Who is William Sleator?
William Sleator is a science fiction author who primarily wrote books for young adults. His books ranged from light hearted mysteries to horror from another world, creating a seemingly sub category of dystopia. I was introduced to this author when I was about 10-11, and I just gotta say his books were another dimension (this will make sense soon) of interesting and amazing . I have read numerous William Sleator books, but in this blog post I will be picking my top favorites that I would recommend to anyone.
1. Singularity by William Sleator
Remember when I said in the intro that William Sleator books would take you to another dimension? In Singularity, this thought becomes a reality. This book is about Barry and Harry Krasner, two twins with the same appearance, but entirely different outlooks on life. One day, Barry suggests they house-sit their great grandpa’s farmhouse. When they arrive, they find a locked shed. They both have heard chilling stories from the locals about this shed, but they are still intrigued and confused about how a shed could be so scary. What they find inside the shed is far worse than anything they could ever imagine. As I said in the other review, this book was INSANE. Though repetitive there is no other word I can describe this book. William Sleator’s endings and final realizations to a book are always clearly thought out and unexpected, but this book was one after the other. I thought there would be multiple dead corpses in the shed when I read the book, expecting it to be a murder mystery, but it definitely was not. This book is the definition of Sci-Fi, amazing writing, and mind blowing plot twists. I would also recommend (if you do plan on reading this book) to read it with other people or a book club! I read this book with a book club and it was really fun discussing the crazy twists, and making theories on what was going to happen next.
2. House of Stairs by William Sleator
This book is about five sixteen year old orphans, who are brought to a strange building. This building is not a prison or hospital, and it has no walls, ceilings, or floor. The only thing in this building is an endless flight of stairs, leading nowhere except to a strange red machine. The five must learn to trust the machine and its actions, for their ultimate survival. I read this book when I was 11 and it was mind blowing. This book is very complex in the best way, keeping the reader interested in the plot and where it's going next. I was really shocked by the ending since it was realistic (?) compared to being trapped in an endless house of stairs. It introduced me to how messed up this world can be, but also the importance of friendships and cooperation towards a central goal. Looking back on this book, it actually reminds me of the recent popular show “Squid Game”, so if you liked that, consider reading this book!
3. The Green Futures of Tycho by William Sleator
This book is about 11 year old Tycho, who discovers a mysterious egg shaped object in his garden. He realizes this object is a time travel device and uses it to jump between time, mostly to annoy his older brother and sister. Though with every trip, he notices things are changing. The futures he is visiting are getting darker and scarier, and soon he’ll have to face the scariest thing of all: himself in the future. I feel like everyone has wondered how it would feel to time travel as a kid. This book shows the obvious good part (annoying your siblings), but also introduces a darker grave side to time travel. I really liked this book, and the ending definitely made me feel grateful I suck at gardening!
4. Interstellar Pig (#1) & Parasite Pig (Interstellar Pig #2) by William Sleator
I know what you’re thinking. What the heck is this title? I have been there, but I assure you this book is not about a pig floating in the Milky Way. These two books despite the title are the most complex, interesting, informative books you’ll ever read. I would go so far to say these two books are the best books I have ever read. So, what are these books about? The first book is about Barney, whose boring seaside vacation quickly turns interesting when his exotic neighbors are addicted to a game called “Interstellar Pig”. The second book (my favorite of the two) is about Barney’s life after Interstellar Pig, and the new competition he gets drawn into. My favorite part about the second book aside from the perfection it is, is that the story is based on a real parasite. Taenia solium. Taenia solium is a tapeworm that follows ingestion of raw pork (SEE THIS REFERENCE??). When this parasite gets into your brain, it can cause seizures and influence your brain and how you think. A real life example (that has actually happened) would be having the parasite tell you to swerve into traffic, or suddenly drive in front of a moving truck. Again, truly introducing the science in Sci-Fi. Obviously, this parasite is VERY dangerous to a person, but nonetheless very fun to read about in a fiction book. In the book, the main character Barney actually experiences this parasite in his brain and reading about his mind and thoughts was insightful and interesting. This book is perfection and nothing else. Without a doubt, the book I could reread many times at any age.
I REALLY WANTED TO INCLUDE PICTURES IN THIS POST OF THE BOOKS BUT BLOGGER IS NOT COOPERATING. Instead, here are the links to the amazon pages of each book (if you want to see the covers): Singularity, House of Stairs, Green Futures of Tycho, and Interstellar Pig. Thank you for reading this blog post!
Who is William Sleator?
William Sleator is a science fiction author who primarily wrote books for young adults. His books ranged from light hearted mysteries to horror from another world, creating a seemingly sub category of dystopia. I was introduced to this author when I was about 10-11, and I just gotta say his books were another dimension (this will make sense soon) of interesting and amazing . I have read numerous William Sleator books, but in this blog post I will be picking my top favorites that I would recommend to anyone.
