Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks (2007), 398 pages
Description
When twelve-year-old Stephanie inherits her weird uncle's estate, she must join forces with Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton mage, to save the world from the Faceless Ones.
Media reviews
VOYA
Amy Sisson (VOYA, August 2007 (Vol. 30, No 3))
Considering how many fantasy novels are imported into the U.S. these days, one hardly expects freshness and originality, so this Irish author's debut novel is a very pleasant surprise. Twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgley is perplexed when her eccentric
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Uncle Gordon dies, leaving her his vast estate. She is utterly astonished to find that his closest friend is a walking, talking skeleton who also happens to be a well-dressed, hard-boiled detective named Skulduggery Pleasant. Intrigued by Skulduggery's dangerous world of magic, Stephanie ignores his protests and begins tagging along on his adventures. Before long, she encounters a troll-killing warrior named Tanith Low, vampires completely unlike those about which she has read, an evil henchman made mostly out of paper, and many other wonders and perils. Quite simply, this book is designed to appeal on every level. The book's cover, the illustrated drop caps that lead off each chapter, and the narrative's tone give it a graphic novel sensibility, even though it is really almost four hundred pages of straight text. Stephanie displays wisdom and courage beyond her years, and as such, will appeal to older teen readers as well as younger ones. Stephanie and Skulduggery's witty repartee is most enjoyable, and the pacing is fast, with constant action and fight scenes during which the author neither sugarcoats the violence nor revels in it unnecessarily. This book likely will be a big hit, and thus belongs in every library that serves young adult readers. VOYA CODES: 4Q 5P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2007, HarperCollins, 400p., $17.99 and PLB $18.89. Ages 11 to 18. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member nessreader
I hoped for adult crossover appeal, but it doesn't really work for a grownup. Which is fair enough: it's aimed at children, and I imagine it works grand for them. The action sequences of fights and chases are particularly good.
If I were a child, would have liked this, but I think it wouldn't stick
If I were a child, would have liked this, but I think it wouldn't stick
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with me once it was over. The wisecracking skeleton is fun, and the pages turn fast. Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
An interesting story about a girl who finds herself embroiled in magic, murder and mayhem in Dublin when her uncle dies suddenly. When she finds that his horror stories were in fact based in truth she has the choice to join forces with good to defeat evil or stay with the normal world.
Interestingly
Stephanie came across as being more 15 than 12, and maybe she should have been written as a little older.
Interesting first novel and I'm looking forward to more by this author.
Interestingly
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complex, the characters aren't always just black and white and betrayal is a strong motif. The idea of an animated skeleton as hero is interesting too.Stephanie came across as being more 15 than 12, and maybe she should have been written as a little older.
Interesting first novel and I'm looking forward to more by this author.
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LibraryThing member Finxy
Review from Badelynge
Back when I was eleven years old, if you had handed me a book featuring a magic using, skeleton detective, I would have likely snapped your hand off and demanded to know where I could get the next twenty books. As a soon to be 44 year old it takes a little more to impress me.
Back when I was eleven years old, if you had handed me a book featuring a magic using, skeleton detective, I would have likely snapped your hand off and demanded to know where I could get the next twenty books. As a soon to be 44 year old it takes a little more to impress me.
