A review by wendyk
House of Stairs by William Sleator

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Five sixteen year old orphans are dropped into a very strange place - a seemingly endless place of endless stairs. But the need for survival will hold them to one machine that will make them perform ever more depraved tasks for even a morsel of food. How far will each of them go to keep the food coming? And who among them, if any, has the strength to resist the increasingly demanding machine to save themselves? This was a quick, engrossing read.