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Skulduggery Pleasant #1
Scepter of the Ancients
Meet Skulduggery
Ace Detective
Snappy Dresser
Razor–tongued Wit
Crackerjack Sorcerer
and
Walking, Talking,
Fire-throwing Skeleton
—as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old.
These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil.
The end of the world?
Over his dead body.
Ace Detective
Snappy Dresser
Razor–tongued Wit
Crackerjack Sorcerer
and
Walking, Talking,
Fire-throwing Skeleton
—as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old.
These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil.
The end of the world?
Over his dead body.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 3, 2007
2,065 people are currently reading
43.8k people want to read
About the author
Derek Landy
215books5,196followersDerek Landy is an Irish writer and screenwriter. In addition to the bestselling children's/YA series of Skulduggery Pleasant books, a supernatural mystery series starring Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton detective, and Valkyrie Cain, a young female magician, he has written two screenplays that have been made into films: the IFTA award winning "Dead Bodies" and the IFTA nominated "Boy Eats Girl". Landy himself was nominated for an IFTA for Best Script.
He doesn’t like to brag about all the awards he’s won, such as the Irish Book of the Decade, or the Red House in the UK, or all the other awards that he humbly displays on his mantelpiece. He is also far too modest to mention things like the first book being a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year, but would like to extend an invitation to Oprah to pop around one day for tea, in thanks for selecting his book for the Oprah’s Book Club Kids Reading List.
Derek plays too many video games, reads too many comics, and watches too many movies. He lives in Ireland with too many cats. Occasionally he talks to real people, but only when he absolutely has to.
He doesn’t like to brag about all the awards he’s won, such as the Irish Book of the Decade, or the Red House in the UK, or all the other awards that he humbly displays on his mantelpiece. He is also far too modest to mention things like the first book being a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year, but would like to extend an invitation to Oprah to pop around one day for tea, in thanks for selecting his book for the Oprah’s Book Club Kids Reading List.
Derek plays too many video games, reads too many comics, and watches too many movies. He lives in Ireland with too many cats. Occasionally he talks to real people, but only when he absolutely has to.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,704 reviews
January 26, 2013
"So you won't keep anything from me again?"
He put his hand to his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die."
"Okay then. Though you don't actually have a heart," she said.
"I know."
"And technically, you've already died."
"I know that too."
"Just so we're clear."
When Stephanie Edgley’s Uncle Gordon � a writer of horror novels � passes away, she meets his one-time friend Skulduggery Pleasant…who just happens to be a skeleton wizard-detective, that believes he is invincible and has the world’s biggest ego (not that he believes that part). He drags her into a world of magic and chaos, introducing her to a whole range of characters: Tanith Low, a stunningly pretty and deadly master swordswoman, Ghastly Bespoke, an amazing tailor who is also a boxer, China Sorrows, who is not only lovely but collects things with magical properties (usually by corrupt and illegal means) and more. Together, Skulduggery and Stephanie explore the mysterious circumstances around her Uncle’s death, meeting danger at every turn. And as this world tightens its clutches around her, Stephanie starts to believe that though her Uncle’s novels were horror, they were definitely not fiction.
Lightened up by the funny and sarcastic lines from Skulduggery (like, "For a guy with no internal organs, you've got quite the ego." "And for a girl who can't stand up without falling over, you're quite the critic." "My leg will be fine." "And my ego will flourish. What a pair we are."), this is a book that really makes you consider that if these are the good guys, then how bad are the bad guys?!
(This has to be one of those books that needs the words, “BEST BOOK EVER� written on the front cover)
He put his hand to his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die."
"Okay then. Though you don't actually have a heart," she said.
"I know."
"And technically, you've already died."
"I know that too."
"Just so we're clear."
When Stephanie Edgley’s Uncle Gordon � a writer of horror novels � passes away, she meets his one-time friend Skulduggery Pleasant…who just happens to be a skeleton wizard-detective, that believes he is invincible and has the world’s biggest ego (not that he believes that part). He drags her into a world of magic and chaos, introducing her to a whole range of characters: Tanith Low, a stunningly pretty and deadly master swordswoman, Ghastly Bespoke, an amazing tailor who is also a boxer, China Sorrows, who is not only lovely but collects things with magical properties (usually by corrupt and illegal means) and more. Together, Skulduggery and Stephanie explore the mysterious circumstances around her Uncle’s death, meeting danger at every turn. And as this world tightens its clutches around her, Stephanie starts to believe that though her Uncle’s novels were horror, they were definitely not fiction.
Lightened up by the funny and sarcastic lines from Skulduggery (like, "For a guy with no internal organs, you've got quite the ego." "And for a girl who can't stand up without falling over, you're quite the critic." "My leg will be fine." "And my ego will flourish. What a pair we are."), this is a book that really makes you consider that if these are the good guys, then how bad are the bad guys?!
(This has to be one of those books that needs the words, “BEST BOOK EVER� written on the front cover)
April 3, 2022
Burning skulls have never been that funny and dangerous at the same time.
Dark is good
In the vast lands of comedy fantasy hybrids with a grain of horror for the kids' YA segment, this is outstanding, using its combination of clever kid/teen and badass skeleton to satirize the heck out of the fantasy genre. I´m pretty sure that there are hidden innuendos for adults, not just naughty ones but genre specific stuff, although I am of course, as always, not able to find them all due to my huge fantasy reading deficit.
They rock together
The protagonists´ personalities and motivations are perfectly balanced for this setting, it must have taken Landy much effort to finetune their dynamic, because, without this, the whole thing would just be the next, average mainstream genre work. And it gets better and better, I´ve read the first 3 parts and they don´t stagnate, they evolve, have conflicts, others intervene and manipulate, it´s fantastic.
Maybe a bit more grey?
I am not sure if this would have been better with a bit less dark tone or if it would have lost its uniqueness, but I would deem it a bit too heavy and serious in some moments, it could have been done with more easygoing comedy and some slapstick, because the contrast between the wit and grimness is bigger than in other genre works. Heck, it's really kind of disturbing in some moments.
Redundancy department and similar stuff
I am very looking forward to reading more parts( now already done) of this series and am especially interested in dissecting how the connotation density develops, and contrasting and comparing these works with Riordan, Butcher, Aaronovitch, and Stroud. Although it comes closest to Butcher, then Stroud, and is further away from Riordan who avoids getting too hardcore for the sake of a happier and broader readership. For this reasons
I deem the dark fantasy for kids overkill something like the third wave after Harry Potter and Vampires
There is nothing bad about this, trends come and go, but as with YA school magic and not, or just sometimes and secretly, bloodsucking romantic immortals, the hyped, once unimportant, subgenre takes total control over genre conventions and norms. And all of these series, Dresden files, Lockwood &Co, Peter Grant, etc. are funny, well written, fine plotted pieces of literature, but they kind of don´t evolve and lead to a kind of monoculture and tendency for authors to write just like that to sell more.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
Dark is good
In the vast lands of comedy fantasy hybrids with a grain of horror for the kids' YA segment, this is outstanding, using its combination of clever kid/teen and badass skeleton to satirize the heck out of the fantasy genre. I´m pretty sure that there are hidden innuendos for adults, not just naughty ones but genre specific stuff, although I am of course, as always, not able to find them all due to my huge fantasy reading deficit.
They rock together
The protagonists´ personalities and motivations are perfectly balanced for this setting, it must have taken Landy much effort to finetune their dynamic, because, without this, the whole thing would just be the next, average mainstream genre work. And it gets better and better, I´ve read the first 3 parts and they don´t stagnate, they evolve, have conflicts, others intervene and manipulate, it´s fantastic.
Maybe a bit more grey?
I am not sure if this would have been better with a bit less dark tone or if it would have lost its uniqueness, but I would deem it a bit too heavy and serious in some moments, it could have been done with more easygoing comedy and some slapstick, because the contrast between the wit and grimness is bigger than in other genre works. Heck, it's really kind of disturbing in some moments.
Redundancy department and similar stuff
I am very looking forward to reading more parts( now already done) of this series and am especially interested in dissecting how the connotation density develops, and contrasting and comparing these works with Riordan, Butcher, Aaronovitch, and Stroud. Although it comes closest to Butcher, then Stroud, and is further away from Riordan who avoids getting too hardcore for the sake of a happier and broader readership. For this reasons
I deem the dark fantasy for kids overkill something like the third wave after Harry Potter and Vampires
There is nothing bad about this, trends come and go, but as with YA school magic and not, or just sometimes and secretly, bloodsucking romantic immortals, the hyped, once unimportant, subgenre takes total control over genre conventions and norms. And all of these series, Dresden files, Lockwood &Co, Peter Grant, etc. are funny, well written, fine plotted pieces of literature, but they kind of don´t evolve and lead to a kind of monoculture and tendency for authors to write just like that to sell more.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
January 10, 2023
Twelve year-old Stephanie Edgley's fantasy writer uncle was a bit of an outlier, especially as he was often spotted with strange, dare I say dangerous looking people. On his death, Stephanie, who was the only person who truly tolerated him (as he tolerated Stephanie) inherited the larger part of his wealth and his home, and it is in that 'home' that Stephanie is attacked, and then save by Skulduggery Pleasant. Skull who you ask? Mr Pleasant is just your every day average walking talking skeleton detective.
