House of Stairs by William Sleator
House of Stairs
—
William Sleator
Add cover

House of Stairs

William Sleator

157 pages • first pub 1974 (view editions)

fiction science fiction young adult dark mysterious medium-paced
Powered by AI (Beta)

House of Stairs is ideal for readers who enjoy unsettling, thought-provoking explorations of psychological manipulation and survival in eerily controlled dystopian settings.

Description

 Five sixteen-year-old orphans of widely varying personality characteristics are involuntarily placed in a house of endless stairs as subjects for a psychological experiment on conditioned human response. 

Community Reviews

3.68
based on 832 reviews

Moods

dark: 78%

mysterious: 73%

tense: 71%

emotional: 26%

adventurous: 21%

reflective: 21%

challenging: 14%

sad: 9%

informative: 2%

inspiring: 2%

Pace

56% of readers chose fast
36% of readers chose medium
7% of readers chose slow
fast
medium
slow

Plot or character driven?

16% of readers chose Plot
37% of readers chose A mix
45% of readers chose Character
Plot
A mix
Character

Strong character development?

48% of readers chose Yes
36% of readers chose Complicated
12% of readers chose No
3% of readers chose N/A
Yes
Complicated
No
N/A

Loveable characters?

6% of readers chose Yes
54% of readers chose Complicated
39% of readers chose No
Yes
Complicated
No

Diverse cast of characters?

21% of readers chose Yes
6% of readers chose Complicated
66% of readers chose No
6% of readers chose N/A
Yes
Complicated
No
N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus?

75% of readers chose Yes
25% of readers chose Complicated
Yes
Complicated

Content Warnings

Submitted by users as part of their reviews

Expand filter menu View summary

See all...
Accept and close

By using The StoryGraph, you agree to our use of cookies.
We use a small number of cookies to provide you with a great experience.

Find out more