favourite dead detective. With all the characters read once again by Rupert Degas 'The Faceless Ones' will enchant, enthral and keep you gripped as they take you...
A review by rosieemma91 on Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy August 6th, 2008
Author's product rating:
Would you read it again?
Absolutely
Story
Outstanding
Characters
Outstanding
Readability
Excellent
How does it compare to other works by the same author?
Not applicable
Advantages:
Fantasy in a modern setting .
Disadvantages:
It had to end .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I first heard about this book from my little brother, who is, at twelve, four years younger than me. At the time, I assumed that the book was for that age group exclusively, and would not appeal to my terrbile fantasy addiction. However, one day I was bored and bookless, and so decided to give this book a chance. It turns out I am very glad I did.
Firstly, let me tell you a little bit about the author. On his website for the book Sluduggery Pleasant and it's sequel (Skulduggery Pleasant - Playing with Fire) it says that Landy wrote screenplays for a "zombie movie and a murderous thriller in which everybody dies." This vague description of Landy's writing is followed by the fact that he is a blackbelt in Kenpo Karate and has trained children to defend themselves in the hope of creating a munchkin army. I paused when I read this, and thereafter knew that this man could not have written a book I would not enjoy.
Landy lives in Dublin and Skulduggery Pleasant and it's sequel are his first books, which are soon due to be made into a film.
However enough about the author. More about the book. Well, it is a very striking looking book, which I like. If a book has a boring outer shell, I tend to be disinterested before even reading the blurb. However, the Skulduggery Pleasant book is definately one that would attract even the lover of the weirdest and kookiest kind of book covers.
The front cover is titled with the author's name, the name of the book and the caption "AND HE'S THE GOOD GUY." For anyone who is wondering why this is, the fact that Skulduggery Pleasant is a skeleton brought back from the dead explains in pretty much in a nutshell. The picture on the front by Tom Percival is predominantely of a terrifying looking skeleton in what appears to be a trilby, scarf, shirt, tie and jacket ensemble, with flames coming out of his finger bones.
In the foreground are the silhouettes of four people, two girls (one of whom is brandishing a sword) Skulduggery himself and another man. The title of the book is encased in a flourescent orange swirl, and all of the edges of the pages are also flourescent orange. Anyway, I have gone on for an insanely large amount of time about the look of the book, so let's get stuck into the actually story.
Surprisingly, the story isn't really centered on Skulduggery. He plays a large part of it, but most of the in fact focuses on a young Irish girl named Stephanie. When Stephanie's uncle Gordon dies, she finds that she has been left his house and the royalties he receives for the many novels on the supernatural he has written. She is of course, stunned, but little does she know that this act will soon turn her world upside down....
When she has to stop at her newly acquired house one night due to her Mother's car breaking down and her Mother going for help, Stephanie gets her first glimpse of an unknown world. The house is broken into by a man who threatens to kill her unless she gives him a key. She obviously knows nothing about this key and is in big trouble - until Skulduggery Pleasant turns up.
Stephanie had already met him twice in the story. Once at the wake after her uncle's funeral and once at the will reading where Skulduggery was left a legacy from Gordon. However, it wasn't a keepsake of money or a possession. It was some advice.
Skuduggery saves Stephanie, but in the process he shoots fire at the intruder - and the fire does't burn him. However, after being shot with a bullet, the intruder escapes and Stephanie is left with Skulduggery who's hat and scarf have fallen off to reveal that he's in fact...a skeleton.
Stephanie then faints, but after she wakes up Skulduggery explains to her about a world of magic, a world her Uncle was a part of. Gordon observed magic, learnt from it and wrote about it, but never used it. His books were based on real events he'd heard about.
Stephanie is then faced with a choice. Now she is faced with this new world full of wonders, will she be a part of it, or pretend she's blissfully ignorant and go on with her normal life? Well, of course, if she chose the latter there wouldn't be a book so she goes with Skulduggery and tries to find out who it was who tried to kill her and, in Skulduggery's mind, may have killed her Uncle.
Saying any more about the plot would make buying the book pointless. However, I can say that there are som frightening, some endearing characters throughout. I found the story itself excellent and constantly strong, and realised this book is the perfect addition to my fantasy filled library.
I would recommend this to fan of books such as Eragon and the Alanna the Lioness series, as it has all the magic and all the action as those books. The only difference is a modern twist, which I found quite refreshing.
Advantages: keeps you mesmerized for hours Disadvantages: ...
...is about the main character Skulduggery Pleasant, but personally I think "Derek Landy", The Author, has nicked a bit of Shakespeare's writing technique as, like Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Derek doesn't start off with the main character, however we follow a girl called Stephanie Edgley. Now I believe she becomes our main character and Skulduggery becomes our co-main character.
Stephanie's Granddad dies and this is how Stephanie and Skulduggery ... ...lot of other things and Skulduggery got a little thing. However, they meet again when Stephanie is sleeping at her granddad's house someone breaks in looking for something; however Skulduggery is there to save her and beats up this intruder. Now Stephanie is involved in a wide world adventure that includes magic and detective work. Where she gets involved in stuff any young person could only dream of. She get wrapped up in meeting Ghastly Bespoke ...
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Advantages: The whole story Disadvantages: It had to end...
Detective Skulduggery Pleasant has been dead for hundreds of years. But he's been alive for longer. Stephanie, blissfully unaware of her elemental magical powers, lives her boring life in a small seaside village, longing for a spark of excitement. When her Uncle dies she inherits his grand house, to the disbelief of her other Uncle and Aunt. At the funeral and the reading of the will she encounters a mysterious character - Skulduggery Pleasant. Because ... ...into her (recently inherited) house. Skulduggery comes to her rescue and begins an action-packed relationship of investigation and comical violence against the dark lord Nefarian Serpine. Slowly, Stephanie gets introduced into the hidden world of magic, and learns to use her own powers. I discovered this book by a school event, where I had a choice of good books. However, Skulduggery stood out because I had heard of it before, but never read it. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Fast paced, many magical characters, the next big thing after harry potter. Disadvantages: none at all
...as the main character Detective Skulduggery Pleasant being a skeleton that solves mysteries and his new side kick Stephanie Edgley who is a normal child and is dragged willingly into a world she never knew exscisted as they look for the mythical sceptre of the ancients which is a weapon of unstoppable destructive power but first they have to find the key that unlocks it (which stephanies dead uncle had) before the evil Nefrarian serpine can get it ... ...on the outskirts of dublin used to write screenplays for zombie movies and thrillers and has put all his knowledge and imagination into creating a very exciting book that will lead you into a world of magic,mystery and evil where you will meet many strange and fascinating characters.
This is a book that will keep people of all ages captivated right to the end and if like me find it very hard to put down.
I hope this is the first book of many in ...
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Advantages: characters, originality, quantity Disadvantages: just wish it was longer
The story of Skulduggery Pleasent is 100%25 original, the characters have been masterfully woven into the plot to brilliantly create a tremendously good read. Publisher - Harper Collins
Pages - 368
Plot - The story begins with the death of Stephanie Edgely's uncle (who was a rich and succesful novelist who wroth fantasy books), at the reading of the reading of his Will she finds out that he has left his mansion along with all the money from his ... ...a key. Naturally Skulduggery Pleasent (skeleton, who was and still is a powerful mage) comes to Stephanie's aid and sending balls of fire at the attacker he manages to send him fleeing into the night. After this; Stephanie learns that her uncle was murdered and that the "key" must be found in order to save the world from the villain Serpine. After much coaxing and pursuasion Stephanie manages to pursuade Skulduggery in letting her assist him in his ...
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24.05.2008
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