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Although there are some gems of children's fiction about these days, this one doesn't come close to competing with the current gold standards of Rowling, Pullman and Stroud. The book, on the whole, is quite easy to read and the action is enthusiastically described like a blow by blow radio commentary for WWF. Derek Landy's world building follows his small group of characters around like a small bubble generated by their presence. There is little depth to it. It just sort of springs up as the characters progress. Skulduggery Pleasant isn't the dynamic and extraordinary figure the cover blurb promises either. He's a rather contradictory fellow who happens to be a skeleton. He doesn't do much detecting either, coming across as more of a gung-ho soldier, though perhaps in future novels he will get a chance to show off his skills rather than his kills. I had trouble sometimes, when there were extended scenes filled with dialogue, in keeping track of who was actually speaking, which considering usually featured a centuries old undead skeleton detective sorcerer conversing with a 12 year old girl hardly seems possible. Stephanie is also too shallow a character, her motivations seem mainly to be driven by avoiding boredom. There are moments when she almost comes alive, notably as she wonders how her parents will deal with the doppelganger living in her bedroom, who will continue to fool the world with a hollow smile after the real Stephanie has died in her quest for adventure but these are way too few. Back when I was eleven none of this would have mattered. My imagination would have filled in all the blanks and coloured all the characters in blazing technicolor. These days my imagination needs a bit more grist for the mill. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the first book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series and was a fun read, I enjoyed it. It's a blend of fantasy and horror aimed at a middle grade/YA audience. I liked the witty dialogue and the action and humor throughout. It was fun and just a bit silly, while still having an interesting dark
Stephanie has inherited her uncle Gordon’s estate and also a friend of his named Skulduggery Pleasant. What Stephanie didn’t know is how deep Gordon was involved in a hidden world where sorcery and ancient artifacts are real. Now Stephanie must help find the Scepter of the Ancients to save the world.
This book was full of quirky, fun dialogue and lots of action. I would call it dark fantasy rather than horror because there is a lot of magic and things get creepy at points but never really that scary.
This ended up being a quick read that had me laughing out loud a number of times. I enjoyed the adventures and action a lot as well. This is an interesting world and I liked Stephanie and Skulduggery as characters.
Overall I enjoyed this. I would recommend to middle grade readers who enjoy fantasy with a bit of a dark/horror edge to it. This is easy to read and a lot of fun. I am unsure whether I will continue the series or not at this point. I enjoyed it but I am already reading a lot of other series.
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fantasy story to it.Stephanie has inherited her uncle Gordon’s estate and also a friend of his named Skulduggery Pleasant. What Stephanie didn’t know is how deep Gordon was involved in a hidden world where sorcery and ancient artifacts are real. Now Stephanie must help find the Scepter of the Ancients to save the world.
This book was full of quirky, fun dialogue and lots of action. I would call it dark fantasy rather than horror because there is a lot of magic and things get creepy at points but never really that scary.
This ended up being a quick read that had me laughing out loud a number of times. I enjoyed the adventures and action a lot as well. This is an interesting world and I liked Stephanie and Skulduggery as characters.
Overall I enjoyed this. I would recommend to middle grade readers who enjoy fantasy with a bit of a dark/horror edge to it. This is easy to read and a lot of fun. I am unsure whether I will continue the series or not at this point. I enjoyed it but I am already reading a lot of other series.
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LibraryThing member readernoir
Pros:
Skulduggery Pleasant’s most defining quality is its flair. It’s a story told with such cinematic panache that it’s difficult to imagine kids that wouldn’t love reading it. Beginning with a short-and-sweet setup, the tale soon picks up steam, delivering action that doesn’t let up
Dialogue is one of the Landy’s fortes. Clever speeches and snappy retorts shake things up and keep the pages turning. And although characterization as a whole is not an asset here, the character of Skulduggery is just great. His dry wit and bravery make for a compelling – not to mention highly entertaining – protagonist. The world building is also outstanding: original and fantastical with the perfect amount of danger and intrigue. If a secret world of magic truly existed, I would imagine it would be close to what the author has envisioned here.
The mythos if this book is impressive as well. The concepts of the Faceless Ones and the Ancients are unique and make for an interesting backdrop for the action occurring in this and, I would imagine other, volumes in the series. Also, I like the ideas of Elemental and Adept magic, and the differing properties of each.
Cons:
Choppy, and sometimes awkward, writing is an ever-present evil, and over-description during actions sequences can be confusing. Landy also falls back on showing not telling often, going so far as to describe Stephanie’s disposition and personality for the reader instead of demonstrating it through her actions.
