The ruby in the smoke

I went completely berserk for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, so I definitely wanted to read the Sally Lockhart books as well. Ruby in the Smoke is the first in the series. It takes place in Victorian London, when Sally is a 16-year-old orphan and in danger.

Pullman is uncommonly good at compelling scene-building. The historical setting feels exceptionally well drawn and realistic, both in the places and the situations. The characters are full, complex and interesting; the heroes are heroic, the villains are scary, and even the most minor characters are rich and interesting.

Plot-wise it is a complex, interesting and surprisingly advanced tale for a YA novel (opium addiction plays a central role). The mystery/thriller pacing is well-done -- it starts with a bang and builds to a tense but satisfying conclusion.

I have one gripe: Sally Lockhart herself, who is described as blonde and pretty, who is smart and brave and kind and can shoot a gun, and whose resourcefulness drives the book. She just feels too perfect and much too modern a character for the setting. I appreciate a strong female character, but it feels uncomfortably forced here, and it is the one wrong note in what is otherwise a very well-written book. (I will note that Pullman makes her a much, much more nuanced character in the later books in the series -- it's just this book that has the fault.)

I read this book when I was growing up and I only remember two things:
1. It was boring
2. Opium. So much opium