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Sally Lockhart #2
The Shadow in the North
The year is 1878, and Sally Lockhart has started her own financial consulting business. When a client loses a fortune in the unexpected collapse of a British shipping firm, Sally is determined to find out why. But as she comes closer to learning the identity of the firm's elusive owner, she discovers that her questions are far from simple --and that the answers could cost her her life.
"Fraud, fire, and bloody murder pursue Sally Lockhart in a fine sequel to The Ruby in the Smoke. Sally, now 22, is in business as a financial consultant. When she and her friends challenge corrupt financial interests, they find themselves in a web of intrigue that stretches from fetid slums of the poor to the corporate offices of the richest man in Europe. Sally's detective work reveals the connections between corrupt power and broken lives. The action is fast, scenes are tight and dramatic, the language is vivid, and the wealth of minor characters are sharply individualized. An immensely entertaining thriller."--(starred) Booklist. Reading 6.7.
"Fraud, fire, and bloody murder pursue Sally Lockhart in a fine sequel to The Ruby in the Smoke. Sally, now 22, is in business as a financial consultant. When she and her friends challenge corrupt financial interests, they find themselves in a web of intrigue that stretches from fetid slums of the poor to the corporate offices of the richest man in Europe. Sally's detective work reveals the connections between corrupt power and broken lives. The action is fast, scenes are tight and dramatic, the language is vivid, and the wealth of minor characters are sharply individualized. An immensely entertaining thriller."--(starred) Booklist. Reading 6.7.
361 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
293 people are currently reading
5896 people want to read
About the author
Philip Pullman
285 books25.3k followersSir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials and The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, The Times named Pullman one of the "50 greatest British writers since 1945". In a 2004 BBC poll, he was named the eleventh most influential person in British culture. He was knighted in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to literature.
Northern Lights, the first volume in His Dark Materials, won the 1995 Carnegie Medal of the Library Association as the year's outstanding English-language children's book. For the Carnegie's 70th anniversary, it was named in the top ten by a panel tasked with compiling a shortlist for a public vote for an all-time favourite. It won that public vote and was named all-time "Carnegie of Carnegies" in June 2007. It was filmed under the book's US title, The Golden Compass. In 2003, His Dark Materials trilogy ranked third in the BBC's The Big Read, a poll of 200 top novels voted by the British public.
Northern Lights, the first volume in His Dark Materials, won the 1995 Carnegie Medal of the Library Association as the year's outstanding English-language children's book. For the Carnegie's 70th anniversary, it was named in the top ten by a panel tasked with compiling a shortlist for a public vote for an all-time favourite. It won that public vote and was named all-time "Carnegie of Carnegies" in June 2007. It was filmed under the book's US title, The Golden Compass. In 2003, His Dark Materials trilogy ranked third in the BBC's The Big Read, a poll of 200 top novels voted by the British public.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 743 reviews
November 11, 2011
I hate Philip Pullman. I love this book, but I hate him so much right now. Because I can't think of reading this book again. And I don't know when I'll be compelled to read the third installation. Ugh. So much hate. Right about now.
I really liked The Ruby in the Smoke. It was such a great way to introduce a slew of characters, and while there were multiple points of views, I appreciated how the reader knew what the villains were thinking. This kind of writing followed through in The Shadow in the North, and it was fabulous to see the repeated cast the second time around.
It also helped that Sally Lockhart went from the fantastic 16-year-old to an even more fantastic 22-year-old in the second book. Someone I would have been able to relate to more (which is also probably why I like this character more than I do Lyra Belacqua in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy). But I'm not going to continue furnishing praise over characters. I'm still upset.
I enjoyed the book. The only reason it got one star less was I got so frustrated by what happened near the end that I almost threw a tantrum and chucked the book out the window. Seriously, I was on the verge of tears. Then I remembered that my window has a screen and I don't go about abusing books in the first place, so that was out of the question.
Seriously, Pullman? Seriously? I cannot.
I really liked The Ruby in the Smoke. It was such a great way to introduce a slew of characters, and while there were multiple points of views, I appreciated how the reader knew what the villains were thinking. This kind of writing followed through in The Shadow in the North, and it was fabulous to see the repeated cast the second time around.
It also helped that Sally Lockhart went from the fantastic 16-year-old to an even more fantastic 22-year-old in the second book. Someone I would have been able to relate to more (which is also probably why I like this character more than I do Lyra Belacqua in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy). But I'm not going to continue furnishing praise over characters. I'm still upset.