Characterization rarely rises above archetype and stereotype, especially in the case of Stephanie, our main character. This would have understandable (she’s a child and still forming her personality) if not for the fact that she’s repeatedly described as mature and wise, and that this is not at all evident in her behavior. Mevolent, one of the antagonists, is bound to elicit comparisons to Voldemort, and main villain Serpine’s “agonizing death” is a pretty obvious mash-up of the Cruciatis and Killing Curses from Harry Potter.
There are some pretty glaring inconsistencies in terms of logic as well. For example, I find it difficult to believe (and disconcerting) that a twelve-year-old girl would get into the car of a strange man in front of her neighbors without occasioning any concern from them. I likewise feel that the reasons behind Skulduggery involving Stephanie in the first place are implausible and contrived.
Skulduggery’s trademark irreverent humor frequently bleeds into the dialogue of others characters, making it less effective when he himself is using it, and further confusing characterization.
Much of the plot of this book is based on the concept of the fabled Scepter of the Ancients, and while this concept is good, it’s too underdeveloped to make for a truly interesting weapon. The same goes for this book’s plot in general. Nothing ever really feels as significant as it should, so it’s hard to muster any kind of genuine concern for the characters.
Verdict:
Though it serves too much as a setup for future volumes and suffers from some major flaws, Skulduggery Pleasant is a stylish, fantastical, action-packed adventure that will delight young readers and have them clamoring for more of the titular skeleton detective.
Skulduggery Pleasant’s most defining quality is its flair. It’s a story told with such cinematic panache that it’s difficult to imagine kids that wouldn’t love reading it. Beginning with a short-and-sweet setup, the tale soon picks up steam, delivering action that doesn’t let up
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until the explosive finale. Dialogue is one of the Landy’s fortes. Clever speeches and snappy retorts shake things up and keep the pages turning. And although characterization as a whole is not an asset here, the character of Skulduggery is just great. His dry wit and bravery make for a compelling – not to mention highly entertaining – protagonist. The world building is also outstanding: original and fantastical with the perfect amount of danger and intrigue. If a secret world of magic truly existed, I would imagine it would be close to what the author has envisioned here.
The mythos if this book is impressive as well. The concepts of the Faceless Ones and the Ancients are unique and make for an interesting backdrop for the action occurring in this and, I would imagine other, volumes in the series. Also, I like the ideas of Elemental and Adept magic, and the differing properties of each.
Cons:
Choppy, and sometimes awkward, writing is an ever-present evil, and over-description during actions sequences can be confusing. Landy also falls back on showing not telling often, going so far as to describe Stephanie’s disposition and personality for the reader instead of demonstrating it through her actions.
Characterization rarely rises above archetype and stereotype, especially in the case of Stephanie, our main character. This would have understandable (she’s a child and still forming her personality) if not for the fact that she’s repeatedly described as mature and wise, and that this is not at all evident in her behavior. Mevolent, one of the antagonists, is bound to elicit comparisons to Voldemort, and main villain Serpine’s “agonizing death” is a pretty obvious mash-up of the Cruciatis and Killing Curses from Harry Potter.
There are some pretty glaring inconsistencies in terms of logic as well. For example, I find it difficult to believe (and disconcerting) that a twelve-year-old girl would get into the car of a strange man in front of her neighbors without occasioning any concern from them. I likewise feel that the reasons behind Skulduggery involving Stephanie in the first place are implausible and contrived.
Skulduggery’s trademark irreverent humor frequently bleeds into the dialogue of others characters, making it less effective when he himself is using it, and further confusing characterization.
Much of the plot of this book is based on the concept of the fabled Scepter of the Ancients, and while this concept is good, it’s too underdeveloped to make for a truly interesting weapon. The same goes for this book’s plot in general. Nothing ever really feels as significant as it should, so it’s hard to muster any kind of genuine concern for the characters.
Verdict:
Though it serves too much as a setup for future volumes and suffers from some major flaws, Skulduggery Pleasant is a stylish, fantastical, action-packed adventure that will delight young readers and have them clamoring for more of the titular skeleton detective.
