blast from the past: William Sleator

[nibot]

On thursday Diane took me to the end-of-the-semester wine and cheese event of the Psychology department. When we arrived there were only four or five people there, out of a department of something like 400! A few more trickled in gradually. There was good food. It was amusing to hear psychology professors discussing their colleagues, using descriptive phrases such as "anal retentive" and "obsessive/compulsive."

One of the guys that showed up was a cool co-oper named Aaron. He asked if I had read the book House of Stairs. I thought for a moment, and then, "By William Sleator?!" It was the first time I had heard that title since my mom came across that author in the Orange County Public Library while I was in middle school — and then I think we both read every book by him that was in the library. All of his books are pretty bizarre and I almost feel like reading them again; House of Stairs is a crazy psychodrama, and another, Intersteller Pig has the following rather odd description:

Barney is all set to spend two weeks doing nothing at his parents’ summer house. But then he meets the neighbors, and things start to get interesting. Zena, Manny, and Joe are not your average folks on vacation. In fact, Barney suspects they’re not from Earth at all. Not only are they physically perfect in every way, but they don’t seem to have jobs or permanent addresses, and they are addicted to a strange role-playing game called Interstellar Pig. As Barney finds himself sucked into their bizarre obsession, he begins to wonder if Interstellar Pig is just a game.

Anyway, if you know any middleschoolers (or "middleschoolers") who are into sci-fi psychodrama adventures worthy of the Outer Limits, William Sleator is your man.

While I'm at it, another book I enjoyed as a kid was My Side of the Mountain.

Comments

Great Books

[furzicle.livejournal.com]

Take a note from Emidala--Diana Wynn Jones is another author who can whip up an intriguing story. Hers are not so much sci-fi, but more bizarre or fantastic.

My Side Of the Mountain was one of my touchstone books, as well. I liked the Little House on the Prairie series for many of the same reasons: emphasis on self-reliance, living with Nature, etc.

Re: Great Books

[furzicle.livejournal.com]

So I went to the library, thinking it was time to load up on good reads. I got a bunch of Diana Wynn Jones' stuff. Now I think I need to qualify my recommendation. Her stuff falls into several different categories. Unfortunately, there are many IFFY books, cluttering the assortment of really interesting ones.
One category is Harry Potter like stuff, such as Witch Week, and the Chronicles of Crestomanci.
Another broad category I would characterize as being like the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. That includes Drowned Ammet--go for it if you like interminable fables.

I will have to keep looking to let you know which ones I enjoyed. I believe Archer's Goon was one.

[easwaran.livejournal.com]

I remember one of my friends telling me about Interstellar Pig when I was in middle school. He really wanted me to read it. But I never did. In fact, it was nojnor2, who I hope is doing ok on his Navy rotc thing, since I haven't heard from him in a few months.