Let's be clear up front, this is very much a children's book, with it's writing, characterisations and plotting, but with enough darkness to maybe be called 'dark fantasy' as it's labelled on . It's pretty interesting and entertaining tale, al the better for essentially having no romantic themes of any kind and very minimal contact with the normal world. It's a 12-year old girl picking up a legacy she didn't know she had and displaying the typical flexibility of the young jumping into the adventure head-first. So why is this series so popular? For me, it's the humour/humorous dialogue, which is not only quote funny, some of it is quite clever. Only 234 more books (just joking) to go in this series :). A 6 out of 12 for the first book in this series.
2023 read
Let's be clear up front, this is very much a children's book, with it's writing, characterisations and plotting, but with enough darkness to maybe be called 'dark fantasy' as it's labelled on . It's pretty interesting and entertaining tale, al the better for essentially having no romantic themes of any kind and very minimal contact with the normal world. It's a 12-year old girl picking up a legacy she didn't know she had and displaying the typical flexibility of the young jumping into the adventure head-first. So why is this series so popular? For me, it's the humour/humorous dialogue, which is not only quote funny, some of it is quite clever. Only 234 more books (just joking) to go in this series :). A 6 out of 12 for the first book in this series.
2023 read
April 13, 2009
I loved discovering this book; I thought it had a very fun mixture of magic, action, creepiness, and humor--plus, I really love the title character :-)
February 22, 2024
Stephanie es una chica de doce años que recibe en herencia la casa de su tío, Gordon Edgley. Tras una accidentada noche en la mansión, la joven es salvada por Skulduggery Pleasant, un detective con una extraña peculiaridad... ¡es un esqueleto!
💀💀💀💀
Libro de humor negro con grandes y geniales dosis de imaginación y risas.
Todos los personajes son de lo más interesantes y curiosos. Disfruté se las bromas ingeniosas, el cinismo, la magia y cómo se fue desarrollando el misterio. Me ha gustado mucho.
Sí señor, me ha encantado. Literatura juvenil redonda. De lo mejorcito.
Me hubiera encantado leer esta saga en mi lejana adolescencia. Aún así se lleva unas 4 merecidas estrellas por todas las ideas e imaginación pero sobretodo por cómo lo ha escrito. Cada uno de los diálogos, el humor negro y a su vez la seriedad con aventuras místicas.
Me gusta que el tono del libro ya que no ha sido tampoco juvenil en exceso sino que se mantiene en cierta intensidad pero con algo humor.
No hace que la historia sea ridícula. Incluso tenemos un grupo malvado de villanos con unos propósitos horribles y nefastos.
Lectura ágil, muy sencilla para desconectar con "tu yo adolescente" en una dinámica y entretenida aventura para quien le llame.
La edad no significa nada para leer o qué leer, si os llama adelante. Lo he disfrutado y es menos juvenil de lo que me esperaba..✍️💀🎩
💀💀💀💀
Libro de humor negro con grandes y geniales dosis de imaginación y risas.
Todos los personajes son de lo más interesantes y curiosos. Disfruté se las bromas ingeniosas, el cinismo, la magia y cómo se fue desarrollando el misterio. Me ha gustado mucho.
Sí señor, me ha encantado. Literatura juvenil redonda. De lo mejorcito.
Me hubiera encantado leer esta saga en mi lejana adolescencia. Aún así se lleva unas 4 merecidas estrellas por todas las ideas e imaginación pero sobretodo por cómo lo ha escrito. Cada uno de los diálogos, el humor negro y a su vez la seriedad con aventuras místicas.
Me gusta que el tono del libro ya que no ha sido tampoco juvenil en exceso sino que se mantiene en cierta intensidad pero con algo humor.
No hace que la historia sea ridícula. Incluso tenemos un grupo malvado de villanos con unos propósitos horribles y nefastos.
Lectura ágil, muy sencilla para desconectar con "tu yo adolescente" en una dinámica y entretenida aventura para quien le llame.
La edad no significa nada para leer o qué leer, si os llama adelante. Lo he disfrutado y es menos juvenil de lo que me esperaba..✍️💀🎩
March 31, 2017
To preface this; I don't recommend this book. 98% of my friend's list will hate it. It's not good. It's the memory of the book and the utter enjoyment I felt while reading it which gave it four stars.
Skulduggery Pleasant is a series I discovered during my first year at high school. I was on a vampire kick after falling in love with Twilight but figured I should read something else instead of re-reading the series for the 50th. Due to this, I found many of my favourite series of today including City of Bones, Vampire Academy and Skulduggery Pleasant. I have re-read City of Bones and Vampire Academy several times, but for some reason, I had never re-read this particular book. Until the other day, I figured I may try and remember what 12-year-old me had.
Thankfully, I loved this book. It was hilarious, kick-ass and had a solid plotline that carried the story. I'm not quite sure how smol me kept track of all the names used throughout because I barely could. On top of that, there were also several tropes hated in fiction, including the missing parents one. I could feel myself getting annoyed at that and screaming at our MC Stephanie that she is quite literally twelve.
The story begins with the fact Stephanie's uncle, a famous author, has tragically passed away. Almost everyone in the family is horrible, Stephanie being clear on that, but the uncle was kind and amusing to Stephanie. It is because of her uncle's death that Stephanie encounters Skulduggery (a quite literal skeleton) and embarks on a journey that would have been unknown to her before her uncle's untimely passing.
These books are enjoyable, fast and action packed. They do get a little tedious with the constant near-death experiences, but they are ultimately incredibly funny and a hoot to read. If you're not a super big critic or looking for something fun, maybe pick up the Skulduggery books.
Skulduggery Pleasant is a series I discovered during my first year at high school. I was on a vampire kick after falling in love with Twilight but figured I should read something else instead of re-reading the series for the 50th. Due to this, I found many of my favourite series of today including City of Bones, Vampire Academy and Skulduggery Pleasant. I have re-read City of Bones and Vampire Academy several times, but for some reason, I had never re-read this particular book. Until the other day, I figured I may try and remember what 12-year-old me had.
Thankfully, I loved this book. It was hilarious, kick-ass and had a solid plotline that carried the story. I'm not quite sure how smol me kept track of all the names used throughout because I barely could. On top of that, there were also several tropes hated in fiction, including the missing parents one. I could feel myself getting annoyed at that and screaming at our MC Stephanie that she is quite literally twelve.
The story begins with the fact Stephanie's uncle, a famous author, has tragically passed away. Almost everyone in the family is horrible, Stephanie being clear on that, but the uncle was kind and amusing to Stephanie. It is because of her uncle's death that Stephanie encounters Skulduggery (a quite literal skeleton) and embarks on a journey that would have been unknown to her before her uncle's untimely passing.
These books are enjoyable, fast and action packed. They do get a little tedious with the constant near-death experiences, but they are ultimately incredibly funny and a hoot to read. If you're not a super big critic or looking for something fun, maybe pick up the Skulduggery books.
March 29, 2016
I really tried to like this book. I really did.
I failed.
My major issue was that it was all 150% predictable.
The story felt like I had read it all before: A little Harry Potter with a little Mission Impossible and a pinch of X-Men and a grain of blabla.
The character writing was superficial and especially the heroine, Stephanie, did not convince me at all.
Flat, unlikeable, unbelievable, one-dimensional.
From one day to the next, she lives in a world she didn't know existed, and guess what?
She is just 12 years old, but scared of nothing. She escapes and survives every fight, no matter with who, with ease, and dominates Skulduggery, a 400 year old powerful detective, in just about every dialogue:
"Gordon was my friend. I thought I owed it to him to try and keep his favorite niece out of harm's way."
"Well, I'm in harms way, so it's not your decision any more."
"No, apparently it isn't."
Descriptions of surroundings are minimalistic,
The shop door was unlocked and he led the way in. Stephanie was surprised by how clean and bright and ordinary-looking it was.
She didn't know what she was expecting - mannequins that came alive and tried to eat you, perhaps. There was a nice smell in here, too. Comforting.
and I direly missed fresh ideas.