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LibraryThing member Racheguevara
Scepter of the Ancients immediately grabbed my attention with all the lightning coming out of the jeweled scepter on the front cover. Within the first two paragraphs, I became intrigued by the death of Stephanie’s uncle and an unidentifiable man at his funeral. The story quickly unfolded when
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Stephanie spends the night at the mansion her uncle leaves her in his will. She is attacked for a key she knows nothing about, but is rescued by the mysterious man who turns out to be a rather humorous talking skeleton, named Skulduggery Pleasant. He is a close friend of Stephanie’s uncle and is also a detective who reveals a magical world that Stephanie can’t turn away from. Positive that the man who attacked her has something to do with her uncle’s death, Stephanie teams up with Skulduggery Pleasant to seek out the Scepter of the Ancients, which is known only as a legend. As they pick up more clues about where the scepter is, Stephanie meets new characters who join them to help solve the mystery. They do not find the scepter in time, but they do stop the evil Serpine from gaining total control over the world. I enjoyed this aspect because the book did not end exactly the way I thought it would. The imagery that Derek Landry used in this novel is amazing and it helped make every chapter come alive. The combined mystery and humor made this book enjoyable to read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes adventurous novels with a twist. This book has won the Young Reader’s Choice Award, the Red House Children’s Book Award, the ALA Best Books for Young Adults and was a finalist for the Cybils Award. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jaguar897
This book is another free gem I got off the YA Sync Summer Audio Program. I really love this program because I end up listening to stuff that I otherwise wouldn’t have picked up on my own. The cover of the book looked hokey and the description didn’t do much for me, but I was pleasantly
The story is of Skulduggery Pleasant who is a walking, talking magic wielding skeleton. Skulduggery is as cool and awesome as his name implies. He’s a witty, snarky, badass crime-solving bastard. What’s even more awesome is that his partner, Stephanie, is just as cool and witty. Stephanie is a 12 year old girl, who basically inherited her uncle’s problems upon his death. I must say she sounds older than 12, but I didn’t mind because I really liked the chemistry and dialogue between these two.
I also enjoyed the secondary characters. Tanith Low was cool and very badass. For some reason she reminds me of Tonks from Harry Potter. I also enjoyed Ghastly and Mrs. Bliss. From this first book it seems like these characters have stories of their own and I’m very interested in finding out more about them.
The audiobook for this story was excellent. I loved the musical accompaniment, especially for Skulduggery’s scenes. It really suited the character. My only real compliant about the narration is that it seemed like Skulduggery’s “voice” would change. It was annoying, because I was never sure if he was the one talking until I listened to more of the audio and then I would have to re-listen to those parts. Also, I’m not sure if this is due to the audiobook or writing, but I found the action scenes hard to follow. Another GR, friend read this book though and thought the same thing, so I believe it has more to do with the writing than the audio.
Overall though, this book was really enjoyable. Very witty, funny and nice fast paced action.
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surprised when I started listening that it was actually a fun, intelligent read. The story is of Skulduggery Pleasant who is a walking, talking magic wielding skeleton. Skulduggery is as cool and awesome as his name implies. He’s a witty, snarky, badass crime-solving bastard. What’s even more awesome is that his partner, Stephanie, is just as cool and witty. Stephanie is a 12 year old girl, who basically inherited her uncle’s problems upon his death. I must say she sounds older than 12, but I didn’t mind because I really liked the chemistry and dialogue between these two.
I also enjoyed the secondary characters. Tanith Low was cool and very badass. For some reason she reminds me of Tonks from Harry Potter. I also enjoyed Ghastly and Mrs. Bliss. From this first book it seems like these characters have stories of their own and I’m very interested in finding out more about them.
The audiobook for this story was excellent. I loved the musical accompaniment, especially for Skulduggery’s scenes. It really suited the character. My only real compliant about the narration is that it seemed like Skulduggery’s “voice” would change. It was annoying, because I was never sure if he was the one talking until I listened to more of the audio and then I would have to re-listen to those parts. Also, I’m not sure if this is due to the audiobook or writing, but I found the action scenes hard to follow. Another GR, friend read this book though and thought the same thing, so I believe it has more to do with the writing than the audio.
