The Screaming Staircase
by Jonathan Stroud (Doubleday, 2013); audiobook read by Miranda Raison (Random House Audio, 2013)
![Book cover: “The Screaming Staircase” by Jonathan Stroud (Doubleday, 2013); audiobook read by Miranda Raison (Random House Audio, 2013)](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Stroud_Screaming-Staircase-199x300.jpg)
Competent world-building and good characterisation (particularly via Raison’s audiobook reading), though Lucy exhibits less personality than Lockwood or George and is a slightly disappointing viewpoint character. The story is fun and at times gripping, yet feels constructed, following a too-neat narrative blueprint.