Present Books Concering Interstellar Pig (Interstellar Pig #1)
| Original Title: | Interstellar Pig |
| ISBN: | 0340850620 (ISBN13: 9780340850626) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Interstellar Pig #1 |
| Literary Awards: | Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (1986), California Young Readers Medal for Young Adult (1988) |
William Sleator
Paperback | Pages: 200 pages Rating: 3.88 | 2613 Users | 278 Reviews
Identify Containing Books Interstellar Pig (Interstellar Pig #1)
| Title | : | Interstellar Pig (Interstellar Pig #1) |
| Author | : | William Sleator |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 200 pages |
| Published | : | December 6th 2001 by Hodder Children's Books (first published 1984) |
| Categories | : | Science Fiction. Young Adult. Fiction. Fantasy |
Description Conducive To Books Interstellar Pig (Interstellar Pig #1)
It takes a special book to stick in one's memory for over thirty years. There are some I remember because I read them over and over, but then there are those that I remember because of the sheer ideaness and atmosphere imprinted on my young brain (there's also the category of Awful Things that Happened to Animals genre, which caused a less happy kind of imprinting). I must have read Interstellar Pig shortly after release in 1984, and it has remained one of those books that vividly recall in entire sections now and again. Not the title, of course; but strangely enough, put 'young adult/aliens/pig' into Google, and it comes up with this book in a flash, so it was easy for me to track it down for a wander down memory lane.It is with pleasure that I realized it was still an interesting, engaging read.
Barney is sixteen, and trapped with his parents at a two-week rental college on the coast coast, a beachfront location that does absolutely nothing for his sunburn-prone skin but seems to serve a purpose for his status-hunting parents, but does give him a chance to catch up on his science-fiction reading. The caretaker informs them that the sea captain who built the cottage kept his brother locked in the front room for twenty years. Barney is hoping for more information, perhaps a ghost story or two, when the caretaker has to abandon story-telling to settle in the next-door neighbors who have an obsessive interest in Barney's cottage. Barney's intrigued by their cosmopolitan personalities and by the game they continually reference.
"But they didn't seem to appreciate my wit. Barely moving their heads, their eyes met; three pairs of eyes meeting equally somehow, as though there were only two of them. And I thought of the jagged pits and troughs in the windowsills of my room, and I felt uneasy for the first time. A curtain flapped gently at the window. The others in the room remained as still as reptiles in the sun."
To say much more would enter spoiler territory, as the plot moves quickly and has a couple of interesting twists with an earlier scene providing nice foreshadowing for the climactic event. Slater builds suspense well, and I think that the atmosphere of fear he created might have helped stick this book in my memory. Characterization is perhaps a weaker point, but its more than adequate for the story. I'd say for my 2017 re-read, although Barney's age is supposed to be sixteen, he feels more like twelve or thirteen in modern terms.
The writing is solid, feeling more sophisticated than most of the young adult I've read in recent years. Like many teens, Barney's descriptions of his parents are ruthlessly honest, but there's also a measure of acceptance there, and eventually fondness, that elevates it above the simple sarcastic dismissal. The three people next door have traveled a lot and "seemed exotic, as though English was not their native language." It is cleverly conveyed through their dialogue, though Barney never remarks on it but that once. "Ugh! You let the milk go sour again, Manny,' Zena groaned. 'Can't you learn to recollect the date?'"
At 197 pages, it goes by too quickly. A fun little book with a great finale, and a final flourish of well-earned humor. You just never know who will win the great game.
Four and a half stars.
Rating Containing Books Interstellar Pig (Interstellar Pig #1)
Ratings: 3.88 From 2613 Users | 278 ReviewsCritique Containing Books Interstellar Pig (Interstellar Pig #1)
Im almost ashamed to comment on Young Adult books; Im afraid that anyone stumbling across this will suspect that I play with action figures, wank it to anime, and collect the free trinkets from cereal boxes, when in reality I only partake in one of these three unsavory acts. However, I also know that 99% of the posts in regards to young adult works published prior to 2001 will be along the lines of I read this when I was a kid and it kicked my ass! I should dig through that mountain of decayingI read this book for the Science Fiction Unit with my group, and it was one of the best books I have read all year. It starts off very confusing and introducing many characters. But as the story goes on the book starts to develop. And the things that they said at the beginning that made no sense, start to develop into a crazy plot. I loved how the characters weren't who you thought they were, and how the book kept getting more intense. No doubt one of my favorite science fiction books this year.
It takes a special book to stick in one's memory for over thirty years. There are some I remember because I read them over and over, but then there are those that I remember because of the sheer ideaness and atmosphere imprinted on my young brain (there's also the category of Awful Things that Happened to Animals genre, which caused a less happy kind of imprinting). I must have read Interstellar Pig shortly after release in 1984, and it has remained one of those books that vividly recall in
Oops, forgot to review as I read it the day before packing for a trip. I remember it fairly well, and I do like and recommend it. Among Sleator's best. But why? Hmm... because it's truly exciting, in that it's mostly plot-driven and despite the fact that I don't particularly care for straight-up adventures I had a hard time putting this down? Because I admired Barney's persistent curiosity, the fact that he'll take risks just because he wonders what's going on? The interesting way the parents
Theres many books one reads throughout their life but some just stay with you like a pleasant distant memory your brain clings on to forever. This is one of those books. Im not sure how it holds up now. But i feel lucky to have read it when i was young and everything felt fascinating.
Months after I read this book and went on to other William Sleator books, I did a report on it by creating the large game board described in the story. I think I still have it in the back of a closet in San Leandro. I do remember than while creating it, I wished the slots I cut, the swirls I painted, and the cards I wrote really would do what they were supposed to do.Interstellar Pig and Singularity are the two best William Sleator books because they fuck with the mind most successfully. At
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