I enjoyed the book. The only reason it got one star less was I got so frustrated by what happened near the end that I almost threw a tantrum and chucked the book out the window. Seriously, I was on the verge of tears. Then I remembered that my window has a screen and I don't go about abusing books in the first place, so that was out of the question.
Seriously, Pullman? Seriously? I cannot.
June 19, 2024
The girl has grown up!
When last we saw her, she was much younger. Young but experienced in the corruption and evils of the world. Young but old beyond her years. Young but ready for revolution!
Now older, wiser, but just as angry. Scarred. More scars shall come. Alas!
The author is committed to showing that growth. We are all works in progress, no matter how righteous our cause.
Much like his protagonist, the author is also angry: at the systematized inequities of the world, at the secret power brokers, at the trickle-down effect of rot at the top. At the violence ordered, the justifications made. At the collaboration of those whose who carry out those orders. That anger was exciting to read; I became angry at these systems of inequity as well. The author preached successfully to this choir.
A successful sermon and overall a successful book. Still, I did enjoy the prior novel rather more. Perhaps the world this time felt a bit less fresh. There was an occasional feeling of boredom when reading, a focus on minutiae.
But this is far from a bad review. 3 stars means I liked it. A thoroughly enjoyable book.
And a thoroughly enjoyable protagonist. I was moved, sometimes saddened, and often thrilled following her journey. Her transformation and the climax of her trials and tribulations was powerful to read.
The girl is gone; a woman has taken her place.
When last we saw her, she was much younger. Young but experienced in the corruption and evils of the world. Young but old beyond her years. Young but ready for revolution!
Now older, wiser, but just as angry. Scarred. More scars shall come. Alas!
The author is committed to showing that growth. We are all works in progress, no matter how righteous our cause.
Much like his protagonist, the author is also angry: at the systematized inequities of the world, at the secret power brokers, at the trickle-down effect of rot at the top. At the violence ordered, the justifications made. At the collaboration of those whose who carry out those orders. That anger was exciting to read; I became angry at these systems of inequity as well. The author preached successfully to this choir.
A successful sermon and overall a successful book. Still, I did enjoy the prior novel rather more. Perhaps the world this time felt a bit less fresh. There was an occasional feeling of boredom when reading, a focus on minutiae.
But this is far from a bad review. 3 stars means I liked it. A thoroughly enjoyable book.
And a thoroughly enjoyable protagonist. I was moved, sometimes saddened, and often thrilled following her journey. Her transformation and the climax of her trials and tribulations was powerful to read.
The girl is gone; a woman has taken her place.
March 21, 2018
To give a Philip Pullman novel only two stars physically pains me! However, this just was not the book for me.
This is the second instalment in the Sally Lockhart quartet, which is a Victorian-era series following amateur-sleuth-turned-private-detective, Sally Lockhart, as she attempts to solve the mysteries of London's dark underbelly, as well as those muddying her own past.
I struggle to pinpoint exactly what made my experience of reading this so unenjoyable. I can only pinpoint it to my prior adoration of Pullman's writing. This was not a bad book, in any sense, but all the elements I have previously loved about him were just missing here.
This was an intriguing insight to historical London, had great character progression as it showed the alteration in 16-year-old Sally, from the first book, into the 22-year-old woman depicted in this one, and followed an intriguing and mysterious story-line.
And I think that is my ultimate issue with this. I have nothing more to say about this. It provided an enjoyable enough read, but one I have trouble recalling, only weeks after completing it. It had no major flaws but also, for me, no majorly redeeming qualities after I have come to expect much more from this author.
This is the second instalment in the Sally Lockhart quartet, which is a Victorian-era series following amateur-sleuth-turned-private-detective, Sally Lockhart, as she attempts to solve the mysteries of London's dark underbelly, as well as those muddying her own past.
I struggle to pinpoint exactly what made my experience of reading this so unenjoyable. I can only pinpoint it to my prior adoration of Pullman's writing. This was not a bad book, in any sense, but all the elements I have previously loved about him were just missing here.
This was an intriguing insight to historical London, had great character progression as it showed the alteration in 16-year-old Sally, from the first book, into the 22-year-old woman depicted in this one, and followed an intriguing and mysterious story-line.
And I think that is my ultimate issue with this. I have nothing more to say about this. It provided an enjoyable enough read, but one I have trouble recalling, only weeks after completing it. It had no major flaws but also, for me, no majorly redeeming qualities after I have come to expect much more from this author.
