Young adult "chosen one" fantasy series are a dime a dozen. Before dystopian (Divergent, Hunger Games, Uglies, Delirium, Maze Runner, Cinder, Incarceron, City of Ember, etc) was in vogue you couldn't swing a dead house elf without hitting one. And as much as I enjoy the world of Harry Potter I will flat out admit that
[off topic criticism redacted]
So what does Skulduggery Pleasant have that sets it apart? So, so much. There' darkness, a snarky narrative that doesn't talk down, fantastic humor, more snark, interesting characters infused with magic, dynamic characters that have long term character arcs and sometimes relapse with lasting consequences. And snark.
In short, I was very nearly mad when I finished this book. I was so close to furious that I hadn't written it that the only reason I didn't tear it in half was that it was too damned good. I have laughed out loud while reading this series. I have gotten attached to these characters. Oh, fine, let me tell you a little about them.
Stephanie Edgley is the protagonist we follow. She's 12 at the time and her uncle Gordon has just died. Gordon was a horror writer but upon inheriting his estate, Stephanie finds out that much of what he wrote was based on the people he knew well. Soon Stephanie finds herself involved in the policing of this magical underworld of Ireland by way of Gordon's friend Skulduggery Pleasant. He's a smart ass, has a questionable past and is a well dressed skeleton.
The minor characters just flesh out the world with depth. Rather than trying to saddle Stephanie with some sort of male foil/romantic interest we are given Tanith Low, who becomes a running sister figure. In the later books Stephanie does meet some interesting male characters but her independence is never compromised and becomes a strong sticking point to her relationships. There's also a wonderful bit that brutally addresses some of the themes that are romanticized in Twilight.
Later on we have side characters that change allegiances with lasting consequences, studies on the effects of self sacrifice and whether self destructive behavior is warranted and when. This shit gets dark, all the while getting deeper and deeper into the world.
And unlike Harry Potter it does get around to dealing with the issues of superiority in the world between magical and mortal. It seems strange that in Rowling's world the magic community has this bizarre reverence for the non-magical people and practices. It seems pretty obvious that in that world magic is plainly superior. Well, that's not something Landy ignores. When crossing over to this magical new world what reasons would you need to go back? How important would your family life be when actually offered the chance to run off, live for centuries, and physically control the elements as well as life and death?
But don't get the wrong idea. These books are YA fantasy. They are adventure stories and they are, without hesitation, fun. I also recently gave away my dead tree edition of the first novel which just goes to show you how invested I am in sharing the wealth of this serie
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