"When Netflix cancels one of your favourite shows, pray it has a book."
Fortunately for me, after intense prayer, I opened Chrome and typed "Lockwood & Co. book" into the search bar. Before depressing the enter button, the suggestion "Lockwood & Co. book reading order" came up, and I clasped my hands in quiet but intense relief.
There was a book.
The Netflix series, I felt, was a very well-crafted show about a modern-day London haunted by restless spirits. Visitors, as they were called. Right from the first episode, I was charmed; the cinematography, the dialogue, the actors, the pacing. Everything. I truly enjoyed the series, and like any other person who just finished watching an engaging show, I went to Google.
Only to find out that the series had been cancelled.
Are you serious?
One of the best shows on Netflix at the time, with raving reviews and an immense number of minutes watched. Thousands of people rallied on social media and signed a petition to revive the show. Yet, nothing.
The series had been cancelled.
Fortunately, Google didn't disappoint me twice. Another search revealed that "Lockwood & Co." did have a book (book series to be exact) and after raising my eyes to the heavens in gratitude, I got to reading.
Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood & Co. is a thrilling and captivating story about a world where ghosts roam and only young people possess the ability to sense —and therefore fight—them. Stroud's masterful writing created a blend of mystery, intrigue, suspense, and humour (think dry sarcasm) as powerful as a moose kick.
Consider me moose kicked.
The titular character is Anthony Lockwood, a charismatic young man with a reckless desire to prove himself. He is the owner of Lockwood and Co, a ramshackle ghost-hunting agency. Along with Lucy Carlyle —the character who narrates the events to us— and George Cubbins —a chubby and robust intellectual, Lockwood tackles haunted London, solving mysteries that lead them closer to the source of the Problem.
The characters are so original.
Lockwood, Lucy, George and all the other characters in the book were brought to life with skilful dialogue and humorous interplay. Stroud's writing makes you feel like you could meet Lockwood at the newspaper stand, wave to Lucy at the bus stop, or bump into George at the library archives and cause all sorts of books and article clippings to tumble out of his hands.
At the end of book one, you can predict with confidence what each character would typically wear, and what they would bring out of a burning house.
The world-building is also praiseworthy.
London is the site of millions of stories, written and unwritten. We know London. This city, however, feels both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. The streets remain the same, the bus stops unchanged, but the effect of the hauntings cannot be overlooked. Therefore, in Stroud's London, it is not uncommon to see a house protected by ghost-repelling iron and silver.
The cases and investigations that form the backbone of the story are woven and layered exquisitely. Like gas filling an enclosed room, the suspense builds, keeping you tense but expectant. Yet, the pacing is balanced, allowing for moments of quiet reflection, while maintaining a steady momentum that propels the plot forward.
Now, on Netflix, the relationship between Lockwood and Lucy hints at future romance, while in the book the relationship remains platonic. Do I have a preference? Funnily enough, I don't. Netflix made some changes to the plot to allow for easier adaptation but…I really can't find fault with it.
The progression of the relationship felt natural and was properly integrated into the story so much so that I was expecting something similar when I began reading the book. Then again, this might just be a side effect of watching the show first.
Moreover, the series explores themes of loss, friendship, and the consequences of past actions. The emotional depth and growth of the characters, especially Lucy, as she grapples with her tragic past, are evident throughout the book. Stroud seamlessly blends the supernatural with the human, creating a story that resonates beyond the ghostly encounters.
Overall, the "Lockwood & Co" book series is hauntingly good and is a must-read for anyone who wants a ghost-tinged adventure.
Thanks for reading.
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