Overall though, this book was really enjoyable. Very witty, funny and nice fast paced action.
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LibraryThing member limoncello
Fast-moving fun. Love the names and the plot twists. The odd sexist comment.I enjoyed reading this book and can understand it's appeal to teenagers.
LibraryThing member dcollins7984
Skulduggery Pleasant is a "living" skeleton that suddenly becomes a big part of 12-year-old Stephanie's life after her beloved uncle dies and leaves her his entire estate and unfortunately, something that a very evil character wants to possess. I loved this book, as has every student I have
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recommended it to. I can't wait to read the sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member welkinscheek
Excellent. The writing has a wonderful quality. SOrt of an amusing blend between J.K. Rowlings loveable characters and Terry Pratchett's wit.
LibraryThing member JRlibrary
Stephanie Edgeley is a 12 year old precocious girl who decides to avenge her uncle Gordon's death with the help of a very unlikely ally; a detective skeleton named Skulduggery. She renames herself Valkyrie Cain, raising Cain. Gordon leaves everything to Stephanie in his will, including the power to
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save or destroy the universe, but she doesn't know that when the adventure begins. She has to find the object that creatures from another realm want, before they find it! She has the help of Skulduggery, a character who does a lot to make the book interesting. I'll be certain to read book two to find out what happens. Show Less
LibraryThing member sallybray
Sulduggery Pleasant is a surprisingly enjoyable read. Set in Ireland and dealing with a wide ranging collection of monsters out to conquer the world, the heroine, Stephanie is young, impressionable and very determined to make her own way in the horror world she inherits from her recently deceased
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uncle... with a little help from her partner in crime, Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeletal detective who seems to have more enemies than friends! Show Less
LibraryThing member DF1A_ChristieR
Valkyrie Cain-once known to the world as twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgely-has learned a great deal since beginning her apprenticeship to Skulduggery Pleasant, the well-dressed living-dead wizard-detective. But she hasn't learned nearly enough to defeat the horrors massing against her and her
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friends: An old foe of Skulduggery's, Baron Vengeous, is bent on bringing back to life the horrible Grotesquery-an unkillable monster assembled from the most fearsome beasts of legend. It's up to the ingenious, fearless, and hilarious Valkyrie and Skulduggery to stop the Grotesquery from coming fully to life. Because once it is alive, it will call to its masters, the evil Faceless Ones whose return will mean the end of the world. This book was filled with laughs and fun. Even though it is a very serious book. Show Less
LibraryThing member magemanda
Skulduggery Pleasant is the debut novel by Derek Landy, and on this evidence I believe he should have many successful books ahead of him. He tells the tale of a wise-cracking skeleton detective, who befriends a young girl called Stephenie Edgley when her uncle is murdered. They are from then drawn
The plot moves at breakneck speed, with sparkling dialogue between Skulduggery and Stephenie. It is easy to follow and twists many cliches in the pursuit of entertainment. The skeletal detective at the heart of the novel is by far the best part of it all - never less than interesting, witty and good-humoured. I would greatly enjoy reading more adventures involving him.
Stephenie is resourceful, brave and cool-headed - a fine role model for girls who pick up this book. In fact, the strength of these two characters cause the others to fall into their shadow and the secondary characters are never truly fleshed out to the point where you would care about them.
I also have complaints about the bad guy who, despite my earlier words, is terribly cliched. He is paper-thin in terms of characterisation, never really gives reason for his motives, and is used more for comedy effect than tense moments.
It is easy to see that Landy has a background in martial arts because his fight scenes are effective and efficiently-written, showing us clearly how they would play out.
Lastly, I would comment that the system of magic, while unoriginal, shows signs of being used to a greater extent in novels to follow.
Altogether this is a blast of a debut novel, setting the scene in an exciting manner for more tales of Skulduggery Pleasant.
