Science fiction and young adult novelist William Sleator passed away this week at his home in Thailand. Sleator was most famous for his novel House of Stairs that depicts a dystopian orphanage without walls or a ceiling and stairs that seem to ascend into infinity. (If you’re unfamiliar with Sleator and his style, you can read a good rundown of House of Stairs here.)
Combining Kafkaesque imagery with thrilling plotting in his tales, the contemporary field of speculative young adult fiction would likely look very different if it weren’t for Sleator. He will be missed.