Not recommended.
I failed.
My major issue was that it was all 150% predictable.
The story felt like I had read it all before: A little Harry Potter with a little Mission Impossible and a pinch of X-Men and a grain of blabla.
The character writing was superficial and especially the heroine, Stephanie, did not convince me at all.
Flat, unlikeable, unbelievable, one-dimensional.
From one day to the next, she lives in a world she didn't know existed, and guess what?
She is just 12 years old, but scared of nothing. She escapes and survives every fight, no matter with who, with ease, and dominates Skulduggery, a 400 year old powerful detective, in just about every dialogue:
"Gordon was my friend. I thought I owed it to him to try and keep his favorite niece out of harm's way."
"Well, I'm in harms way, so it's not your decision any more."
"No, apparently it isn't."
Descriptions of surroundings are minimalistic,
The shop door was unlocked and he led the way in. Stephanie was surprised by how clean and bright and ordinary-looking it was.
She didn't know what she was expecting - mannequins that came alive and tried to eat you, perhaps. There was a nice smell in here, too. Comforting.
and I direly missed fresh ideas.
Not recommended.
March 23, 2021
3.5 Stars rounded up to 4
Well that was incredibly funny!
The title character, Skulduggery Pleasant, was the highlight of this book for me. That being said, all of the characters were interesting and engaging. I enjoyed the witty banter, the fun magic, and how the mystery unfolded. Very enjoyable!
Well that was incredibly funny!
The title character, Skulduggery Pleasant, was the highlight of this book for me. That being said, all of the characters were interesting and engaging. I enjoyed the witty banter, the fun magic, and how the mystery unfolded. Very enjoyable!
July 26, 2018
Keine Ahnung, warum ich so lange für dieses Buch gebraucht hab, ich fands sehr unterhaltsam.
March 20, 2015
I have had the print book on my bookshelf for years, but I decided to try the audiobook from my library as this looked like it would be fun to listen to. Turns out I was right. This was a lot of fun. The narrator was great. He had a delicious Irish accent, although he modified it to suit other characters. I liked his sort of flat tone he used for Skulduggery, making him sound kind of ironic and mysterious, like there was a lot going on under the surface.
At first, it's a bit odd. There's some weird music between interludes, followed by a low male voice saying, "Yeah!" I thought that was pretty weird and random, but it grew on me, fast. I had no expectations, so it was all novel for me. I expected the story to be campy, but it turns out to be pretty dark.
Now the characters.
Skulduggery is a fun and likable character. But he's also credibly tough. He's a sorcerer who happened to lose his body in an epic battle. I wondered how the author would get me to buy into a story where the main character is just a skeleton. It took about ten minutes. When I heard the explanation, I was like, "Okay then." At some points, I'm skeptical that he's so blase about 12-year -old Stephanie going along with him on some very dangerous adventures. But I have to remind myself that the target audience is 12-year-olds. Skulduggery is a chill dude. It's funny how sanguine he is about Stephanie's bossing him around and threatening to hit him. Maybe he enjoys it because he's lonely. He was great friends with her uncle, so he might have developed a fondness for her via his friend. At any rate, he was very tolerant to Stephanie and he clearly took it very seriously to protect her, even if he did take her along on his dangerous missions. Knowing Stephanie, she probably would have followed him. Skulduggery is a good guy. You would think he'd be menacing, with the whole skeletal appearance, but he's an all around good guy, although he does have enough of a dark edge to be appealing and authentic. The interview with him at the end was awesome. Just the right touch for the audiobook.
Stephanie is in some ways very much a girl of her age. Tween and teenage girls have attitude for days. Yes, it's a bit of a generalization, but there is a lot of truth in it. She also had a very vivid inner life that I recognized in myself. Not that I would have want to do every thing she does (okay, maybe some of it). She's pretty saucy, if I'm honest. It made me laugh and part of thought I'd get the taste slapped out of my mouth if I had talked to an adult that way when I was a kid. All in all, she's a well-drawn character, with the sass, bravery, sense of honor and a great sense of humor that should appeal to most readers.
Together, they make quite a team. I enjoyed their buddy movie banter. Even if Stephanie could be kind of rude to Skulduggery. I loved it when he told her she was "very annoying."
The secondary characters are good, all making sense to the story. I liked the interactions between Stephanie and her clueless parents. They were cute. In a way, it was pretty obvious that Stephanie pretty much got away with a lot more than you'd expect for her age with them.
I like that the tone of this book stays intense but with some good humor. I like that while Landry doesn't take himself too seriously, he shows respect for the intellect of his young readers. In other words, he doesn't make the story too silly or ridiculous. We are dealing with a very evil set of villains with uber-nefarious purposes. Some aspects were fairly creepy, and it reminded me a little of Simon R. Green's Nightside books in a good way. China Sorrow especially definitely made me think of a Nightside character. Don't get me wrong. I don't think this was derivative at all. It feels novel and unique amongst the many urban fantasy stories I've read or encountered. It has a lot of good action, and Skulduggery can fight, with his fists, with his trusty sidearm, and with his elemental magic. Speaking of, the magic elements were well done. They had a unique feel. I like the explanation about the different types of magic users. I think this series would make a fun movie. I'd be cool with either live action or animation.
I definitely want to continue this series, and I am crossing my fingers that I can get the rest of these on audiobook.
At first, it's a bit odd. There's some weird music between interludes, followed by a low male voice saying, "Yeah!" I thought that was pretty weird and random, but it grew on me, fast. I had no expectations, so it was all novel for me. I expected the story to be campy, but it turns out to be pretty dark.
Now the characters.
Skulduggery is a fun and likable character. But he's also credibly tough. He's a sorcerer who happened to lose his body in an epic battle. I wondered how the author would get me to buy into a story where the main character is just a skeleton. It took about ten minutes. When I heard the explanation, I was like, "Okay then." At some points, I'm skeptical that he's so blase about 12-year -old Stephanie going along with him on some very dangerous adventures. But I have to remind myself that the target audience is 12-year-olds. Skulduggery is a chill dude. It's funny how sanguine he is about Stephanie's bossing him around and threatening to hit him. Maybe he enjoys it because he's lonely. He was great friends with her uncle, so he might have developed a fondness for her via his friend. At any rate, he was very tolerant to Stephanie and he clearly took it very seriously to protect her, even if he did take her along on his dangerous missions. Knowing Stephanie, she probably would have followed him. Skulduggery is a good guy. You would think he'd be menacing, with the whole skeletal appearance, but he's an all around good guy, although he does have enough of a dark edge to be appealing and authentic. The interview with him at the end was awesome. Just the right touch for the audiobook.
Stephanie is in some ways very much a girl of her age. Tween and teenage girls have attitude for days. Yes, it's a bit of a generalization, but there is a lot of truth in it. She also had a very vivid inner life that I recognized in myself. Not that I would have want to do every thing she does (okay, maybe some of it). She's pretty saucy, if I'm honest. It made me laugh and part of thought I'd get the taste slapped out of my mouth if I had talked to an adult that way when I was a kid. All in all, she's a well-drawn character, with the sass, bravery, sense of honor and a great sense of humor that should appeal to most readers.
Together, they make quite a team. I enjoyed their buddy movie banter. Even if Stephanie could be kind of rude to Skulduggery. I loved it when he told her she was "very annoying."
The secondary characters are good, all making sense to the story. I liked the interactions between Stephanie and her clueless parents. They were cute. In a way, it was pretty obvious that Stephanie pretty much got away with a lot more than you'd expect for her age with them.
I like that the tone of this book stays intense but with some good humor. I like that while Landry doesn't take himself too seriously, he shows respect for the intellect of his young readers. In other words, he doesn't make the story too silly or ridiculous. We are dealing with a very evil set of villains with uber-nefarious purposes. Some aspects were fairly creepy, and it reminded me a little of Simon R. Green's Nightside books in a good way. China Sorrow especially definitely made me think of a Nightside character. Don't get me wrong. I don't think this was derivative at all. It feels novel and unique amongst the many urban fantasy stories I've read or encountered. It has a lot of good action, and Skulduggery can fight, with his fists, with his trusty sidearm, and with his elemental magic. Speaking of, the magic elements were well done. They had a unique feel. I like the explanation about the different types of magic users. I think this series would make a fun movie. I'd be cool with either live action or animation.
I definitely want to continue this series, and I am crossing my fingers that I can get the rest of these on audiobook.
December 8, 2017
Ich schwanke hier zwischen 3 und 4 Sternen, drum gebe ich einfach 3,5 (danke ŷ für nichts übrigens 🙄😅).
