Lockwood & Co. #3 The Hollow Boy

Presenting Lockwood & Co. #3 The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud.

Here is the summary of the book:

As a supernatural outbreak baffles Scotland Yard and causes protests against the psychic agencies throughout London, Lockwood and Co. continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in exterminating spirits. Anthony is dashing, George insightful, and Lucy dynamic, while the skull in the jar utters sardonic advice from the sidelines. There is a new spirit of openness between the team now that Anthony has shared his childhood story, and Lucy is feeling more and more like her true home is at Portland Row. It comes as a great shock, then, when Lockwood and George introduce her to an annoyingly perky and hyper-efficient new assistant, Holly Munro. Meanwhile, there are reports of many new hauntings, including an old school where bloody handprints and a glowing boy are appearing. But ghosts seem to be the least of Lockwood and Co.'s concerns when a living assassin makes an attempt on Fittes's and Rotwell's lives. Can the team get past their interpersonal issues to save the day on all fronts? Danger abounds, tensions escalate, and new loyalties form in this third delightfully terrifying adventure.

Lockwood & Co. are back for their third stint with The Hollow Boy. Taking the time to explore the paranormal in the previous two books, this third venture while still retaining the spooky focuses more towards the living rather than the undead. Just when Lucy, Lockwood and George felt they had reached the peaceful camaraderie afforded to a tight knit group, comes prim, proper and perfect Holly Munro. Successfully throwing a wrench in our favorite trio and diverting Lockwood's attention and sparking Lucy's jealousy.

While a supernatural outbreak threatens England's peace, dashing leader Lockwood, insightful and astute George and dynamic and vigorous Lucy, effectively making up Lockwood & Co. (with the skull offering sarcasm) find themselves too busy and loaded with work to keep to their chores or rest. This enters Holly Munro ..... She annoyed me big time. She comes in with her perfect self, befriends the boys and forces order in their life of varied chaos. Of course with such crashing personalities Lucy and Holly don't get along well ..... and a disjointed team like that suffers in their line of business.

It is human nature to doubt and to feel emotion like envy, jealousy or happiness, and thus it is a marvel to witness Lucy as she experiences it all with the changes in their team dynamics, her own growing powers and her doubts regarding her worth.... While I hate that Stroud took this approach to further the story but hopefully the next one will be back to focusing on the undead rather than teenage melodrama.

All the while resentment is rising among the living members of the community. Stroud carefully slips in political propaganda amidst all the paranormalia .... it is not pronounced but things complicated when a living assassin tries to murder Fittes and Rotwell. The book  leans heavily on the personal issues whereas the paranormal takes a somewhat backseat. Romance really is not the issue here but the sense of belonging. As I already mentioned I hated this element but on the other hand this made interaction between Lucy and Skull all the more exciting.

Of course the resulting climax as the humans tackle the problem of Chelsea made up for the spook throughout the tale. There is no question about Jonathan Stroud's caliber for the written word and while I appreciate the twists and diversions here in The Hollow Boy, this didn't really scare me as its predecessors did ..... But that cliffhanger ....... Hoping the next book will shed more light on the questions raised in here and strike the balance between the living and the undead that felt somewhat lacking here.

"An entertaining spooky adventure"

Genre :      Young Adult, Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: 15th September, 2015

My Copy: bought (ebook)

Rate:              3/5 (Liked It)

Other Books in the Series (review links):
                    #1    The Screaming Staircase 
              #1.5 The Dagger in the Desk
                     #2    The Whispering Skull

Other Books from the Author (review links):
   Bartimaeus #1 The Amulet of Samarkand
    
Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository

Lockwood & Co. #1.5 The Dagger in the Desk

Presenting Lockwood & Co. #1.5 The Dagger in the Desk by Jonathan Stroud.

Here is the summary of the book:

A thrilling new case for London’s most talented psychic detection agency – from the global bestselling author of the Bartimaeus Sequence.

In London, a mysterious and potentially deadly ghost is stalking the halls of St Simeon’s Academy for Talented Youngsters. It lurks in the shadows, spreading fear and icy cold – and it carries a sharp and very solid dagger . . .

The headmaster wastes no time in enlisting the help of ghost-hunters Anthony Lockwood, Lucy Carlyle and George Cubbins.

Can Lockwood & Co. survive the night and save the day?

