Scan barcode
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I picked up this one because I enjoyed the Netflix TV series. It's fairly faithful to the book, except where Netflix has increased the diversity of characters by making those with inexplicit ethnicity into PoC.. bravo, Netflix! It seems that the character of George has also been updated for the screen but I'm not sour about it.
In a dark future, the UK has a Problem. Curfews are in force to keep the populace safe from terrifying ghosts, some of which (whom?) have the ability to maim or kill. To make matters worse, those who are the first line of defense against these apparitions and horrors, are those who are psychically sensitive, and like lactose tolerance, that is mostly children and they grow out of it as they age. (This trope is similar to things like "Locke and Key" and even the "Narnia" books, where children age-out of magic.) Protective iron, silver and salt are booming in popularity along with warding herbs like lavender. Our main characters are trained Operatives. These ghost busters with rapiers are tasked with risking their lives to find and contain or dispel nasty hauntings. Tea and gingerale abound.
My favourable review is possibly because I'm already familiar with the story. Had I read the book first I might not have been so enamoured. As a murder mystery there are hints willy-nilly but that goes with the whole youth fiction vibe. There are a couple of twists, but nothing difficult to follow. As this was almost like a re-read for me I appreciate how the author had a light touch for misdirection. It was fairly artfully done. There is definite tease for what we might want to learn about the characters in later adventures.
A note on the audiobook narration; OH, good job! I was almost taken aback by the narrator's capability with pronouncing words that I typically hear butchered by other readers. Things like "dully" and "frisson" come to mind immediately, but there were many more (was "awry" in there? I can't remember). I don't know if that makes me a word-nerd or a snob.. possibly both. I'm a bit rueful about that.
I think the characters are interesting. The pretty, foppish lad with a mysterious past, who has inherited his family home, along with a collection of supernatural artefacts, dazzles people with his haughty airs and winning grin. I would find him insufferable, but he almost wins me over with his caring vulnerable moments. I remember having a companion like this when I was about 19. The sidekick (who really isn't) is a quirky, bookish lad with a critical eye, and poor manners.. but a heart of gold? I dunno, his honesty and earnest interest in the world always win me over, and he's a dab hand in the kitchen. The main character is (again, like Narnia) called Lucy. She's a neglected runaway with rare psychical gifts and is humble, plain, and has no clue about girly things. This is basically an Autistic geek girl fantasy piece. Yes, I'm biased.
The horrible things are bloody and sometimes gross. There are spiders. I could see this being a fun book for tweens and teens who like dark stuff and don't care about murder, blood, ghosts, spiders, and clandestine cults doing human sacrifices.
In a dark future, the UK has a Problem. Curfews are in force to keep the populace safe from terrifying ghosts, some of which (whom?) have the ability to maim or kill. To make matters worse, those who are the first line of defense against these apparitions and horrors, are those who are psychically sensitive, and like lactose tolerance, that is mostly children and they grow out of it as they age. (This trope is similar to things like "Locke and Key" and even the "Narnia" books, where children age-out of magic.) Protective iron, silver and salt are booming in popularity along with warding herbs like lavender. Our main characters are trained Operatives. These ghost busters with rapiers are tasked with risking their lives to find and contain or dispel nasty hauntings. Tea and gingerale abound.
My favourable review is possibly because I'm already familiar with the story. Had I read the book first I might not have been so enamoured. As a murder mystery there are hints willy-nilly but that goes with the whole youth fiction vibe. There are a couple of twists, but nothing difficult to follow. As this was almost like a re-read for me I appreciate how the author had a light touch for misdirection. It was fairly artfully done. There is definite tease for what we might want to learn about the characters in later adventures.
A note on the audiobook narration; OH, good job! I was almost taken aback by the narrator's capability with pronouncing words that I typically hear butchered by other readers. Things like "dully" and "frisson" come to mind immediately, but there were many more (was "awry" in there? I can't remember). I don't know if that makes me a word-nerd or a snob.. possibly both. I'm a bit rueful about that.