January 19, 2019
Get read for an angry rant (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
There were many things I didn't like, but only three of them are truly the table flipping kind. Here they are.
1. There's a girl who's so pretty she is assumed to be perfect of character, innocent and divine - just because she's unearthly beautiful. That's how the world works when guys write books, after all.
2. In contrast, there's a girl who is disfigured. Naturally, she knows her place in the world and that she would never be loved by the man she wants. So she basically lets herself die because she's so flawed.
3. There's also a girl who is perfectly independent (and I'd even venture to say badass), and the relationship she has been in for the past few years seems only full of animosity and nothing else. However, she decides to go back on her decision not to marry him as soon as she sees a little danger and now she's dripping with love again - it was incredibly out of character. Despite kicking ass for years, she's now getting married because she suddenly needs a man to protect her. Oh, and that only happens to further the drama in the story anyway, so who cares, right?
Pullman, WHAT THE ROYAL HELL???
I honestly don't know how this same writer could write His Dark Materials and THIS.
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There were many things I didn't like, but only three of them are truly the table flipping kind. Here they are.
1. There's a girl who's so pretty she is assumed to be perfect of character, innocent and divine - just because she's unearthly beautiful. That's how the world works when guys write books, after all.
2. In contrast, there's a girl who is disfigured. Naturally, she knows her place in the world and that she would never be loved by the man she wants. So she basically lets herself die because she's so flawed.
3. There's also a girl who is perfectly independent (and I'd even venture to say badass), and the relationship she has been in for the past few years seems only full of animosity and nothing else. However, she decides to go back on her decision not to marry him as soon as she sees a little danger and now she's dripping with love again - it was incredibly out of character. Despite kicking ass for years, she's now getting married because she suddenly needs a man to protect her. Oh, and that only happens to further the drama in the story anyway, so who cares, right?
Pullman, WHAT THE ROYAL HELL???
I honestly don't know how this same writer could write His Dark Materials and THIS.
Book Blog | Themed Bookstagram | Quick Update Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
September 2, 2019
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
The gang return again for the next instalment in Pullman’s mystery series. A welcome return by the likes of Sally, Frederick and Jim, the trio under take another mystery involving deception and terrifying weapons.
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
The gang return again for the next instalment in Pullman’s mystery series. A welcome return by the likes of Sally, Frederick and Jim, the trio under take another mystery involving deception and terrifying weapons.
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
December 10, 2008
The Shadow of the North has a lot going on, including runaway magicians, false mediums, and steampunk weapons of mass destruction. But the true heart of this story does not lie in its intricate and sometimes improbable plot. It's about love. Not that mushy, obsessive stuff so many YA novels devote their pages of purple prose to. This is about a love of equals, and all the sharp, bright angles such a love has to carve a path out where there seems to be none.
Philip Pullman's writing captures all the fire and wit of real people on the verge of greatness, in the grips of fear, in the throes of desperate obsession or evenly-matched love. But he's also great at describing him some mundane settings and activities in the smartest, most spare, clear way. I'd gladly read his description of a day at the DMV, or watching paint dry. So happy there's The Shadow of the North to read instead!
Philip Pullman's writing captures all the fire and wit of real people on the verge of greatness, in the grips of fear, in the throes of desperate obsession or evenly-matched love. But he's also great at describing him some mundane settings and activities in the smartest, most spare, clear way. I'd gladly read his description of a day at the DMV, or watching paint dry. So happy there's The Shadow of the North to read instead!
June 8, 2011
seriously, why the heck do people waste their time with the golden compass? so good. intelligent, villains you love to hate, sinister plots...i normally hate this word applied to a book, but it was a delicious read. so dang good.
and now, major spoiler...............
......seriously, don't read this if you value the experience of reading a book at all..........
.......no joke. leave now.......
don't say i didn't warn you.
fred dies! are you freaking kidding me?! stupidly, too. that dumb girl who wanted to die just dragged him down with her. he didn't want to die. he'd just hooked up with the girl of his dreams that very night! whatever. you are the reason you don't get five stars. stupid.
and now, major spoiler...............
......seriously, don't read this if you value the experience of reading a book at all..........
.......no joke. leave now.......
don't say i didn't warn you.
fred dies! are you freaking kidding me?! stupidly, too. that dumb girl who wanted to die just dragged him down with her. he didn't want to die. he'd just hooked up with the girl of his dreams that very night! whatever. you are the reason you don't get five stars. stupid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2013
My experience with Philip Pullman is that he writes an excellent first book, but then starts doing nasty things to his characters and basically ruins it all. I hate that his romances never work out. And the books end up getting so dark and twisted.