Novella .... Novella what would I do with you. As opposed to full fledged novels these shorter stories finish far too soon and far too fast for our liking. 'Tis particularly the case with series/stories of our liking. They say all good things are best served in small doses and that is particularly the case right here. When I saw this on netgalley, I mistook it for the third book the the 'Lockwood & Co.' series just as well this is more of a bridge between the 1st and the 2nd books.

After their sweeping success with the screaming staircase our motley trio are enjoying their new fame, new cases and an increase in action. Then they get handed a particularly nasty one from the headmaster of London's St. Simeon's Academy for Talented Youngsters. There is a potentially deadly ghost on the prowl, fear and icy cold to be sure and a very-very sharp solid dagger. Nasty business indeed but it is upto the expertise of Anthony  Lockwood, Lucy Carlyle and George Cubbins to save the day.

Jonathan Stroud you are a genius. He maintains the How. The creepy cold atmosphere that we enjoyed so much in the first & second books. While it is rather disheartened that this is a novella but spectre and the like are more creepy to send shivers down our spine. A bridge it may be but Stroud gives us enough ti keep our ghostly appetite sated till the release of the third book ..... and if you still haven;t begun it yet ..... FIE ON YOU ..... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR .... Go for it ....

"A short but equally spookly interlude in the lives of Lockwood & Co."

Genre :      Young Adult, Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: 9th February, 2015

My Copy: publisher and netgalley

Rate:              4/5 (Really Liked It)

Other Books in the Series (review links):
                    #1 The Screaming Staircase
                     #2 The Whispering Skull

Other Books from the Author (review links):
   Bartimaeus #1 The Amulet of Samarkand
    
Buy:           Amazon

Lockwood & Co. #2 The Whispering Skull

Presenting Lockwood & Co. #2 The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud.

Here is the summary of the book:

In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper.

Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom.

Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found.

The author of the blockbuster Bartimaeus series delivers another amusing, chilling, and ingeniously plotted entry in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series.

As riveting as the first book, Stroud takes us headlong again into his alternative London with all of its creepy, ghostly splendor. The Whispering Skull provides another excellent addition to the paranormal genre and a great sequel to the Screaming Staircase.

Lockwood, Lucy and George are again embroiled into another haunting business and this time the stakes are even higher than before. Stroud maintains the groundwork he established in the first book serving only to expand on each and every aspect of the story brilliantly.

The mysterious, reckless and awfully calm Anthony Lockwood. The sensitive and smart Lucy Carlyle and the efficient researcher George Cubbins. The aforementioned skull plays quite the instigator in the events of the book as the trio race against time to solve the baffling mystery regarding a very dangerous and elusive boneglass mirror, their current problem. And as the protagonists open up more to one another and n Lucy's case experience a growth in power, we see and appreciate even more the bond they share between them.

With a perfect sequel, Stroud has produced yet another master piece with the perfect spooky tone to set the mood. Sinister spooks of the otherworld and even more sinister human beings who seek profit in such ghostly source object dealings. Dark, ghostly and gory, sarcasm and humor and the spooky twists and turns enough to send chills down your spines. I said this with 'The Screaming Staircase' and i'll say it for 'The Whispering Skull', buy it, this is one ghostly sequel you must not miss.

"A spooky sequel with the perfect mix of mystery and spine chilling ghostly adventure"

Genre :      Young Adult, Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: 16th September, 2014

My Copy: publisher and netgalley

Rate:              5/5 (It was Amazing)

Other Books in the Series (review links):
                    #1 The Screaming Staircase

Other Books from the Author (review links):
   Bartimaeus #1 The Amulet of Samarkand
    
Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository 

Lockwood & Co. #1 The Screaming Staircase

Brilliant...... as expected of Stroud's caliber. Presenting Lockwood & Co. #1 The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud.

Here is the summary of the book:

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 . . .

To be honest this is my second Stroud read. I have only read the first book of the Bartimaeus series till now. But as expected this is a fine piece of literature. A strong premiere to an exciting new series..... and that's coming from someone who doesn't have a habit of reading this genre.

This is a world where every other ghost stories and fictional monsters that give you the creeps are real...... The problem has taken enough of a hold on the country to force the government to sanction ghost hunters. And its primarily the kids hunting all things that go bump in the night. Kids? Because the body and mind are still developing then and they are much more attuned to the paranormal diorama and more sensitive than adults.

Lockwood & Co. One of the agencies that deal with exterminating these hauntings and its Anthony Lockwood, Lucy Carlyle and George Cubbins of the aforementioned agency that we look to as protagonist of this spooky and equally riveting order of business...... Its dark, its gritty, gory, with the slight humor and spooky enough to send that chilling spike you expect in horror stories.