I think the characters are interesting. The pretty, foppish lad with a mysterious past, who has inherited his family home, along with a collection of supernatural artefacts, dazzles people with his haughty airs and winning grin. I would find him insufferable, but he almost wins me over with his caring vulnerable moments. I remember having a companion like this when I was about 19. The sidekick (who really isn't) is a quirky, bookish lad with a critical eye, and poor manners.. but a heart of gold? I dunno, his honesty and earnest interest in the world always win me over, and he's a dab hand in the kitchen. The main character is (again, like Narnia) called Lucy. She's a neglected runaway with rare psychical gifts and is humble, plain, and has no clue about girly things. This is basically an Autistic geek girl fantasy piece. Yes, I'm biased.
The horrible things are bloody and sometimes gross. There are spiders. I could see this being a fun book for tweens and teens who like dark stuff and don't care about murder, blood, ghosts, spiders, and clandestine cults doing human sacrifices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Gaslighting
growintogardens's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
I've had this on my list for a while, but I ended up watching the show before getting around to the book. Maybe not the best idea because I enjoyed the show more. I'm looking forward to the next book though, and to seeing how the characters develop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
renpuspita's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Gue masih inget dulu pas hype Lockwood masih ada (circa 2014-2015an, saat terjemahan The Screaming Staircase terbit), banyak yang bilang ngeri banget banyak hantunya. Gue sebagai orang yang parno terhadap hantu, tetap beli bukunya tapi ya begitulah. Ditimbun karena apparently I'm too chicken out to read this. Tapi gegara versi Netflixnya barusan rilis dan gue masih berprinsip kalau baca bukunya dulu baru nonton, maka gue putuskan untuk binge reading saja series Lockwood & Co, mumpung semua bukunya sudah terbit dan diterjemahkan.
Ternyata yha tidak horor-horot amat. Mungkin karena buku ini untuk anak-anak & remaja jadi tone horrornya diturunkan alias ya ga seram2 banget tapi merindingnya masih dapet. Atau mungkin karena gue bacanya pas siang dan kalau pas malem, lampunya dinyalakan 😂. Plus ada suami di rumah, jadi gue ga merasa sendirian. Kalau sendirian, bisa jadi gue akan overthinking mikirin yang aneh - aneh.
Gue sendiri udah sangat lama baca karya Jonathan Stroud yang lain, Bartimaeus Trilogy. Jadi jujur gue ga akan terlalu membandingkan Lockwood & Co. dengan Bartimaeus. Yang ingin gue garis bawahi adalah trope yang sering dipakai di novel - novel middle grade dengan genre serupa. Karakter utama yang berupa trio, dan pakemnya hampir sama. Dua cowok, satu cewek, meskipun untuk series ini, Lockwood lebih ke arah misterius nan kharismatik alih2 the chosen ones kayak Harry Potter atau Percy Jackson. Sisanya? Ya mirip2. Lucy yang bikin gue teringat ke Hermione, cerdas, jelas - jelas seorang agent yang mumpuni dengan dua Bakat sekaligus (Daya Sentuh dan Daya Dengar) tapi menganggap dirinya jelek, ga fashionable dan hobby komentar body-shaming terutama ke George. George sendiri agak2 comic relief walau lebih ke tipe sarkastik dan nerd abis. Walau begitu, gue tetap suka sama karakterisasi tiga tokoh utama yang berbeda - beda. Ceritanya sendiri dari sudut pandang Lucy seluruhnya, jadi pembaca akan dapat gambaran yang cukup bias karena kelihatan banget kalau Lucy tidak akur dengan George dan mengagumi Lockwood yang kadang suka gegabah tapi juga karismatik plus pintar mengambil hati orang. Apakah Lockwood seorang leader yang baik? Dari sudut pandang gue ya ga juga, kadang malah lebih kelihatan kayak bos ketimbang leader, walau gue memaafkan ketika Lucy atau Lockwood terasa gegabah dalam mengambil keputusan tanpa menunggu hasil riset George, karena ya..kan mereka masih anak - anak.
