Jonathan Stroud

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . . For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions. Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive. Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .

Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase

after watching the show and then later learning they canceled it, i was devestated... but now i am going through all the books and honestly i already love this...

yes, lockwood and lucy's yearning is already great in the show but already in the first book we have those two idiots falling for each other and i can't wait to listen to the other books!!!! 

truly an amazing read and i loved the way fairfax was even crueler in this... made him even scarier than in the show

but now i can most definitely say that the books are increadible and a must read!!!!

Yetta Pahling

after watching the show and then later learning they canceled it, i was devestated... but now i am going through all the books and honestly i already love this...

yes, lockwood and lucy's yearning is already great in the show but already in the first book we have those two idiots falling for each other and i can't wait to listen to the other books!!!! 

truly an amazing read and i loved the way fairfax was even crueler in this... made him even scarier than in the show

but now i can most definitely say that the books are increadible and a must read!!!!

Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase (Promotionally Priced)

 This still holds up pretty well. It is atmospheric, it draws you in, and the dynamic between the main trio is good.

Cross-posted on Knizhnitsa

I have been putting off reading The Screaming Staircase for more than a year and I could not be more disappointed in myself for doing so. A story aimed for the middle grade age group that still manages to grip your attention even if you’re way past its target group.

The novel kicks off by introducing us to Lockwood and Co. - a small Psychic Investigation Agency that consists of Anthony Lockwood, who runs the agency, George, to whom we get introduced indirectly, and Lucy Carlyle, our main character, POV narrator, and also a very talented psychic. Their job is to destroy dangerous apparitions - result of a nation wide epidemic of ghosts that has suddenly began fifty years prior to the start of our story. However, their latest case goes horribly wrong (a burnt down house and a massive fine) and the charismatic trio has to find a way to survive, and fast. Desperate times call for desperate measures and when a new case (plus a handsome reward) emerges, Lockwood and Co. don’t hesitate to take on the offer. Even if it involves one of England’s most haunted houses.


The Plot

The plot is very thoughtfully structured - it follows the tradition of detective novels, rather than that of ghost stories and it often feels a lot like a Sherlock Holmes short story. It manages to keep the reader involved and engaged all throughout reading even during the several chapters when we get to see Lucy’s backstory and how she came to work with Lockwood and Co.

The novel manages to feel very refreshing despite what feels like a predictable ending - it doesn’t pretend to be more than it actually is which helps to set it apart from the books with massive PR campaigns and over-complicated plots and over-sophisticated writing who never meet the bar they have set for themselves. The Screaming Staircase promises a detective ghost story and that is what it delivers.


The Setting

The atmosphere Stroud manages to create through his writing is probably the novel’s strongest point. It manages to achieve the Britishness of a Victorian novel and envelops the reader in the mist and darkness that a ghost story warrants. It allows to fully immerse oneself into the novel and realistically experience a ghost-plagued London.

The hauntings and the ghost hunt cases Lockwood and Co. undertake are so masterfully written they sent chills down my spine. Stroud manages to strike the golden mean between blatant gore and veiled horror, reveals and describes just enough to put the reader on the edge, but leaves enough space for imagination to do its job. A truly dextrous storytelling.


The Characters

While the characters seemed to be overflowing with tropes common for the genre, they still remained likeable and interesting. The author gives out just enough information about them to make them feel consistent and fleshed out without distracting the reader from the main star of the novel, the plot.

In my recent experience, having a main character as first person POV character is a slippery slope not many authors can successfully walk on. However, our main lady, Lucy, manages to escape the curse of the first person POV’s who either make you feel disorientated in space or keep throwing at you unnecessary information or are just plain annoying. Lucy is actually just a normal kid. She may be psychic and she may seem a bit mature for a 14-year-old, but at the end of the day she uses the same slang other kids her age would and she strikes the balance between too much information and no information at all. That’s what makes her a pleasant and readable first person POV character.

George and Lockwood, too, fall into quite a lot of overused tropes (the grumpy unsociable geek and the rich mysterious heir (a bit of Bruce Wayne, a bit of Sherlock Holmes, really)) but somehow Stroud makes that work in favour of the novel and dynamics of the trio. Each one of the characters seems to fit their role in the agency and does it so naturally and effortlessly.


The Verdict
For all it’s worth, The Screaming Staircase is an entertaining novel, a quick read suitable for rainy autumn days. It grips your attention and doesn’t let go until you’ve read all 400+ pages. It’s sympathetic to its read and reminds us why so many of us have chosen reading as a hobby to begin with - and that is for pleasure.

2023 Re-read: This still holds up pretty well. It is atmospheric, it draws you in, and the dynamic between the main trio is good.

-

Cross-posted on Knizhnitsa

I have been putting off reading The Screaming Staircase for more than a year and I could not be more disappointed in myself for doing so. A story aimed for the middle grade age group that still manages to grip your attention even if you’re way past its target group.

The novel kicks off by introducing us to Lockwood and Co. - a small Psychic Investigation Agency that consists of Anthony Lockwood, who runs the agency, George, to whom we get introduced indirectly, and Lucy Carlyle, our main character, POV narrator, and also a very talented psychic. Their job is to destroy dangerous apparitions - result of a nation wide epidemic of ghosts that has suddenly began fifty years prior to the start of our story. However, their latest case goes horribly wrong (a burnt down house and a massive fine) and the charismatic trio has to find a way to survive, and fast. Desperate times call for desperate measures and when a new case (plus a handsome reward) emerges, Lockwood and Co. don’t hesitate to take on the offer. Even if it involves one of England’s most haunted houses.


