.gif)
House of Stairs (William Sleator novel)
Encyclopedia
House of Stairs is a science fiction
novel by William Sleator
.
Set in a dystopia
n America
in the near future, the story tells of the experiences of five 16-year-olds who were living in orphanage
s who wake up to find themselves in a strange building that has no walls, no ceiling, and no floor: nothing but endless flights of stairs leading in every direction, seemingly infinitely, so that it is impossible to get one's bearings or have perspective. On one landing is a basin of running water that serves as a toilet, sink and drinking fountain; on another, a machine with lights that intermittently produces food. The five, thrown together in these bizarre circumstances must learn to deal with the others' disparate personalities, the lack of privacy and comfort, their clear helplessness, and a machine that only feeds them under gradually more exacting situations.
Certain episodes in the book suggest a scarcity economy
, as the back-story
of the characters differs based on apparently socioeconomic criteria. One of the characters validates that the food supply is "...real meat...I have had it"; another has had access to various goods apparently unavailable to others. Themes include suspicion of authority and social breakdown under stress, similar to William Golding
's Lord of the Flies
.
The story is told largely from the point of view of Peter, a boy who has been labeled as slightly slow. He tends to follow authority. The others are Lola, a rebellious juvenile delinquent who doesn't trust anyone; Blossom, an overweight, spoiled girl who grew up in pampered wealth but who has recently been orphaned; Oliver, a generous, self confident, and arrogant athlete who has always been successful and popular; and Abigail, a pretty girl who is shy and kind but is easily misguided, and worries about what others think of her. Peter is in awe of Oliver, who resembles a close friend he once had, but he bonds with Lola, who takes a protective stance toward him from the beginning.
They gradually come to suspect that the machine — or those behind it — has a sinister agenda. The food consists of pellets of delicious meat, a rare delicacy normally reserved for a privileged few. Although at first the machine produced pellets relatively freely, soon it becomes clear that it will only produce food after the five perform a ritualized series of movements that they call a "dance". The movements required to obtain food become more and more elaborate, until it stops producing any food. However, after Blossom and Oliver do something cruel to some of the others, food again is produced. The teens realize that in order to be rewarded with food, they must first commit an aggressive or cruel act (followed by the dance). They begin becoming increasingly sadistic as a result, until Lola decides to reject the machine's manipulations. She decides she would rather starve than become the sadistic aggressor dictated by the machine. Peter agrees with her and the two of them go off on their own. Oliver, Abigail, and Blossom seek them out and attack, while Peter and Lola passively resist. At this point, they are all removed from the building and treated for malnutrition and exhaustion. At this point they learn that they were part of a government experiment to produce super-spies trained to be utterly ruthless, to be able to survive on minimal food and water, and to be adaptable to the harshest, most alienating conditions.
Blossom, Oliver, and Abigail have proven their worth and move on to further training, while Peter and Lola, seen as unrepentantly abnormal, are released.
) has launched a Vancouver
-based production shingle, Zest Productions, to make movies in Canada
. The first project is a screen adaptation of the 1974 young adult science-fiction novel House of Stairs
, by the late American writer William Sleator
, whose rights Hyman optioned. Montreal-based genre writer Doug Taylor has been hired to adapt the story about five orphaned teens in a dystopian near future suffering psychological exploitation in a seemingly endless Escher
-like space of stairs. Taylor co-wrote the $25 million sci-fi thriller Splice
, which starred Adrien Brody
and Sarah Polley
, with director Vincenzo Natali
. The VFX-heavy House of Stairs project is to be shot in Montreal
to take advantage of local tax breaks for live action/CGI hybrids, with packaging to take place in the second half of 2012. Martin Villeneuve, director of the much anticipated sci-fi film Mars et Avril, will direct House of Stairs for Hyman and fellow producers Michael Glassman (Phat Girlz
) and Michael Solomon
of Montreal-based Band With Pictures.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel by William Sleator
William Sleator
William Warner Sleator III , known as William Sleator, was an American science fiction author who wrote primarily young adult novels but also wrote for younger readers. His books typically deal with adolescents coming across a peculiar phenomenon related to an element of theoretical science, then...
.
Set in a dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the near future, the story tells of the experiences of five 16-year-olds who were living in orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
s who wake up to find themselves in a strange building that has no walls, no ceiling, and no floor: nothing but endless flights of stairs leading in every direction, seemingly infinitely, so that it is impossible to get one's bearings or have perspective. On one landing is a basin of running water that serves as a toilet, sink and drinking fountain; on another, a machine with lights that intermittently produces food. The five, thrown together in these bizarre circumstances must learn to deal with the others' disparate personalities, the lack of privacy and comfort, their clear helplessness, and a machine that only feeds them under gradually more exacting situations.
Certain episodes in the book suggest a scarcity economy
Scarcity
Scarcity is the fundamental economic problem of having humans who have unlimited wants and needs in a world of limited resources. It states that society has insufficient productive resources to fulfill all human wants and needs. Alternatively, scarcity implies that not all of society's goals can be...
, as the back-story
Back-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
of the characters differs based on apparently socioeconomic criteria. One of the characters validates that the food supply is "...real meat...I have had it"; another has had access to various goods apparently unavailable to others. Themes include suspicion of authority and social breakdown under stress, similar to William Golding
William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies...
's Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results...
.
