A touch of Bonnie and Clyde in a post-apocalyptic western-like setting, with all the gripping simplicity of Stroud's writing: that's the perfect recipe.
I couldn't put it down.

A new book by my favorite author? Count me in.

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne is set in a dystopian England that mirrors the wild west from earlier history. It reminded me of the tv show Defiance, except that had a lot of scifi elements. The Outlaws does not as much though there seems to be a hidden part of society that hides kids with paranormal powers... It is an interesting setting for our characters to live in. A place where heists, gangs and criminal kids run around together. That is also a bit of the downside. In that there isn't a real explanation why England came to this dystopian setting and how far in the future this is really set.

Having said that, this book is all about the characters. We meet Scarlett McCain first as she is pulling off a heist on a bank. She is an outlaw kid who is used to being on her own. Enter Albert Browne who she meets as she is running from the horde of towns people after her. He doesn't turn out to be quite as naive and harmless as she first thought him to be...

Their interaction, Scarlett's frustration and Albert's endless naivity on the surface, is what makes this book. Because there is still so much more to both of them. Albert might be naive to the world, but he certainly wasn't so naive that he didn't hide who he truly was. While Scarlett wants to be on her own and be hardened to the world but couldn't leave Albert behind. They make an interesting mix. In the banter they have but also in the bond that they build as they are being chased by those that want to lock them both up. And while we got bits and pieces of their past, there is still a lot to be discovered in future books. And I can't wait for that.

A fugitive bank robber named Scarlett McCain roams the ravaged landscape of the dystopic future to which she belongs. Her world has much more in common with the wild west than the 21st century. Ordinary animals have evolved into extremely large and dangerous predators - even a trout can be lethal. Far deadlier are the towns and the puritanical Faith Houses who run them. There, any perceived deviation or deformity is punishable by death, or fates that are even worse.

If you escape the towns, the Faith House operatives, the militia and the beasts lurking in the wilderness, there's always "The Tainted" to finish you off. These are mysterious zombie-like savages that move in packs and devour humans. As desolate as this universe sounds, Jonathan Stroud makes it an incredibly appealing fictional destination. It’s such a cleverly constructed, convincing and intriguing place, and I didn’t want to leave.

I love how Stroud writes. His beautiful, descriptive language is in stark contrast to the bleak surroundings it describes and makes the world Stroud has crafted more vivid and compelling. Even the passages containing violence or conveying terror read like poetry. The characters are amazing and as complicated and contradictory as real people. I love all the humour in the witty exchanges between Scarlett and her friends and foes.

The characters are among the most memorable I’ve ever met. Scarlett is amazing – so quick, clever and agile, and a formidable warrior who conceals a tender heart beneath her prickly exterior. Albert, the clumsy but gentle runaway with whom Scarlett becomes inadvertently and inextricably entangled, is just as wonderful. The companions they later befriend are brilliant too.

This is probably the most action-packed and thrilling book I’ve ever read and at times it felt more like watching a film than reading. I found it hard to breathe during some parts. When a severed head unexpectedly appeared in one scene, it felt like it was in the same room as me. Although the tension is razer-sharp from start to finish, this book is so much fun to read. The world it evokes is begging to be further explored. I can’t wait to get to know it and its characters better and am looking forward to the next book in this exciting new series already.

It was interesting to read this one so soon after I’ve completed The Rampart trilogy by M.R. Carey, because the setting is very similar. A hostile post-apocalyptic England, where there are all sorts of wild beasts and cannibalistic tribes roaming around looking for an easy snack. Civilised settlements are small oases where food, clothing and supplies can be found, along with law and order and safety. But Scarlett doesn’t make a habit of spending much time in one of the settled towns – other than to rob the bank. She doesn’t like the Faith House network, which is constantly looking for people who have deviated from the physical and mental norms (think of John Wynham’s The Chrysalids). She is not afraid of a fight, being an excellent shot and very good in a scrap – she wouldn’t have survived in the wilds, otherwise.

By contrast, Arthur Brown is a walking disaster. He has no instinct whatsoever for keeping himself safe and is liable to fall over his own feet, or get distracted by some pretty-looking seed pods or butterflies, rather than pay attention to the business of keeping himself alive. When chance brings these two together, Scarlett’s one instinct is to offload such a liability as fast as she possibly can – and the growing relationship between them was beautifully handled. It could have so easily puddled into sentimentality or lurve – and it does neither of those things.

