William Sleator (1945–2011) was an American writer of science fiction and horror for young readers. He studied English at Harvard University and worked for some years as a rehearsal pianist for a ballet company before becoming a full-time writer. His best-known novels include House of Stairs, Interstellar Pig and Singularity. His stories often place ordinary young people in strange, frightening situations, and often end without a neat explanation.
Worked examples
Example 1 (MCQ, 1 mark). William Sleator mainly wrote (a) science fiction and horror for young readers (b) travel guides (c) comic verse (d) history textbooks.
Solution. (a). Sleator was an American writer of science fiction and horror for young readers. The Elevator belongs to the horror side of his work.
Example 2 (short answer, 3 marks). How does The Elevator show the typical features of Sleator's stories?
Model answer. Sleator's stories put ordinary young people into strange and frightening situations. In The Elevator, an ordinary boy rides an ordinary lift and meets an unexplained, threatening lady. As in many of his stories, there is no neat explanation: the story ends before we learn who she is or what she wants.
Why this scores: an ordinary young person (1 mark), the frightening situation from the text (1 mark) and the missing explanation (1 mark).
Example 3 (short answer, 4 marks). Sleator worked as a ballet pianist before becoming a writer. Where in the story can you see the sense of timing a performer needs?
Model answer. The story is built like a piece of music that rises and rises. Each meeting with the lady is slightly more frightening than the one before: first she stares, then she presses eighteen and watches Martin get out, then she smiles, and last she presses STOP and speaks his name. The ending stops on the loudest moment, with no calm afterwards. A writer who builds and times an effect so carefully understands how an audience feels.
Why this scores: it makes a link between the author's earlier work and the story (1 mark), traces the build-up with three or four exact events (2 marks), and comments on the effect of the ending (1 mark).
Doubts cleared
Q. Is knowing about Sleator's life useful in the exam? A little. A one-line introduction ("William Sleator, an American writer of science fiction and horror") is enough. The marks are for the story.
Q. Which of his books must I remember? House of Stairs is the safest to know, with Interstellar Pig and Singularity. None of them has been asked in the board papers on this story.
Q. Should I mention Sleator's other books in a story answer? Only if the question asks about the author. For an extract question, stay with the story.
Mistakes to avoid
- Calling Sleator a British writer or a poet.
- Describing the story as science fiction. It is horror, though it hints at the supernatural.
- Writing a biography when the question asks about his style.
Check yourself
- Where did William Sleator study?
- What did he do before becoming a full-time writer?
- Name one of his novels.
Answers: 1. Harvard University. 2. He was a rehearsal pianist for a ballet company. 3. House of Stairs, Interstellar Pig or Singularity.