The story is told largely from the point of view of Peter, a boy who has been labeled as slightly slow. He tends to follow authority. The others are Lola, a rebellious juvenile delinquent who doesn't trust anyone; Blossom, an overweight, spoiled girl who grew up in pampered wealth but who has recently been orphaned; Oliver, a generous, self confident, and arrogant athlete who has always been successful and popular; and Abigail, a pretty girl who is shy and kind but is easily misguided, and worries about what others think of her. Peter is in awe of Oliver, who resembles a close friend he once had, but he bonds with Lola, who takes a protective stance toward him from the beginning.
They gradually come to suspect that the machine — or those behind it — has a sinister agenda. The food consists of pellets of delicious meat, a rare delicacy normally reserved for a privileged few. Although at first the machine produced pellets relatively freely, soon it becomes clear that it will only produce food after the five perform a ritualized series of movements that they call a "dance". The movements required to obtain food become more and more elaborate, until it stops producing any food. However, after Blossom and Oliver do something cruel to some of the others, food again is produced. The teens realize that in order to be rewarded with food, they must first commit an aggressive or cruel act (followed by the dance). They begin becoming increasingly sadistic as a result, until Lola decides to reject the machine's manipulations. She decides she would rather starve than become the sadistic aggressor dictated by the machine. Peter agrees with her and the two of them go off on their own. Oliver, Abigail, and Blossom seek them out and attack, while Peter and Lola passively resist. At this point, they are all removed from the building and treated for malnutrition and exhaustion. At this point they learn that they were part of a government experiment to produce super-spies trained to be utterly ruthless, to be able to survive on minimal food and water, and to be adaptable to the harshest, most alienating conditions.
Blossom, Oliver, and Abigail have proven their worth and move on to further training, while Peter and Lola, seen as unrepentantly abnormal, are released.
Film adaptation
Former Sneak Preview Entertainment executive Scott G. Hyman (500 Days of Summer500 Days of Summer
Days of Summer is a 2009 comedy drama film. It was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, directed by Marc Webb, produced by Mark Waters, and stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. The film employs a nonlinear narrative structure, with the story based upon its male protagonist...
) has launched a Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
-based production shingle, Zest Productions, to make movies in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The first project is a screen adaptation of the 1974 young adult science-fiction novel House of Stairs
House of Stairs (William Sleator novel)
House of Stairs is a science fiction novel by William Sleator.Set in a dystopian America in the near future, the story tells of the experiences of five 16-year-olds who were living in orphanages who wake up to find themselves in a strange building that has no walls, no ceiling, and no floor:...
, by the late American writer William Sleator
William Sleator
William Warner Sleator III , known as William Sleator, was an American science fiction author who wrote primarily young adult novels but also wrote for younger readers. His books typically deal with adolescents coming across a peculiar phenomenon related to an element of theoretical science, then...
, whose rights Hyman optioned. Montreal-based genre writer Doug Taylor has been hired to adapt the story about five orphaned teens in a dystopian near future suffering psychological exploitation in a seemingly endless Escher
Escher
Escher may refer to:Persons* Alfred Escher , a Swiss politician and railway pioneer* Arnold Escher von der Linth , a Swiss geologist* Berend George Escher , a Dutch geologist...
-like space of stairs. Taylor co-wrote the $25 million sci-fi thriller Splice
Splice
Splice may refer to:as connection of two or more pieces of linear material* Rope splicing, joining two pieces of rope or cable by weaving the strands of each into the other...
, which starred Adrien Brody
Adrien Brody
Adrien Brody is an American actor and film producer. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring in Roman Polanski's The Pianist . Winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2003 at age 29, he is the youngest actor to do so...
and Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley is a Canadian actress, singer, film director, and screenwriter. Polley first attained notice in her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series, Road to Avonlea...
, with director Vincenzo Natali
Vincenzo Natali
Vincenzo Natali is an American-Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for writing and directing science fiction films such as Cube, Nothing and Splice.-Early life:...
. The VFX-heavy House of Stairs project is to be shot in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to take advantage of local tax breaks for live action/CGI hybrids, with packaging to take place in the second half of 2012. Martin Villeneuve, director of the much anticipated sci-fi film Mars et Avril, will direct House of Stairs for Hyman and fellow producers Michael Glassman (Phat Girlz
Phat Girlz
Phat Girlz is a 2006 comedy film released in North America on April 7, 2006. The DVD and its soundtrack was released on August 22, 2006.-Box office:...
) and Michael Solomon
Michael Solomon
Michael Solomon is a retired athlete from Trinidad and Tobago who specialized in the 400 metres and 4 x 400 metres relay. He attended University of New Mexico, New Mexico, USA.-Achievements:-References:**...
of Montreal-based Band With Pictures.
See also
- Cube (film)Cube (film)Cube is a 1997 Canadian science fiction psychological thriller/horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was a successful product of the Canadian Film Centre's First Feature Project....
, a motion picture with a similar milieu - House of stairsHouse of StairsHouse of Stairs is a lithograph print by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher which was first printed in November 1951. This print measures 18⅝" × 9⅜". It depicts the interior of a tall structure crisscrossed with stairs and doorways at paradoxical angles...
, a lithograph print by M. C. Escher, which provided the novel's title and setting
External links
- William Sleator's page maintained by his brother Daniel Sleator