Along the way, all sorts of adventures happen to this unlikely duo which steadily reveals more and more of this fascinating, blighted world. I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoyed Carey’s Rampart trilogy. It’s sufficiently different to be enjoyable in its own right – and certainly provides an interesting backdrop to two fascinating, complicated characters and I can’t wait to see where Stroud will next take this adventure. While I obtained an arc of The Outlaws Scarlett & Brown from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

Jonathan Stroud always writes fascinating and gripping story and this one is no exception.
An excellent world building that pictures a distopic future England, a great set of characters and fast paced and action packed plot.
The author is an excellent storyteller and I found this story gripping and highly entertaining.
Can't wait to read the next one, this book is highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you so much Walker Books for access to The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne following your fantastic preview evening!

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get to this book! It’s jam packed with laughs, shocks and scares, but avoids a monochrome view of good vs evil.

Scarlett McCain is violent and rude, and just doing her best to survive. Albert, meanwhile has a dark power, but he isn’t terrifying and overall I really liked these two!

Set in an alternative, discriminatory, dystopian U.K., the story switches between Scarlett and Albert’s POV in a society that only prizes perfection.

There is a lot to this story that pulls you in and Jonathan Stroud walks the fine line of telling you the story, without over telling or preaching, really, really well.

Overall The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud is an engaging, good read.

THE OUTLAWS SCARLETT AND BROWNE is a dystopia mashed with a Western, set in a post apocalyptic world. I absolutely loved the blend of the two genres, and to see a British setting (and all the little nods to locations I know) is something I am always here for. This book has bank robberies, strange creatures, a sinister organisation, and gunfights. The way it's all combined plays deference to the classics of the genres, but isn't held back by them, instead forging something new.

The world in this book was stunning. The past is never spelt out, but there's enough to piece together that a nuclear bomb fell on London many, many, many years ago and now small communities have formed in the land that's left. Creatures have mutates, towns have walls, and gangs have formed - all adapting to their local environment so that no two locations are the same.

There is plenty of action in this book - heists, shoot-'em-outs, night chases. It feels like watching a movie, well balanced and high octane. There's quite times between the set pieces, time for the characters to talk and weasel secrets out of one another.

As the title implies, Scarlett and Albert (Browne) are the heart of the story, and their relationship. Albert was my favourite - he's just so coltish and with no clue about the world, which simply made me want to protect him. Just let him be wide-eyed and innocent, Scarlett. So what if he can't survive? There's no need to infect him with your cold-eyed pragmatism!

From exasperation and naivety, to wary allies, to firm friends, it's so nice to see a YA book (frankly, any non-MG book) with a male and female lead that doesn't have a romance between them. They are friends and allies and that's it - no hints of anything else. Yes, I know there are other books to come in the series, but for now there's nothing and I am so grateful that we're gradually starting to see more friendships.

I loved Bartimaeus, fell for Lockwood and was looking forward to Scarlett and Browne with eager anticipation. Yes, Jonathan Stroud has done it again, created a fascinating and convincing fantasy world full of interest, added some characters you want to travel with and find out about and told a brilliantly exciting adventure story with lots of thrills, some nail biting scary scenes and plenty of dark humour.

It’s set in a future England where a series of catastrophes has left people living in the ruins of our civilisation. London is now a vast lagoon and people live in small fortified towns following strict laws that they hope will keep them safe from the horrors outside – massive and fierce animals, cannibals and anyone with a genetic fault or difference.

Scarlett McCain is daring, sharp and quick thinking. She’s also very good with a gun. We meet her robbing a bank and she’s very good at that too. She has always managed to stay one step ahead of danger until she meets clumsy, naive Albert Browne.

With each twist of the adventure, a little more about Albert is revealed and Scarlett finds he is considerably more than just an annoying stray boy and she has acquired some very powerful and dangerous enemies.

By the end of the book there is still a lot to learn about Scarlett and her history though, and I’m looking forward to finding out more in their next adventure.