October 26, 2010
What do I rate this audio book?
The reader is fabulous. Lesser reads brilliantly.
Pullman write a compelling story for more than 2/3 of the book.
The historical detail is seamless and breathtaking.
But ... yes, BUT. But then Pullman has three characters behave strongly out of character that results in the death of one of them. The story goes downhill from there. I just could not allow Pullman to take such a lame turn in his own plot. He's too good a writer to pull a stunt like this. If he's going to kill off a major character, he should do it in a way that MAKES SENSE with the rest of the book rather than derails it completely.
I finished this book feeling intensely miffed. Why did he have to ruin his book? I don't get it. I really don't. He could have still killed off his person and stayed true to his characters.
What a shame. Really, what a shame.
The reader is fabulous. Lesser reads brilliantly.
Pullman write a compelling story for more than 2/3 of the book.
The historical detail is seamless and breathtaking.
But ... yes, BUT. But then Pullman has three characters behave strongly out of character that results in the death of one of them. The story goes downhill from there. I just could not allow Pullman to take such a lame turn in his own plot. He's too good a writer to pull a stunt like this. If he's going to kill off a major character, he should do it in a way that MAKES SENSE with the rest of the book rather than derails it completely.
I finished this book feeling intensely miffed. Why did he have to ruin his book? I don't get it. I really don't. He could have still killed off his person and stayed true to his characters.
What a shame. Really, what a shame.
December 3, 2008
book on CD: Anton Lesser is a delightful reader!
August 2, 2010
Bleh! This is not YA in my opinion. The 16-yr-old Sally from the last book is now 22 and Frederick is something like 26. Their concerns and conversations are not YA I think. I like the writing and characters mostly again, but this is dark and deals very frankly with murder and sex.
MAJOR SPOILERS here:
It was 3-star again until the dumb ending. Sally and Frederick have been having a believable romantic conflict rooted in gender roles--very interesting--but when Sally realizes she does want to marry him, she drags him up the stairs, takes off her clothes, and tells him she wanted to have sex before they were engaged so he would know she really meant it? Huh? Sex = commitment? I don't think that was any more true in the Victorian Age then it is now.
Then Frederick dies literally a few hours later trying to rescue a different suicidal, lovesick woman from the arson of their home by the bad guy. Sally immediately confronts the powerful and evil industrialist, he asks her to marry him, she says OK, asks him to give her a tour of his incredibly dangerous weapon they've been trying to stop, he agrees with no concerns, she shoots the magazine and it explodes killing bad guy, but she survives (two books in a row where she saves herself with her gun in direct confrontation), and she finds out she is pregnant in Victorian England with dead Frederick's baby from their one night stand/engagement celebration.
Meh.
MAJOR SPOILERS here:
It was 3-star again until the dumb ending. Sally and Frederick have been having a believable romantic conflict rooted in gender roles--very interesting--but when Sally realizes she does want to marry him, she drags him up the stairs, takes off her clothes, and tells him she wanted to have sex before they were engaged so he would know she really meant it? Huh? Sex = commitment? I don't think that was any more true in the Victorian Age then it is now.
Then Frederick dies literally a few hours later trying to rescue a different suicidal, lovesick woman from the arson of their home by the bad guy. Sally immediately confronts the powerful and evil industrialist, he asks her to marry him, she says OK, asks him to give her a tour of his incredibly dangerous weapon they've been trying to stop, he agrees with no concerns, she shoots the magazine and it explodes killing bad guy, but she survives (two books in a row where she saves herself with her gun in direct confrontation), and she finds out she is pregnant in Victorian England with dead Frederick's baby from their one night stand/engagement celebration.
Meh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2022
This took nearly a month to read, and I had to keep putting it aside to read other things. The main reason was its general dry nature and boredom. Sally and co become mixed up in the machinations of a very unpleasant man who has at least one murder to his credit, employs thugs and killers, and has political and economic power which is permitting him to create a weapon of mass destruction. There was a subplot where he blackmailed a politician to let him marry his daughter who was a colourless, insipid non-character.
There was one good thing in the book - Jim. I love Jim as a character and he develops more in this and shows more of his courage, tenacity, loyalty and heart. (Though why oh why does he fall for the bland, 'beautiful', daughter of the peer?) Plus he is writing plays though having no luck with having them taken up by theatres. So that earns the one star I've rated this book.
