Jonathan Stroud

Following on from The Hollow Boy, Lucy has spent the winter working as an independent contractor and living in a flat with only the talking skull-in-a-jar for company.

I was succeeding on my own.
And did I mind being on my own? Not really. For the most part I got on fine.
I kept busy. No one could say that I didn’t get out much, or didn’t meet all corners of the community; it was just a pity that most of them were dead.

I was keen to see how Lucy was going to be inevitably drawn back show more into the orbit of Lockwood (& Co.), so that made me motivated to find out what happened next, but the mystery and tension of each of the cases Lucy works on also kept my interest.

This book is made up of episodes, incidents which at first seem to be only tenuously connected at the most: there’s a case Lucy works on with a team from a different agency, and then there’s a Lockwood & Co. case that her assistance is requested for, and then there’s what happens after her flat is burgled, and so on. But these things all wind up connecting together like pieces of one puzzle, which was very satisfying. This book also sheds some light on a longstanding mystery, unexpectedly so. That was an exciting development!

“Do you have to be so rude?” I hissed when we were alone. “You’re drawing attention to us.”
“Oh, relic-men are famously obnoxious. It’ll make us fit right in.”
“Yeah. Our broken corpses will fit in nicely too.”

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This final book in the Lockwood & Co. sequence picks up almost straight after the dramatic revelation that ended The Creeping Shadow, and as can be expected from a series finale the reader is propelled on a turbulent journey that very much feels like a showdown between the different factions almost from the start. Apart from creating credible thrilling and terrifying set-ups that see our favourite psychic investigation agents battle ghosts, Jonathan Stroud's skill lies in the fact that he show more makes us care so very much about his characters, and I refer here to those living and one certain very dead one; I felt I was put through an emotional mill and am still adjusting back to reality. I truly hope that he won't have cast aside the characters of Lockwood & Co. and for good and will give them an occasional outing in short stories. Thank you for the ride, Mr Stroud! show less

I feel really torn about this book. On the one hand, it's a brilliant contemporary Icelandic saga -- one that uses all the traditional tropes (even the old nurses' warnings!), that sets up the Hero's journey in just the same way, that contrasts the present-day action with traditional stories as a foil -- it's incredibly well done, and a feat of storytelling. Also, the audio book reader is tremendous.

On the other hand, partly because it's a historical form, the pacing is terrible. Frankly, show more it's boring. Deeply, deeply boring. And way, way, way too long. I'm leaving off at the end of part 4? or 5? out of 11, and the idea of spending the requisite 6-7 hours more to finish it fills me with anxiety. If I was passing the evening in a dark and smoky hall and this was the entertainment over a week or two, I would be riveted and the pacing would be perfect. Alas for the terrible influence of modern life. show less

If you haven't yet read my gushing review of the first book in this series, let me sum up my feelings for you. Lockwood & Co. is brilliantly written fiction, with witty banter and a rich atmospheric setting. Is it any wonder that I was thrilled to be offered the second book in this series for review? I couldn't wait to join up once again with Lockwood, Lucy and George. To ramble about the ghost filled England they reside in, and solve dangerous mysteries with them. I adore these characters, show more and Jonathan Stroud for writing them.

After their last case was solved successfully, things have definitely improved for Lockwood & Co. They may not be the highest paid agents, or the most well-dressed, but they more than make up for that with their ability to solve the toughest cases. I smiled at the fact that nothing had changed about about these three. Lockwood was still as debonair as ever, George just as lovably gruff, and Lucy maintained her ability to outwit any person who dared cross her. I loved the fact that these three characters were like a little family. Three pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly. Their lightning quick banter, their little scuffles, all of it just made them that more lovable. I couldn't wait to see what spectral enemy they took on this time.

I wasn't disappointed! I learned in the first book that Stroud is not afraid of sharing shiver-inducing details. He writes in a way that wraps the reader up in a web of words. You'll be following the case right along with the characters, and suddenly realize that your nose has gotten quite close to the page as you devour the words leading up to the climax. Everything about this case was deliciously eerie. Rotting skeletons, a mysterious mirror, gruesome deaths, it all added up to an amazing story that was impossible to put down. Once you added in the fact that our fearless characters find themselves in very real danger, more than once? Well, you can see why I finished this so quickly.

This series is spectacular so far! I gave the first book five stars, and I have absolutely no problem with giving this one the same stellar rating. There is nothing I don't love about these books. Much love to Jonathan Stroud. You've taken your rightful place on my shelf of favorite authors. show less