The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne (Outlaws #1)
by Jonathan Stroud (Author)
Scarlett McCain is a shoot-first ask-questions-later kind of outlaw. She scrapes by on bank heists, her wits--and never looking back. She's on the run from her latest crime when she comes across Albert Browne. He is the sole survivor of a horrific accident, and against her better judgement, Scarlett agrees to guide him to safety. This is a mistake.
Soon there are men with dogs and guns and explosives hot on their heels. Scarlett's used to being chased by the law, but this is extreme. It was only a little bank she'd robbed . . . As they flee together across the wilds, fighting off monstrous beasts, and dodging their pursuers, Scarlett comes to realize that Albert Browne is hiding a terrible secret. And that he may be the most dangerous threat of all. In this fast-paced, quick-witted whirlwind of a story, Jonathan Stroud introduces two unlikely allies--the outlaws Scarlett and Browne--who are about to become the most notorious renegades in all that's left of Britain.
"Stroud sends two young fugitives with murky pasts fleeing murderous pursuers across a fractured future Britain." --Kirkus Reviews, starred
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Publishers Weekly
After handily knocking over a bank to settle a debt, red-haired, gimlet-eyed Scarlett McCain--"no ties, no allegiance"--disappears into the woodland wastes between England's Surviving Towns with a rucksack full of cash, her prayer mat and cuss-box, and "little to worry about." When she comes across the aftermath of a terrible bus accident, however, she encounters in the vehicle's toilet cubicle the incident's sole apparent survivor: seemingly clueless youth Albert Browne, bony and bright-eyed. Scarlett begrudgingly agrees to accompany Albert to the next settlement, but the appearance of bowler-hatted trackers sets off a reluctant partnership between the cued-white protagonists that sees them pursued over land and sea across a postapocalyptic, flooded Britain that's menaced by plague, enormous water monsters, ghastly cannibals called the Tainted, and Faith Houses "on the watch for any kind of deviation, be it physical or moral." Some elements feel less sensitively rendered than others, but Stroud (the Lockwood & Co. series) expertly builds flawed characters, cahoots close and tender, and a fully realized setting in this rollicking series opener, employing arch phrasing, witty rapport, and quick pacing alongside the brutally rendered truths of a world intent on controlling outlaws of every type. Ages 10-up. Agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House on behalf of Veronique Baxter, David Higham Assoc. (U.K.). (Oct.)
Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
An adventurous fantasy set in an alternate England, after calamities have transformed it into guarded cities with generators and basic commerce surrounded by deadly wilderness and large predators—not to mention the Tainted, who are zombie cannibals. All religions have merged into Faith Houses, which are a significant but not salubrious presence. Enter cutthroat outlaw Scarlett McCain, described as pale-skinned with red hair, who robs banks for a living. Her backstory is mysterious, but she has no love for the Surviving Towns or for Faith Houses. Traveling the wilderness she finds a boy in an abandoned bus, Albert Browne, with pale skin and black hair. He has his own enemies, and Scarlett agrees to help him try to reach the Free Isles near London. They team up with a riverboat pilot, Joe, who has dark skin, and his pale-skinned granddaughter Ettie to make the journey. Stroud combines detailed, deliberate, and evocative descriptions of the wasteland once known as England with a fast-paced plot. Continuous escapes and fight scenes build tons of excitement and at times spine-tingling horror. Scarlett's frustration with the more friendly, naive Albert is often hilarious, as is her ability to talk or shoot herself out of a tough corner. Some loose ends in Scarlett and Albert's backstories seem to indicate the series will continue. VERDICT Intricate worldbuilding and a compelling heroine will appeal to readers who like "Rick Riordan Presents," as well as the works of Philip Pullman and Garth Nix.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Lib. Assoc., CT
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
Fantasy fiction
England
Criminals
Secrecy
Secrets
Outlaws
Monsters
Fugitives from justice
Bank robberies
Escaped prisoners
Novels
