Product Description

Meet the great Skulduggery Pleasant: wise-cracking detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks and burglary (in the name of the greater good, of course). Oh yeah. And dead. Then there's his sidekick, Stephanie. She's! well, she's a twelve-year-old girl. With a pair like this on the case, evil had better watch out! "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." Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction. Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source -- the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard. When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead. Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. And if there's anything Skulduggery hates, it's torture! Will evil win the day? Will Stephanie and Skulduggery stop bickering long enough to stop it? One thing's for sure: evil won't know what's hit it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5571 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
Hugely enjoyable -- a thrill-a-minute adventure.' Jonathan Stroud 'It's exciting, pacy, nicely handled and fun. I sincerely hope Landy revisits these characters.' Philip Ardagh, Guardian 'A gripping debut.' Phil Hogan, Observer 'Skulduggery Pleasant serves up a thoroughly satisfying blend of humour, magic and adventure. Once you've met Stephanie and Skullduggery, you'll be clamouring for a sequel.' Rick Riordan "A remarkably accomplished debut with wonderful dialogue." Robert Dunbar, Irish Times "[Landy's] fight scenes are perfectly pitched. His characters are exceptionally well drawn and delightfully colourful! Reading [this book] is like riding a rollercoaster." Irish Independent "Landy's witty style will win him fans of all ages! With writing of this standard, a rattling plot and definite potential for cross-over appeal, it's a good job Harry's [Potter] resigning before he's forcibly retired." Irish Mail on Sunday "Humour and magic combine in this thrilling adventure." Waterstone's Books Quarterly "!people in the book world are raving about this book." Glasgow Herald "It's pacy, it's funny, it's irreverent. The relationship between Skulduggery and Stephanie is tremendously strong. Stephanie is a splendid character -- blunt, logical and outspoken! We enjoyed Skkulduggery Pleasant. Muchly. Roll on volume two!" The Book Bag "A rip-roaring adventure." Irish Sunday Independent "Full of black humour, super powers, mysteries, murder and mayhem." Carousel

About the Author
Derek Landy lives near Dublin. Before writing his children's story about a sharply-dressed skeleton detective, he wrote the screenplays for a zombie movie and a murderous horror film. "I think my career-guidance teacher is spinning in her grave," he says, "or she would be if she were dead."

Customer Reviews

Warning before you buy
Important to note that Scepter of the Ancients is a re-print of the original Skullduggery Pleasant book - just re-titled ( we accidentally bought both - fell for the same trick when Northern Lights became the Golden compass, and when Sorcerers Apprentice was retitled Magicians Apprentice...all very annoying, I wish Amazon would make it clearer)

Dark Fun
This is a dark yet witty story about a detective who is actually a skeleton. How Skulduggery met with this fate is a tragic tale that may be upsetting to younger readers. There are also some gruesome torture scenes that may be unsuitable for the younger readers too. Having said that this book is hugely entertaining and is sure to be a massive big seller. It revolves around 12-year-old Stephanie, who inherits the home of her author Uncle on his death. She spends a night in the house alone and is attacked by someone from the `other' world. Soon she is fighting for her life but Skulduggery comes to her rescue. From there on the pair have adventure after adventure battling trolls and evil villains who are trying to find a sceptre that will enable them to rule the world. This book is filled with quirky characters, action and hilarity. I can't recommend it highly enough, especially to fans of Eoin Colfer, JKR and Holly Black

A positive role model if ever there was one... dead or alive!
Since childhood I've always enjoyed a good read that enlivens the imagination and makes me smile. I was after a new read, something along the dark and twisted road with a morbid sense of humour; who would have thought it would be found in a "childrens" book?

I read reviews on Amazon about this book and was pleasantly surprised by the number of "adults" who too like to venture into their deepest imagination, and who better to do it with than Skulduggery? It was the number of warm and encouraging reviews that pursueded me to buy this adventure.

I loved every word of it. The characters and plot are well developed and rounded with interesting and strangely believable backstories. Derek Landy has touched on the single most important point that leads to the spectacular success of this book, we all want to believe in magic and so we are compelled to agree with Stephanie in her pursuit of her uncle's mysterious death. She encounters trouble and problems in everyway imaginable, both in her old normal life and in her new mysterious, magical and dangerous one.

I for one can't wait until my newly pre-ordered copy of Skulduggery Pleasant: 2 drops through my letterbox! Bravo!