House of Stairs
Sleator
1974 (originally published)
1991 (paperback edition)
I remember this book from when I was a teen and it was pretty cool. I was a fan of those dystopian society/social experiment movies and books. My favorites from that era: Stepford Wives, the original Planet of the Apes, and Soylent Green. I know there wouldn’t be a Hunger Games without these classics paving the way.
I really liked the artwork on previous editions and wish that the publishers hadn’t tried to make it more modern. The late 80s fashion and hair are hardly selling this book in 2017.
Think I will go check Netflix for a few old time sci fi choices.
Mary
I loved this book when I read it in high school. I had an after school job shelving books in the public library and I would bring home armloads of books like this. Too bad the terrible cover art will probably turn off future readers.
This is an awesome book! I remember reading it as a teen, sometime around 2008, but it was a different edition with a different ugly ’80s cover. I admit this one is worse, though. Makes it look like a dated made-for-TV movie instead of an interesting psychological study.
In the not-to-distant future…next Sunday A.D.?
We’ll show them 80s covers…the worst we can find! (La-la-la)
They’ll have to sit and read them all, and we’ll monitor their minds! (La-la-la)
Now keep in mind that Mary can’t control where the novels begin or end (La-la-la),
She’ll try to keep her sanity with the help of her librarian friends…(Library roll call!)
I go on vacation for 4 days and THIS has to happen.
It was one of my favorite books around sixth grade.
Ooh, I remember this book! Well, the title at least. Funnily enough I always thought it was by John Christopher. So there were two YA SF hacks, were there…
Quick run to my local library catalog reveals that we have, incredibly, the first edition. I never realized anything in the Young Adults section survived longer than ten years.
The first problem I have is with the names of characters. Lola and Blossom? Were they from the 1880s? Really.
Oh, I LOVE William Sleator. My copy of this book has a much better cover though. Buy new copies so kids can continue to enjoy the awesomeness that is Sleator!
Worry not! A new one was ordered. 🙂
Hooray!
Mary: Take a look at the book version of “Day of the Triffids” by John Wyndham as well.
Can I recommend the Tripods trilogy by Christopher, as well?
A fantastic story that leaves you with some deep and disturbing ideas to think about. I first read this when I was about 12, and still have my copy. Willing to bet this book gives a lot of kids their first exposure to genuine idea-confronting science fiction.
I loved this book so much that when I started a classroom library for my Reading for Pleasure class I tracked it down and added it. I knew that students who like dystopian fiction would love it. I think I read it the first time around the time I read The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (before Bachman was revealed as Stephen King).