However, the rest of the book posed a lot of problems. I thought at first that I must have missed out a volume because Sally is 22, six years have passed since 'Ruby in the Smoke' and she is running a business as a financial consultant... in 1880-something? I can believe that a woman with her skills could have continued to do the bookkeeping for the photographic business as in the first volume and perhaps by word of mouth expanded her clientele, but that a woman would be trusted in business to give people financial advice about the stock market at that date - no I couldn't quite stretch to that. Perhaps the reason is a plot-based one, as it is important at certain points that Sally is no longer living with Fred and the rest of the other characters. Similarly, there is statement early on that Sally loves Webster (Fred's uncle) - I suppose as a sort of father figure - but bearing in mind he was absent in book 1 and we don't see them in a single scene together until about two thirds into the book that also seemed something not established.
Anyone who is a dog lover will not enjoy one particular scene which was pretty graphic. I won't say more.
Certain things happen in the last third of the book that I couldn't credit. They involve characters suddenly doing things which have not been properly established and are therefore not believable. I can't say much more without spoilers, but there are also a lot of very convenient things that happen. The last at the very end would be a disaster for a real nineteenth century woman. I also don't tend to like books where characters are killed off rather than the writer having to show how that character would develop/grow/conflict etc with the other characters; it strikes me as lazy writing as they now don't have to be dealt with and are safely enshrined as the late lamented. So all in all, this was only a one star read and despite there being two more books which I hope Jim went on to appear in, I can't be bothered to track those down.
There was one good thing in the book - Jim. I love Jim as a character and he develops more in this and shows more of his courage, tenacity, loyalty and heart. (Though why oh why does he fall for the bland, 'beautiful', daughter of the peer?) Plus he is writing plays though having no luck with having them taken up by theatres. So that earns the one star I've rated this book.
However, the rest of the book posed a lot of problems. I thought at first that I must have missed out a volume because Sally is 22, six years have passed since 'Ruby in the Smoke' and she is running a business as a financial consultant... in 1880-something? I can believe that a woman with her skills could have continued to do the bookkeeping for the photographic business as in the first volume and perhaps by word of mouth expanded her clientele, but that a woman would be trusted in business to give people financial advice about the stock market at that date - no I couldn't quite stretch to that. Perhaps the reason is a plot-based one, as it is important at certain points that Sally is no longer living with Fred and the rest of the other characters. Similarly, there is statement early on that Sally loves Webster (Fred's uncle) - I suppose as a sort of father figure - but bearing in mind he was absent in book 1 and we don't see them in a single scene together until about two thirds into the book that also seemed something not established.
Anyone who is a dog lover will not enjoy one particular scene which was pretty graphic. I won't say more.
Certain things happen in the last third of the book that I couldn't credit. They involve characters suddenly doing things which have not been properly established and are therefore not believable. I can't say much more without spoilers, but there are also a lot of very convenient things that happen. The last at the very end would be a disaster for a real nineteenth century woman. I also don't tend to like books where characters are killed off rather than the writer having to show how that character would develop/grow/conflict etc with the other characters; it strikes me as lazy writing as they now don't have to be dealt with and are safely enshrined as the late lamented. So all in all, this was only a one star read and despite there being two more books which I hope Jim went on to appear in, I can't be bothered to track those down.
June 6, 2016
I rebelled for months against finishing this reread because THE ENDING HURTS SO MUCH. But the entire story is, of course, so well done and so complex and inviting that even the ouchiest of literary ouchies can't take away the joy of visiting Sally's world again.
That said, if Pullman could let some characters just be happy, I wouldn't be such a blubbery mess right now. JUST SAYING.
That said, if Pullman could let some characters just be happy, I wouldn't be such a blubbery mess right now. JUST SAYING.
August 8, 2009
The ending sucks. Period.
January 31, 2025
*update 27 January 2025*
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
setting Victorian London, sekitar abad ke-19.
- Sally Lockhart : sebagai perempuan single, di thn 1800an, termasuk tidak biasa. punya pekerjaan sendiri, sebagai financial consultant juga. jd pas dia membawa laki2 (yang mana kliennya) ganti2 ke kantornya, dia jadi dicurigai.
- Frederick Garland dan Jim Taylor: yang satu fotografer, punya usaha fotografi sama pamannya. satu lagi suka nulis naskah drama gitu, walaupun gak pernah sukses dipentasin, haha. Suka sama mereka berdua, apalagi pas lagi nyelidikin sesuatu. Frederick lebih supel, klo Jim lebih polos sih, haha.
