Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart, #1)

by Philip Pullman

A gripping mystery from an incedibly talented author. Sally Lockhart is living quietly in London with her obnoxious cousin, after her father's tragic death at sea. But the peaceful, if hateful, existence is about to end. Sally's father left her a message, and deciphering it will lead her into a world of danger and excitement such as she's never known...

• ISBN13: 9780439977784
• Publish Date: 1 June 2004 (first published 5 December 1985)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 25 February 2010
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Imprint: Scholastic Point
• Edition: Re-issue
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 209
• Language: English

Reviews

I really enjoyed this. It was a straightforward mystery with a great cast of characters. I loved Sally. She reminded me a lot of Claire Trevelyan from Magnificient Devices. She's smart and capable if not a little unsure of herself, but she's determined and creative enough to solve her own problems. I loved all the characters - they were all smart and kind and cheeky. Jim was my favourite, although Rosa was a pretty close second. The mystery was interesting and a little spooky with the whole opium element. There was lots of intrigue and I loved Jim going off on his own (he solves the riddle and goes and gets the ruby from the pub) to execute plans inspired by his Penny Dreadfuls. For all Sally is the main character, she's not the one who really solves the mystery. Rather it instead unfolds with both the villains and the heroes portraying their part in the story.

Fantastic read. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

The Ruby in the Smoke called out to me not because of any merit of its own, but because it was written by Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials. Usually, when I enjoy an author’s work as much as I enjoyed The Golden Compass, it only makes sense to try some of his other series, yeah?

I have some mixed feelings about The Ruby in the Smoke.

On the one hand, I really liked the characters as a general rule. Each had his or her own quirks. They were a little bit stereotyped to what would have been common to their class, but they were individual enough that they stood out to me more than characters in similar situations in other novels, like Dodger or The Reluctant Assassin. I liked Sally, Rosa, and Fred in particular… but honestly Jim, Trembler, and Adelaide also had their merits. Each character was strongly written enough that I cared about what happened to them.

Within the character arc, I want to talk a little about the villain, Mrs. Holland. Mrs. Holland is a picture perfect Disney villain. She’s single-minded and old and crotchety and selfish and arrogant and dangerous. Thing of a personality mix somewhere between Maleficent, Cruella, and Ursula… and you’ve got Mrs. Holland. She’s perfectly done.

I really liked the romance too, which is something I don’t often say. I like it for the same reason I like it in Pullman’s other novels… there’s a slow, sweet build to it. Romance tends to take over stories and doesn’t seem to develop naturally… that drives me crazy, and it’s not true of The Ruby in the Smoke. Sally falls in love slowly, and in such a way you know it’s going to develop naturally over the course of the series. I really liked it, and I liked the potential couple too… so… I’m here for it.

While this is an historical fiction mystery, it’s also very much a YA novel. These were rare enough in 1985, and it goes to show that Philip Pullman was one of the early runners for the YA genre. Because of this, there’s been some criticism to the novel that it is too simple and straightforward. Honestly, those were some of the things I liked about it. There’s not a lot of glitz and glam to the writing, but it’s not so overly simplified that I would consider it middle grade. Not too hot, not too cold… just right.

The tale of the ruby itself immediately brought The Maltese Falcon to mind. The central piece in the story – or what the reader is led to believe is the central piece – is this ruby that people are willing to kill to have. It’s an immense fortune, and it seems to change people, bringing out the worst of their greed. I enjoyed he twists and turns of the novel – I predicted some elements its ended because some cliches are just good… but not the dramatic shift in the story. I thought it was well-done.

So here’s my concern, and I guess, it’s my only concern. The Ruby in the Smoke is based on and around the Opium Wars. Here in the States, we don’t talk a lot about these, as they aren’t a part of our country’s history, but in the mid-1800s, Britain went to war twice with China over opium. Opium plays a large part in The Ruby in the Smoke, and is used by multiple characters. There’s some stigma around it, but it is nonetheless appropriated for its hallucinogenic properties. So on one hand, we have drug use. And on the other hand, I’m not crazy about the depiction of Chinese characters? All are shown in relation to opium dens. They make up so little of the book, but it stood out to me immediately and… I don’t know. I guess it was just worth mentioning.

Generally, though? I really liked The Ruby in the Smoke, more than I was expecting to. It was refreshing to read a YA mystery that wasn’t a secret YA romance. This is an older book, so there are definitely cliches and tropes that were perhaps less common 34 years ago. Nonetheless, I’d recommend it is you enjoy the genre and in particular, if you liked The Golden Compass and are interested in some of Pullman’s other work. For myself, I’ll be venturing forth with The Shadow in the North.

[thepunktheory]

Book vs. Movie:
I had heard nothing but positives things about the Sally Lockhart books so I simply needed to check them out. So far, I'm delighted. Pullman managed to creat a thrilling novel that keeps you guessing until the very end. The heroine, Sally, is an amiable character you can easily connect with. His story is not only exciting but you can also tell that he put a lot of effort in research. The way he describe England in 1872 is very credible and at times almost appears as if he had really been there. Although the end, the solving of the huge mystery, actually let me down a bit, I enjoyed reading "The Ruby in the Smoke".
Let's move on the movie. I already knew that Billie Piper would play the leading role (a perfect choice!) but I was completely surprised to find out that Matt Smith (one of my most beloved Doctors from Doctor Who) also has a part in this film.
Apart from the excellent choice of casting, I was happy to see that they kept very close to the novel. There were hardly any differences and I especially loved the fact that they kept the narrator, so they could also keep the intro from the book (which I liked a lot).
They transitioned many scenes just perfectly - exactly the way I imagined it.

I am delighted to say that The Ruby in the Smoke is one of the best adaptation I watched recently. Both the book and the movie are pretty awesome. Go ahead and check them both out!