a YA audience, with a little more tell, a little less show, a little less subtlety, but that's to be expected. I've grown a little as a reader since I was ten. Even knowing what was going on, even understanding the principles of the science and how the story ended, it was still uncomfortable to read in places.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We read this one in school when we were like 16ish, and it was one of the only books that I actually really loved that I was forced to read. It introduces so many interesting concepts in such a creepy and disturbing way. The ending blew my mind at the time, I haven't re-read so idk whether it hold up, but it's definitely an amazing read for a teen.
I rad this MANY years ago, but it stands out so much, I bought this, and couple other of Sleator's books, so that my step-kids could read them.
This book as a rather dark element to it, so it is probably not for everyone, but I enjoyed it
This book as a rather dark element to it, so it is probably not for everyone, but I enjoyed it
A short, engaging YA novel from the 1970s about five teenagers who find themselves imprisoned in an inescapable and inexplicable Escher-like construct, enslaved to a machine which dispenses food, slowly turning on each other. Unlike the movie "Cell," of which this will no doubt remind many modern readers, the cause and purpose of the teenagers' predicament is revealed in the conclusion. It's very much a book of its era, with shades of the Milgram experiment, the Stanford prison experiment and MKUltra; the unethical psychological salad days of the 1960s and '70s.
I thought I'd read this as a kid but I think it was actually a collection of Sleator's short stories; I have very strong memories of The Elevator. Between that story and House of Stairs... well, y'know, I'm not an eggshell Tumblr type, but I'll crack this word out in earnest for the first time in my life and call Sleator fatphobic. He portrays obese people not merely as physically unappealing, but as actively evil and malevolent, and does so it so regularly that it becomes tedious. I started playing armchair psychologist and trying to figure out why, settling on the idea that maybe he came to associate obesity with greed and privilege during Britain's wartime rationing days, but it turns out he was American. Which is strange, because his fiction feels very fundamentally British in a way I can't put my finger on. Possibly his writing style reminds me of some of Roald Dahl's short horror stories. Anyway, aside from Sleator wearing his prejudice on his sleeve, this was a quick and decent YA psychological horror read.
I thought I'd read this as a kid but I think it was actually a collection of Sleator's short stories; I have very strong memories of The Elevator. Between that story and House of Stairs... well, y'know, I'm not an eggshell Tumblr type, but I'll crack this word out in earnest for the first time in my life and call Sleator fatphobic. He portrays obese people not merely as physically unappealing, but as actively evil and malevolent, and does so it so regularly that it becomes tedious. I started playing armchair psychologist and trying to figure out why, settling on the idea that maybe he came to associate obesity with greed and privilege during Britain's wartime rationing days, but it turns out he was American. Which is strange, because his fiction feels very fundamentally British in a way I can't put my finger on. Possibly his writing style reminds me of some of Roald Dahl's short horror stories. Anyway, aside from Sleator wearing his prejudice on his sleeve, this was a quick and decent YA psychological horror read.