This request has been a long time coming but this review goes out to my friend Danny, a awesome dude. Miss ya man.
Stephanie Edgley is both saddened and surprised when her uncle, a famous fantasy/ horror writer, passes away suddenly; saddened because he was one of the few people in her family she connected with and shocked that he left her with his estate. A strange man outside of her family shows up to the funeral and will reading, dressed from head to toe with a scarf around his face. This stranger is Skulduggery Pleasant, a living skeleton and magic detective who will change Stephanie’s life forever, showing her that there is more to the boring life she knew- magic, intrigue, ancient artifacts, monsters, and ancient enemy who basically wants to bring an end to the world. It’s up to an enthusiastic Stephanie/ Valkyrie Cain ( as she will be known later on), the wise-cracking detective, a sword wielding young woman, and some friends to take down Skulduggery’s old enemy and save the day in this opening chapter of a huge series…
I’m really honestly surprised the Skulduggery Pleasant series hasn’t reached Blockbuster status in the US the way so many other series have because it has some cool ideas behind it. I really like how well magic was broken down and the rules the system was given. The characters are likable and interesting; Tanith maybe my favorite because she did have a epic intro and some cool fights throughout. I also liked the White Cleaver at the end, who I kind of pictured as an anime version of Mr X from RE2. Serpine, the main villain was fine but I found him generic as a bad guy but seeing as it’s the first of a series I can’t say I’m too surprised. There’s a few times in the second act leading into the third kind of slow but nothing damming. Overall, it’s a really cool book I’d recommend to readers younger or older and a series worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory…
