Skulduggery Pleasant

Starred review from February 5, 2007
Stephanie Edgley's uncle, a bestselling novelist, dies and leaves her his fortune. But the money doesn't interest her nearly as much as the odd, overdressed figure who appears at the funeral. He turns out to be the eponymous hero, the skeleton of a man, back from the dead to avenge his family's murder at the "red right hand" of Nefarian Serpine. Turns out, Stephanie has also inherited the family gene for sorcery, and she teams with Skulduggery to defeat the villain. Violent clashes with various cretins ensue. Some supporting characters, such as the magic world's "Elders," blend together, and Serpine's motivation is of the vague "I will rule the world!" variety. But plucky Stephanie and her dapper, urbane mentor make up for this slight lack of definition and clarity. Skulduggery is as caustic and witty as Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus, but a man (er, skeleton) of fewer words. First novelist Landy, a Dublin playwright, excels at dialogue; the repartee between the two leads recalls Hepburn and Tracy in its ongoing, affectionate contest of verbal one-upmanship. (When Stephanie complains about Skulduggery's high-falutin' vocabulary, he retorts, "You should read more," to which she replies, "I read enough. I should get out more.") Landy sets the tale on the Irish coast and reaches into Celtic lore for a cameo from the son of Finn McCool, but there's nothing old-fashioned about the way this story unspools. The book may be hefty but it moves at warp speed. An utterly charming debut, perfect for the Potter crowd. Ages 8-12.

June 1, 2007
Gr 5-8-When 12-year-old Stephanie's eccentric Uncle Gordon dies, a mysterious man bundled in an overcoat, scarf, sunglasses, and a hat shows up at both the funeral and the reading of the will. This man, as it turns out, is Skulduggery Pleasant, a walking, talking skeleton who rescues Stephanie when she is attacked while alone in the house that she has just inherited. It seems that a particularly evil person named Serpine is trying to obtain a scepter that will allow him to rule the world. Stephanie is swept into a world of magic, secrets, power, and intrigue as she and Skulduggery try to keep one step ahead of Serpine and various other nefarious folk. Deadly hand-to-hand combat, nasty villains, magical derring-do, and traitorous allies will keep readers turning the pages, but it is the dynamic duo of Stephanie and Skulduggery who provide the real magic. The girl eagerly jumps into this new, dangerous, action-packed life, but she isn't sure that she has the guts or the power to pull it off. Skulduggery Pleasant lives up to his name, performing amazing feats with such self-effacing drollness that readers will wish they had a similar skeletal friend. Give this one to fans of Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" books (Hyperion) or to anyone who likes a dash of violence and danger served up with the magic."Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2007
When Stephanie's beloved uncle Gordon, an author of "tales of horror and magic and wonder," dies suddenly, Stephanie is the unexpected inheritor of his estate. It is soon apparent that Gordon was in possession of an unstoppable ancient weapon constructed to defeat unstoppable ancient gods called the Faceless Ones. The only things now standing between that weapon and an evil sorcerer are Stephanie, Gordon's best friend Skulduggery Pleasant (a living -- sort of -- magic skeleton), and Skulduggery's dubious collection of allies. Stephanie, the adventure-bent twelve-year-old heroine with an improbable aptitude for magic and martial arts, is a walking fantasy stereotype (as are her Dursley-like relatives and excessively oblivious parents), and though Skulduggery is given a tragic history and a supposed thirst for revenge, his past never comes into play, either in his relationship with Stephanie or in the larger magical-political conflict. Still, the convenience-ridden plot is elevated somewhat by Stephanie and Skulduggery's snappy banter, and the flowing action sequences, detailed mythology, and frequent twists will keep readers engaged.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)