The first in a new fantasy adventure series that will capture the imagination of young people aged 12+

Set in a very different England, after an unnamed catastrophe, Scarlett McCain lives life as an outlaw. On the run, having robbed a bank to pay back some dangerous characters, she encounters Albert Browne, who is also on the run, but for different reasons. They team up to journey to a place called The Free Isles, (previously London), where Albert hopes to find a sanctuary. This book is amazing. I read it in practically one sitting. I got so tied up in the story and the characters that at one point I actually found myself yelling at the book. The action never stops. The characters are brilliantly written and the dystopian setting is chilling. I cannot wait for the next instalment.

I love Stroud's writing. Have been a big fan for years. His world-building and characters are spot on. He doesn't overexplain, rather leaves the reader to imagine how the world got to where it is in his books. Scarlett is a fantastically sharp, tough character. Not easy to write a bad main character who still has warmth and whom readers root for, but here it works. Wild West fantasy.

Years after an unexplained cataclysm has shaken England - and presumably the world - to its core, Scarlett roams the outskirts of the walled towns that protect what's left of civilisation, stealing and killing where she has to - but only where she has to. She's quite moral, actually. And that very morality gets her into trouble when she meets the sole survivor of a bus crash. Against her better judgement, she offers to escort him to the nearest town. And that's when the trouble starts...

Ok, confession time; I haven't read any other Stroud books. They published when I was too old to read children's books, before I was old enough to know I could read anything I bloody well wanted to. I'm glad I read this one. Jonathan has a deft hand with the characters; narration sounds completely different depending on which character is doing it, which is something that doesn't always happen in dual narration books.

The countryside they travel through is well described and thought out, but there's no real explanation as to what happened to turn everything upside down. And, although it's clearly been a long time, there's petrol all over the place. Who's refining petrol and selling it in Wild West level England?

I really enjoyed this read. Jonathan wisely lets a good part of the book go by before we start figuring out what's up with Albert. but once the revelations start coming they come thick and fast. There's something in Scarlett's backstory we don't know about yet, but hopefully that'll come up in a later book.

BE AWARE, although Scarlett is not gratuitously violent, she has no hesitation in injuring or killing people who are trying to kill or injure her.

This is a great read and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series.

This was fun!! I really enjoyed the authors previous work which is why I wanted to give this a go, I didn’t love it as much but it was good all the same!!

This was a wonderful book. I was attracted initially to it as it reminded me of a western story and was intrigued as I've not come across many westerns aimed at children. But it was so much more than that. It’s a western mixed with fantasy but with a huge dollop of friendship and loyalty thrown in. Another wonderful story by Stroud.

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne is a hilarious, wonderfully Stroudian, action adventure, so packed with suspense that I could not put down. It details the misadventures of two young outlaws in a futuristic England that has devolved into the lawlessness of the old US Wild West.
Scarlett McCain is a feisty, resourceful, conscientious young woman scavenging an existence in the lawless wilds when she rescues a seemingly unassuming boy by the name of Albert Browne. But appearances can be deceptive.
I loved everything about this book from start to finish and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I already want to read book 2!

Jonathan Stroud has much to live up to after writing Scott's favorite book series of the last decade – the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co – so it was with a great amount of excitement that he dove into the first book of his new series: The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne.

Set in the distant future following a cataclysmic event that has fragmented England into fortified towns and settlements, we meet Scarlett McCain, a daring teenage outlaw of infamy and renown. While on the run following an audacious bank robbery, Scarlett happens across a crashed coach and discovers one survivor in the wreckage; a strange, hapless youth called Albert Browne. Against her better judgment, Scarlett agrees to help Albert but it is not long before Scarlett discovers there may be more to Albert than first appears and that he has a dark and dangerous secret. Events soon spiral and the pair end up in a breathless pursuit across a deadly landscape by relentless enemies.

This is a riotous adventure which although set in England takes a lot of influence from the American Wild West. Stroud’s usual witty banter and repartee are in evidence throughout and he hooks you in by drip-feeding clues and hints as the story progresses so you know there are deeper secrets and revelations to come. There are excitement and tension throughout, a nice balance of world-building and story pacing, and the sense that there is yet more to learn about Scarlett, Albert, and the wider world in future books.

