★★★★☆ A Study in Scarlett

The Notorious Scarlett and Browne

Jonathan Stroud

A warning to begin -- this review will contain spoilers for book 1 of the series The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne. I will, however, try to avoid spoilers for this book itself, The Notorious Scarlett and Browne.

In fact, this review is much easier to write than the one for Outlaws, because now I can be upfront about Albert's mental powers -- he reads minds, and he has poorly controlled telekinetic powers, which so far have mostly manifested in the form of huge explosions in his vicinity that somehow luckily spare Albert himself and his friends grievous bodily harm. In Outlaws we learned most of the story of Albert's life, at least to the extent he himself knows it, through flashback chapters. His earliest memories are of Stonemoor -- a prison/education facility for people like Albert who have mental powers -- and of Dr Calloway there, who tormented him, ostensibly to teach him to control his powers.

I confess that I find Scarlett a more interesting character than Albert. She is an ordinary human in the sense of lacking superpowers (assuming sarcasm doesn't count). She is a standard-issue picaresque -- "a roguish, but appealing hero, usually of low social class, who lives by [her] wits in a corrupt society". But she's a sympathetic and well-drawn one. It was hinted in Outlaws that she is motivated by a dark past.

In Notorious Scarlett gets the flashback treatment, and we learn how she came to be the dangerous thief she is today. And I am there for it! It's great to get to know Scarlett better. Albert is also a bit more interesting in Notorious than he was in Outlaws -- no longer just a repository of psychic powers, he is beginning to show some discipline and ability to plan.

Aside from the flashbacks, the story itself is mostly a heist story. That is an oversimplification, but will give you a fairly accurate picture of the general nature of the plot. Lots of exciting action, and some partial revelations about the nature of the cataclysm that gave rise to the postapocalyptic world in which the series takes place. There is obviously more to come, and I intend to keep reading.

Amazon review

Goodreads review

Comments

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