Seperti halnya Barti, di dunia Lockwood and Co. pun, Stroud membuat sebuah dunia, atau tepatnya kepulauan British Raya yang terkena wabah hantu selama 50 tahun selamanya. Tidak ada yang tahu kenapa wabah hantu ini merebak. Dari premis sederhana tentang wabah hantu inilah, Stroud mengembangkan ceritanya, dimana akhirnya ada peraturan - peraturan baru seperti jam malam, lalu ada teknologi - teknologi untuk menghalau hantu seperti ada lampu penghalang hantu, kanal air (karena hantu benci air mengalir), besi dan garam. Disini gue melihat Stroud mengambil dari beberapa mitologi yang ada seperti hantu yang tidak tahan dengan perak, besi dan garam, serta bau bunga lavendel. Selain itu, manusia pun akhirnya mengembangkan cara untuk melawan hantu, jadi mereka tidak pasrah saja dihantui. Bermunculannya banyak agensi penangkal hantu, dimana seperti ciri khas novel - novel yang ada, tentunya Lockwood and Co. ini salah satu dari agensi yang mandiri dan kecil serta banyak dimusuhi oleh agensi yang lebih besar dan DEPRAC (aka departement yang mengurusi perhantuan) because we all love underdog characters and situation. Right?
Ceritanya sendiri menurut gue sangat seru dan mengasyikkan, walau di sisi lain ya..cukup bikin merinding, lel. Alur cerita berjalan maju lurus tanpa hambatan kayak jalan tol, walau di bagian 2, kita sempat disuguhkan flashback sedikit tentang masa lalu Lucy dan awal mula Lucy bergabung dengan Lockwood dan George. Plotnya sendiri lebih ke arah menyelidiki cold case, dimana Lucy dkk menyelidiki siapa pembunuh Annabel Ward yang dibunuh 50 tahun lalu dan hantunya menyatroni rumah yang diselidiki Lucy dkk di awal cerita. Saat penyelidikan, Lockwood mendapat tawaran untuk mengusir hantu di Combe Carey Hall yang SANGAT berhantu. Gegara kekacauan di kasus pertama sampai harus berutang 60k poundsterling, Lockwood dengan antusias menyambutnya. Padahal, legenda di Combe Carey Hall ini cukup merinding. Ada Kamar Merah tempat seorang duke suka menyiksa lawan politiknya dan juga ada Undakan Menjerit, yang jadi judul buku ini.
Bagi gue, kasusnya sendiri cukup simpel dan sebenarnya sudah bisa dipecahkan di pertengahan cerita, walau sudah diberi red herring sekalipun. Tapi ya gue tetep suka sama eksekusinya. Pun karakter - karakter lain juga cukup menarik dan sangat typecast, hahaha. Seperti Inspektur Barnes yang tipikal orang dewasa dan tidak percaya dengan Lockwood dkk yang dianggap cuma bisa mengacau. Lalu ada Quill Kipps dari agensi Fittes, salah satu agensi terbesar, yang ternyata kenal Lockwood di masa lalu. Mungkin yang agak bikin kesel adalah Lucy dan Lockwood yang terkesan terburu - buru. Terutama Lockwood yang sering mengalami mood swing, atau mungkin wajar untuk remaja seusianya? Ditambah Lucy yang suka ambil keputusan sendiri, tanpa memberitahu rekan kerjanya. Gue awalnya agak mikir, kenapa anggota agensi kebanyakan anak - anak remaja yang juga harus mempertaruhkan nyawa dalam menghadapi hantu, karena hantu di dunia Lockwood ini cukup berbahaya juga. Sekalinya manusia terkena sentuhan hantu, jika tidak ditangani dengan segera, akan meregang nyawa. Stroud menjabarkan sedikit demi sedikit, kenapa para anak - anak yang menjadi agen dan orang dewasa hanya berlaku sebagai penyelia mereka saja.
Sebuah awal yang menjanjikan dan ga butuh waktu lama buat gue untuk langsung baca kelanjutannya yaitu The Whispering Skull. Terjemahan Mbak Poppy enak dibaca walau typonya masih ada beberapa. Di bagian akhir buku ada glossarium yang tetap mempertahankan istilah aslinya dan diikuti dengan terjemahannya. Weird choice, tapi ya sudahlah. Yang jelas, ceritanya seru dan banyak misteri yang belum terpecahkan seperti awal mula wabah hantu dan juga apa yang disembunyikan Lockwood dari Lucy dan George.