While aimed at teenage readers, as with all of Jonathan Stroud’s novels, his writing style is easy and flowing, witty and engaging, so it will appeal to a wide range of readers. Scott can’t wait for the next Scarlett and Browne adventure.

Absolutely loved this from the beginning and kept loving it until about two thirds of the way through, when I felt the journey was getting too long, with too many distractions that did not move the story forward. But that is my only niggle in an otherwise face paced and delightful read.

Before I start, thanks to Netgalley and Walker Books YA for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was a huge fan of Jonathan Stroud as a kid - the Bartimaeus Sequence was one of those book series that, as a teenager, I just kept returning to because the world was lush, the writing was funny and the characters were people/daemons that I wanted to be friends with. It's underrated and for that reason, I felt it was my duty to read and review his new book to make more people as passionate about his writing as I am.

I appreciate that set the book up with HIGH expectations and pleasantly, it did not disappoint.

Scarlett McCain is on the run. From who? No real idea. To where? Not entirely sure - she gives you some ideas but I'm not sure even she knows. But on her journey, she encounters Albert Browne hiding in a toilet on a coach that's been ruined. Britain is not as we know it and there's something not right about them either...

It was a fun read as I expected from a Stroud story - the humour is there and the characters have an innate bluntness that I appreciate in a YA novel. There is also no sugarcoating the dystopia they live in, nor the ways they must behave to survive - major hijinks abound along with a dash of death. I did not feel pandered to, which as a child, was something I sought in my books.

My only critique is that it took a really long time to get interesting. Once I'd found 'it', I rushed through to the end. I wanted to know what was happening and finally I'd started to care about them. But in a 400 page book, it's a shame that happens around the half way mark. For a teenager, that is a LOT of wasted time. I appreciate you need to understand the world and the motives but boy, it was hard going.

Interestingly though, I distinctly remember feeling the same way during The Amulet of Samarkand and it took me an age to finish it the first time but then, we've already heard what happened with that series so there is definitely hope for Scarlett and Albert. (and boy, do I want more backstory on Joe and Ettie.. who is with me?)

I adored the Lockwood books and was super excited to see that Mr Stroud was embarking on a new series and the first book does not disappoint at all. From the very first page we are launched into an inventive and perilous world populated by strange and vicious creatures and even stranger and more vicious humans. The characters are a dream, both Scarlett and Albert leap off the pages fully formed and ready to fight (especial in Scarlett's case), and I can see them becoming every bit as beloved as the Lockwood crew. The interplay between the characters is wonderful, it's witty and clever, at times hilarious and at others heart-breakingly revealing. The world building is brilliant, there is obviously much we don't know, but what is revealed is intriguing and imbued with a genuine sense of menace and mystery. I'm quite sure that in the capable hands of this author all will be revealed and explained as the series progresses. All in all this is a brilliant start to a new series and Jonathan Stroud, in my humble opinion, is one of the best fantasy writers for YA (and fully grown adults) currently on the block.

Having loved Lockwood & Co, this was high up on my most anticipated books of 2021. Thanks to Netgalley uk and Walker books, I actually got to read it earlier than expected, thanks to the arc I received.
This is the story of a tough, hard hearted bank robbing girl and a clumsy, world shy boy with hidden talents. It is set in a dystopian England but seems a lot like a wild west setting at times.
As always with Jonathan Stroud there is a brilliant underlining humour that hits you when you least expect it.
Overall it was a fast paced, fun read and I definitely look forward to reading more from this series.

I’ve spoken before in my blog about being hooked by certain series, and one of those over the past few years which I’ve looked forward to sufficiently for me to pre-order titles from is the Lockwood & Co one from Jonathan Stroud. Although I have only just started to read his four stories featuring the exploits of djinni Bartimaeus, it is the Lockwood books that I have really taken to my heart, so when the opportunity to read this – the first in a new series – came up on Net Galley I was curious to see what it would be like and immediately requested it.

Unusually for me, this is not a middle grade title but one aimed at a slightly older, YA (young adult), audience but I am occasionally asked by parents of the children in my class for recommendations for older siblings so with that as another excellent reason to read this, set about doing so with absolutely no idea whatsoever regarding the storyline – something that I very rarely do. In this case, the gamble has paid off enormously because this is an exciting and masterfully imaginative adventure set in an world familiar enough to us to be able to recognise it but strange enough for us to not to be able to second-guess anything that happens along the way.

