Best Reads: Skulduggery Pleasant

Continuing my Best Reads series, here's the second offering. Again, these are in no particular order, they're all brilliant!

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

What's it About?
Skulduggery Pleasant. Living Skeleton. Ace Detective. Razor-sharp wit. Also, he can do magic.
Stephanie (AKA Valkyrie) finds herself working as his partner after he shows up at her uncle's funeral and introduces her to a whole world she didn't know existed - a world of magic-wielding maniacs who want to do things like raise ancient evil monsters. Now Valkyrie must harness her own powers in order to prevent the end of the world.

And in a Nutshell?
It's hilarious. You won't even care what the plot is (though it's a great plot) because you'll want to follow Skulduggery Pleasant anywhere. High-action, larger-than-life characters, starts out for readers 11/12 and gets darker as the series progresses, aimed more at 13/14.

Why is it a Best Read?
By now the popularity of this series probably means it needs no introduction, but for those of you who haven't checked it out (or have dismissed it because of the giant, grinning skeleton on the front) this is a plea to remedy that situation. Go out now and pick up book one, then stay nearby while you finish it, because I guarantee you'll be back to buy the rest.

The reason this series has been so popular with readers is, simply, because it's so funny. It's hard to find really funny horror books. Detective Skulduggery Pleasant tends to steal the show with his witty one-liners, but the humour isn't limited to him - a cast of brilliant characters means that almost every page will have you laughing out loud.

But it wouldn't be much of a horror book if it was all laughs, and the action itself is top-notch, with super-sized fight scenes and terrifying villains. The world-building is just spot on too, and the mythology Landy has created builds a fascinating foundation for a rollicking good detective series.

Buy It
My Review
Derek Landy's Blog