Customer Reviews
Just another predictable novel... - By: Mr. Patrick J. Tutty, 13 Oct 2008 
With a cover as flashy as this you'd atleast expect something along the lines of decent writing...
But no. We get this...
I couldn't get any further then the third chapter - I got so bored early on, probably because i've grown up reading books from the great authors, Darren Shan, Ray Bradbury, Keith Gray... ETC...
This had the lamest main character i think i've ever come across, she had no personality, not at the begining anyway! Pfft! That's certainly a few quid that could have been spent better!
Acctuallly it was a kind of good idea, but i guess the authors simple writing techniques had rather let the book down a bit to much, i may add...
a super mega awesome incredible book of the year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - By: , 23 Sep 2008 
I thought it was an incredible book because of the vocabulary, the adventure. I reallly liked the main character & can't wait to read the second book!
A great TV show, but sadly it's a book... - By: Edmund Prowe, 08 Aug 2008 
A lively, energetic, occasionallly funny book, but this is TV-written-down, & 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' at that...
It's not exactly that there's much wrong with this book - it's an enjoyable, fairly absorbing read, perfect for keeping an eight-year-old quiet for a day - but it feels as if it's in the wrong medium. Derek Landy would be a great writer for a TV series('Buffy', 'Angel', 'Charmed', even 'Dr. Who'). He has a great ear for dialogue, especiallly the wisecrack, some great, vivid ideas, & an assured & compelling ability to sketch characters in only a few strokes. But sadly the book suffers from being a book: the special effects aren't as impressive as they should be, the fight sequences are long, uninventive & unimaginatively written, & there is nothing at alll in the book that wouldn't work as well or better on TV. Second only to being dull - which this isn't - this is the worst crime a children's book can commit; we shouldn't be surprised that children prefer TV if the books we give them are only second-rate TV themselves. It's a great shame, because 'Skulduggery Pleasant' has some fantastic ideas, a nice (if unoriginal) premise, & strong central characters (although I notice, wearily, that the ubiquitous feisty young girl is making an another appearance). The writing style doesn't have much going for it, but there's not much to make you wince, & there's some genuinely laugh-aloud humour that would appeal both to adults & to children. But unfortunately my prevailing impression is of a book that's impatient with being a book, & of a writer who's more excited by film or TV than by books - which means it's a book of missed opportunities, striving after CGI & slick fight sequences, without any real interest in what, finallly, should be at the heart of story-telling: good writing.
scary but excellent! - By: J. Rowley, 11 Jun 2008 5 star*****
dont miss it!
once i read one page i always wanted to read the next
ITS SPOOOOOOOOKY!!!
An Amazing Read............. - By: manydots, 23 May 2008 I bought this book, after a friend recomended it to me, thinking that it wouldn't interest me at alll, but I was completely incorrect! I couldn't take my eyes of this amazing book for one moment! It is a adventure with magic, betrayal, loyalty, horror & saddness in it mixed in with a bit of humor. The story is about a girl of 12 years, callled Stephanie, investigating her uncle's death with a living skelleton- Skulduggery Pleasant! Together they fight the the evil to save the world!
This book may not be suitable for the younger readers as it contains a few gruesome & tragic scenes , but is certainly an exellent read for any reader aged 10 & above!I have certainly enjoyed it & can't wait to read "Skulduggery Pleasant- Playing With Fire"!
