Skulduggery Pleasant


Skulduggery Pleasant is a series of dark fantasy novels written by Irish author Derek Landy. Tom Percival is the series' illustrator. The books revolve around the adventures of fledgling detective Valkyrie Cain and her mentor Skulduggery Pleasant, along with other friends and allies. The central story concerns Valkyrie's struggle to stop evil forces threatening the world and her internal struggle to resist the darkness within.
The novels are broken up into three phases with multiple prequels and short tales. Since the release of the first novel in 2007, Skulduggery Pleasant, the series has been praised by both readers and critics.

History

The first novel was published in April 2007. The following novels were released each year afterward, with the exception of the fourth and fifth novels, Dark Days and Mortal Coil, which were both released in 2010. Landy was initially contracted to write three books, with any further books depending on how well the first trilogy sold. The success of the first novels ensured that the deal was extended first to six books and in 2011, HarperCollins signed the deal for the third and final trilogy. The final book in the first series was published in August 2014. The new books in the second series began to be published annually in June 2017.
In July 2016, Derek Landy announced via a video blog that, although the first Skulduggery Pleasant series was complete, the series as a whole was still set to continue with a sequel series. The first book of this sequel was released in June 2017, titled Resurrection. While nine books were planned, the series was cut down to six books by HarperCollins after the publication of Seasons of War. The final book, Until the End, was released in April 2022. In October 2022, Landy announced via YouTube livestream that a "one-off prequel" and "Book 0·1", Hell Breaks Loose, would release in March 2023.
In September 2023, Derek Landy announced via Twitter that there would be a third phase consisting of three books of the Skulduggery Pleasant series. The first book of the new trilogy A Mind Full of Murder was published in March 2024, followed by A Heart Full of Hatred in 2025, and A Soul Full of Shadows in 2026.
In early March 2024, Derek Landy announced via Twitter that there would be a podcast, titled The Haunted House on Hollow Hill. It was released in the summer of 2024, containing six half-hour episodes, with audiobook, e-book and print versions coming out in September 2024. The printed version will be a cross between a book and a screenplay.
A number of supplementary short tales, taking place a few months after the plot of each book, were included with certain paperback releases, which also had fresh covers. In addition, Derek has been crafting many novellas that are longer than a full-length book, beginning in February 2012 with The End of the World. Tanith Low starred in the 2013 book The Maleficent Seven, which was released in March. A compilation of all previously released short stories as well as fresh material, titled Armageddon-Outta-Here, was released on 3 July 2014. Get Thee Behind Me, Bubba Moon, a short story that grew into a novella, was also featured. Another short story, Apocalypse Kings, was published in March 2021 in honor of World Book Day.

Overview

Phase I novels

''Skulduggery Pleasant'' (2007)

Stephanie Edgley's uncle died leaving her a fortune including his mansion. While staying there, she was attacked by a strange man and was rescued by Skulduggery Pleasant, a mysterious skeleton mage. Together with Ghastly Bespoke, China Sorrows, and Tanith Low, Stephanie and Skulduggery tried to stop a plot for world domination of Serpine, an evil sorcerer. Serpine wanted to rule the world with the Scepter of the Ancients, a weapon used to defeat the tyrannical gods called the Faceless Ones. Serpine was the murderer of Skulduggery and his family in a war four hundred years ago. But Skulduggery returned from death mysteriously as a living skeleton.
At Stephanie's uncle Gordon's house, Serpine attacks with Hollow Men and captures Skulduggery, hoping Skulduggery knows where the key to the caves of the void is. Stephanie goes to China Sorrows to see if she can get Skulduggery back, and China uses her given name against her. In desperation, Stephanie takes the name Valkyrie Cain.
Valkyrie gets a team of Ghastly, Tanith, and two cleavers. They break into Serpine's Castle and extract Skulduggery. On the way in, Tanith sacrifices a cleaver so they can sneak past an army of Hollow Men. When they try to escape, Hollow men block their path. Tanith demonstrates an ability to walk on walls and ceilings and they escape with Skulduggery.
After obtaining the Scepter, Serpine created an immortal fighter called the White Cleaver. During a fight with the White Cleaver, Ghastly used magic to petrify himself to avoid being killed. Serpine then invaded the Sanctuary and killed two Elders with the help of the other traitorous Elder. He tried to use the Book of Names to control the World but all three Elders' consent was needed to read from it.
During the fight with Serpine in the Sanctuary, Stephanie glimpsed her True name in the Book of Names but could not remember it before the Book of Names was destroyed. Skulduggery destroyed Serpine with the Scepter, breaking the Scepter's power in the process. Afterward, Skulduggery offered to take Stephanie on as his assistant and apprentice because she is a descendant of the Ancients. Stephanie decided to take the name of Valkyrie Cain.