Very few protagonists wake up next to the corpses of four men that they have killed, and yet that is exactly how we are introduced to Scarlett McCain, who has had to defend herself from their unwanted attentions. After packing away her camp, and filling her water bottles, she heads towards the town of Cheltenham, where she pays a visit to the bank which its manager will most definitively never forget. Following this, she swiftly leaves the town and heads out into the Wilds.

Aware that she is being pursued, Scarlett heads for the woods in an attempt to shake off the men following her and heads for the town of Stow, hoping to reach its safe-lands by the following afternoon. Skilfully avoiding both wolves and other dangers, Scarlett is taken by surprise when she comes across a bus which has crashed after leaving the road. Cautiously going to investigate, Scarlett cannot fail to notice the dried blood on the ground beside it and apparent absence of any survivors indicating that the accident has not only just taken place.

Entering the bus through a large hole in its side, Scarlett looks around for anything which would be of use to her before noticing that the onboard toilet appears to be occupied. Calling out to whomever might be in there, and offering her assistance to them, Scarlett is taken aback when a boy who appears to be a little younger than herself tumbles out and talks at her in a fairly incoherent fashion, leaving her uncertain as to what to do next.

After wrestling with her conscience, Scarlett decides not to abandon the boy immediately but to help him up to the road, where she tells herself someone will be along eventually to assist him. Helping him out through the hole in the bus’s side, she cannot help but notice that the boy’s behaviour continues to be rather odd as he comments on how beautiful their surroundings are and thanks her profusely for saving him. Shortly after leaving the bus, the boy introduces himself as Albert Browne before Scarlett tells him she is leaving him to fend for himself.

Albert is not prepared to be separated from his saviour and does his best to talk her round, not wanting to be left to the mercies of the dangerous creatures that live outside the towns scattered across the country. A somewhat irritated Scarlett begrudgingly tells him that he may tag along under certain conditions and the pair of them set off together. As they head for Stow, it soon becomes clear that they are being followed and they need to shake off those who are tracking them. With Scarlett now responsible for keeping not only herself alive and well, but Albert too, will the pair of them manage to make it there in one piece and just what will they find waiting for them if they reach their destination?

Emblazoned across the top of the front cover is a quote from author Rick Riordan proclaiming Jonathan Stroud to be a genius, and far be it from me to disagree with that statement. As he did with the settings for both Lockwood and Bartimaeus, the author has created a world in which we believe ourselves to be familiar with the geography and history – in this case the southern half of England – which lulls us into a false sense of security when the story kicks off, enabling us to focus our attentions on the characters of Scarlett and Albert. Once that feeling of security starts to unravel, it becomes clear that this different vision of England is a far more sinister one than the one with which we are familiar. By including the dual threats of other humans and the terrifying creatures which live outside the settlements, the balance of power between Scarlett and Albert and those who would harm them shifts throughout the story to create a narrative which keeps the reader on the edge of their seat right until the ending.

Both Scarlett and Albert are complex characters. She is someone who has lived on the wrong side of the law for some time and who has no qualms about taking lives when she feels she needs to, and yet she also clearly lives by her own moral code and will punish herself if she fails to meet the standards of behaviour she demands of herself. In Albert she finds an individual that time and time again, she protects and tolerates when he seems to offer very little in return and yet after finishing the book, I cannot imagine one without the other. After Scarlett finds him locked in the toilet cubicle, it is clear that Albert’s life experiences have been totally different from hers and while she is worldly-wise, he appears to be far more innocent in his responses to the events that unfold around them. As he starts to share in her life of crime and shady dealings, he soon has to try to adapt to her way of doing things and yet it is Scarlett who has to make the biggest changes.

I’m so glad that this is the first in a new series and I cannot wait to find out what happens next to Scarlett and Browne. For anyone concerned that this might not work as a stand-alone book, the ending is neat enough to please the most demanding of readers, but whets the appetited for more adventures to come.

Enormous thanks to both Net Galley and to Walker Books for allowing me to read this in advance of publication on 1st April 2021. A perfect 5 out of 5 stars.