Ich fand den Hurmor/Sarkasmus in dem Buch echt klasse und auch der Plot war gut durchdacht. Für ein Middlegrade Buch kam auch die Spannung nicht zu knapp und es wurde sich an die Logik des erdachten Universums gehalten, was bei mir immer Pluspunkte gibt. Auch der Schreibstil war angenehm, aber durch das Alter der Zielgruppe auch recht simpel, ohne viel Schnickschnack. Auch wenn unsere Protagonistin erst 12 ist verhält sie sich reifer als so manches Girl aus nem NewAdult Roman. Das Ende macht dann auf jeden Fall auch Lust auf mehr.
Und wer keine Lust hat das Buch zu lesen, kann ich noch das Hörbuch empfehlen, welches es kostenlos auf Spotify gibt. Habe mal in ein, zwei Kapitel reingehört und fand es echt auch gut vertont 👍🏻🔈
Ich fand den Hurmor/Sarkasmus in dem Buch echt klasse und auch der Plot war gut durchdacht. Für ein Middlegrade Buch kam auch die Spannung nicht zu knapp und es wurde sich an die Logik des erdachten Universums gehalten, was bei mir immer Pluspunkte gibt. Auch der Schreibstil war angenehm, aber durch das Alter der Zielgruppe auch recht simpel, ohne viel Schnickschnack. Auch wenn unsere Protagonistin erst 12 ist verhält sie sich reifer als so manches Girl aus nem NewAdult Roman. Das Ende macht dann auf jeden Fall auch Lust auf mehr.
Und wer keine Lust hat das Buch zu lesen, kann ich noch das Hörbuch empfehlen, welches es kostenlos auf Spotify gibt. Habe mal in ein, zwei Kapitel reingehört und fand es echt auch gut vertont 👍🏻🔈
January 7, 2024
a re-read and like always so worth the time
February 28, 2020
Skulduggery Pleasant, book #1, by Derek Landy is probably a middle grade book but I don't care that I'm not. I laughed as hard as any school girl throughout this book! This is so fun, witty, full of snark (often from the girl), magic, and adventure...oh, and a skeleton as the main character! Oh sure, the girl is co-founded main character but who gets more looks in the car? Adult or child, add this to your list and do something good for your self. Do one better and go for the audible version, I got mine at the library. The performance is so much better than what I could have imagined. Terrific story, going to see if they have more!
March 15, 2021
Star Rating: �&; 5 Stars (look, this rating will never change, in all of my re-reads, so. Here it stands, for all the world the world to see, in all it's smart, snarky, & magical glory)
RE-READS !
-Mar 15, 2021: This book/series just never, ever gets old! SO GOOD! Everyone, read this, now. You'll thank me later! 🤍🤍🤍
(I decided to re-read again because my amazing bestie, Darce, has been letting me pick one or two books a month for her to read that I won't shut up about... probably just to get me to shut up about them 😂, and this is one of my March 2021 picks! So, since she's reading it, I wanted to refresh my memory of the first book for when I can FINALLLLLYYYYYY discuss it w/ her properly! But, oh, who am I kidding? I just wanted to read it again because its GOLDDDD & I needed to laugh my ass off. Consider the need satiated. Haha.)
-Nov 17, 2020: I just missed 'Stephanie' 😏 & Skulduggery SO MUCHHHH. God this book is freakin fabulous.
Loved it as much as the first time. 5 Sparkly-AF Stars!
vvvFirst Read & Review BELOW THE LINEEEE, folks !
____________________
Star Rating: �&; 5 Stars !
🌟 ⭐️ 🌟 ⭐️ 🌟
I have NO clue why I let this sit idly on my shelf for so long! It had a little bit of everything you could ever want ! It definitely gave me Harry Potter vibes� in the best way possible, but I think that's just because they're both delightfully quirky & weird & magical. Skulduggery takes the cake though, in every way. The vibes, though, are where the similarities end, because this is wholly original, & magical all in its own way.
Just FANTASTIC! Ahhh svagegakrvtvs (<� keyboard smash, clearly, from excitement)
Quirky, witty, HILARIOUS, fast paced, action-packed, with a well developed, intriguing world!
And Skulduggery & Stephanie are a dynamic duo! Such amazing banter and such a good detective team... just love them both! Stephanie is such a freakin� independent badass even at 12! Such a good heroine!
I recommend 110%!
RE-READS !
-Mar 15, 2021: This book/series just never, ever gets old! SO GOOD! Everyone, read this, now. You'll thank me later! 🤍🤍🤍
(I decided to re-read again because my amazing bestie, Darce, has been letting me pick one or two books a month for her to read that I won't shut up about... probably just to get me to shut up about them 😂, and this is one of my March 2021 picks! So, since she's reading it, I wanted to refresh my memory of the first book for when I can FINALLLLLYYYYYY discuss it w/ her properly! But, oh, who am I kidding? I just wanted to read it again because its GOLDDDD & I needed to laugh my ass off. Consider the need satiated. Haha.)
-Nov 17, 2020: I just missed 'Stephanie' 😏 & Skulduggery SO MUCHHHH. God this book is freakin fabulous.
Loved it as much as the first time. 5 Sparkly-AF Stars!
vvvFirst Read & Review BELOW THE LINEEEE, folks !
____________________
Star Rating: �&; 5 Stars !
🌟 ⭐️ 🌟 ⭐️ 🌟
I have NO clue why I let this sit idly on my shelf for so long! It had a little bit of everything you could ever want ! It definitely gave me Harry Potter vibes� in the best way possible, but I think that's just because they're both delightfully quirky & weird & magical. Skulduggery takes the cake though, in every way. The vibes, though, are where the similarities end, because this is wholly original, & magical all in its own way.
Just FANTASTIC! Ahhh svagegakrvtvs (<� keyboard smash, clearly, from excitement)
Quirky, witty, HILARIOUS, fast paced, action-packed, with a well developed, intriguing world!
And Skulduggery & Stephanie are a dynamic duo! Such amazing banter and such a good detective team... just love them both! Stephanie is such a freakin� independent badass even at 12! Such a good heroine!
I recommend 110%!
January 20, 2022
Reading this series feels like coming home. I love it so, so much. The characters are awesome. The dialogue is wittier than it has any right to be. And it's just really clever and fun. Favourite series of all time for sure.
August 10, 2011
“Doors are for people with no imagination.�
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
When I grow up I want to be Stephanie Edgley.
High Points.
Skulduggery Pleasant. Stephanie. Banter, so much banter. Dublin. Witty prose. Canary Cars. Supporting characters. Cloak and daggers shizz. Willpower. Magic. Raising Cain. The Girl from Ipanema. A fantastic start to a promising series.
Low Points.
As much as I love Skulduggery and Stephanie, I would have liked there to have been more time spent with the other characters. Tanith Low and Ghastly to be precise� but I’m guessing this is where the other books in the series come into it�
Heroine/Hero.
Stephanie was a brilliant heroine and I wish I was like her when I was twelve. Heck, I wish I was like her now. She’s smart, she’s cute, she’s a warrior and she is the master of the deadpan. She’s practically my idol.
And, of course, Skulduggery. I liked to imagine that he would be voiced by Colin Farrell because he hasone of the only Irish accents I can understand a nice voice.
These two had such a cute dynamic that regularly had mewishing I was cool enough to be part of their gang laughing out loud.
Their conversations were by far my favourite part of this whole book, I have a feeling they’ll get better and better as the series progresses.
Baddies.
Yeah� I would not like to meet a Hollow Man in a dark alley.
Theme Tune.
Um� I may have a whollyappropriate inappropriate crush on Skulduggery. But it’s totally fine, I mean� it’s not as if I fancy dead guys all the time.
What? ..... BE QUIET.
Angst Level.
4/10. Seeing as this is the first book of a series, it’s difficult to really gage this level seeing as we don’t really know much about the characters and their past just yet. Mr Landy does a great job of hinting to some really grim stuff, but not divulging any more than he needs to.
Recommended For.
People who are looking for a new magical series to get stuck into. People who wish theirlover partner in crime was a skeleton with great fashion sense. People who prefer yellow cars to Bentleys. People who ever wonder what their reflection gets up to when their back is turned. People who still haven’t forgiven their brother for buying them a dodgy copy of Grim Fandango for their twelfth birthday.
You can read this review and other exciting things on my blog .
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
When I grow up I want to be Stephanie Edgley.
High Points.
Skulduggery Pleasant. Stephanie. Banter, so much banter. Dublin. Witty prose. Canary Cars. Supporting characters. Cloak and daggers shizz. Willpower. Magic. Raising Cain. The Girl from Ipanema. A fantastic start to a promising series.
