Lockwood & Co.: The Whispering Skull

I can't believe I almost skipped this series. See, book one was tagged as a middle grade book, appropriate for readers in grades three to seven. Or six to nine, depending on where you were looking. (This one is apparently either three to seven or five to eight.) And you know, I've revisited too many books that I loved-loved-loved as a kid that simply don't hold up. (I was a precocious reader, too; it's not like those childhood favorites were unusually simple.) That's always sort of disappointing, so I'd pretty much decided that, with a couple of rare exceptions, I do better when I leave the middle grade books to the kids and focus on stuff that's written with my own age bracket in mind. But, a few things got me to risk it in this particular case. It was on sale. A few different friends of mine had rated it highly. And I really liked this author's Bartimaeus series. So, I bought it and promised myself I'd start it right away so that I'd have time to return it if it ended up being too young for me. Oh man. I don't know if the reading level was set unusually low or this just happens to be one of those rare exceptions, but book one wasn't just enjoyable, it was destined for my “favorites” shelf. And I'm pleased to report that I loved this one as well. Lucy, Lockwood, and George are back. This time, they have the benefit of a somewhat improved reputation...but their cred still isn't quite on the same level as the Fittes Agency. And too bad the Fittes folks they keep running into are such jerks. The Whispering Skull serves up another excellent ghostly mystery, complete with plenty of danger, and as an added bonus, we get to find out more about the creepy skull from Lucy's pre-employment test. A lot more. It probably goes without saying, since Jonathan Stroud is such a terrific author, but this book checks all the right boxes. The plot is engaging. The characters have depth. The setting that I praised so highly in book one is still delightful and magical and sinister all at the same time. (And, since there are so many ebooks lately that are so unprofessional, it might be worth pointing out that the dialogue is realistic, the editing happened, and the story doesn't end on a cliffhanger.) I understand book three is being released soon and I'm practically dancing with anticipation. Whether you're in grades three through seven or not, I suggest you do yourself a favor and get this—along with The Screaming Staircase, if you haven't read that one yet—and settle in for an outstanding ride.

Second books in a series are tough - kind of like sophomore year in high school and college - you're just kind of settling in and nothing is really new or all that exciting. I approach a second book (in a series or just in an author's work) with some trepidation. How well the author gets past the sophomore slump says a lot about their ability to tell a great tale (although lots of people write great books past the second). With The Whispering Skull, Jonathan Stroud handily proves that he can keep telling great stories. Our heroes - Lockwood, Lucy, and George - find themselves in the awkward position of competing against (and being forced to cooperate with) Quill Kipps' team. Things get really nasty when they are hired to uncover an unexpected coffin in an unexpected place in a mostly abandoned graveyard - with a plague of ghosts it's no wonder graveyards are abandoned. This particular coffin is emanating vibes that are making sensitives sick and giving everyone a bad feeling. Lockwood & Co. to the rescue - they open the (iron) coffin and, despite the ick caused by the occupant's ghost, they seal the whole thing up. Before the seal is laid across the corpse, George gets a glimpse of a mirror the corpse is clutching in its skeletal fingers and it all goes sideways from there. The Whispering Skull is full of skullduggery as the team is forced to investigate the coffin's occupant due to one mishap after another. The team contends with some truly sketchy events and people. Everyone is cross with one another and in constant danger. There's also a great name - Edmund Bickerstaff (the name of a wizard in your next roleplaying campaign if I ever read one). The action is propelled by the ongoing sense of risk - stakes are high - and I couldn't stop turning pages. Last, and certainly not least, the skull that George has been keeping in a jar has roused and begun to talk to Lucy. Its motives are suspect, but it clearly wants the attention. It's great fun watching Lucy and my favorite skull in a jar contend with one another! I feel like I got to know the Lockwood & Co. kids better through this book and got a better sense of the seriousness of their mission(s). This was a joy to read - can't wait until I can get to the next one! If you haven't read these, you're missing out!

Naast de serie zijn deze boeken heel leuk om te lezen omdat je dan nog meer in het verhaal zit en kleine details te lezen krijgt die in de serie niet naar voren komen.

اذا بتسألون عن الجوده ، الجودة بالنسبة لي جداً كويسه لانو امازون واخيراً طورو من حماية المنتجات لان الكتاب الاول جاني بحاله تقريباً مزرية ولكن هذا الكتاب جاني سليم الحمدالله و هو الجزء الثاني من سلسلة lockwood & co او لوكوود وشركاؤه 👍🏼👍🏼

Me encantó

Super série, dommage que le dernier tome n'ait jamais été traduit en français, je l'ai lu en anglais c'est une super histoire, comme tous les romans de Jonathan Stroud qui écrit vraiment trop bien Livre en anglais

Ich mache es kurz: Wem der erste Band der Lockwood-Reihe gefallen hat, der wird auch von Band 2 begeistert sein! Zwischen Drei-Fragezeichen-Mystery und Ghostbusters-Klamauk, entfaltet Stroud erneut sein Talent für paranormales Schauerflair und witzig-bissige Wortgefechte zwischen den Protagonisten. Mit einem schier unerschöpflichen Spuk-Vokabular konstruiert Stroud eine schaurig-schöne Gruselszene nach der anderen, ohne dass die Masse des aufkommenden Nebels und der sinkenden Temperaturen jemals langweilig würde. Dazwischen verschnaufen Lockwood und co – wie gehabt - bei Tee und Keksen in der heimischen Küche. Gemütlicher geht es nicht! Die Geschichte ist insgesamt etwas zielstrebiger als der erste Band, der nach einem ereignisreichen Start erst einmal einen längeren Rückblick einschiebt, und wirkt alles in allem dynamischer und kompakter, wenngleich die größeren Zusammenhänge ebenso wie die mysteriöse Vergangenheit Anthony Lockwoods auch diesmal kaum beleuchtet werden. Zum Inhalt: Ein Routineeinsatz auf einem Friedhof endet für Lucy Carlyle, Anthony Lockwood und George Cubbins in einem Fiasko – am Ende der Nacht gilt es nicht nur einen Mordfall zu lösen, sondern auch ein geheimnisvolles und äußerst gefährliches Artefakt zu finden. Und das alles, bevor die Konkurrenz die Lorbeeren für den Fall einheimst. Das ist gar nicht so leicht – vor allem, wenn man sich zuhause mit einem intriganten Totenschädel und der Frage herumschlagen muss, was sich hinter der versiegelten Tür im Obergeschoss verbirgt. Der neue Fall ist ein großer Spaß und – auch wenn ich mir etwas mehr Informationen zu den Hintergründen des „PROBLEMS“ gewünscht hätte - durchgehend spannend! Kleine Schwäche: Wie schon im Auftakt-Band dröseln sich die Geheimnisse um den neuen Fall der Geisterjäger-Agentur im letzten Drittel zu früh auf, um auf den letzten Seiten wirklich überraschend zu sein, aber Strouds großartiger Humor (der im englischen Original noch besser funktioniert) und eine erstklassige Gaslampen-Spuk-Atmo wiegen dieses Manko allemal auf. Der Band ist wieder in sich abgeschlossen, setzt am Ende aber einen kleinen Cliffhanger, der (leider etwas zu) neugierig auf Band drei macht – denn der erscheint (ich rate mal) bestimmt erst Halloween 2015. Fazit: Vielleicht noch besser als Band eins - witzig, gruselig, Stroud!