Stranger Things: Lucas on the Line

This book does a great job at letting us into Lucas’s mind and detailing what was going through his head in season 4. It was nice to see things from his point of view because we don’t get that very often in the show. The chapters are pretty short and it’s a pretty quick read which for me is also nice! We need more books from the other characters perspectives as well, this was great!

I already new that this book was going to be good seeing that it was written by a black person. Someone who understands what it means to be black. I loved that we got more of Lucas and his struggles with being black in Hawkins. Definitely give this book a 10/10

My daughter simply believes this the best book she has ever read and she has read a lot of books.

Love the stranger things books. Product was delivered in great condition.

Stranger Things has just finished its most wildly ambitious season ever (fourth) shattering viewership records in the process. Unfortunately the next time those characters appear on our screens again may be as far away as two years. But this book allows fans to get their fix before then.“Lucas On The Line” is a novel that leads up to the events and storylines that occur in season four. Its also told through the POV of Lucas Sinclair. Picking Lucas to be the narrative focus of the book was a great choice. Not only is he a relative underserved character in the series, but in season four he is part of two important storylines that ultimately come together: the basketball jocks and Max.I really liked what the author Suyi Davies accomplished with Lucas in this story. We get to glimpse the world through Lucas’ eyes for once and dedicate time to him that normally wouldn’t be afforded us. Off the bat we learn that Lucas is entering high school with a positive attitude. Like countless teenagers before and after him he realizes this marks a huge step in his life and he wants to do it right. This means making changes to his attire, it means leaving behind childhood gadgets that have accompanied him all of his life. Most of all it means setting particular goals to “survive” his freshman year and he sets these goals by coming up with a list of things to do/accomplish that in theory would allow him to make a smooth adjustment. This survival list of goals also cleverly becomes a story tool which aids the author to both mark and frame the progression of the story as well as Lucas’ journey for us the readers.One huge accomplishment the book achieves is showing us how relatable Lucas really is. Davies doesn’t make him out to be a perfect kid by any stretch. He has his flaws, he makes mistakes, he may even get motivated by rejection he feels from his friends. But he is through and through a decent kid who cares about others and ends up doing the right thing for those he care about when they are in need.We get a glimpse of his friendship with Mike and Dustin and the conflict that arises between them temporarily. The tone for this part of the story may be a bit harsh to those familiar with the characters but none of their disagreements go beyond reason. We get a great scene between Lucas and Robin which is an added bonus just by the fact that the two of them had never had a true one-on-one interaction on the show. And of course there are a lot of great moments with his family including his mom and a new addition created for the book, an Uncle Jack who is in town for a months-long visit. Erica is there and with her comes the antagonism that exists between the sibling rivals. Erica effectively gets some digs in and in one truly embarrassing moment, invites his friends to watch Lucas perform terribly during a practice. However this is quickly followed up by one heartfelt moment in which Erica stands up for her big bro when he gets teased by his own teammates. The intent is clear : she can mess around with her big brother but no one else better do so under her watch.The family member who makes the biggest impression to me in the novel though was the one who made the least impression on the tv show. Lucas’s dad. This version of the father is almost unrecognizable. He is a fully fleshed out black father who wants to do right by his family so much that he will often try to shield his children from harsh truths and the real world. Having Lucas have inner conversations with himself on this topic or actual talks with his dad creates a wonderful father-son dynamic that is endearing and insightful, especially regarding the theme about race.That being said the most crucial relationship Lucas has in the book in terms of shaping his world view and development is with a sophomore names Jermaine who goes by the nickname Jay. Jay is a sophomore transfer from Cleveland. He is a member of the basketball team. And he is black. That last part is most important because Lucas is becoming more mindful about race and he finds that he can talk to Jay about this subject more easily than he can to his family or his white friends. But none of those conversations are too heavy handed. They are given their proper space without overwhelming the overall narrative. You see Jay hands out advice to Lucas about quite a few things, which is his responsibility considering he is a peer mentor assigned to Lucas. Jay helps Lucas transition into high school life by giving him expertise advice. He helps to come up with a few additional suggestions for the survival guide Lucas had been putting together. Most of all he is the one who encourages Lucas to try out for the basketball team. With him being described as a really good-looking guy who attracts attention from the