--> pas baca, agak susah memahami karena setting-nya ternyata classic, ada bbrp kosakata yg bikin bingung. trus kasusnya sendiri, kasusnya berhubungan dengan kapal2 steamship atau apa gitu, banyak istilah yg berhubungan dengan kapal, juga senjata2 steam gun (atau apa ya), jd agak susah ngikutin. latar belakang financial consultant-nya Sally, banyak istilah2 finansial yg aku sendiri gak familiar, lumayan bikin mikir sih.
--> twist menjelang akhir . bikin aku lemes banget lho. susah mau ngelanjutin sampe ending, karena bener2 se-shock itu T____T
--> untuk ending, entah kenapa aku kurang suka sama endingnya. berharap Axel Bellman ditangkap, dijeblosin ke penjara atau digantung di muka umum. tapi malah . kayak sia-sia aja gitu perjuangan selama ini, haft.
P.S.: aku gak baca buku 1, jadi utk ngikutin karakternya sempet bingung sih. tapi gara2 baca ini, jadi penasaran sama buku 1 dan ke-3 nyaa.. haha.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
setting Victorian London, sekitar abad ke-19.
- Sally Lockhart : sebagai perempuan single, di thn 1800an, termasuk tidak biasa. punya pekerjaan sendiri, sebagai financial consultant juga. jd pas dia membawa laki2 (yang mana kliennya) ganti2 ke kantornya, dia jadi dicurigai.
- Frederick Garland dan Jim Taylor: yang satu fotografer, punya usaha fotografi sama pamannya. satu lagi suka nulis naskah drama gitu, walaupun gak pernah sukses dipentasin, haha. Suka sama mereka berdua, apalagi pas lagi nyelidikin sesuatu. Frederick lebih supel, klo Jim lebih polos sih, haha.
--> pas baca, agak susah memahami karena setting-nya ternyata classic, ada bbrp kosakata yg bikin bingung. trus kasusnya sendiri, kasusnya berhubungan dengan kapal2 steamship atau apa gitu, banyak istilah yg berhubungan dengan kapal, juga senjata2 steam gun (atau apa ya), jd agak susah ngikutin. latar belakang financial consultant-nya Sally, banyak istilah2 finansial yg aku sendiri gak familiar, lumayan bikin mikir sih.
--> twist menjelang akhir . bikin aku lemes banget lho. susah mau ngelanjutin sampe ending, karena bener2 se-shock itu T____T
--> untuk ending, entah kenapa aku kurang suka sama endingnya. berharap Axel Bellman ditangkap, dijeblosin ke penjara atau digantung di muka umum. tapi malah . kayak sia-sia aja gitu perjuangan selama ini, haft.
P.S.: aku gak baca buku 1, jadi utk ngikutin karakternya sempet bingung sih. tapi gara2 baca ini, jadi penasaran sama buku 1 dan ke-3 nyaa.. haha.
October 16, 2020
I'm hooked on the Sally Lockhart series. I listened to this right after listening to 'The Ruby in the Smoke' which is the first in the series and while I liked 'The Ruby in the Smoke', I think 'The Shadow in the North' is much better in both plot-line and character development.
I love Anton Lesser, he's such an amazing actor/reader listening to him read the book is a delight. I love the voices and the accents he gives the characters. I can't wait to listen to the next book in the series. (July 25, 2011)
10/2/2014: I just finished listening to this again and I loved it just as much as I did the first time, maybe more because I could appreciate Pullman's writing in a way I couldn't the first time because I was so engrossed in the action of the story. I highly recommend this series, I just love these characters.
3/31/2016 Still loving this after the third time!
10/16/2020 I didn't realize that I've listened to this three times already! I've been having a hard time finding something to listen to during the global pandemic. I'd like something distracting and engaging but also not too heavy. Listening to this was like spending time with old friends. This is such a great story. ❤️ All time favorite.
I love Anton Lesser, he's such an amazing actor/reader listening to him read the book is a delight. I love the voices and the accents he gives the characters. I can't wait to listen to the next book in the series. (July 25, 2011)
10/2/2014: I just finished listening to this again and I loved it just as much as I did the first time, maybe more because I could appreciate Pullman's writing in a way I couldn't the first time because I was so engrossed in the action of the story. I highly recommend this series, I just love these characters.
