Marco's Millions

Marco's Millions #1

by William Sleator

When Marco's fragile little sister, Lilly, tells him about the strange lights in the basement, he thinks she's imagining things. But Marco is curious...

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Time Travel, Fantasy, Childrens, Read For School

161 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2001

About the author

William Warner Sleator III was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland on February 13, 1945, and moved to St. Louis, MO when he was three. He graduated from University City High School in 1963, from Harvard in 1967 with BAs in music and English.

For more than thirty years, William Sleator thrilled readers with his inventive books. His House of Stairs was named one of the best novels of the twentieth century by the Young Adult Library Services Association.

William Sleator died in early August 2011 at his home in Thailand.

Reviews

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was... Eight, Nine...? Ten? I can't remember for the life of me. I've read it at least a million times during those years. It still stays in my memory as one of the best books I've read in my childhood. Even after those five years since I've last read it, I'm still extremely fond of Marco's Millions.

I was absolutely depressed when I lost it. I spent WEEKS, burrowing through boxes, looking through shelves, looking under beds... but with no luck. It stuck in my mind all through my years in Middle School and High School, before I finally got myself to check it out of the library, just for old time's sake. It was as amazing as the first time I read it, and it really brought me back.

It's a shame that not a lot of people know about this book, though. Maybe it's the semi-bizarre title, or the fact that it's for 'young readers'. I don't know... I myself, got it as a second-hand, from a cousin of mine. It was thin, and in rather poor condition when I got it, and it stuck out like a sore thumb in my stack of new and shiny books.
I suggest you giving this book a shot, even IF it's for 'younger' readers, it's quite a brilliant book. I'm quite sure an adult can still thoroughly enjoy this great Science Fiction book as much as I did, years and years ago.

[Benn Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my favorite novels is William Sleator's "House of Stairs". I've read it like three times over the years. But it never occurred to me to look up any other books by Sleator. Mostly because I thought "Stairs" was a fluke, that is, Sleator rarely wrote science fiction and HoS was the only one he ever worked in that genre. While at a local thrift store, I happened to see a copy of this book, "Marco's Millions" and after reading the blurb on the back of the book, seeing it was yet another sf novel (apparently, Sleator was a science fiction writer. Something I never knew.), I decided to try it out.

I gotta say it's not as good as "House of Stairs". The first half of it, anyway. In the second half, it picks up and improves greatly.

In "Marco's Millions", Marco and his sister, Ruth, discovers a doorway to another world in the basement of their house. Marco travels in it to discover a race of insect-like beings who worship a naked singularity and perform various rituals to appease the singularity, known also as "the Lord" and "the Unknowable". The Unknowable is threatening to erupt and destroys life not only life on the insects' universe, but possibly Marco's as well. They require Marco's psychic sister, Lilly, to act as a medium, or go-between, to set things right. Because she is shy and timid, Lilly is afraid to go to the insect's universe to help. Instead, it is Marco who makes the journey to fulfill the quest.

As I said, the first part of the book drags a bit . It is only when Marco finally goes to the other universe to actively begin the quest, that the novel takes off. The second half of the book more than makes up for the dullness of the first half for me.

"Marco's Millions" does reference "House of Stairs". One of the alternate universes Marco sees when he is near the Unknowable, is a world of nothing but stairs. Also like "Stairs", rituals must be enacted in order to appease an authority figure and the world the teenagers in "Stairs" come from is an impoverished dystopia, while Marco's family is extremely poor.

Incidentally, the concept of a hidden doorway leading to an alternate world reminded me a little of the Harry Potter series (how you get to Hogswart), but mostly it felt like Neil Gaiman's trope. How many of Gaiman's novels are based on the idea of a secret passage to another world? ("Neverwhere", "Coraline".)

But while "Marco's Millions" won't replace "House of Stairs" as a favorite, it does make me curious to read more of William Sleator's novels, particularly "Boxes", the book "Marco's Millions" is the prequel to.

[Douglas Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one of Sleator's interesting and somewhat compelling story lines.

Its the story of Marco, a 12-year old boy and his two sisters, one older and one younger. Marco and his older sister discover that in the basement of their house, is a portal to another dimension and world where time travels much slower and is filled with strange and intersting creatures.

