Jonathan Stroud - Lockwood & Co. Book Three - The Hollow Boy

Silver-glass—A special “ghost-proof” glass used to encase Sources.

Snuff-light—A type of small candle used by psychic investigation agenciesto indicate a supernatural presence. They flicker, tremble and finally snuff out if a ghostdraws near.

Solitary**—An unusual Type Two ghost, often encountered in remote and perilous places, generally outdoors. Visually it often wears the guise of a slender child, seen at a distance across a ravine or lake. It never draws close to the living, but radiates an extreme form of ghost-lockthat may overwhelm anyone nearby. Victims of Solitaries often hurl themselves over cliffs or into deep water in an effort to end it all.

Source—The object or place through which a ghostenters the world.

Specter**—The most commonly encountered Type Two ghost. A Specter always forms a clear, detailed apparition, which may in some cases seem almost solid. It is usually an accurate visual echo of the deceased as they were when alive or newly dead. Specters are less nebulous than Phantasmsand less hideous than Wraiths, but equally varied in behavior. Many are neutral or benign in their dealings with the living—perhaps returning to reveal a secret, or make right an ancient wrong. Some, however, are actively hostile, and hungry for human contact. These ghosts should be avoided at all costs.

Stalker*—A Type One ghostthat seems drawn to living people, following them at a distance, but never venturing close. Agents who are skilled at Listeningoften detect the slow shuffling of its bony feet, and its desolate sighs and groans.

Stone Knocker*—A desperately uninteresting Type One ghost, which does precious little apart from tap.

Talent—The ability to see, hear, or otherwise detect ghosts. Many children, though not all, are born with a degree of psychic Talent. This skill tends to fade toward adulthood, though it still lingers in some grown-ups. Children with better-than-average Talent join the night watch. Exceptionally gifted children usually join the agencies. The three main categories of Talent are Sight, Listening, and Touch.

Tom O’Shadows*—A London term for a Lurkeror Shadethat lingers in doorways, arches, or alleyways. An everyday urban ghost.

Touch—The ability to detect psychic echoes from objects that have been closely associated with death or a supernatural manifestation. Such echoes take the form of visual images, sounds, and other sense impressions. One of the three main varieties of Talent.

Type One—The weakest, most common, and least dangerous grade of ghost. Type Ones are scarcely aware of their surroundings, and often locked into a single, repetitious pattern of behavior. Commonly encountered examples include: Shades, Gray Hazes, Lurkers, and Stalkers. See also Cold Maiden, Gibbering Mist, Glimmer, Stone Knocker, Tom O’Shadows, and Wisp.

Type Two—The most dangerous commonly occurring grade of ghost. Type Twos are stronger than Type Ones, and possess some kind of residual intelligence. They are aware of the living, and may attempt to do them harm. The most common Type Twos, in order, are: Specters, Phantasms, and Wraiths. See also Changer, Fetch, Limbless, Poltergeist, Raw-bones, Screaming Spirit, and Solitary.

Type Three—A very rare grade of ghost, first reported by Marissa Fittes, and the subject of much controversy ever since. Allegedly able to communicate fully with the living.

Visitor—A ghost.

Ward—An object, usually of ironor silver, used to keep ghostsaway. Small wards may be worn as jewelry on the person; larger ones, hung up around the house, are often equally decorative.

Water, running—It was observed in ancient times that ghostsdislike crossing running water. In modern Britain this knowledge is sometimes used against them. In central London a net of artificial channels, or runnels, protects the main shopping district. On a smaller scale, some homeowners build open channels outside their front doors and divert the rainwater along them.

Wisp*—Weak and generally unthreatening, a Wisp is a Type One ghostthat manifests as a pale and flickering flame. Some scholars speculate that all ghosts, given time, degenerate into Wisps, then Glimmers,before finally vanishing altogether.

Wraith**—A dangerous Type Two ghost. Wraiths are similar to Spectersin strength and patterns of behavior, but are far more horrible to look at. Their apparitionsshow the deceased in his or her dead state: gaunt and shrunken, horribly thin, sometimes rotten and wormy. Wraiths often appear as skeletons. They radiate a powerful ghost-lock. See also Raw-bones.

PRAISE FOR THE LOCKWOOD & CO. SERIES

The Screaming Staircase

“Stroud (the Bartimaeus series) shows his customary flair for blending deadpan humor with thrilling action, and the fiery interplay among the three agents of Lockwood & Co. invigorates the story (along with no shortage of creepy moments). Stroud plays with ghost story conventions along the way, while laying intriguing groundwork that suggests that the Problem isn’t the only problem these young agents will face in books to come—the living can be dangerous, too.”

— Publishers Weekly

“Authentically spooky events occur in an engagingly crafted, believable world, populated by distinct, colorful personalities. The genuinely likable members of Lockwood & Co. persevere through the evil machinations of the living and the dead and manage to come out with their skins, and their senses of humor, intact. This smart, fast-paced ghostly adventure promises future chills.”

— School Library Journal

“Three young ghost trappers take on deadly wraiths and solve an old murder case in the bargain to kick off Stroud’s new post-Bartimaeus series…A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls.”

— Kirkus Reviews

“Stroud brings the seemingly disparate plot points together with his usual combination of thrilling adventure and snarky humor….all members of this spirit-smashing trio get in their fair share of zingers, providing a comedic balance to the many narrow escapes, false leads, and shape-shifting specters that otherwise occupy Lockwood & Co.”

—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist for Young Adult Literature

2013 Cybil Award for Speculative Fiction

CCBC Choices List

2014 Edgar Award Nominee

A Junior Library Guild Selection

The Whispering Skull

★“In fine form, Stroud sends Lockwood & Co. on a trail that leads from an upper-crust social event to the mucky margins of the Thames and into dust-ups with thugs, rival agents and carloads of ectoplasmic horrors that can kill with just a touch. For all their internecine squabbling, the three protagonists make a redoubtable team—and their supporting cast, led by the sneering titular skull in a jar, adds color and complications aplenty. Rousing adventures for young tomb robbers and delvers into realms better left to the dead.”