3/31/2016 Still loving this after the third time!
10/16/2020 I didn't realize that I've listened to this three times already! I've been having a hard time finding something to listen to during the global pandemic. I'd like something distracting and engaging but also not too heavy. Listening to this was like spending time with old friends. This is such a great story. ❤️ All time favorite.
December 8, 2017
Pullman is a great writer--characters, plot, setting are all beautifully and deftly developed. The Sally Lockhart series is as engaging a mystery series as you'll find. Sally and her friends/business partners are a delightfully intelligent group who come upon a major mystery that joins a magician's trouble with some shadowy pursuers and a retired teacher's loss of investment money. Something insidious is entrapping Victorian England, and Sally's life becomes dependent upon discovering its source. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. However, I can't quite get over being mad at Pullman for something tragic that happens in this book. Childish? Unreasonable? Yes, it is, but I wanted something to go one way and it went another. Now, having gotten that off my chest, I thought this second in the Lockhart series was well-done, well-played, and I am already grabbing for #3, The Tiger in the Well.
July 16, 2010
This book annoyed me in several ways. First of all, it is set six years after the first book and changes many things about the characters with no explanation. A character who was only interested in photographic art is now a private detective. Etc. The plot I actually really enjoyed. It was a fun, light, Victorian adventure story. But then it became needlessly dark and depressing. Pullman doesn't seem to know what kind of book he's writing. He seems to be trying to force a YA book to be more adult. I was pretty traumatized by some of the events of the book. I can't imagine how a child would react. This could have been a really great, fun book, but it just left me annoyed.
December 31, 2019
I can pretend i finished this book but that is a lie i just really wanted to rate it and say that i found it very boring im so sorry, pullman, but i'll give you another try when i start reading the golden compass
December 10, 2020
Glad there are four books in this series. This one was terrific (yes, at times depressing.)
August 2, 2017
Anche questo secondo volume, davvero davvero ben fatto!
Sto adorando leggere questa serie, è perfetta per essere divorata d'estate :3
A fine quadrilogia, ci scriverò su un papiro!
(Uhm.. quelle sarebbero le mie buone intenzioni..)
Sto adorando leggere questa serie, è perfetta per essere divorata d'estate :3
A fine quadrilogia, ci scriverò su un papiro!
(Uhm.. quelle sarebbero le mie buone intenzioni..)
August 17, 2017
I did not enjoy this nearly as much as the first book in the series. I missed several characters (Rosa, Trembler). There were plot developments that I found predictable. I spotted them coming very early on. I just kept reading to see how those were going to be revealed to everyone else. There were a lot of unbelievable resolutions that really soured me.
I like Sally less in this book. I'm not impressed with the feminist agenda that is sprinkled throughout - it felt false. And the atomic bomb analogy was heavy-handed.
Everything after the Chaka incident was a big disappointment. I'll probably read the third installment, but maybe The Ruby in the Smoke should have been left as just a standalone book. Pretty much everything that was appealing about that book is gone in this one. Pullman really blew it.
I like Sally less in this book. I'm not impressed with the feminist agenda that is sprinkled throughout - it felt false. And the atomic bomb analogy was heavy-handed.
Everything after the Chaka incident was a big disappointment. I'll probably read the third installment, but maybe The Ruby in the Smoke should have been left as just a standalone book. Pretty much everything that was appealing about that book is gone in this one. Pullman really blew it.
February 13, 2020
A proper adventure, we'll researched and gripping. There are some unexpected twists to the tale and I guarantee you won't predict the outcome.
February 27, 2024
philip pullman you are evil
im not giving it 5 stars bc of that ending i miss fred
im not giving it 5 stars bc of that ending i miss fred
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2021
I wanted to give this book a 2 star rating because I was infuriated with the outcome of the novel—but alas I admit it was a very good book. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the “hunt” so to speak. I fell in love with the characters (which is why I wanted to drop the rating to ground level). I cannot wait to see how the series progresses and what Sally gets into next!
November 15, 2019
Listened through Audible.
5 out of 5 to the narrator Anton Lesser.
I liked The Shadow in the North well enough, Sally Lockheart is now a young woman at age 22 and again finds herself investigating into her clients recent loss of of investment.
I definitely saw the growth in character for Sally and seems to be head and shoulders above the times.
I don't quite know what it was that made me not enjoy this one so much, but throughout listening I found my concentration waning.
Id like to continue the series but not in a rush.
5 out of 5 to the narrator Anton Lesser.
