Title: The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co., #1)
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Publication Date: January, 2014
Publisher: PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Page: 424
Language: Indonesia
ISBN13: 9786020301365
Setelah gelap, bunyikan lonceng
dan tunggu di luar garis besi.
Actually I had been eying this book for such a long time but never get myself to buy it until a year later. Finally on January this year I bought this book. Well, it's a pretty stunning book with a black cover and the key hole shaped cut. At that time, I really wanted to read something scary because I rarely read horror stories in any shape or form. I'm pretty much a coward for horror. Yes, this is a horror story. Very refreshing and entertaining I might say. Do you see, someone--or something sit on the wooden horse? Shiver on cue. Well the story has nothing to do with that actually, I guess it just for extra creepiness effect.
This book is pretty light, words size and spacing is
standard. I trust in Gramedia so it's pretty much safe to say that the
book will not lost in translation. There is no color inside, but small
illustration decorate each chapter in their representative idea. The
book also divided by five parts and glossary at the end, quite useful I
might say. The only down side is the cool cut effect on the cover make
it so flimsy, it's definitely not so durable. That put aside, the book
is my style *wink wink
The story told from first point of view,
our female protagonist. Oh yeah, this book is trilogy--maybe. This is
the first book in the maybe called trilogy.
Well, what to start?
Characters
Hmm,
at first I have difficulty to imagine the characters because there are
no description about their age, but Stroud did mention their features,
like body shape, face, hair and eyes color. I just didn't know their
ages until half of the book, pretty troublesome for me because I like to
know and love the characters from the book I have been reading.
There
are three main characters from this book; Lucy Carlyle, Anthony
Lockwood, and George Cubbins. The story told from Lucy POV. At first I
found her bothersome because she is so hot headed and rash but tamed
throughout the end of the book.
Anthony is very--careless. He
acts based on instincts sometimes rationally but most of the time he is
so relaxed like this world mean nothing. I imagined him like little lord
from an English aristocratic family. Suave, sly, relaxed, but sometimes
really careless and stupid. Interesting combination.
George is
the most rational one. He acted based on research and very careful with
everything. But he is so dirty and has foul mouth to spice up things
between them I guess. He is not in a very good term with Lucy in this
first book. Their interaction is very entertaining.
I can't see
any characters development that much, but Lucy is more relaxed by the
end of this book. I sense she is so tense because actually she just met
that two guys, so I think the trust hasn't developed yet at first.
Story
Interesting
world and premise. It's not so complex but for me it's fresh and I can
follow the story easily, I don't have to wrecked my brain. The world
building is actually not very clear, I'm having a little difficulty to
imagine what their world look like. Modern or like old English (Sherlock
Holmes things)? Beside that I really like the idea.
It's like a
ghost buster. Really. Lockwood made a ghost buster agency called
Lockwood&Co. and their adventures began form that. They fight and
destroy ghosts. There are tension between agencies in England and they
fight for domination. Lockwood&Co. is in tight condition because of
this one ghost problem and has to terminate ghosts in the most haunted
house in England.
The story itself is simple but everything is
connected and wrapped beautifully at the end. Their adventure in that
most haunted ghost is so creepy and tense. I love it! Oh and don;t
forget Stroud sarcasm humor, it still present in this book although not
that much (and there is no gennie, ha!).
I just realized this is like Sherlock Holmes in ghost buster edition! This is a good thing for me, very fun haha.
Overall, I really love this book. FIVE GLOWING STARS for The Screaming Staircase.