Low Points.
As much as I love Skulduggery and Stephanie, I would have liked there to have been more time spent with the other characters. Tanith Low and Ghastly to be precise� but I’m guessing this is where the other books in the series come into it�
Heroine/Hero.
Stephanie was a brilliant heroine and I wish I was like her when I was twelve. Heck, I wish I was like her now. She’s smart, she’s cute, she’s a warrior and she is the master of the deadpan. She’s practically my idol.
And, of course, Skulduggery. I liked to imagine that he would be voiced by Colin Farrell because he has
These two had such a cute dynamic that regularly had me
“So you won’t keep anything from me again?�
He put his hand to his chest. “Cross my heart and hope to die.�
“O.�
He nodded and led the way back to the Bentley.
“Though you don’t actually have a heart,� she said.
“I know.�
“And technically, you’ve already died.�
“I know that too.�
“Just so we’re clear.�
Their conversations were by far my favourite part of this whole book, I have a feeling they’ll get better and better as the series progresses.
Baddies.
Yeah� I would not like to meet a Hollow Man in a dark alley.
Theme Tune.
Um� I may have a wholly
What? ..... BE QUIET.
Angst Level.
4/10. Seeing as this is the first book of a series, it’s difficult to really gage this level seeing as we don’t really know much about the characters and their past just yet. Mr Landy does a great job of hinting to some really grim stuff, but not divulging any more than he needs to.
Recommended For.
People who are looking for a new magical series to get stuck into. People who wish their
You can read this review and other exciting things on my blog .
March 26, 2020
Ей така се пише детско-юношески роман. Скълдъгъри е голям образ, няма скучен диалог щом той участва.
Историята е изключително динамична и изпълнена с битки, магия и тук-там клане. Радвам се, че реших да започна поредицата. Определено с интерес ще подходя към останалите 11 книги!
Историята е изключително динамична и изпълнена с битки, магия и тук-там клане. Радвам се, че реших да започна поредицата. Определено с интерес ще подходя към останалите 11 книги!
January 23, 2014
[Note: from the charming Georgina's comments on this review, I've come to believe I am too far outside the age range. I still believe what I wrote, it's just that the concerns of my review are mostly irrelevent to the book's average reader. Cheers!]
Disappointing. The title/name and the cover illustration really appealed to me, but the book was generic and unbelievable from the start. I suppose some could be forgiven considering that the intended audience appears to be maybe 11 year olds (?), but I personally don't believe that children's books should be low quality just because they are aimed at children.
...oh, and saying "I'm a genius" all the time does not make a character full of "dry wit".
...oh, and being spunky child full of spunk who sprays spunk everywhere does not mean the child is equivalent to an adult. Children can be clever, creative, work in groups, et cetera but having them physically fight adults 1-on-1 strains credulity.
...oh, and not all adults are doofuses.
...oh, and saving the world is a bit ambitious for the first book of a series. You'd have to save the solar system in the second book, then the galaxy in the third book, and then you don't have a lot of options for the fourth book. Not thinking ahead there.
Disappointing. The title/name and the cover illustration really appealed to me, but the book was generic and unbelievable from the start. I suppose some could be forgiven considering that the intended audience appears to be maybe 11 year olds (?), but I personally don't believe that children's books should be low quality just because they are aimed at children.
...oh, and saying "I'm a genius" all the time does not make a character full of "dry wit".
...oh, and being spunky child full of spunk who sprays spunk everywhere does not mean the child is equivalent to an adult. Children can be clever, creative, work in groups, et cetera but having them physically fight adults 1-on-1 strains credulity.
...oh, and not all adults are doofuses.
...oh, and saving the world is a bit ambitious for the first book of a series. You'd have to save the solar system in the second book, then the galaxy in the third book, and then you don't have a lot of options for the fourth book. Not thinking ahead there.
October 27, 2017
Review first posted
Usually, if a friend of recommends a young adult book featuring a magic and walking, talking skeleton....who is also wise cracking and hilarious I would have turned my nose up thinking it was too young and silly. But this book proved right from the first pages that it was worth giving a chance.
First of all I loved Skulduggery from the moment we met him. He was funny, smart and also badass and the author did a really good job of making him feel real despite the ridiculousness of his whole situation. The world history the author created was also excellently done with great attention to detail without going on about irrelevant everyday things (trust me this happens a lot in YA fantasy books).
The writing style was also really good as it was done in a really fast and suspenseful style and the plot flowed along really nicely so there wasn’t a dull moment. After finishing this I was really satisfied with the way the author manages to end each book well and the amazing character development, world building and general direction of the plot made me yearn for the next book. Valkyrie and Skulduggery make an excellent team and I honestly, at this present moment, can’t see where this could go wrong because this author is so skillful.
Usually, if a friend of recommends a young adult book featuring a magic and walking, talking skeleton....who is also wise cracking and hilarious I would have turned my nose up thinking it was too young and silly. But this book proved right from the first pages that it was worth giving a chance.
First of all I loved Skulduggery from the moment we met him. He was funny, smart and also badass and the author did a really good job of making him feel real despite the ridiculousness of his whole situation. The world history the author created was also excellently done with great attention to detail without going on about irrelevant everyday things (trust me this happens a lot in YA fantasy books).
The writing style was also really good as it was done in a really fast and suspenseful style and the plot flowed along really nicely so there wasn’t a dull moment. After finishing this I was really satisfied with the way the author manages to end each book well and the amazing character development, world building and general direction of the plot made me yearn for the next book. Valkyrie and Skulduggery make an excellent team and I honestly, at this present moment, can’t see where this could go wrong because this author is so skillful.
April 27, 2018
*** 4/27/18 $1.99 for Kindle ***
Detective story with a fantasy twist. Skulduggery Pleasant is a sentient skeleton, detective, who also can do magic. He's good natured, with a delightfully dry wit. He teams up with 12 year old Stephanie to find out who killed her beloved uncle. Stephanie is spunky, clever and pretty quick witted herself. Their good natured bickering and conversations often had me chuckling out loud. Their relationship is what I liked best about this story.
"Being a detective isn't all about torture and murder and monsters. Sometimes it gets truly unpleasant. The fate of the world may depend on whether or not you can bring yourself to visit your relatives." Skullduggery Pleasant to Stephanie.
This is also one where the audio version is so well done it really adds to it and makes it even better.
For parents - those who find people who can do magic or a character who didn't stay dead bothersome probably won't like this one. This is a "good guys vs. bad guys" story so there is some violence, nothing too graphic but may be too much for younger children. Otherwise, nothing objectionable.
Detective story with a fantasy twist. Skulduggery Pleasant is a sentient skeleton, detective, who also can do magic. He's good natured, with a delightfully dry wit. He teams up with 12 year old Stephanie to find out who killed her beloved uncle. Stephanie is spunky, clever and pretty quick witted herself. Their good natured bickering and conversations often had me chuckling out loud. Their relationship is what I liked best about this story.
"Being a detective isn't all about torture and murder and monsters. Sometimes it gets truly unpleasant. The fate of the world may depend on whether or not you can bring yourself to visit your relatives." Skullduggery Pleasant to Stephanie.
This is also one where the audio version is so well done it really adds to it and makes it even better.
For parents - those who find people who can do magic or a character who didn't stay dead bothersome probably won't like this one. This is a "good guys vs. bad guys" story so there is some violence, nothing too graphic but may be too much for younger children. Otherwise, nothing objectionable.
June 24, 2024
7.1/10
Re-read.
Stephanie lost her uncle but through that loss she found a new exciting world full of magic and a... skeleton Detective?
When her famous writer uncle dies, Stephanie finds out that his fantasy books are inspired by an existing world. When someone attacks her asking questions she doesn't understand, Stephanie becomes a part of this world.
Skulduggery is a detective, he is also dead... Technically speaking. After he saves the life of his dead friend's niece, he will find out that earth is in great danger.
Can this unlikely duo save the world? The odds are against them.. but doesn't that just make things more fun?
I remember reading this book some years ago and loving it. I can't say that i loved it now but I'm glad because it still holds up quite well. Of course back then i was much closer to the target audience than i am now. That definitely plays a big part. The first time i thought Stephanie is very cool. Now she seems kind of annoying sometimes. All the things that made her look cool to my younger self are there, it's just now i see her as reckless and arrogant. I'm saying this because i can't judge a book to harshly when I'm not in the main group of people this is trying to win over. I can still judge it as a book. Quality of writing, plot, characters etc.
