Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase is the first installment of a new fantasy series for Young Adult readers by Jonathan Stroud who also wrote the Bartimaeus trilogy and prequel.
Ghosts are running loose in London. Some are harmless, unless of course you have a weak heart, but others can maim or kill with just a touch. And they are hungry for human touch! The Problem, as it has come to be known, first became widespread in London about 50 years ago. Since then, it has altered the course of human history.
Professional agencies have arisen to combat the Problem and have developed weapons and techniques to find and remove the unwanted, “Visitors”. The daring field operatives of these agencies are mostly young teenagers due to their natural receptiveness to psychic phenomenon.
Lucy Carlyle, a young psychic investigator, trained in a small town, comes to London and finds a job at Lockwood & Co. The newest and smallest agency in London, Lockwood & Co. is unique because they have no adult supervisors. The company is lead by Anthony Lockwood. Dashing and charismatic, with a mysterious past, Lockwood is daring to the point of recklessness. George Cubbins is Lockwood’s only other employee. Although he’s a good agent in a tight spot, in many ways, George is the perfect counterpoint to his boss. A bit on the chubby side, George prefers extensive research and planning to running headlong into danger. George’s wickedly sarcastic sense of humor is a constant irritant to Lucy. The dynamic interplay between these three great characters yields much of the considerable humor and charm of Lockwood & Co.
Due to a disastrous early case, the fledgling agency is near collapse. Desperate to turn things around, Lockwood takes a suicidally dangerous case from a suspicious client. Of course, this is where things get truly interesting!
Lucy narrates the story, which is set in London, apparently in modern times, but with an alternate history brought about by the Problem. This is a device Mr. Stroud has used brilliantly in the past, helping to instantly create depth and realism to the fantasy world.
At it’s heart, The Screaming Staircase is a murder mystery with a fast paced and interesting plot. Although if I had one criticism it would be that, “who done it”, was easier to guess than I would have liked.
All in all, this is a fantastic story with a perfect balance of humor and frightening suspense. The world Mr. Stroud has created is captivating and unique – not easy to do when working with ghosts. Characters, story, and world all rev the needle on my cool-ometer very high. Not quite into the red, but close enough to make The Screaming Staircase a solid recommendation and me anxious for the sequel.
A note on age category – I’d put this book in the Young Adult category with a few caveats. The main characters are teenagers and much of the humor is dry and ironic, perhaps a bit much for Middle Graders. This being said, there is no overarching, heavy, adult themes here, just good solid entertainment. There are definitely some frightening, don’t-turn-the-lights-off, scenes, but Mr. Stroud does a fantastic job of creating scary suspense without going gory or horrific. So, for the right Middle Graders, those who don’t scare easy, it might be worth a try.
Scott Kirkman Books 