I don’t subscribe to Netflix, and therefore have not watched Lockwood & Co. It is based on a book series by Jonathan Stroud (of Bartimaeus fame). I picked up the first book, The Screaming Staircase, from my local library for my weekend read.
The protagonists are three ghost-hunting teens. Why teens? Some of the them can sense ghosts, an ability they lose in adulthood. The setting is England where hauntings have increased. No one is sure why but they call it the Problem. Anthony Lockwood is the leader of the trio who has set up his own Psychic Investigation Agency. His talent is Sight – he’s particularly able at seeing apparitions and death glows (sites where murders took place). George is his talented researcher. And the story is told from the point-of-view of his newest employee Lucy, who can Hear and sense apparitions by touching objects in a haunted vicinity. The narrative action is brisk, and Stroud has a talent for being very descriptive without bogging down the text. It’s an engaging story – hard to put down the book once you’ve started! But on to the elements of subduing ghosts.
In Lockwood & Co, ghosts only come out at night and they do not venture far from their Source – typically their dead bones. But they can lodge themselves in other objects. Spiders and cobwebs are a sign of a haunted area. (Not sure why.) As they manifest, one might see ghost-fog, a thin greenish-white mist that seems to stay low to the ground. (Gaseous particles more dense than air?) It is speculated that this matter is ectoplasm which is harmless. More dangerous is a ghost-touch, bodily contact with an apparition which has a visible shape usually matching the deceased. (However there are Changers that can alter their shape.) The presence of ghosts decreases the temperature dramatically (like dementors) suggesting to me that they draw (thermal) energy away from the surroundings and perhaps the ghost-touch draws energy from human cells. A ghost-touch injury is fatal if not treated quickly. Ghosts come in several levels. We encounter Type One (low-grade) and Type Two (more dangerous) in The Screaming Staircase. I’m guessing the stakes will be upped in the sequels.
There are two large famed agencies that employ hundreds of teen agents who help protect the populace by eradicating the ghosts. Lockwood’s new agency is an upstart minnow. There’s also a government Department of Psychic Research and Control that licenses and these agencies, but they are also engaged in researching the Problem. Both the department and the local populace hire such agents to rid themselves of these hauntings. The government has set up warning bells and ghost-lamps – high-intensity white light that wards off ghosts. So does running water, feasible in the city but not in the suburbs apparently. (Not sure why.) The government has also imposed a curfew that the populace is careful to keep for their own personal safety. Except for the agents. Their work begins at night.
How do you fight ghosts? Agents have iron rapiers tipped with silver. They carry iron filings and iron chains to protect themselves. Yes, it’s a weight to carry around. Iron is mainly preventive. They are installed on window-bars, door frames, even in furniture. Silver seems to be more effective, although more expensive. The cheapest substance to drive away ghosts is salt, presumably sodium chloride, but it is only effective on weaker Type Ones and is essentially a deterrent. As an offensive weapon, magnesium flares (canisters containing magnesium, iron, salt) can be ignited. Why those metals? Would others work? Gold doesn’t. I infer that neither does copper since I expect that electrical devices are wired with copper. And those don’t seem to stop ghosts.
If ghosts absorb energy, why do they only do so at night? Is there too much energy from photons in the day? Could large bursts of energy harm a ghost? And perhaps that’s why magnesium flares are effective. Burning magnesium is a very exothermic reaction not to mention it also releases lots of photons of blinding white light. What would electricity do to a ghost? Interestingly, there might be some issues. To give you a sense of Stroud’s writing, here’s Lucy in the middle of a mission in the hallway of a haunted house:
“Doorways opened on either side: gaping and choked in darkness. All of which could have been nicely illuminated if we’d turned on the lights, of course. And there was a switch on the wall, right there. But we didn’t attempt to use it. You see, a second rule you learn is this: electricity interferes. It dulls the senses and makes you weak and stupid. It’s much better to watch and listen in the dark. It’s good to have that fear.”
More questions than answers. I hope that subsequent books uncover more about the theory of apparitions and the chemistry of what works and doesn’t. If not, I expect to still enjoy Stroud’s writing. I will be getting the next book on my next visit to the library.
P.S. My most recent Ghost post was almost a year ago!
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