Landy's writing is on point, things are happening constantly, never ones you get the feeling that the author drags situation just to fill some pages.There is good world building and you get a sense of someone's personality very fast. As with any other similar book, there are things that don't make complete sense, which is expected. You can't expect everything to play out like it would in real life, otherwise there would be no story to tell. The villain, Serpine is very generic and forgettable. Skulduggery is definitely the stand out character. I mean he is a skeleton detective, some things are cool no matter how old you are.
Definitely recommend for YA readers. Also a good option for anyone who looks some escape in a world that magic exists, the stakes are high and there is a lot of action.
Re-read.
Stephanie lost her uncle but through that loss she found a new exciting world full of magic and a... skeleton Detective?
When her famous writer uncle dies, Stephanie finds out that his fantasy books are inspired by an existing world. When someone attacks her asking questions she doesn't understand, Stephanie becomes a part of this world.
Skulduggery is a detective, he is also dead... Technically speaking. After he saves the life of his dead friend's niece, he will find out that earth is in great danger.
Can this unlikely duo save the world? The odds are against them.. but doesn't that just make things more fun?
I remember reading this book some years ago and loving it. I can't say that i loved it now but I'm glad because it still holds up quite well. Of course back then i was much closer to the target audience than i am now. That definitely plays a big part. The first time i thought Stephanie is very cool. Now she seems kind of annoying sometimes. All the things that made her look cool to my younger self are there, it's just now i see her as reckless and arrogant. I'm saying this because i can't judge a book to harshly when I'm not in the main group of people this is trying to win over. I can still judge it as a book. Quality of writing, plot, characters etc.
Landy's writing is on point, things are happening constantly, never ones you get the feeling that the author drags situation just to fill some pages.There is good world building and you get a sense of someone's personality very fast. As with any other similar book, there are things that don't make complete sense, which is expected. You can't expect everything to play out like it would in real life, otherwise there would be no story to tell. The villain, Serpine is very generic and forgettable. Skulduggery is definitely the stand out character. I mean he is a skeleton detective, some things are cool no matter how old you are.
Definitely recommend for YA readers. Also a good option for anyone who looks some escape in a world that magic exists, the stakes are high and there is a lot of action.
November 4, 2024
2.5 stars. reading vlog:
just wasn't for me pls forgive me im sorry
just wasn't for me pls forgive me im sorry
October 2, 2008
Skulduggery Pleasant is Derek Landy's first book for children, and the second is already in the can, which is a Very Good Thing. His characters are broadly drawn, meaty, yet precise - like Chinese calligraphy done with a big fat brush dripping with ink. The dialogue is snappy, with some fun deconstructionist bits; and the plot is just twisty enough: not even the very close listener Mr. Four could find any holes.
But the real revelation here is Skulduggery Pleasant himself, a several-hundred-year-old living skeleton working as a freelance detective. He's urbane. He's competent. He's noble. He knows it. And his wit is very, very, very dry. He puts me in mind of James Bond, if Clive Owen had gotten the job. Or Indiana Jones, perhaps as played by Hugh Grant.
It's fairly unusual in contemporary children's literature to find a leading man per se: that is, an adult male that carries the book. Adult males are villains (say, Voldemort), or guides (Dumbledore), or surrogate fathers who aren't around much either (Sirius Black), but it's usually the eleven-year-old orphan who is the center of attention. Skulduggery Pleasant is written from the point of view of its main female character, an eleven-year-old girl named Stephanie Edgely, but it's Skul who drives the action. He's more than a mere guide for Stephanie. It's interesting, and I think it's because Derek Landy's background is in screenwriting rather than children's literature. My guess is that nobody told him.
Which is not to say that Stephanie falls by the wayside. More than your usual preternaturally resourceful girl protagonist, she is written from the inside out, and feels very real, though a bit devoid of background. Even her parents, bit players for sure, are people who you feel you kind of know.
A word about the audio edition - GET THE AUDIO EDITION. Like the Lemony Snicket books read by Tim Curry, it has original music: deep, jazzy bass, thumps of percussion, fingersnaps and distant screams; and, also like those books, it is read by a MASTER of vocal characterization.
Rupert Degas is apparently a voice superstar in the UK, with everything from Bob the Builder to Haruki Murakami on his resume, but this is the first time I've heard him. He reads an Irish tween girl as convincingly as an adult woman from London, and he has a vast repertoire of deep, hoarse, whispery, creaky, etc. that he gleefully applies to everyone else in the book. The cackling, gibbering, transforming Troll under Westminster Bridge should win this guy an Audie all by itself. We've played that chapter "about a hundred and sixty-seven times, and it KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME"!
When we finished the audio book this afternoon, my two boys and I were left craving more Skulduggery, and there it was! a bonus track featuring an interview with the man himself: relaxed, egotistical, coy, and dead-on funny. Can't wait for the sequel.
But the real revelation here is Skulduggery Pleasant himself, a several-hundred-year-old living skeleton working as a freelance detective. He's urbane. He's competent. He's noble. He knows it. And his wit is very, very, very dry. He puts me in mind of James Bond, if Clive Owen had gotten the job. Or Indiana Jones, perhaps as played by Hugh Grant.
It's fairly unusual in contemporary children's literature to find a leading man per se: that is, an adult male that carries the book. Adult males are villains (say, Voldemort), or guides (Dumbledore), or surrogate fathers who aren't around much either (Sirius Black), but it's usually the eleven-year-old orphan who is the center of attention. Skulduggery Pleasant is written from the point of view of its main female character, an eleven-year-old girl named Stephanie Edgely, but it's Skul who drives the action. He's more than a mere guide for Stephanie. It's interesting, and I think it's because Derek Landy's background is in screenwriting rather than children's literature. My guess is that nobody told him.
Which is not to say that Stephanie falls by the wayside. More than your usual preternaturally resourceful girl protagonist, she is written from the inside out, and feels very real, though a bit devoid of background. Even her parents, bit players for sure, are people who you feel you kind of know.
A word about the audio edition - GET THE AUDIO EDITION. Like the Lemony Snicket books read by Tim Curry, it has original music: deep, jazzy bass, thumps of percussion, fingersnaps and distant screams; and, also like those books, it is read by a MASTER of vocal characterization.
Rupert Degas is apparently a voice superstar in the UK, with everything from Bob the Builder to Haruki Murakami on his resume, but this is the first time I've heard him. He reads an Irish tween girl as convincingly as an adult woman from London, and he has a vast repertoire of deep, hoarse, whispery, creaky, etc. that he gleefully applies to everyone else in the book. The cackling, gibbering, transforming Troll under Westminster Bridge should win this guy an Audie all by itself. We've played that chapter "about a hundred and sixty-seven times, and it KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME"!
When we finished the audio book this afternoon, my two boys and I were left craving more Skulduggery, and there it was! a bonus track featuring an interview with the man himself: relaxed, egotistical, coy, and dead-on funny. Can't wait for the sequel.
March 21, 2018
There’s no such thing as winning or losing. There is won and there is lost, there is victory and defeat. There are absolutes. Everything in between is still left to fight for. Serpine will have won only when there is no one left to stand against him. Until then, there is only the struggle, because tides do what tides do–they turn.
Skulduggery Pleasant is a novel about a skeleton detective and his sidekick Stephanie. After Stephanie's uncle dies, she meets Skulduggery and they set off on their adventure filled with witches, warlocks, vampires, etc.
This novel did not surprise me, because I kind of got what I expected: a thrilling, funny and fast read that I would enjoy very much. I loved the world and the character Landy created, but I would have to put an emphasis on the magic system. Not in a long time did I read a book about a magic system quite like this one. All in all, it was an amazing novel, and I can't wait to continue on with the series.
Skulduggery Pleasant is a novel about a skeleton detective and his sidekick Stephanie. After Stephanie's uncle dies, she meets Skulduggery and they set off on their adventure filled with witches, warlocks, vampires, etc.
This novel did not surprise me, because I kind of got what I expected: a thrilling, funny and fast read that I would enjoy very much. I loved the world and the character Landy created, but I would have to put an emphasis on the magic system. Not in a long time did I read a book about a magic system quite like this one. All in all, it was an amazing novel, and I can't wait to continue on with the series.
June 28, 2013
Word count: about 68 000
Rating: I’ll finish you like a cheesecake
For me it’s 3,5 * - keep in mind that it’s a positive rating. I liked that book. I really did.
EDIT.
The grand haze had been lifted! I come to tell you of a good book (no, don't shut your doors in my face, not that book, come on!). If you want a break from all the romance and drama (*I want to break feeeeeeeeeeee!*) of many today's books, you're in a right place! It's a pretty short book (well, as far as children's books are concerned it's long, but you get my drift) filled with exciting fun! (*this time I know it's for real, I've got to break free!*)
“Doors are for people with no imagination� � Skulduggery Pleasant
“The only currency worth anything is being true to yourself, and the only goal worth seeking is finding out who you truly are.� � Uncle Gordon
WARNING � this review is a collection of random notes and quotes, that should allow you to get a feel of that book.
WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE?
Vivid characters.
Likeable heroine.
Beautiful writing.
Action.
Humour.
Stephanie is a 12 years old girl with an attitude and an appetite for adventure. I’ve connected with that little girl far more than with a majority of characters in books for which I’m a target audience. She’s interesting, curious, courageous, but at the same time not free of doubts or fears � she concurs them (unlike some characters that are TSTL apparently, and have a sensitivity of a brick. Is being born with no survival instinct a predisposition for becoming an awesome heroin that always triumphs? � Stephanie has a common sense!)
What do we learn about her in the beginning?
“Ever since she was a child, she had much preferred her own company to the company of others�
“Her first year of secondary school had just come to a close, and she was looking forward to the summer break. She didn’t like school. She found it difficult to get along with her classmates—not because they weren’t nice people, but simply because she had nothing in common with them. And she didn’t like teachers. She didn’t like the way they demanded respect they hadn’t earned. Stephanie had no problem doing what she was told, just so long as she was given a good reason why she should.�
I liked her from the get go (probably because she resembles me quite a lot, or is it the other way around? Nvm). Isn’t that logic brilliant! At that point she won me over.
Then she meets a man. (*dramatic voice * a man with a plan � just kidding, no plan, but he’s full of awesome). An interest sparks.
“Strong willed, intelligent, sharp-tongued, doesn’t suffer fools gladly � remind you of anyone?�
“Yes. Gordon.�
“Interesting,� he said. “Because those are the exact words he used to describe you.�
She managed to have an attitude without acting cocky or obnoxious. Interactions between her and Skulduggery were hilarious.
“Stephanie, I’m not altogether sure you’re respecting my authority.�
“Yes, I’m not.� XD
I loved her unflinching logic of a child “How can you talk? You move your mouth when you speak, but you’ve got no tongue, you’ve got no lips, you’ve got no vocal cords. I mean, I know what skeletons look like � I’ve seen diagrams and models and stuff � and the only thing that hold them together are flesh and skin and ligaments, so why don’t you just fall apart? [...] And about, you know, nerve endings? Can you feel pain?[…] Do you have a brain?� Children have that amazing quality � they’re curious and tend to question things. Lovely. I missed that, the consistent world I could immerse myself in. Crazy little cogs in the back of my mind are still doing a happy dance. Coherence bitches! You’ve heard of it? All thanks to inquisitive questions of a 12 year old (well, I guess that speaks volumes about my mental development. I have a mindset of a primary school kid, apparently, for whenever I encounter discrepancies or chasms in the world building I seem to lose my collective shit.) Ergo, good for me Derek Landy did a wonderful job of developing a comprehensible and interesting world.
I love Suldaggery (Isn’t Skulduggery Pleasant the coolest name?)
Mr. Pleasant, you’re a skeleton.�
�You know, I met your uncle under similar circumstances. Well, kind of similar. But he was drunk. And we were in a bar. And he had vomited on my shoes. So I suppose the actual circumstances aren’t overly similar, but both events include a meeting, so � My point is, he was having some trouble and I was there to lend a hand, and we became good friends after that. Good, good friends.�
His head tilted. “You look like you might faint.�
Stephanie nodded slowly. “I’ve never fainted before, but I think you might be right.�
“Do you want me to catch you if you fall, or � ?�
“If you wouldn’t mind.�
“No problem at all.�
“Thank you.�
Stephanie’s thoughts are for the win.
“Do you know anything about engines?� Stephanie asked. (her mother)
“That’s why I have a husband, so I don’t have to. Engines and shelves, that’s why men were invented.�
Stephanie made a mental note to learn about engines before she turned eighteen. She wasn’t too fussed about the shelves.� I LOVE her thought process!
HOW ABOUT WRITING?
Descriptions are eloquent, but Stephanie sounds and acts like a 12 year old girl. Landy managed to convey her age in speech patterns, that did wonders for the realism of characters. She’s not a sudden superhero or a whiny annoying little girl. That is pretty hard to pull off, to find that balance. I loved the way she just rolled with the whole “meeting a skeleton� situation (right after she got over the shock � and there was a minor shock, I tell you � see, makes sense!) The author conveys personalities of all characters with ease.
There are fun bits of writing. One of the things I suspected would be interesting/hilarious were presumed problems with having a skeleton as a hero. Namely � face expressions. We can experience the delight of unconventional descriptive sentences like “If he’d had eyebrows, they would most likely have been arched.� or ”If he’d had eyelids, he might well be blinking.� *chuckles* Little joys of life�
Still not convinced the writing is nice? LEST! The author uses fucking “lest� in that book. I can’t even remember seeing it lately outside of English grammar lessons (Hmmm, and still the word order in sentences baffles me 0.o Meh.). She managed to keep her mother’s attention off the house, lest she notice that the front door was merely leaning against the door frame. There, if you’ve been reading a lot of badly written books, you might not even remember how it looks.
Ok, at this point I’m a little bit uninspired. (*gasp* what a shocking admission) I think I’ll just stop now. The book was nice. I had fun. The whole thing unfolds and develops very nicely. Not too slow, not too fast. At no point are we force-fed the ‘nausea inducing enormous world building information set� (shit! WTF? Ok, my grammar took a day of. I have no idea what a correct word order would be in this sentence. Please accept my deepest apologies.)
Heh, fine, just� THE END. There. It almost doesn’t look as if a rabid dog chewed off an eloquent conclusion. ( Smooth Anna, very smooth *pats myself on the back* )
*In my defence I plan to come back to this review once my cerebral hemispheres stop sulking and start communicating once again.
EDIT: It's a solid piece of writing with filled with nice, well developed characters, a lot of action, funny dialogues, descriptive language, consistent world-building and cookies Characters that feel real, distinctive and act their age! (Stephanie, one of a few children I don't feel the urge to murder.)
'Me' approves.
Rating: I’ll finish you like a cheesecake
For me it’s 3,5 * - keep in mind that it’s a positive rating. I liked that book. I really did.
EDIT.
The grand haze had been lifted! I come to tell you of a good book (no, don't shut your doors in my face, not that book, come on!). If you want a break from all the romance and drama (*I want to break feeeeeeeeeeee!*) of many today's books, you're in a right place! It's a pretty short book (well, as far as children's books are concerned it's long, but you get my drift) filled with exciting fun! (*this time I know it's for real, I've got to break free!*)
“Doors are for people with no imagination� � Skulduggery Pleasant
“The only currency worth anything is being true to yourself, and the only goal worth seeking is finding out who you truly are.� � Uncle Gordon
WARNING � this review is a collection of random notes and quotes, that should allow you to get a feel of that book.
WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE?
Vivid characters.
Likeable heroine.
Beautiful writing.
Action.
Humour.
Stephanie is a 12 years old girl with an attitude and an appetite for adventure. I’ve connected with that little girl far more than with a majority of characters in books for which I’m a target audience. She’s interesting, curious, courageous, but at the same time not free of doubts or fears � she concurs them (unlike some characters that are TSTL apparently, and have a sensitivity of a brick. Is being born with no survival instinct a predisposition for becoming an awesome heroin that always triumphs? � Stephanie has a common sense!)
What do we learn about her in the beginning?
“Ever since she was a child, she had much preferred her own company to the company of others�
“Her first year of secondary school had just come to a close, and she was looking forward to the summer break. She didn’t like school. She found it difficult to get along with her classmates—not because they weren’t nice people, but simply because she had nothing in common with them. And she didn’t like teachers. She didn’t like the way they demanded respect they hadn’t earned. Stephanie had no problem doing what she was told, just so long as she was given a good reason why she should.�
I liked her from the get go (probably because she resembles me quite a lot, or is it the other way around? Nvm). Isn’t that logic brilliant! At that point she won me over.
Then she meets a man. (*dramatic voice * a man with a plan � just kidding, no plan, but he’s full of awesome). An interest sparks.
“Strong willed, intelligent, sharp-tongued, doesn’t suffer fools gladly � remind you of anyone?�
“Yes. Gordon.�
“Interesting,� he said. “Because those are the exact words he used to describe you.�
She managed to have an attitude without acting cocky or obnoxious. Interactions between her and Skulduggery were hilarious.
