Run by William Sleator

by William Sleator

A gripping story of three teenagers, flung together by chance in an isolated house, facing a building climax of fear in very individual ways.

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Novels

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

William Warner Sleator III was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland on February 13, 1945, and moved to St. Louis, MO when he was three. He graduated from University City High School in 1963, from Harvard in 1967 with BAs in music and English.

For more than thirty years, William Sleator thrilled readers with his inventive books. His House of Stairs was named one of the best novels of the twentieth century by the Young Adult Library Services Association.

William Sleator died in early August 2011 at his home in Thailand.

Reviews

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked William Sleator and read quite a bit by him as a tween/young teen. I know I read this some time around 1983 because I mention in my journal from 1985 that I'd read this some time before. Apparently I thought this one was really scary.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of three teenagers trapped in a summer home with a robber on the loose. It was okay, but some of the choices made by the kids were hard to believe.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love William Sleator! This is one of his earliest novels, and there's nothing supernatural about it. But the atmosphere is terrifying! It's about three young teens alone in a house where some strange things are happening. Each of the characters (especially the POV narrator!) is portrayed in a compellingly creepy way where it would be no surprise if they suddenly turned into an axe murderer. I also appreciate Sleator for bringing the message to kids that ACAB. The portrayal of the drug addict may not be the last word in realism, but having grown up in this era and inundated by anti-drug propaganda, I can tell you this was actually an incredibly nuanced and compassionate representation for a 1973 children's book. I also loved the homoerotic undertones in the friendship between the two boys. Sleator elevates this genre!

[Carrie Dalby · Rating 3 out of 5]

1970s teen thriller/suspense. Quick pacing.

[Janet Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting little book

[Lisa Houlihan]

Its tone is Early Lois Duncan, like Game of Danger early, but the pace or suspense is sloppy in a late-Sleator way. Maybe the denouement was shocking enough for an early '70s YA audience? More Duncan: she rewrote Game of Danger 27 years later in Don't Look Behind You retaining the suspense of having to flee your home and shut yourself off from all you know but making it more realistic with shades of gray in the guilt, complicity, and motivations of the characters.

Um, more about this book... Nope. In conclusion, I prefer Lois Duncan.

[Kymm Zuckert · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Albert interesting how much William Sleator's style changed over time. This book reminded me of Blackbriar, which I didn't much care for, and a little bit of House of Stairs, which struck me very hard. Next on the list is The Green Futures of Tycho, which is where we really start getting into Sleator Land.