Interstellar Pig

by William Sleator

Book Overview

Barney's boring seaside vacation suddenly becomes more interesting when the cottage next door is occupied by three exotic neighbors who are addicted to a game they call Interstellar Pig This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140375953
• ISBN13: 9780140375954
• Release Date: June 1995
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.3" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

Interstellar Pig: Worthy of Keeping in A Golden Temple

I first read this book at a young age. I re-read it at least once a year to rediscover it's brilliance. The plot is extremely original, and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to the main character's actions. It is richly developed and does not have a single page that does not have subtexts and foreshadowing-- little bits you discover as you read it again. I won't ruin the book, but there is a very good reason some of the characters seem shallow-- this is not due to bad writing, but to well thought out character traits-- which are simply brilliant once you understand them. What also makes the book great is Barney(the main character)'s imagination. He himself is a science fiction fan and allows his thoughts to manifest themselves proving an exciting story-telling method. The book comes to a terrific showdown. What makes it exciting is that the character is so real, and not a rambo-type person, but one you can relate to and his descisions. The book is exceptionally exciting and thought-provoking. My entire family has read this book, and we all love it dearly. So much, we've even gone as far to create our own 'prototype' board game of Interstellar Pig, which we created by extracting every scrap of information we could from the book, and is a lot of fun to play because William Sleator obviously thought it out before writing the book. All in all this is very likely my favorite book of all time, and I am drawn to the logic and of the characters, the high-tension sequences, and the well thought-out plot that seems to be lacking in many books today. William Sleator is without a doubt a very fine writer, and has crafted a book that is worthy of obsession.

Interstellar Pig, It's Tale Is Curly, Not Tall

The imagery made you feel as if you were there, as if you were the one holding the "piggy", and fighting off the intergalactic killing machines. William Slaetor uses vivid description in Interstellar Pig to make this book great. This book's many characteristics combined for an excellent novel. In this book, Barney, the main character, who is 16 years old, is vacationing at a cottage with his parents. About a week into their two week vacation, interesting neighbors arrived. Barney quickly became fascinated with his neighbors, much as they did with Barney. Barney was invited to play a board game with his neighbors which they seemed obsessed with. Each of his neighbors, Zena, Manny, and Joe were there on a quest for one single thing. They were living a life exactly like the board game. The goal of the board game was to have a card called the "piggy" when time ran out. In real life, Barney obtained the "piggy" before either of his neighbors. Each tried their share of bargaining and persuasion to get the piggy, but nothing worked. In the end, the quest for the "piggy" escalated into a massive intergalactic battle in Barney's cottage which was described in great detail. This book had a greater impact because of the intense description.This book was made great in many ways. The first way was the great description of the people, places and what was going on. Slaetor uses so much description that one almost feels as if one were there, at the beach house. He describes everything through many different views all grouped into one. So no matter how one reads it, the image just jumps out and smacks one in the face. Every description Slaetor makes is to his fullest and greatest ability. There is an interesting description of the "piggy" and the odd neighbors. The characters also added so much to the story that it wouldn't have been the same without them. Zena, Manny, and Joe were neighbors that move into the cottage that Barney and his family are staying at for the summer. Each of the neighbors is physically and mentally extraordinary. Conveniently, they seemed intrigued with each other. The neighbors were on Earth, a planet foreign to them, searching for the object of their quest. The "piggy", was an object that was out of a game that they owned, but the game became real. Each character, Zena, Manny, and Joe, had their separate alien identities and came to Earth in disguise. Barney had outwitted them and got the "piggy" before they had, hid it, and possessed it until he found the truth about it. This book had so many characteristics that when brought together they made an excellent novel. This is a very interesting story for anyone even remotely interested in science fiction. Slaetor makes his stories so engrossing by his excellent description. The characters are what make the story because they are the foundation of what makes the storyline. This book, being one of the few that I have read, kept me entertained, and kept me turning the

A Great Adventure!

Probably the most renowned Sleator book "Intersteller Pig" really does deliver as much as it suggests and much more. Although sometimes other of Sleators works seem more serious. I quickly change my mind after re-reading it. (I have all of his stuff several times, especially his earlier stuff which now is getting up into teen amounts of time I've read them.) The idea may at first seem less serious BUT as always Sleator's delivery is hardcore and realistic. This is how a real person would react under these circumstances.There are some really great scenes in this book. All the gibberish language the piggy uses. When Zena, Manny, and Joe all have something to offer Barney.I can't get over the AWSOME IMAGERY. When Zena is trying to sell something to Barney and Joe walks in from the Rain dripping wet from head to toe and knowing full well what they were up to. It's just amazing. AND THE BATTLES, THE BATTLES ARE GREAT! YOUR ARE THERE. And the COOL Names Sleator gives different items talk about an imaginative vocabulary. "Portable Access to the Fifth Dimensional Matrix" There are a couple others I can't remember of hand. After reading the book 12 times I have to wait awhile before gorging myself on it again.And then there is THE GAME. Before it everything else is paled. I could never explain it to you without you having read the book. But suffice it to say I remember being a kid and staying up all night with my best friend making up cards and a board for Intersteller Pig. We never finished it but man did we have fun.Please do not miss this book, young child or old adult it doesn't matter, you will love the things that it does with your imagination.Enjoy

Sleator's best, no doubt about it

William Sleator recently visited my school. So, needless to say, all the kids were forced to read a bunch of his books. Out of the one's I read (Interstellar Pig, House of Stairs, The Boxes, The Spirit House and SIngularity) Interstellar Pig was far and away my favorite. This very well-written and exceptionally creative book was simply a joy to read from start to finish. The subtle descriptions are exquisite and there are several very suprising twists throughout. I felt that at one point toward the end it was just violent and boring but the book definitely picks up again with yet another wonderful plot twist. A often hilarious, interesting, unusual and all around excellent book. This is William Sleator's masterpiece, simple as that.

interstellar pig

I just finished re-reading this book...it was just as good as when I read it at 14. Interstellar Pig is the name of a game; the object of the game: get the Piggie. This book has an amazingly intense and unpredictable plot, with a beautifully climatic ending. It is quite unlike any other young adult fantasy book, and I highly recommend it.