Friday, April 17, 2015

The Ruby in The Smoke by Phillip Pullman

"Her name was Sally Lockhart; and within fifteen minutes, she was going to kill a man." Philip Pullman begins his Sally Lockhart trilogy with a bang in The Ruby in the Smoke--a fast-paced, finely crafted thriller set in a rogue- and scalawag-ridden Victorian London. His 16-year-old heroine has no time for the usual trials of adolescence: her father has been murdered, and she needs to find out how and why. But everywhere she turns, she encounters new scoundrels and secrets. Why do the mere words "seven blessings" cause one man to keel over and die at their utterance? Who has possession of the rare, stolen ruby? And what does the opium trade have to do with it?
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6 comments:

  1. GordonApril 17, 2015 at 9:08 AM

    I had started to read this back when I was eleven, but being confused with some of the British dialect and my minimal knowledge of the opium trade caused me to put it down. However since I have now been diverted from fantasy by the limited amount of books and my need to try a new genre, I thought I would try a mystery. This is very nice, easy reading, that describes a very dark part in history. I find it very nice reading. Fantastic writing, enrapturing plot, and probably the creepiest antagonist I have ever experienced. I recommend this book (and series) to anyone who wants a book to read in a few weeks, however some of the words and grammar constructions can be difficult to work out.

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  2. ariApril 17, 2015 at 9:23 AM

    This book sounds interesting. Is it supernatural, or a more traditional mystery? Is it targeted at the young adult audience, or younger?

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  3. AnonymousApril 30, 2015 at 4:34 PM

    Do you find reading mystery gives off a different style of writing than fantasy? Or do you think it's just a more complex writing style?

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  4. GordonMay 1, 2015 at 8:10 AM

    I wouldn't say it is supernatural, but there are, given the Victorian time period, there many myths and urban legends that are part of the story. This is definitely meant for young adult readers. The plot can be complex and the writing/vocabulary may be beyond some. Also, the drug and addiction references are prominent.

    I feel that mystery is written allot like fantasies I've read, with the shifting character viewpoints and mysterious language, but there is the factor of it being mostly real, or that it could've happened.

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  5. ariMay 1, 2015 at 8:51 AM

    It sound good, is it shorter than you usually read? Is the language completely that time period?

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  6. GordonMay 7, 2015 at 2:40 PM

    It's quite shorter than my usual book, took me about a week and a half. It is very Victorian sounding.

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