1. Singularity by William Sleator
Remember when I said in the intro that William Sleator books would take you to another dimension? In Singularity, this thought becomes a reality. This book is about Barry and Harry Krasner, two twins with the same appearance, but entirely different outlooks on life. One day, Barry suggests they house-sit their great grandpa’s farmhouse. When they arrive, they find a locked shed. They both have heard chilling stories from the locals about this shed, but they are still intrigued and confused about how a shed could be so scary. What they find inside the shed is far worse than anything they could ever imagine. As I said in the other review, this book was INSANE. Though repetitive there is no other word I can describe this book. William Sleator’s endings and final realizations to a book are always clearly thought out and unexpected, but this book was one after the other. I thought there would be multiple dead corpses in the shed when I read the book, expecting it to be a murder mystery, but it definitely was not. This book is the definition of Sci-Fi, amazing writing, and mind blowing plot twists. I would also recommend (if you do plan on reading this book) to read it with other people or a book club! I read this book with a book club and it was really fun discussing the crazy twists, and making theories on what was going to happen next.
2. House of Stairs by William Sleator
This book is about five sixteen year old orphans, who are brought to a strange building. This building is not a prison or hospital, and it has no walls, ceilings, or floor. The only thing in this building is an endless flight of stairs, leading nowhere except to a strange red machine. The five must learn to trust the machine and its actions, for their ultimate survival. I read this book when I was 11 and it was mind blowing. This book is very complex in the best way, keeping the reader interested in the plot and where it's going next. I was really shocked by the ending since it was realistic (?) compared to being trapped in an endless house of stairs. It introduced me to how messed up this world can be, but also the importance of friendships and cooperation towards a central goal. Looking back on this book, it actually reminds me of the recent popular show “Squid Game”, so if you liked that, consider reading this book!
3. The Green Futures of Tycho by William Sleator
This book is about 11 year old Tycho, who discovers a mysterious egg shaped object in his garden. He realizes this object is a time travel device and uses it to jump between time, mostly to annoy his older brother and sister. Though with every trip, he notices things are changing. The futures he is visiting are getting darker and scarier, and soon he’ll have to face the scariest thing of all: himself in the future. I feel like everyone has wondered how it would feel to time travel as a kid. This book shows the obvious good part (annoying your siblings), but also introduces a darker grave side to time travel. I really liked this book, and the ending definitely made me feel grateful I suck at gardening!
4. Interstellar Pig (#1) & Parasite Pig (Interstellar Pig #2) by William Sleator
I know what you’re thinking. What the heck is this title? I have been there, but I assure you this book is not about a pig floating in the Milky Way. These two books despite the title are the most complex, interesting, informative books you’ll ever read. I would go so far to say these two books are the best books I have ever read. So, what are these books about? The first book is about Barney, whose boring seaside vacation quickly turns interesting when his exotic neighbors are addicted to a game called “Interstellar Pig”. The second book (my favorite of the two) is about Barney’s life after Interstellar Pig, and the new competition he gets drawn into. My favorite part about the second book aside from the perfection it is, is that the story is based on a real parasite. Taenia solium. Taenia solium is a tapeworm that follows ingestion of raw pork (SEE THIS REFERENCE??). When this parasite gets into your brain, it can cause seizures and influence your brain and how you think. A real life example (that has actually happened) would be having the parasite tell you to swerve into traffic, or suddenly drive in front of a moving truck. Again, truly introducing the science in Sci-Fi. Obviously, this parasite is VERY dangerous to a person, but nonetheless very fun to read about in a fiction book. In the book, the main character Barney actually experiences this parasite in his brain and reading about his mind and thoughts was insightful and interesting. This book is perfection and nothing else. Without a doubt, the book I could reread many times at any age.
I REALLY WANTED TO INCLUDE PICTURES IN THIS POST OF THE BOOKS BUT BLOGGER IS NOT COOPERATING. Instead, here are the links to the amazon pages of each book (if you want to see the covers): Singularity, House of Stairs, Green Futures of Tycho, and Interstellar Pig. Thank you for reading this blog post!
Good job, Heidi! I had a really fun, entertaining time reading your blog as you went through each of the different books by William Sleator. Through the blogs I've read so far, I haven't yet encountered one that lists different books from one specific author, which sets your blog apart from many of the others (that I know of). I remember from the last time I read one of your blogs that you included a list of books you recommended, and it's still a feature I enjoy; it adds a variety of books for me to possibly choose from. The way you describe each of the books and the occasional references you used made me as the reader of the blog curious and interested on what each book had to offer. Finally, the jokes and fun comments you make every so often create a lighthearted atmosphere, a big reason why I found this blog so enjoyable. Keep up the good work, Heidi!
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ReplyDeleteThis review gave enough of a preview to get me hooked on the books. The blog was informative and very fun to read. Great job Heidi. I have never been the biggest fan of sci-fi, however, these books sound like a fun read. I love complex, mystery, and horror novels, so that aspect definitely piqued my interest. I definitely will consider looking more into this author and the books. Once again, great blog Heidi!
Sci-Fi authors always pique my interest. It would be intriguing to see how this author handles the concepts of time-travel and other general science fiction ideas. Good blog!
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