Written by Kelsey Kenneally
Skulduggery Pleasant is the bestselling series by Irish author Derek Landy. Landy received several awards for Skulduggery Pleasant, including the Irish Book Awards in 2009 and 2010, was nominated for a Young Reader’s Choice Award in 2010, and won Irish Book of the Decade in 2010, as well as many other accolades.
The story follows twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgeley who inherits her late uncle’s mansion. While she is staying overnight in said mansion, she receives a mysterious phone call before being attacked. She is rescued by a man named Skulduggery Pleasant, who happens to be a four hundred-year-old sorcerer detective and a living skeleton. Stephanie, who later takes on the name Valkyrie Cain, begs Skulduggery to take her on as his apprentice, and he reluctantly agrees because she is holding his very expensive hat hostage. The pair goes on many thrilling adventures in their attempt to stop the terrifying Baron Vengeous from bringing back creatures known as the Faceless Ones.
Intrigued? Well, we’ve come up with a few reasons as to why you should read the series, or possibly even reread it!
1. All The Action/Fantasy/Adventure You Could Ask For
The story is chock-full of talking skeletons, evil sorcerers, beastly vampires, ancient legends, gritty action, and deadly gods. Each chapter is action-packed and hilarious, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie make a perfect, witty force to be reckoned with.
2. Unique Humour
Derek Landy’s sense of humour is unlike anything I have every read before. His unique blend of sarcastic, ego-centric characters and absurd dialogue will have the reader nursing stitches through every last page.
3. Badass Protagonist
Despite only being twelve, Valkyrie quickly proves to be skilled detective and not too shabby in a fight. She manages to both amuse and excite readers with her sarcastic humour, her complete disregard for authority, and her clever ingenuity in the face of adversaries straight out of nightmares.
4. Fast-paced and Clever
Landy delivers a story that keeps readers glued to every last word. This book has the power make you read 600 pages in one day and still be thirsting for more.
5. Perfect Introduction to Horror
If you have ever wanted to try the horror genre, but were too scared to try, look no further! Skulduggery Pleasant may qualify as an action/adventure novel, but it flirts with horror just enough to introduce you to the genre. The novel is every bit as gritty, gory, and horrifying as it is action-packed and humorous.
6. Branches into Adult Fiction
On the subject of perfect introductions to new genres, Skulduggery Pleasant also allows readers to make the jump from young adult to adult fiction. With its mature themes, explicit gore, and legitimately terrifying villains, readers will be totally ready to move out of the kids section of the library after completing this rollercoaster.
7. Brilliant World-building
Skulduggery and Valkyrie may live in modern-day Ireland, but their adventures are anything but ordinary. Both are part of an underground society of sorcerers living among normal people like us. The mixture of magic and gritty reality provides a setting unlike anything to grace library shelves since Harry Potter.
8. Unusual Characters
Besides Skulduggery and Valkyrie, the cast of Skulduggery Pleasant is as colourful as its humour. With characters like the sword-wielding mercenary, Tanith Low; scarred tailor, Ghastly Bespoke; and manipulative information-broker, China Sorrows, everyone is distinctive and memorable.
9. Beautiful Cover Art
If none of my other reasons have convinced you, consider the beautiful cover art! The Irish covers in particular display realistic characters and set the tone of the novel nicely.
10. Deserves More Publicity in the US
While Skulduggery Pleasant is a bestselling series in the UK, hardly anyone in the US has ever heard of it. Everyone I know who has read the series raves about it, but die-hard fans are few and far between on this side of the Atlantic. Many don’t know about the series, and only the first six books were released here in 2018 with more coming out this year. Now, Skulduggery Pleasant is readily available in the US for anyone willing to take the plunge!
I love the series I have phase 1 in both hardcover for display and paperback to read lol
Phase 2 is hit and miss I like the more adventures but phase 2 isn’t as good as phase 1.
My only gripe with the books is that we are told about how angry skulduggery is and not to piss him off but he never does anything bad morally we are just told about how he use to be not shown.
This series matured with it’s audience. It’s first books may not grip adults as much as young readers, but I’d recommend the series as a whole for everyone. It’s a well made combination of fantasy, adventure, comedy, horror and very good action. Really, Derek makes you see battles as if you’re watching a movie.
Have fun reading it.
I do not think there is an accurate word out there that could describe my attachment towards this series!! Derek Landy has managed to do something that I have seen few other authors successfully do, and that is having the ability to create a world that encompasses just about every genre possible, much like real life, and then realising it. It is for this reason that I consider the Skulduggery Pleasant series incredibly under-appreciated and under-acknowledged. The series has a way of bringing your inner youth and adult together as you live in the real world facing real challenges that might require some out-of-the-box solutions. It doesn’t allow you to simply enjoy your comfort zone but rather implores you to take a leap of faith – something I think many have left behind for their inner child to remember as though they are two separate beings. Thank you for this article! And thank you, Derek Landy, for spreading some magic.
One of my favourite book series of all time. I love it so much, the series definitely deserves greater recognition. It is thrilling, gripping and there’s never a dull moment, personally I think that it’s fabulous for any age as well so just go for it. Dive straight in!!!
My absolute favourite book series.
Vor ungefähr einem Jahr bekam ich die ersten Bücher über skulduggery zu Weihnachten von meinem Sohn. Und seither bin ich mit meinen stolzen 57 Jahren ein riesen Fan. Ich habe die Bücher nicht nur einmal gelesen, sondern 3-4 mal und mehr. Ich kann sie nur jedem empfehlen, weil sie spannend und unterhaltsam sind. Der Humor ist einzigartig. Und nicht nur Jugendlichen kann man sie empfehlen auch ältere Menschen sollten sie lesen
I read the first book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series 2010, I was 12 just like Stephanie in the beginning. I’m from Sweden and read the first four books in swedish but then decided to continue in english. I’ve re-read the first book 16 times and the other books (except from 8,9 & 10) about 11. They are amazing! I Wish Skulduggery Pleasant was Much more acknowledged because it REALLY deserve that! Love it! Thank you for this article and help in spreading this amazing adventure to Those poor people who has not yet come across it!
I try get as many of my friends as I can into it. I love the series I have phase 1 in both hardcover for display and paperback to read lol
Phase 2 is hit and miss I like the more adventures but phase 2 isn’t as good as phase 1.
My only gripe with the books is that we are told about how angry skulduggery is and not to piss him off but he never does anything bad morally we are just told about how he use to be not shown.