As I explained, it is spooky. There is a solid world building here. Stroud had done a marvelous job in that area, with descriptive detailing and the spooky atmosphere too, needed to set the tone of the book. But that's not all. We get three strong protagonists too, to shoulder the weight of the plot and take it to even greater heights.

Lockwood, Lucy & George...... In the form of Lockwood we have the leader of the agency, adventurous, reckless, resourceful, yet calm too if needed. Lucy, our narrator, overtly sensitive, brave and talented. Both Lockwood and Lucy share a tendency to jump first and ask questions later which sometimes leads them to some rather interesting situations. Finally is George - the calm and collected researcher. He can be pretty sarcastic too...... As a group they can weather the raging storm rather well but alone they are different as day and night.

I strongly recommend this book people... go buy it. A brilliant & descriptive world building, a plot like no other you have ever encountered With twists and turns of the spooky, enough to give you chills. Three amazing characters and some kick ass ghost hunting missions.... And then its a plus that this is written by Jonathan Stroud....... Come on folks i'm giving you enough reasons to buy it.... what are you waiting for?..... Oh! Looking forward for the sequel..... so good.

"A damn good spooky tale. BRAVO Mr. Stroud"

Genre :      Young Adult, Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: 17th September, 2013

My Copy: publisher and netgalley

Rate:              5/5 (It was Awesome)

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository 

Bartimaeus #1 The Amulet of Samarkand

There has never been a more different London ever. Presenting Bartimaeus #1 The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud.

Here is the summary of the book:

Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him. 

Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine. In British author Jonathan Stroud's excellent novel, the first of The Bartimaeus Trilogy, the story switches back and forth from Bartimaeus's first-person point of view to third-person narrative about Nathaniel. Here's the best part: Bartimaeus is absolutely hilarious, with a wit that snaps, crackles, and pops. His dryly sarcastic, irreverent asides spill out into copious footnotes that no one in his or her right mind would skip over. A sophisticated, suspenseful, brilliantly crafted, dead-funny book that will leave readers anxious for more. (Ages 11 to adult)


There can never be a more different London than this. Everything is the same with the exception of magic being the center piece of all around history. Magician s control the parliament in important positions. Yup magicians are real and not just those second rate ones who just show tricks but actual ones who wield power.


So it starts with the young apprentice Nathaniel summoning a 5000 years old djinn (whom we are to called ginn) named Bartimaeus to do a little task for him. Steal the amulet of Samarkand from the magician Simon Lovelace. Now why does he want to do that? Well because said magician had humiliated Nathaniel in front of his master and other magician of the parliament present. Since then all Nathaniel has in his mind is to gain vengeance for the humiliation he had to endure, going behind his master's back and cramming every ounce of knowledge the ancient tomes could provide him. A distracted magician is not only a danger to others but to his own self as well but a vengeful one.....now that is one you need to look out for and Nanthaniel falls in that category.


So Bartimaeus goes through a lot of problems, (Lovelace is not your everyday magician so naturally he'd have some very strong protections) and angering some old acquaintances and is thus successful in completing the mission. As does every djinn, Bartimaeus  found out a strong weapon that might be useful to thwart his confinement spell but Nathaniel proves just as intuitive in crossing every attack of Bartimaeus, finally coming to an understanding to see the ordeal through. 


Well this is just the beginning, what Nathaniel doesn't realize is that the thing he is meddling with just doesn't envolve the amulet being stolen from its original radio, its a power play...... but can both Nathaniel and his illustrious and witty djinn, Bartimaeus come out of this unscratched.  


The Amulet of Samarkand is a great story, as I already mentioned above a very different London portraying characters who can never be more different than the other. Every character has got so many layers that is virtually impossible to discern who and what they truly are but the author also makes quick work of the that. Dividing the whole book in alternating POVs of both Nathaniel and Bartimaeus, peeling one layer after another helping us understand them and their motives. As far as the djinn is considered, Bartimaeus is one who does his allotted work but is very snarky, and full of witty comebacks and Nathaniel, well he is very determined(not going to say more, will spoil the story) and has got a very promising future. I'm definitely eager to read the next three volumes of the series.

"Bartimaeus' snarky commentary, Nathaniel's intuitiveness.....and the biggest Parliamentary power play....is sure to lure you in"

Genre :      Young Adult, Fantasy


Publisher: Corgi Books


Rate:              5/5 (It was Awesome)