Explore our new BookBrowse Community Forum!

BookBrowse Reviews Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reviews |  Beyond the book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Skulduggery Pleasant

by Derek Landy
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Apr 3, 2007, 400 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Mar 2008, 416 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About This Book

Reviews

BookBrowse:


A satisfying blend of humor, magic and adventure for ages 12+

Although suggested for readers aged 12-15 years-old, Skulduggery Pleasant is likely to be enjoyed by many younger readers from about 9 years up. We read it as a family and, from 11 to 47, enjoyed it immensely! From the moment Skulduggery appears the action heats up and drives the reader relentlessly through the book. While comparisons with Harry Potter seem inevitable, this book has more in common with the Artemis Fowl novels - lots of action, snappy dialog and magic.

Despite most of the action taking place in Ireland, the writing has a distinctly English flair. Conversations between the principal characters sparkle with dry wit, sarcasm and understatement. Skulduggery has more than a little James Bond in his character, including a liking for well tailored suits and and a very fine vintage Bentley.

Occasionally some of the plot elements seem a little gratuitous, and there are a few discontinuities. Nevertheless, a good stage has been developed, with much promise for the future. It is to be hoped that Mr. Landy's vivid imagination and amusing writing style will be delivered even more smoothly in the anticipated sequel!

Key Characters

  • Stephanie Edgely, a.k.a. Valkyry Cain: Heroine
  • Skulduggery Pleasant: Snappy dressing skeleton hero with a tortured past.
  • China Sorrows: Who is anything but fragile and rarely sorry.
  • Ghastly Bespoke: Tailor to Skulduggery.
  • Sagacious and Meritorious: Magical elders
  • Mr. Bliss: Who terrifies most people simply by existing.
  • Nafarian Serpine: Evil incarnate.

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in April 2007, and has been updated for the April 2008 edition. Click here to go to this issue.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Skulduggery Pleasant, try these:

  • The Graveyard Book jacket

    The Graveyard Book

    by Neil Gaiman

    Published 2010

    About This book

    More by this author

    Winner of the 2009 Newbery Medal and the 2009 Hugo Award. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is the story of Bod, a boy who lives in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts. There are dangers aplenty in the graveyard, but if he ever leaves it he must face Jack - the man who killed his...

  • The Dangerous Book for Boys jacket

    The Dangerous Book for Boys

    by Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden

    Published 2007

    About This book

    More by this author

    The bestselling book for every boy from eight to eighty, covering essential boyhood skills such as building tree houses, learning how to fish, finding true north, and even answering the age old question of what the big deal with girls is.

We have 7 read-alikes for Skulduggery Pleasant, but non-members are limited to two results. To see the complete list of this book's read-alikes, you need to be a member.
More books by Derek Landy
Search read-alikes
How we choose read-alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Graveyard Shift
    Graveyard Shift
    by M. L. Rio
    Following the success of her debut novel, If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio's latest book is the quasi-...
  • Book Jacket: The Sisters K
    The Sisters K
    by Maureen Sun
    The Kim sisters—Minah, Sarah, and Esther—have just learned their father is dying of ...
  • Book Jacket: Linguaphile
    Linguaphile
    by Julie Sedivy
    From an infant's first attempts to connect with the world around them to the final words shared with...
  • Book Jacket
    The Rest of You
    by Maame Blue
    At the start of Maame Blue's The Rest of You, Whitney Appiah, a Ghanaian Londoner, is ringing in her...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

Most of us who turn to any subject we love remember some morning or evening hour when...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

F the M

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.