What I didn't like about this book, is the twist ending. While the main character triumphs in his task in the other dimension, that victory comes at an extremely high price and the ending is very, very sad. Not every book, but many of Sleator's books have a twist ending to them, and the ending to this book, is perhaps the saddest of all of Sleator's books.

[techno · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good all the action of the tunnel and the bright lights.It is a little sad about the cost of the doctor bill.The disaperance of the mothers sister.That is realy shocking about the incident that took place when the mother's sister came up missing.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, so it wasn't that good. I don't like the ending, and practically the plot. I don't really think its that good. I don't recommend you read it.

[Zachary Elson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcos's Millions is a great book about a brother and sister who have a inter-dimensional portal in their basement which leads to a world filled with bug like creatures who have been expecting him. And the only way he was able to pass through the tunnel was with a touch or hair strand of his sister Lilly who is able to see this world in her dreams and talk to the creatures to bypass a wall blocking the portal to the other world. In the other world time is normal but on earth it is really speed up. So Marcos is faced with many challenges on this world from trying to fix and repair a singularity that too is going to destroy the creatures and his world to try and be back at home and not go missing for a long time which ends up not going soo well when he goes missing in the other world of over 20 years where his parents and sister Lilly die in a car crash. Overall I would rate this book a 4/5 because it has a great plot with a good objective for Marcos to complete and overcome. Part of the reason I also said it was a 4 is because it was ended on a great cliffhanger. And I would recommend this book to readers of science fiction.

[Harley Combest · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book so long ago in my life.

I can't remember when exactly I read it.

But I remember the impact it had on my life as a small child or maybe early tween.

I remember my cousin and I went to an auction way back when and among the objects that I won, a paperback copy of this book was there.

I read it so fast because it was so meaningful and really taught me the value of time.

And time, not just in the abstract sense, but time in the concrete sense: those moments we have with the ones we love, how those moments on earth are ever so finite, how time is a currency that we spend on experience.

[IL · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brother is my best friend and this book destroyed me when I read this in elementary school. I made him read it too of course, and we’re now in our 30s and still can’t bring it up without being retraumatized lol!! I haven’t been able to bring myself to reread it again yet because it was so emotionally devastating but it’s a beautiful beautiful story… I can still see the scenes in my head of that other world and the charming others.

I will read everything William Sleator. All his stories leave me feeling dissociative in a weird good way!

[Sarah N · Rating 2 out of 5]

The reading level of this book is not appropriate for the thematic elements it includes, in my opinion. The writing itself is very simplistic but the content is an intense mixture of science, religion and fantasy with themes such as death, loss, and some complex time traveling concepts. It would be better if it were better written to be aimed at middle school or high school students instead of at an elementary grade level.

[Cheryl Harrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my 4th William Sleator novel and my least favorite. It is absolutely worth reading and is (as all of his books) beautifully written.

I can't give MARCO'S MILLIONS 5 stars, since I'm not sure I would read it again.


William Sleator's novel SINGULARITY is one of the best science fiction books ever written (IMHO).

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in 6th grade I read "The Green Futures of Tycho" by Sleator and the recently re-read it. I read this title to explore more of W. Sleator as an author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I have "The Boxes" on its way here through Inter-Library Loan.

[Laura Otermat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has nostalgia, I guess. The plot drags and the ending is awful. It gives a bit of a background on how singularities work which would have been compelling to little me.. I remember loving this as a kid, maybe it was just in comparison to other books I'd stumble upon.

[Jaxie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 5th grade and remember it being sick as fuck. Alternate dimension, time moving at different speeds, the weird alien bug creatures, black holes. Like now I kinda wanna check it back out !

[Mike'ala Gannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly can't believe this is grade school/middle school material, I enjoyed it just as much as an adult! It was fantastic, the depth to which it reaches was nostalgic for me, reminding me of my own first experiences in reading as a child.

[Payton Bellings · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay book. It was interesting in the beginning, but then it got boring. I would not recommend it to anybody.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome in every way

[Molly O'Meara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending physically hurt me. Cried for days. 5 stars

[Vaspira Moore Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a fun journey with consequences. It has lovely writing, and the characters are mostly well developed. It was fun, emotional, and certainly a very different read.

[Fletcher Galeano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a teenager, and it still reverberates in my mind years later. The world created on its pages is exciting and memorable.

[The Alien Observer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book when I was 8? 10? It has stayed in my memory all these years until I found it and read it again! Truly a masterpiece!

