Review
The Irish author has done it again with this third instalment in the adventures of Stephanie and Skulduggery, says Verbal.
- Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones
- Harper Collins
Skulduggery
Not since Harry Potter has a series of children’s books kept apace with its original audience with such aplomb.
I’ve been a fan of this series since the start and, like the intended audience, I’ve become very attached to Stephanie (aka Valkyrie) and Skulduggery. This affection for the characters is what makes the higher stakes in this third book (of a planned nine book series) work so well. As the horror posed by the ‘Faceless Ones’ lessens with the growing age of the readers, Landy has risen to the challenge of keeping his fans invested in the world he has created, seemingly without breaking a sweat. The villains are more sophisticated, the plots more Machiavellian and Landy’s invented world, like Rowling’s, is a lesson in consistency and believability.
Our intrepid duo is still out of favour with the Sanctuary since accusing Thurid Guild of being a traitor at the end of book two. However when Teleporters start turning up dead the magical community begins clamouring for Skulduggery’s reinstatement to solve the crimes. This new attempt to end the world isn’t Stephanie’s only problem. As she grows older, life as the magical detective’s sidekick inevitably becomes more complicated. Not the least of her worries is the strange behaviour of her mirror-image, who appears to be becoming increasingly…well…human. Be warned though – as humorous as the Skulduggery Pleasant series is, Landy has never shied away from allowing bad stuff to happen to his characters - and this book is no exception. The ending left this fan a little bit shellshocked – and looking forward to book four with real trepidation…