Ternyata yha tidak horor-horot amat. Mungkin karena buku ini untuk anak-anak & remaja jadi tone horrornya diturunkan alias ya ga seram2 banget tapi merindingnya masih dapet. Atau mungkin karena gue bacanya pas siang dan kalau pas malem, lampunya dinyalakan 😂. Plus ada suami di rumah, jadi gue ga merasa sendirian. Kalau sendirian, bisa jadi gue akan overthinking mikirin yang aneh - aneh.
Gue sendiri udah sangat lama baca karya Jonathan Stroud yang lain, Bartimaeus Trilogy. Jadi jujur gue ga akan terlalu membandingkan Lockwood & Co. dengan Bartimaeus. Yang ingin gue garis bawahi adalah trope yang sering dipakai di novel - novel middle grade dengan genre serupa. Karakter utama yang berupa trio, dan pakemnya hampir sama. Dua cowok, satu cewek, meskipun untuk series ini, Lockwood lebih ke arah misterius nan kharismatik alih2 the chosen ones kayak Harry Potter atau Percy Jackson. Sisanya? Ya mirip2. Lucy yang bikin gue teringat ke Hermione, cerdas, jelas - jelas seorang agent yang mumpuni dengan dua Bakat sekaligus (Daya Sentuh dan Daya Dengar) tapi menganggap dirinya jelek, ga fashionable dan hobby komentar body-shaming terutama ke George. George sendiri agak2 comic relief walau lebih ke tipe sarkastik dan nerd abis. Walau begitu, gue tetap suka sama karakterisasi tiga tokoh utama yang berbeda - beda. Ceritanya sendiri dari sudut pandang Lucy seluruhnya, jadi pembaca akan dapat gambaran yang cukup bias karena kelihatan banget kalau Lucy tidak akur dengan George dan mengagumi Lockwood yang kadang suka gegabah tapi juga karismatik plus pintar mengambil hati orang. Apakah Lockwood seorang leader yang baik? Dari sudut pandang gue ya ga juga, kadang malah lebih kelihatan kayak bos ketimbang leader, walau gue memaafkan ketika Lucy atau Lockwood terasa gegabah dalam mengambil keputusan tanpa menunggu hasil riset George, karena ya..kan mereka masih anak - anak.
Seperti halnya Barti, di dunia Lockwood and Co. pun, Stroud membuat sebuah dunia, atau tepatnya kepulauan British Raya yang terkena wabah hantu selama 50 tahun selamanya. Tidak ada yang tahu kenapa wabah hantu ini merebak. Dari premis sederhana tentang wabah hantu inilah, Stroud mengembangkan ceritanya, dimana akhirnya ada peraturan - peraturan baru seperti jam malam, lalu ada teknologi - teknologi untuk menghalau hantu seperti ada lampu penghalang hantu, kanal air (karena hantu benci air mengalir), besi dan garam. Disini gue melihat Stroud mengambil dari beberapa mitologi yang ada seperti hantu yang tidak tahan dengan perak, besi dan garam, serta bau bunga lavendel. Selain itu, manusia pun akhirnya mengembangkan cara untuk melawan hantu, jadi mereka tidak pasrah saja dihantui. Bermunculannya banyak agensi penangkal hantu, dimana seperti ciri khas novel - novel yang ada, tentunya Lockwood and Co. ini salah satu dari agensi yang mandiri dan kecil serta banyak dimusuhi oleh agensi yang lebih besar dan DEPRAC (aka departement yang mengurusi perhantuan) because we all love underdog characters and situation. Right?