[Yelizar · Rating 3 out of 5]

could have been a better title

[Kelsey Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book with the expectation of hating it once I was done. I was pleasantly surprised. I bought this book at a used bookstore as part of a bundle of science fiction books. I misread the label on the bundle, and somehow managed to think that "young readers" meant "young adult". I desperately needed something to read at the gym while biking for forty five agonizing minutes, and I was a little disappointing when I realized that the book wasn't quite on my reading level.
I ended up loving it. I sorely wish that it was longer, and that I had read it when I was younger. This is an awesome book for kids who enjoy science fiction, and especially portals to other worlds. Portals to other worlds are awesome. I loved the characters, although I thought Ruth was painfully flat. The book had clear and simple language; it built up to and worked through the scientific explanations masterfully. Again, I wish I'd read it when I was younger.
To summarize: this is a great science fiction book for kids. If I had kids, I'd have them read it. :-)

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another book from off my classroom library shelf. I chose it because we'd read a fascinating short story by the author in our reading anthology, and I was hoping for an equally interesting read. Marco's younger sister Lilly claims she can see a strange tunnel in the basement of their home. Marco and she are very close, so he decides to investigate. He discovers a passage into another world, where a Singularity appears to have control. The inhabitants of this mysterious world need a human "medium" to save their world, so Marco volunteers for the task. The task is much more difficult than either he or his sister imagine, and it takes both of them to figure out how to accomplish it. But the cost is high. I really didn't care much for the book. It's dark, it's scary, and I thought it was super depressing. I'm not surprised that it hasn't been checked out much!

[Jessi Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time when I was ten, and it was so amazing - I handed it to a friend seven years later, and one of the first things we say to each other now is," Have you eaten yet?"

I love the relationship between Marco and Lily, especially/ As a child who liked to curl up in blanket forts and pretend I was hiding in The Wardrobe, waiting to go to Narnia, I loved the passageway to the other dimension or world, whatever it was.

Some people don't seem to understand that this is a prequel, not the first in a series. The Boxes was written and released first. Although, I read it when I didn't even know that The Boxes existed and loved it; when I finally discovered The Boxes and read it, I was unimpressed. Compared to Marco's Million's, it was lacking.

[Kate Shanks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy William Sleator books for the simple fact that his ideas are so original for the sci-fi and horror genres. "Marco's Millions" is not my favorite Sleator book, but I was also reading it while passing a kidney stone so my opinion and mood was painfully impacted. The premise is a boy named Marco loves to explore and is constantly traveling on subways and busses to see different parts of his city. When his younger sister, Lilly shows him a mysterious portal in their cellar, he is eager to try it out. Unfortunately, their aunt explored this same portal and never returned. Will the same fate await Marco? The first half of the book was extremely interesting, but the second half dragged a little. "The Boxes" is the sequel to this book.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book ages ago, and all I can think is the mark that it has left on me. I loved the adventure Marco embarked upon, and how he finally got his lifetime wish of being able to travel multiple universes. The most amazing, but troubling thing is the way that as Marco gets deeper into his adventure, the horrible price of separation and alienation becomes ever more clear. What's so beautiful is the way their love for each other spans across the void. The ending had me in tears, and still does to this day.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lilly sees things and knows things before they happen. She tells her brother Marco that she sees strange lights in the basement. Marco discovers the lights lead to another dimension filled with strange creatures who want Lilly's help to save their universe and ours as well. Marco agrees to aid them in Lilly's place. Will he succeed? What will this help cost Marcos and his family?

[Dexter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love time travel. And I love William Sleator. And I love Marco. So, naturally, I love this book.

Slow beginning, but once you get into it it's impossible to put down. I had to force myself to slow down near the end so I wouldn't miss anything important.

Full review: http://persyandarty.blogspot.com/2012...

[Diana Welsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is some of Sleator's best work. I really loved the imagery of Marco approaching the singularity and time slowing down and gravity getting stronger, and how he was able to see the days flash by in the town in the distance. Really unforgettable.

Like any William Sleator book, the characterization is nothing to write home about, but the sci-fi concepts were stellar.

[The Ultimate Book Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is amazing! The character makes smart decisions in the story and this story has a lot of action! It is very cool how time alters in this book, including going in and out of dimensions. Very good read for kids that love science fiction and want to get out of this world in reading! Very addicting and fun book! Perfect!