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into a world of magic and mystery and uncover a plot by the leading dark wizard to bring back old Gods and murder all those without magic.The plot moves at breakneck speed, with sparkling dialogue between Skulduggery and Stephenie. It is easy to follow and twists many cliches in the pursuit of entertainment. The skeletal detective at the heart of the novel is by far the best part of it all - never less than interesting, witty and good-humoured. I would greatly enjoy reading more adventures involving him.
Stephenie is resourceful, brave and cool-headed - a fine role model for girls who pick up this book. In fact, the strength of these two characters cause the others to fall into their shadow and the secondary characters are never truly fleshed out to the point where you would care about them.
I also have complaints about the bad guy who, despite my earlier words, is terribly cliched. He is paper-thin in terms of characterisation, never really gives reason for his motives, and is used more for comedy effect than tense moments.
It is easy to see that Landy has a background in martial arts because his fight scenes are effective and efficiently-written, showing us clearly how they would play out.
Lastly, I would comment that the system of magic, while unoriginal, shows signs of being used to a greater extent in novels to follow.
Altogether this is a blast of a debut novel, setting the scene in an exciting manner for more tales of Skulduggery Pleasant.
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LibraryThing member anniecase
Despite an oddball premise, this book was thoroughly engaging, disturbing, and darkly, surprisingly witty. I had no trouble getting through it. I would say it is a bit scary for younger readers.
LibraryThing member cranbrook
Twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgley inherits her uncle Gordon's estate and is promptly attacked on her first solo visit to the property. A mysterious skeleton-detective, Skulduggery Pleasant, comes to her rescue, explaining that he thinks Gordon was murdered and that she may be next. The two join
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forces and set off to solve the crime in a series of magical adventures that take them into a world filled with ancient evil creatures, including Nefarian Serpine, who seeks the Scepter of the Ancients and the infinite power it will bring him. Show Less
LibraryThing member SamuelW
Skulduggery Pleasant is the action-packed debut novel of former screenwriter Derek Landy, and publishing company Harper Collins have certainly gone to great lengths to sell his new book. In their biggest ever global deal, they have thrown significant marketing weight behind Stephanie Edgely’s
The novel certainly has all the key elements of a popular children’s fantasy – magic, mystery, action, and, of course, a strong pre-teen protagonist. It is not, however, simply a mindless clone of every other children’s fantasy novel in existence. Landy brings some genuinely creative new ideas to the genre, and embellishes it all with a crackling humour that relentlessly drives the book along. The style is fast and exciting, with lots of direct speech to make it flow easily. Landy himself has a black belt in karate, so his fight scenes are realistic, well thought out and a whole lot of fun. This novel has the right balance of everything – the right amount of violence, action and thrills, without being inappropriate for its age-group. Yet another book that reads like an action film!
The plot of Skulduggery Pleasant is not to be sneezed at. A rich cast of lively and surprising characters help to create a storyline that is gripping and unpredictable. No time is ever wasted in this book – there are always places to go, monsters to slay! The further you get into the story, the better it gets. Especially notable is the way characters and plot elements are nonchalantly introduced near the start of the book, and then reintroduced near the end of the book to become key parts of the action. Some people may find the story a little unrealistic at times, but there are not a huge number of plot holes, and I found that I was able to enjoy the book unhampered by the few that there were.
Putting myself in the position of an eight to twelve-year-old, I can definitely see myself really enjoying this book, (not that I didn’t enjoy it reading it at age 15!) It’s a whole lot of fast, wicked fun. At the end of the day, the critics will probably say it’s nothing special – but it’s exactly the same kind of ‘nothing special’ that made Harry Potter a worldwide hit. Maybe there’s a chance that Skulduggery Pleasant is destined for the same fate.
