Jonathan Stroud

About Author

The final book in Jonathan Stroud's Scarlett and Browne series, The Legendary Scarlett and Browne, is now available!

Stroud worked as an editor at Walker Books when his first book, Buried Fire, was published. He has since written two internationally bestselling series: the Bartimaeus sequence and the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co, which was adapted by Netflix. His other novels include The Leap, The Last Siege and Heroes of the Valley.

He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and three children. Find out more at Jonathan Stroud's website.

Interview

The Legendary Scarlett & Browne (Walker Books)

January 2025

Author Jonathan Stroud introduces his Scarlett & Browne series, a thrilling post-apocalyptic adventure that sees bandits Scarlett and Browne joining forces in nail-biting heists and acts of heroism, from robbing banks to freeing slaves, and all the while trying to out-smart the Faith Houses that now run Britain.

We spoke to Jonathan to find out more about the final book in the series, The Legendary Scarlett & Browne, and the themes and ideas he explores through Scarlett and Browne's exploits. Read a chapter extract.

"Exhilarating, fast-paced fantasy at its best, full of endearing characters and genuinely despicable villains." Read more reviews.

The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne The Notorious Scarlett & Browne The Legendary Scarlett & Browne

Q&A with Jonathan Stroud, exploring The Legendary Scarlett & Browne

"It's a kind of post-apocalyptic British Western in which civilisation has retreated, the surviving towns are fortified,
and cannibals and wild beasts roam the land."

1. Hi Jonathan, thank you for joining us on ReadingZone. Can you tell us what inspired your Scarlett & Browne series? How would you describe it in three words?

It’s a kind of post-apocalyptic British Western in which civilisation has retreated, the surviving towns are fortified, and cannibals and wild beasts roam the land. It's about society, family, faith and friendship. It also has lots of jokes.

Describe it in 3 words: Fast, Funny, Kinetic

2. The third book, The Legendary Scarlett and Browne, has just been published, but what happens in each instalment, including book 1, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne and book 2, The Notorious Scarlett and Browne? Does each book have its own theme?

In Book 1, the young outlaw Scarlett McCain rescues a seemingly hapless boy called Albert Browne from a bus crash in the wilderness. There turns out to be more to him than meets the eye. Soon they are pursued by the agents of the corrupt Faith Houses, which rule the towns.
In Book 2, Scarlett and Albert are successfully robbing banks and keeping one step ahead of the authorities. But when two of their friends are captured, they have to risk everything to rescue them.
In Book 3, a sinister Faith House conspiracy threatens the freedom of everyone in the Seven Kingdoms. Scarlett and Albert must shake off their identity as outlaws and outsiders and work to save society.

Each book sees us uncover a little more about Scarlett’s and Albert’s stories. Scarlett is driven by the loss of her younger brother; Albert by his incarceration in the prison of Stonemoor. At the start of the trilogy, they are lost, vulnerable and isolated; by the end, they are at the centre of a group of friends and companions - and, most importantly, they have each other.

3. How did the characters Scarlett and Browne develop, and what keeps them together?

Scarlett and Albert are seeming opposites: Scarlett is jaded, embittered, dangerous; Albert innocent, wide-eyed and gentle. This leads to plenty of friction - but in fact each has something vital that the other lacks. Only together can they survive; only together can they uncover the secrets of their pasts.

4. Why did you decide to set this story in a future, flooded Britain? What are the advantages, and disadvantages, in choosing a real place as your setting, and how much research did you need to do before writing it?

Initially I wanted to write a novel about Britain and some of its problems… Being a fantasy writer, this somehow morphed into a far-future setting, where a great cataclysm has altered the landscape, the flora and fauna, and even the genes of the inhabitants. Yet the book’s themes are still relevant and universal. Insularity, bigotry and paranoia are perilous; Scarlett and Albert are heroes because they are accepting of others and their differences, and because they face down the challenges of the changing world.

As for research, I didn't need to do too much, but with each book, I enjoyed taking certain familiar places and twisting them to new purposes. So a journey down the Thames becomes an odyssey fraught with peril; London is a drowned lagoon; Milton Keynes the glamorous capital of the baleful Faith Houses. These alterations were a lot of fun!

5. Can you tell us about the darker side of this world, and the creatures you've created for it? Where wouldn't you want to find yourself in this future Britain?

I'm not sure I'd want to be anywhere in this world, although if I was in the company of Albert or Scarlett I'd have a fighting chance of getting through the day! The surviving towns are nominally safe, but they're full of religious intolerance and repression. Meanwhile, out in the wilds we have animals that have grown much larger than their 21st-century selves - giant otters, snakes, owls and lizards - and also (worst of all) the cannibalistic Tainted. But despite all this, the world is full of eerie beauty, which is there to be appreciated by anyone brave enough to venture beyond the safe lands.

6. Can you share your top three tips for creating a believable dystopian setting?

I think the key is to make one fairly simple change to your society and then follow the logic of that change to see where it goes. So in Scarlett and Browne, we have a world where genetic alteration affects both the human and animal population, weakening one and strengthening the other. Hundreds of years have passed; humans have declined, the wilds press in on every side.

The books ask certain questions: What effects will this have on the attitudes of the people? What kind of government will they have? What values will they hold? I followed a similar strategy in Lockwood & Co., where the existence of a ghost epidemic leads to a change in how society functions.

Aside from this one significant difference, you need to keep many of the ordinary aspects of society the same as ours, so as to throw the elements of otherness into strong relief. And finally, you need to focus on the key characters, keeping them relatable and ordinary (as well as different from us), so that they become our guide to the world you've created.

7. How do you plan the gradual reveals of Scarlett and Browne's back stories? What was the toughest part of writing the series?

I don't plan the whole series out at the start - I can't see that far ahead. So I always work to give each book its own integrity, while leaving a few threads hanging that can be picked up again in the next volume. Similarly, I don't know the backstories of my characters at the outset; I have to uncover them as I write. It's a bit like getting to know a real person - you have to be patient and wait for the revelations! The hardest part is always trying to tie up all the threads at the end of the series in a way that is satisfying without being too neat!

8. So that's a wrap for Scarlett and Browne's adventures - what's it like leaving your characters behind, and what's next, or are you still planning your new book?

It's a strange feeling wrapping up a series that you've been working on for (in this case) six or seven years. It's definitely good to finish; at the same time, it is odd to say goodbye to characters who have been with you for so long. In fact, they never truly leave you, and there's always the thought that they might return, if you can glimpse another story for them…

Right now, though, I am thinking of some very different kinds of books… It's always good to ring the changes from time to time!

9. For readers who really enjoy Scarlett and Browne, which of your books do you recommend they move on to? Do you have a soft spot for any of your earlier titles?

I'm very proud of all of my earlier books! My Lockwood & Co. and Bartimaeus series both offer lots more adventures in supernatural or magical settings. And if you like exploring unusual societies, there's always my stand-alone novel, Heroes of the Valley, set in a Norse-influenced world.

10. What do you do to escape the writing desk during your downtime? Where do you go for inspiration for the next chapter or book?

There's nothing better than a good walk to get the imagination flowing. All my books are strongly influenced by places I've wandered through - whether it be London streets for Lockwood or Bartimaeus; or the British countryside for Scarlett and Browne. It doesn't matter if it's an urban alley or woodland path - you never know what you'll see round the next corner! In fact, that's what I'm doing now, as I start work on my next project… It's time to get my boots on!

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