“Stephanie, I’m not altogether sure you’re respecting my authority.�
“Yes, I’m not.� XD
I loved her unflinching logic of a child “How can you talk? You move your mouth when you speak, but you’ve got no tongue, you’ve got no lips, you’ve got no vocal cords. I mean, I know what skeletons look like � I’ve seen diagrams and models and stuff � and the only thing that hold them together are flesh and skin and ligaments, so why don’t you just fall apart? [...] And about, you know, nerve endings? Can you feel pain?[…] Do you have a brain?� Children have that amazing quality � they’re curious and tend to question things. Lovely. I missed that, the consistent world I could immerse myself in. Crazy little cogs in the back of my mind are still doing a happy dance. Coherence bitches! You’ve heard of it? All thanks to inquisitive questions of a 12 year old (well, I guess that speaks volumes about my mental development. I have a mindset of a primary school kid, apparently, for whenever I encounter discrepancies or chasms in the world building I seem to lose my collective shit.) Ergo, good for me Derek Landy did a wonderful job of developing a comprehensible and interesting world.
I love Suldaggery (Isn’t Skulduggery Pleasant the coolest name?)
Mr. Pleasant, you’re a skeleton.�
�You know, I met your uncle under similar circumstances. Well, kind of similar. But he was drunk. And we were in a bar. And he had vomited on my shoes. So I suppose the actual circumstances aren’t overly similar, but both events include a meeting, so � My point is, he was having some trouble and I was there to lend a hand, and we became good friends after that. Good, good friends.�
His head tilted. “You look like you might faint.�
Stephanie nodded slowly. “I’ve never fainted before, but I think you might be right.�
“Do you want me to catch you if you fall, or � ?�
“If you wouldn’t mind.�
“No problem at all.�
“Thank you.�
Stephanie’s thoughts are for the win.
“Do you know anything about engines?� Stephanie asked. (her mother)
“That’s why I have a husband, so I don’t have to. Engines and shelves, that’s why men were invented.�
Stephanie made a mental note to learn about engines before she turned eighteen. She wasn’t too fussed about the shelves.� I LOVE her thought process!
HOW ABOUT WRITING?
Descriptions are eloquent, but Stephanie sounds and acts like a 12 year old girl. Landy managed to convey her age in speech patterns, that did wonders for the realism of characters. She’s not a sudden superhero or a whiny annoying little girl. That is pretty hard to pull off, to find that balance. I loved the way she just rolled with the whole “meeting a skeleton� situation (right after she got over the shock � and there was a minor shock, I tell you � see, makes sense!) The author conveys personalities of all characters with ease.
There are fun bits of writing. One of the things I suspected would be interesting/hilarious were presumed problems with having a skeleton as a hero. Namely � face expressions. We can experience the delight of unconventional descriptive sentences like “If he’d had eyebrows, they would most likely have been arched.� or ”If he’d had eyelids, he might well be blinking.� *chuckles* Little joys of life�
Still not convinced the writing is nice? LEST! The author uses fucking “lest� in that book. I can’t even remember seeing it lately outside of English grammar lessons (Hmmm, and still the word order in sentences baffles me 0.o Meh.). She managed to keep her mother’s attention off the house, lest she notice that the front door was merely leaning against the door frame. There, if you’ve been reading a lot of badly written books, you might not even remember how it looks.
Ok, at this point I’m a little bit uninspired. (*gasp* what a shocking admission) I think I’ll just stop now. The book was nice. I had fun. The whole thing unfolds and develops very nicely. Not too slow, not too fast. At no point are we force-fed the ‘nausea inducing enormous world building information set� (shit! WTF? Ok, my grammar took a day of. I have no idea what a correct word order would be in this sentence. Please accept my deepest apologies.)
Heh, fine, just� THE END. There. It almost doesn’t look as if a rabid dog chewed off an eloquent conclusion. ( Smooth Anna, very smooth *pats myself on the back* )
*In my defence I plan to come back to this review once my cerebral hemispheres stop sulking and start communicating once again.
EDIT: It's a solid piece of writing with filled with nice, well developed characters, a lot of action, funny dialogues, descriptive language, consistent world-building and cookies Characters that feel real, distinctive and act their age! (Stephanie, one of a few children I don't feel the urge to murder.)
'Me' approves.
October 9, 2012
Interesting odd little book, a dead wizard...sort of. Well, I mean he's a skeleton, and you know, no skin or organs...but he's not really dead. Sort of.
Is this a kids book? It did strike me as odd how the reaction to a walking, talking skeleton didn't freak Stephanie out more completely.
Not a bad book, help track down the Faceless ones...if you dare. hee hee hee ... (or is that bwa-ha-ha?)
Some have suggested that there are some similarities between the Faceless Ones and Lovecraft's Great Old Ones...interesting in a youth book don't you think?
If you're a parent, maybe you want to read this one first, just a thought.
Not great but not bad. Will I read the sequels? Don't know yet.
Just an update. I haven't.
Is this a kids book? It did strike me as odd how the reaction to a walking, talking skeleton didn't freak Stephanie out more completely.
Not a bad book, help track down the Faceless ones...if you dare. hee hee hee ... (or is that bwa-ha-ha?)
Some have suggested that there are some similarities between the Faceless Ones and Lovecraft's Great Old Ones...interesting in a youth book don't you think?
If you're a parent, maybe you want to read this one first, just a thought.
Not great but not bad. Will I read the sequels? Don't know yet.
Just an update. I haven't.
April 23, 2020
I really liked this one and will surely read on. Why I withheld a star is the lengthy fight scenes and the age-incongruety of Stephanie. [Prtf]
June 27, 2018
4.5*
I remember when I first discovered this series, back in 2009. It was one of my very first audiobooks, brilliantly produced and featuring the excellent voice of Rupert Degas. But what about the story? Well, as you can expect, having a talking, impeccably suited, skeleton as a detective, wielding magic, is going to be fun. And it is! The fantasy world the author creates is also one with a serious touch of darkness and horror, but all mixed with humour and snark, as expected for a middle grade book.
Skulduggery might have his name on the title but the real ‘hero� is in fact Stephanie, a twelve-year old girl, who discovers this universe by chance and decides it is the perfect place for her. The narration is mostly seen from her point of view, although Landy gives us others too. The cast is impressive and complex, with characters that promise much - Tanith Low, China Sorrows, and Ghastly Bespoke being favourites. And yes, those names :0) The magic itself is interesting too, featuring two main veins, the Adepts and the Elementals.
This first instalment is highly entertaining but also plays the role of setting the scene for the rest of the series. Even from the first book, Landy places some clues here and there that reveal themselves further on, hinting at a huge plot arc, one I can’t resist re-visiting. Off to book 2 :0)
I remember when I first discovered this series, back in 2009. It was one of my very first audiobooks, brilliantly produced and featuring the excellent voice of Rupert Degas. But what about the story? Well, as you can expect, having a talking, impeccably suited, skeleton as a detective, wielding magic, is going to be fun. And it is! The fantasy world the author creates is also one with a serious touch of darkness and horror, but all mixed with humour and snark, as expected for a middle grade book.
Skulduggery might have his name on the title but the real ‘hero� is in fact Stephanie, a twelve-year old girl, who discovers this universe by chance and decides it is the perfect place for her. The narration is mostly seen from her point of view, although Landy gives us others too. The cast is impressive and complex, with characters that promise much - Tanith Low, China Sorrows, and Ghastly Bespoke being favourites. And yes, those names :0) The magic itself is interesting too, featuring two main veins, the Adepts and the Elementals.
This first instalment is highly entertaining but also plays the role of setting the scene for the rest of the series. Even from the first book, Landy places some clues here and there that reveal themselves further on, hinting at a huge plot arc, one I can’t resist re-visiting. Off to book 2 :0)
March 3, 2023
Ich liebe Skulduggery und Walküre einfach so sehr! Die Bücher sind voller Abenteuer, Magie, sie sind sarkastisch, düster und total witzig. Es ist einfach eine Reihe, die ich immer wieder gerne lese und auch wenn ich die Originalversion auf Englisch bevorzuge, kann sich auch die Übersetzung sehr gut sehen lassen. Nochmal zu erleben, wie alles angefangen hat, war richtig toll und ich hoffe, dass ich bald die anderen Bände auch nochmal lesen kann.
June 17, 2018
This Middle Grade story has the perfect blend of action, magic, and humor. Skulduggery is a great character with a darkly dry wit. The plot itself is a tad predictable for adults, but it’s a story you’ll enjoy reading to children, who will also love it.
I listened to this over two days on a road trip. The audio narrator did a good job, but sometimes his voice got so low, it was hard to hear.
I listened to this over two days on a road trip. The audio narrator did a good job, but sometimes his voice got so low, it was hard to hear.
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