The Plot

The plot is very thoughtfully structured - it follows the tradition of detective novels, rather than that of ghost stories and it often feels a lot like a Sherlock Holmes short story. It manages to keep the reader involved and engaged all throughout reading even during the several chapters when we get to see Lucy’s backstory and how she came to work with Lockwood and Co.

The novel manages to feel very refreshing despite what feels like a predictable ending - it doesn’t pretend to be more than it actually is which helps to set it apart from the books with massive PR campaigns and over-complicated plots and over-sophisticated writing who never meet the bar they have set for themselves. The Screaming Staircase promises a detective ghost story and that is what it delivers.


The Setting

The atmosphere Stroud manages to create through his writing is probably the novel’s strongest point. It manages to achieve the Britishness of a Victorian novel and envelops the reader in the mist and darkness that a ghost story warrants. It allows to fully immerse oneself into the novel and realistically experience a ghost-plagued London.

The hauntings and the ghost hunt cases Lockwood and Co. undertake are so masterfully written they sent chills down my spine. Stroud manages to strike the golden mean between blatant gore and veiled horror, reveals and describes just enough to put the reader on the edge, but leaves enough space for imagination to do its job. A truly dextrous storytelling.


The Characters

While the characters seemed to be overflowing with tropes common for the genre, they still remained likeable and interesting. The author gives out just enough information about them to make them feel consistent and fleshed out without distracting the reader from the main star of the novel, the plot.

In my recent experience, having a main character as first person POV character is a slippery slope not many authors can successfully walk on. However, our main lady, Lucy, manages to escape the curse of the first person POV’s who either make you feel disorientated in space or keep throwing at you unnecessary information or are just plain annoying. Lucy is actually just a normal kid. She may be psychic and she may seem a bit mature for a 14-year-old, but at the end of the day she uses the same slang other kids her age would and she strikes the balance between too much information and no information at all. That’s what makes her a pleasant and readable first person POV character.

George and Lockwood, too, fall into quite a lot of overused tropes (the grumpy unsociable geek and the rich mysterious heir (a bit of Bruce Wayne, a bit of Sherlock Holmes, really)) but somehow Stroud makes that work in favour of the novel and dynamics of the trio. Each one of the characters seems to fit their role in the agency and does it so naturally and effortlessly.


The Verdict
For all it’s worth, The Screaming Staircase is an entertaining novel, a quick read suitable for rainy autumn days. It grips your attention and doesn’t let go until you’ve read all 400+ pages. It’s sympathetic to its read and reminds us why so many of us have chosen reading as a hobby to begin with - and that is for pleasure.

Neveen Badr

***Spoilers this way****

Screams of excitement as I REALLY LOVE this book* I don't remember when was the last time I read a book with ghosts in English. I always read my horror in Arabic so I can get to the mood but this one scared me like a baby. I could not sleep with the lights off. Thanks to Mr Stroud we have now an alternative London with all the joy adding ghosts wondering at the night making lives way interesting for ghost hunting agencies and scary for the rest of the world. So as the world struggle with the visitors we meet our wonderful three teenagers agents Anthony Lockwood, George Gubbins and the new edition Lucy Carlyle. I have enjoyed every moment of the story; the chemistry and humour between the three which will make you stay up all night to finish the book wondering what happened to Annie Ward and what/where is the screaming staircase itself. 
In the middle of the story, you would wonder why is all of this happening but by the 100 last pages, you will find a new level of neat horror and your answers. Very well build a believable story. I need part two right now...

Brooklyn Parrish

A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see-and eradicate-these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business. In The Screaming Staircase, the plucky and talented Lucy Carlyle teams up with Anthony Lockwood, the charismatic leader of Lockwood & Co, a small agency that runs independent of any adult supervision. After an assignment leads to both a grisly discovery and a disastrous end, Lucy, Anthony, and their sarcastic colleague, George, are forced to take part in the perilous investigation of Combe Carey Hall, one of the most haunted houses in England. Will Lockwood & Co. survive the Hall's legendary Screaming Staircase and Red Room to see another day? Readers who enjoyed the action, suspense, and humor in Jonathan Stroud's internationally best-selling Bartimaeus books will be delighted to find the same ingredients, combined with deliciously creepy scares, in his thrilling and chilling Lockwood & Co. series. Praise for Screaming Staircase, The "This story will keep you reading late into the night, but you'll want to leave the lights on. Stroud is a genius at inventing an utterly believable world which is very much like ours, but so creepily different. Put The Screaming Staircase on your 'need to read' list!" -Rick Riordan "A pleasure from tip to tail, this is the book you hand the advanced readers that claim they'd rather read Paradise Lost than Harry Potter. Smart as a whip, funny, witty, and honestly frightening at times, Stroud lets loose and gives readers exactly what they want. Ghosts, kids on their own without adult supervision, and loads of delicious cookies." -Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal "Stroud shows his customary flair for blending deadpan humor with thrilling action, and the fiery interplay among the three agents of Lockwood & Co. invigorates the story (along with no shortage of creepy moments)." -Publishers Weekly "Three young ghost trappers take on deadly wraiths and solve an old murder case in the bargain to kick off Stroud's new post-Bartimaeus series. The work is fraught with peril, not only because a ghost's merest touch is generally fatal, but also, as it turns out, none of the three is particularly good at careful planning and preparation. A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls." -Kirkus Reviews "...Stroud writes for a younger audience in book one of the Lockwood & Co. series and delivers some chilling scenes along the way." -Booklist