girls, Jay is kind of similar to Steve. The Steve and Dustin pairing on the show was a stroke of genius and allowed both characters to become even more popular among fans. It makes me think how Lucas has been missing out on additional character bonds like this on the show. Someone like Jay to bounce off could have really helped to deepen Lucas’s portrayal overall. If there is one flaw with Jay however it is he may come across more as a soph in college than one in high school.By the way the book does make use of the fourth season additions to the cast. Chrissy. Andy. Patrick. Fred. We either hear these familiar names or get to see them in action, mostly in scenes that took place just outside our view during this recent season. We get some of fan favorite Eddie and are provided an honest dynamic between him and Lucas. And of course we get Jason. The author hones in on Jason’s flaws, the ones that will affect his judgment in season four. But we also get a glimpse of the joyful jock who likes playing the game and likes being around his teammates. He is both a willing and a capable leader. He is not a monster. Yet.All of the additional material around the whole basketball storyline is useful and efficiently spread out. The tryouts. The practice. The pep rally. The final game. The euphoria of celebrating the championship the night of the win. It adds more layers to that arc. Because Davies can devote more time to those proceedings, the bball team storyline is given more of an opportunity to breathe and we can better understand how Lucas gets swept into it, how he is justified in his pursuit of stepping outside the comforts of his social zone by trying something different.But where the book may really shine most of all are the scenes between Lucas and Max, his ex-girlfriend who broke up with him. Davies does justice to their story and Max’s situation. Max floats in and out of the pages of the book (and Lucas’s life) like some tragic ethereal spirit who is barely bound to events of the community of Hawkins. Its almost painful to read what she is doing in the scenes in which she is present. She is so withdrawn, so defeated. So tragic. For various reasons her life is in shambles and she is not even trying to pick up the pieces. Lucas is though. He REALLY wants to help her, he thinks he can help her. But as a 14-15 year old he can’t quite accomplish this and a couple of times his lack of maturity leads him to making some bad decisions. Still he is doing his best and your heart will break a little as Max rejects all of his offers and ignore virtually all of his acts of kindness.The most masterful moment is the unofficial breakup scene between them during which Max describes the wretchedness of her situation, her home life, her economic status and her shame. You feel so much for her and for Lucas as well as he finally just listens to her and allows her to get everything off her chest. During this interaction Davies skillfully weaves in the use of the Running Up the Hill song by Kate Bush, showing how it affects Max and Lucas in different ways, interpreting the meaning of the song in ways that makes sense. There is some fantastic writing here as we are explained how both of them come to the same conclusion about what the song is telling them so far as their relationship is concerned and how this moment will later play a key role in a very pivotal scene.By the way special mention must go to a moment 2/3 of the way through when a murder happens in the trailer park part of town (just as it happened on the show) and Lucas grows concerned that Max is the high school victim the news report is referring to. Max is the rare high school kid who lives in that part of town after all. In retrospect I am surprised the writers of the show did not have Lucas reacting in a similar way. That was a wasted opportunity.The biggest flaw of the book however is that everything seems so rushed when you get to Part Five. After such a buildup you get this very accelerated wrap-up which relies heavily on events that played out on the show, some of them now iconic. We are not allowed the introspection as we race to that finale at the graveyard. But the writer’s hands were likely bound by clear direction of where to end things. If he had only been given such finite space to tell the story, I can’t blame him for wanting to use the vast majority of it on the time BEFORE the TV viewers were brought into the season four tale. All in all it’s a very well written book which provides an extra glimpse at characters we have come to love.

I received this official Stranger Things novel at San Diego Comic-Con this summer and met the author as he signed my copy - what fun!This is truly the story of Lucas and the nuances of being one of a few black people in Hawkins. I appreciate how it showed so much more depth to this character than what we see in the series. I'll look forward to the next season, where I'll understand Lucas (and his family) better.Fair warning, the ending to the novel is not the same epic ending as in the tv series. At first I was surprised, but realized that this is truly Lucas' story, not a replay of the most recent tv series even though it takes place at the same time.

My niece loves the book. She came to me this morning and said have I been reading too much? I think I read this already. I took a look and her book has two section threes, chapters 21-26. STRANGE.

My daughter loves a series of books

Received the next day after ordering (6-7 Sep) and loving the book so far, great quality and quick delivery for quite a good price. (Less than £20 for the book and shipping - around £17-£18)