Re-read: Skulduggery Pleasant 1-3

After reading Harry Potter, I had Skulduggery Pleasant “Dark Days” on the book shelf. Problem was – I couldn’t remember much about books 1-3. I know I enjoyed them, but they kind of merged together. In fact, when I was reading book 3 “The Faceless Ones“, I couldn’t remember some of the storylines of books 1 & 2, and some of what I remembered, I wasn’t sure if it was in book 2 “Playing with Fire” or book 1 “Skulduggery Pleasant”.

So before reading “Dark Days”, I pulled out the first three books for a re-read.

Let me first say that I loved the first book, ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’, very much. It was undoubtedly a children’s story, but unlike the children’s stories I read when I was younger, reading ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ was like zooming through a carnival ride. There was action in every single chapter and the exposition was compressed tightly between action. There was also a fair bit of unpredictability, which I love.

Derek Landy has created a world tinged with Irish magic, where skeletons are detectives and young girls inherit houses chock full of magical artifacts. That in itself is enough to satisfy the child in me, but with different kinds of magic (not just good and evil, but Elemental, Adept, Necromancy etc.) and with cool vampires, who don’t sparkle in the sunlight but rip off their human skin after nightfall, ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ book 1 was a major treat.

Storyline-wise, books 2 & 3 were just as good, perhaps with book 3 ‘Faceless Ones’ being more superior thank book 2 ‘Playing with Fire’. Unfortunately, the protagonists Skulduggery Pleasant & Valkyrie Cain become a little grating, especially Valkyrie, who began as an inquisitive and adventurous girl, then became an obnoxious heroine. I began to wish for more of Dusk, Tanith Low, Ghastly Bespoke and Fletcher Renn and less of the lead characters.

My favourite supporting character is Springheeled Jack, about whose background little is known. Wikipedia summarises:

A mage with an obsession with killing, he is named after the legendary London monster, Spring-heeled Jack, and acts in the same manner. Springheeled Jack is a hideous man who, like Sanguine, does not have traditional magic powers. Instead he is capable of leaping over great distances and haunts the roofs and streets of London at night looking for people to murder. He is apprehended by Tanith Low and imprisoned but is later freed by Billy-Ray Sanguine who asks him to kill a man working for the Sanctuary in London.

Jack later learns that Sanguine was working for Vengeous who wanted to bring back the Faceless Ones. Knowing how dangerous the Faceless Ones are, Jack does not want them free and is furious at having been tricked. He then defeats Dusk, unknowingly aiding Tanith meanwhile saving Valkyrie and running off to Italy.

Jack appears again in the fourth book, as a member of the Revengers Club. His aim is to kill Tanith Low.

I’m now reading Dark Days. It’s going in a little bit of a predictable manner… Am I the only one who wonders what’s happening with Valkyrie / Stephanie’s reflection?

Related articles

• FREE eBook – Skulduggery Pleasant: Scepter of the Ancients by Derek Landy (Plus short stories from Macmillian) (randomizeme.wordpress.com)
• Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer by Derek Landy – review (guardian.co.uk)
• Derek Landy, author of the Skulduggery Pleasant series, answers Ten Terrifying Questions (booktopia.com.au)