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adventures. So have they chosen the right book?The novel certainly has all the key elements of a popular children’s fantasy – magic, mystery, action, and, of course, a strong pre-teen protagonist. It is not, however, simply a mindless clone of every other children’s fantasy novel in existence. Landy brings some genuinely creative new ideas to the genre, and embellishes it all with a crackling humour that relentlessly drives the book along. The style is fast and exciting, with lots of direct speech to make it flow easily. Landy himself has a black belt in karate, so his fight scenes are realistic, well thought out and a whole lot of fun. This novel has the right balance of everything – the right amount of violence, action and thrills, without being inappropriate for its age-group. Yet another book that reads like an action film!
The plot of Skulduggery Pleasant is not to be sneezed at. A rich cast of lively and surprising characters help to create a storyline that is gripping and unpredictable. No time is ever wasted in this book – there are always places to go, monsters to slay! The further you get into the story, the better it gets. Especially notable is the way characters and plot elements are nonchalantly introduced near the start of the book, and then reintroduced near the end of the book to become key parts of the action. Some people may find the story a little unrealistic at times, but there are not a huge number of plot holes, and I found that I was able to enjoy the book unhampered by the few that there were.
Putting myself in the position of an eight to twelve-year-old, I can definitely see myself really enjoying this book, (not that I didn’t enjoy it reading it at age 15!) It’s a whole lot of fast, wicked fun. At the end of the day, the critics will probably say it’s nothing special – but it’s exactly the same kind of ‘nothing special’ that made Harry Potter a worldwide hit. Maybe there’s a chance that Skulduggery Pleasant is destined for the same fate.
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LibraryThing member jiona
Fantastic book. Great fun, lots of action and a sarcastic skeleton detective driving the story along. Essential reading for anyone who wants to read a book aimed at young people, but that will be fun and rewarding for anyone.
LibraryThing member essa868
This is one of the best written YA books I have ever read. The conversations between the two main characters actually made me laugh out loud. This is a detective story with a fantasy twist.
LibraryThing member princessponti
Fun packed action / adventure book, when Skulduggery Pleasant, the snappy dressing skellington detective first enters into Stephanie's life, things will never be the same. Lots of one liners and sarcasm fill this book in between the fast paced action. Some of the characterisation for me was a
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little out, with the two main characters feeling too similar, and some of the baddies weren't as scary as they could have been - that aside though, this was a fun book to read, and for its target audience its probably near perfect! Show Less
LibraryThing member kkcrossley
Young Stephanie is left alone when her uncle dies. Skulduggery Pleasant show up to be on her side (he is a living skeleton). Magical adventure abound and Skulduggery has many surprising talents.
LibraryThing member wvlibrarydude
A good beginning for a young adult book. A little on the violent side, but I enjoyed the beginning setup for the world and the characters involved. A quick fun read.
LibraryThing member JenJ.
A fabulous mix of fantasy, mystery and adventure Skulduggery Pleasant tops it all off with plenty of dry humor. I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read the next one.
LibraryThing member asinclair
Skulduggery Pleasant is a skeleton detective who battles evil monsters and bad guys with his assistant, Stephanie.
LibraryThing member barpurple
I like this. It's kinda fun and a bit dark. Skulduggery is super cool :)
Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 2008)
Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — Children's Literature — 2008)
Great Stone Face Book Award (Nominee — 2009)
Sasquatch Book Award (Nominee — 2010)
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2010)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Teen — 2010)
South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Nominee — 2010)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — 2010)
The Children's Book Award (Winner — Older Readers — 2008)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2008)
California Young Reader Medal (Nominee — 2011)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-9 — 2010)
Odyssey Award (Honor — 2008)
Evergreen Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2010)
Isinglass Teen Read Award (Nominee — 2009)
Hampshire Book Awards (Shortlist — Hampshire Book Award — 2008)
CYBILS Awards (Finalist — 2007)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2008)
CCBC Choices (2008)
Young Adult Favorites Award (2009)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2007-04-02
Physical description
398 p.; 7.7 inches
ISBN
0007241623 / 9780007241620
Other editions
Skulduggery Pleasant (class set of 29) by Derek Landy (Paperback)
Skulduggery Pleasant (Skulduggery Pleasant - book 1) by Derek Landy (Paperback)