The Screaming Staircase
 UK cover | |
| Author | Jonathan Stroud |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Kate Adams |
| Cover artist | Alessandro "Talexi" Taini (UK) |
| Language | English |
| Series | Lockwood & Co. |
| Genre | Supernatural, thriller |
| Publisher | Random House (UK) Disney-Hyperion (US) |
Publication date | 29 August 2013[1] |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 384[2] |
| ISBN | 978-1-4231-6491-3 |
| Followed by | The Whispering Skull |
The Screaming Staircase is a young adult thriller novel by Jonathan Stroud. It is the first book in a series titled Lockwood & Co., and was released on 29 August 2013 by Random House in the United Kingdom, and by Disney-Hyperion in the United States on 17 September 2013.[1][3] The series revolves around Lucy Carlyle, as she joins the charming Anthony Lockwood and George Cubbins to investigate the hauntings across London, and most exclusively the Combe Carey Hall enigma.
Premise
A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts and spectres are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see-and eradicate-these unnatural foes. Many different 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?
Characters
- Lucy Carlyle:[4] The newest member of Lockwood & Co. and the narrator of the book, Lucy is 15 years old. [5] and is described as quick to start a fight. She was known in earlier revisions as Lucy Purser.[6] The daughter of a stationmaster in the North of England, she joined a local agency at an early age. However, after a disastrous case, resulting in the loss of her fellow agents, Lucy leaves her former employment and family to start again in London. Lucy's Talent lies in her hearing and empathy through touch.
- Anthony Lockwood: The leader of Lockwood & Co., Lockwood is described as "dashing" and "a bit reckless".[6] More often referred to as just Lockwood, his Talent is based on sight, which is much better than Lucy's and George's. However, his Talent for hearing is poor and his parents have died. Lockwood is known for his quick yet thorough approach to hauntings and prides himself on his abilities.
- George Cubbins: Anthony's deputy, and quite cynical. He is rather portly and a little slovenly.[6] George is much more focused on research and preparation than the other two agents, and prefers a longer waiting time between assignments. He rarely gets along with his fellow agent Lucy, however shares a strong passion with Anthony Lockwood. He is small, chubby, and smart.
- Suzie Martin: The daughter of Mrs. Hope, she meets Lockwood & Co. in her mother's absence, so they can investigate the presence of a Visitor in her family's home. She is quite skeptical of how young the agency was.[7]
- Annie Ward: A young woman who returns as a type-two ghost following her death. Lockwood & Co. encounter her at the beginning of the book, and then go on to solve the mystery of her murder.
- Inspector Barnes: An investigator of DEPRAC (Department of Psychical Research and Control), which is based at Scotland Yard. Barnes shares a slack disgust with Lockwood and George, however cooperates with them in the case of Annie Ward
- Sir John William Fairfax: The wealthy industrialist who owns the haunted Combe Carey Hall, assigns Lockwood & Co. the mystery within the mansion and offers them the money needed to save the company from debt.
- Hugo Blake: Annie Ward's 22-year-old boyfriend.
Film adaptation
The film rights have been acquired by Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures, making this the first live-action project for the former. The film, titled Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase., will be produced by Illumination Entertainment CEO Chris Meledandri.[8]
Sequel
A sequel to the book, titled The Whispering Skull, was released in September 2014.[9][10] A second sequel, titled The Hollow Boy, was released in September 2015.[11]
References
- ^ a b Stroud, Jonathan (February 9, 2013). "Lockwood Publication Dates!". Jonathan Stroud's Blog. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ "The Lockwood & Co.: Screaming Staircase". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ Stroud, Jonathan (October 25, 2012). "Lockwood & Co news 25th Oct". The Random House Group Press Office. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "Coming Up In 2013 #7: Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud". The Book Zone. January 2, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ Binea, Literatwo (15 August 2013). "Jonathan Stroud – The official "Lockwood & Co." interview". Literatwo Binea & Mr. Rail. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
- ^ a b c Stroud, Jonathan (October 26, 2012). "Hello Bee! Great question - well, there are three main character: Anthony Lockwood himself, who's the leader of the agency. He's quite dashing and a bit reckless, and gets into trouble consequently. There's George Cubbins, his deputy, who's rather more portly and (you'll be pleased to know) has a nice line in acerbic comments; and Lucy Purser, who's the newest member of the group and has one or two chips on her shoulder. They all live together in Lockwood's house in London and go out to tackle ghosts..." Facebook. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ Stroud, Jonathan. "Scribd". Scribd. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (October 24, 2012). "Illumination, U acquire 'Lockwood' series". Variety. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ Stroud, Jonathan (11 August 2013). "Ask the Author". Random House. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
- ^ Stroud, Jonathan (October 25, 2012). "Lockwood Movie Deal Announced!". Tumblr. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "See your ghost in Jonathan Stroud's next book!". The Guardian. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2015.