The Duplicate

I would have been a huge Sleator fan when I was a kid. His dark SF is a good introduction to the genre of the 'what if.' But I read Asimov, Bradbury, and Heinlein when I was the age of Sleator's intended audience, so these just seem to juvenile to me. This despite the fact that they are YA, with older teen characters drinking, making out, and committing murder.

This particular one, especially, seemed a little weak. I mean, hasn't anyone who wants to read about this concept already spent time thinking about it him/her self? Sleator didn't come up with anything that I imagine hasn't already gone through the reader's mind. Unless, of course, the reader is indeed a naive juvenile.

So, my point is, if you somehow got to the age of 15 or so show more and haven't explored SF concepts before, or if you're just looking for yet another take on a theme, by all means pick up a Sleator story if it's handy. But if you're already a fan of thoughtful, intelligent SF, don't seek these out. show less

A delightful little horror book about a boy who finds a duplication device washed up on a beach and ends up creating a duplicate of himself. But the duplicate has a mind of his own! Perfect little horror story for beginners in the genre. Definitely recommend 👍

David, 16, finds an amazing machine that can duplicate living things. He duplicates himself, thinking it will make his life easier: he can go to his Grandma's with his family and keep his date with Angela. He quickly discovers that having a duplicate requires a lot of sneaking around and lying, behavior that really doesn't fit his personality. Then he comes to realize that the Duplicate is not exactly the same as he is... and the troubles mount to a deadly struggle for survival.

The trouble with this book is that David seems a lot younger than 16, so I would recommend it to boys around 12 or 13. The suspense is weak in the middle, but picks up at the end.

William Sleator's books really entertain me and makes want to read on and on. The duplicate was a really good book and i really liked it. The book has a really good plot twist and the book was just full of surprises. Sleator has a really wide imaginations and his books would just be consist of things that i wouldnt even thought of. The duplicate just really made me want to keep on reading it continuously.

I enjoyed this one. It was way better then The Last Universe. It keeps your intrest and you never really know whats going to happen next.

Sleator takes scientific principals and mixes them into enjoyable reads. He never fails to deliver.

Ah, The Duplicate. I know I read this at least once for school and at least once on my own, but for some reason whenever I think of it, I just picture Calvin & Hobbes and Calvin's duplication "machine."