I liked The Shadow in the North well enough, Sally Lockheart is now a young woman at age 22 and again finds herself investigating into her clients recent loss of of investment.
I definitely saw the growth in character for Sally and seems to be head and shoulders above the times.
I don't quite know what it was that made me not enjoy this one so much, but throughout listening I found my concentration waning.
Id like to continue the series but not in a rush.
October 21, 2022
2.5
Well written, and appreciate an "unhappy" not so perfect ending (specifically in a "children's"? book).
Unfortunately, there was too much going on, making it hard to feel invested.
Also, not sure who the target audience is, but it feels super kiddy at times, and then super not at others, which was a little unnerving.
Well written, and appreciate an "unhappy" not so perfect ending (specifically in a "children's"? book).
Unfortunately, there was too much going on, making it hard to feel invested.
Also, not sure who the target audience is, but it feels super kiddy at times, and then super not at others, which was a little unnerving.
January 25, 2021
3 stars. I was struggling to continue this book for the first 50% but then I devoured the last half in one evening - although I'm still trying to decide whether it's in a good or bad way.
Sally Lockhart has set up as a teenage independent woman in Victorian London by establishing herself as a financial consultant. An elderly lady client comes in to ask her about her latest investment which had totally sunk all her money when the Anglo-Baltic Company unexpectedly collapsed. Sally suspects fraud and immediately begins investigating, along with her friends Jim Taylor and Frederick Garland.
The writing style felt very middle-grade so at the beginning I was a little unsure about whether this was meant for a younger audience. Imagine how jarring the contrast was when, after the 50% mark, the plot developed in a way that certainly wasn't meant for middle-grade audiences.
The central mystery of this story has a lot to do with complicated machinery (unsurprising considering Pullman's experience in the steampunk-ish genre), and Pullman doesn't pull any punches with the technical details. I personally found it rather boring, and coupled with an ebook copy with messed-up formatting, I couldn't help skimming through a lot of passages in the book. I definitely found the side-mystery of Alastair McKinnon much more engaging and interesting than the central one with the Anglo-Baltic Company.
About the second half of the book:
Despite all the rants I have for the second half of the book, I won't deny that it was still a very entertaining read just for the drama, which is why this book is even 3 stars at all. I read the first book a really long time ago so I can't quite remember much about it, but I don't think I recall having the same thoughts about this. I'll probably continue the series at some point since I own the last 2 books, but it's fairly low on my priority at the moment. I might just want to check out The Golden Compass by Pullman, which I hope is a much better read.
Sally Lockhart has set up as a teenage independent woman in Victorian London by establishing herself as a financial consultant. An elderly lady client comes in to ask her about her latest investment which had totally sunk all her money when the Anglo-Baltic Company unexpectedly collapsed. Sally suspects fraud and immediately begins investigating, along with her friends Jim Taylor and Frederick Garland.
The writing style felt very middle-grade so at the beginning I was a little unsure about whether this was meant for a younger audience. Imagine how jarring the contrast was when, after the 50% mark, the plot developed in a way that certainly wasn't meant for middle-grade audiences.
The central mystery of this story has a lot to do with complicated machinery (unsurprising considering Pullman's experience in the steampunk-ish genre), and Pullman doesn't pull any punches with the technical details. I personally found it rather boring, and coupled with an ebook copy with messed-up formatting, I couldn't help skimming through a lot of passages in the book. I definitely found the side-mystery of Alastair McKinnon much more engaging and interesting than the central one with the Anglo-Baltic Company.
About the second half of the book:
Despite all the rants I have for the second half of the book, I won't deny that it was still a very entertaining read just for the drama, which is why this book is even 3 stars at all. I read the first book a really long time ago so I can't quite remember much about it, but I don't think I recall having the same thoughts about this. I'll probably continue the series at some point since I own the last 2 books, but it's fairly low on my priority at the moment. I might just want to check out The Golden Compass by Pullman, which I hope is a much better read.
August 2, 2019
Argh I hate this one so much. I mean it’s a great book and all but I hate what happens at the end.
December 12, 2008
I didn't realize this was the second book in the series until about half way through, but I kept on going with it since I seemed able to figure most things out that I missed in the first book. The story is so incredibly woven, with the characters being given as much attention as the unfolding mystery. There were times of incredible sadness and moments of hilarity. I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator was good - he definitely had to grow on me (he does a wonderful Scottish accent). I am now into the 3rd book, and will eventually go back to read the first.
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