''Playing with Fire'' (2008)

With Serpine dead, the world is safe once more. At least, that is what Valkyrie and Skulduggery think, until the notorious Baron Vengeous makes a bloody escape from prison, and dead bodies and vampires start showing up all over Ireland. With Baron Vengeous after the deadly armour of Lord Vile, and pretty much everyone out to kill Valkyrie, the daring detective duo face their biggest challenge yet. But what if the greatest threat to Valkyrie is just a little closer to home...?

''The Faceless Ones'' (2009)

As a number of teleporters are mysteriously murdered, Valkyrie and Skulduggery learn quickly that it is linked to a fanatical cult named the Diablerie, who seek to open a portal with the goal of returning the Faceless Ones to the world. With the assistance of cocky young teleporter Fletcher Renn, Valkyrie and Skulduggery have very little time to track down a mysterious man named Batu, stop the Diablerie, and prevent the return of the Faceless Ones. This one will have deadly consequences. Do panic. They are coming.

''Dark Days'' (2010)

Skulduggery Pleasant is gone, sucked into a parallel dimension overrun by the Faceless Ones. If his bones have not already been turned to dust, chances are he's insane, driven out of his mind by the horror of the ancient gods. There is no official, Sanctuary-approved rescue mission. There is no official plan to save him. But Valkyrie's never had much time for plans. The problem is, even if she can get Skulduggery back, there might not be much left for him to return to. There's a gang of villains bent on destroying the Sanctuary, there are some very powerful people who want Valkyrie dead, and as if all that was not enough it looks very likely that a sorcerer named Darquesse is going to kill the world and everyone on it. Skulduggery is gone. All our hopes rest with Valkyrie. The world's weight is on her shoulders, and its fate is in her hands. These are dark days indeed.

''Mortal Coil'' (2010)

Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are back — just in time to see their whole world get turned upside down! While they struggle to protect a known killer from an unstoppable assassin, Valkyrie is on a secret mission of her own. This quest, to prevent her dark and murderous destiny, threatens to take her to the brink of death and beyond. And then the body-snatching Remnants get loose, thousands of twisted souls who possess the living like puppets, and they begin their search for a being powerful enough to lead them. Facing such insurmountable odds, Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Ghastly and Tanith can trust no one. Not even each other!

''Death Bringer'' (2011)

The Necromancers no longer need Valkyrie to be their Death Bringer, and that is a good thing. There's just one catch. The reason the Necromancers do not need her anymore. Because they've found their Death Bringer already, the person who will dissolve the doors between life and death. And that is a very, very bad thing... Skulduggery and Valkyrie have seven days to uncover the Necromancers' secret before it is too late. The clock is ticking. Lord Vile is loose. And after this one, nothing will ever be the same again.

''Kingdom of the Wicked'' (2012)

Magic is a disease. Across the land, normal people are suddenly developing wild and unstable powers. Infected by a rare strain of magic, they are unwittingly endangering their own lives and the lives of the people around them. Terrified and confused, their only hope lies with the Sanctuary. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are needed now more than ever. And then there's the small matter of Kitana. A normal teenage girl who, along with her normal teenage friends, becomes infected. Becomes powerful. Becomes corrupted. Wielding the magic of gods, they're set to tear the city apart unless someone stands up against them. Looks like it is going to be another one of those days...

''Last Stand of Dead Men'' (2013)

War has finally come. But it is not a war between good and evil, or light and dark – it is a war between Sanctuaries. For too long, the Irish Sanctuary has teetered on the brink of world-ending disaster, and the other Sanctuaries around the world have had enough. Allies turn to enemies, friends turn to foes, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie must team up with the rest of the Dead Men if they're going to have any chance at all of maintaining the balance of power and getting to the root of a vast conspiracy that has been years in the making. But while this war is only beginning, another war rages within Valkyrie herself. Her own dark side, the insanely powerful being known as Darquesse, is on the verge of rising to the surface. And if Valkyrie slips, even for a moment, then Darquesse will rise and the world will burn.