Ceritanya sendiri menurut gue sangat seru dan mengasyikkan, walau di sisi lain ya..cukup bikin merinding, lel. Alur cerita berjalan maju lurus tanpa hambatan kayak jalan tol, walau di bagian 2, kita sempat disuguhkan flashback sedikit tentang masa lalu Lucy dan awal mula Lucy bergabung dengan Lockwood dan George. Plotnya sendiri lebih ke arah menyelidiki cold case, dimana Lucy dkk menyelidiki siapa pembunuh Annabel Ward yang dibunuh 50 tahun lalu dan hantunya menyatroni rumah yang diselidiki Lucy dkk di awal cerita. Saat penyelidikan, Lockwood mendapat tawaran untuk mengusir hantu di Combe Carey Hall yang SANGAT berhantu. Gegara kekacauan di kasus pertama sampai harus berutang 60k poundsterling, Lockwood dengan antusias menyambutnya. Padahal, legenda di Combe Carey Hall ini cukup merinding. Ada Kamar Merah tempat seorang duke suka menyiksa lawan politiknya dan juga ada Undakan Menjerit, yang jadi judul buku ini.
Bagi gue, kasusnya sendiri cukup simpel dan sebenarnya sudah bisa dipecahkan di pertengahan cerita, walau sudah diberi red herring sekalipun. Tapi ya gue tetep suka sama eksekusinya. Pun karakter - karakter lain juga cukup menarik dan sangat typecast, hahaha. Seperti Inspektur Barnes yang tipikal orang dewasa dan tidak percaya dengan Lockwood dkk yang dianggap cuma bisa mengacau. Lalu ada Quill Kipps dari agensi Fittes, salah satu agensi terbesar, yang ternyata kenal Lockwood di masa lalu. Mungkin yang agak bikin kesel adalah Lucy dan Lockwood yang terkesan terburu - buru. Terutama Lockwood yang sering mengalami mood swing, atau mungkin wajar untuk remaja seusianya? Ditambah Lucy yang suka ambil keputusan sendiri, tanpa memberitahu rekan kerjanya. Gue awalnya agak mikir, kenapa anggota agensi kebanyakan anak - anak remaja yang juga harus mempertaruhkan nyawa dalam menghadapi hantu, karena hantu di dunia Lockwood ini cukup berbahaya juga. Sekalinya manusia terkena sentuhan hantu, jika tidak ditangani dengan segera, akan meregang nyawa. Stroud menjabarkan sedikit demi sedikit, kenapa para anak - anak yang menjadi agen dan orang dewasa hanya berlaku sebagai penyelia mereka saja.
Sebuah awal yang menjanjikan dan ga butuh waktu lama buat gue untuk langsung baca kelanjutannya yaitu The Whispering Skull. Terjemahan Mbak Poppy enak dibaca walau typonya masih ada beberapa. Di bagian akhir buku ada glossarium yang tetap mempertahankan istilah aslinya dan diikuti dengan terjemahannya. Weird choice, tapi ya sudahlah. Yang jelas, ceritanya seru dan banyak misteri yang belum terpecahkan seperti awal mula wabah hantu dan juga apa yang disembunyikan Lockwood dari Lucy dan George.
"Berhentilah mencemaskan masa lalu! Masa lalu hanya untuk hantu. Kita semua pernah melakukan hal-hal yang kita sesali. Namun masa depanlah yang terpenting"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Blood
librarymouse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The Screaming Staircase is a really good read. It's an interesting concept to have these children be vital tools to defend the world. Their interactions with adults are really interesting because while they are still children, they're a lot more hardened than actual children would be. They're serious, prepared, and skilled, but instead of closing out a day's work with a drink after being almost murdered, they have a party with fancy doughnuts and soda. It gave the story an almost wholesome tone despite the gore throughout the rest of the book. Lucy constantly poking fun at George's weight and George constantly making boarder line misogynist comments about Lucy's psychic sensitivity get to be a little bit repetitive, but when they start working together and settling into their respective roles, they happen less often and become more like banter. There's there's a good deal of misogyny and the way the older generation treats Lucy. The adults they are working with and against deem her to be less of a threat than her male companions, but that often does work out in their favor. If this is meant to be set in a haunted version of our world, the social issues that are embedded in the banter and the inter-character relationships make sense.
I really thought it was going to be revealed that Annie was still alive when she was put into the wall. Her repeatedly saying how cold she was as a ghost and the scratching sound Lucy hears when she's around makes me think that she really may have been alive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Confinement
alicecrumbs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
tiitu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism, Suicide, and Torture
creepypiespice's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Torture, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism
rory_john14's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Suicide and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Classism
totallyshelfaware's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Murder