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64-417: Skulduggery Pleasant is a series of dark fantasy novels written by Irish author Derek Landy . Tom Percival is the series' illustrator. The books revolve around the adventures of fledgling detective Valkyrie Cain and her mentor Skulduggery Pleasant, along with other friends and allies. The central story concerns Valkyrie's struggle to stop evil forces threatening the world and her internal struggle to resist

128-534: A "dark fairy tale" fantasy film. Guillermo del Toro 's fantasy film Pan's Labyrinth (2006) has been described as a "sort of a dark spin on Alice in Wonderland ". The 2013 fantasy action role-playing game Dragon's Crown contains many elements of dark fantasy, such as werewolves, vampires, zombies, homonculi, and human-monster hybrids. Modern games from Japanese game development and publishing company FromSoftware are lauded as exceptional representations of

192-569: A "one-off prequel " and "Book 0·1", Hell Breaks Loose , would release in March 2023. In September 2023, Derek Landy announced via Twitter that there would be a third phase consisting of three books of the Skulduggery Pleasant series. The first book of the new trilogy A Mind Full of Murder was be published in March 2024, to be followed by A Heart Full of Hatred in 2025. In early March 2024, Derek Landy announced via Twitter that there would be

256-568: A clash with Easter . In the United Kingdom and Ireland , World Book Day is a charity event in March , held annually on the first Thursday and coinciding with the release of special editions . The annual celebration on 23 April is World Book Night, an event organized by independent charity The Reading Agency . In Kensington , Maryland, the International Day of the Book is celebrated with

320-426: A dark, often brooding, tone. As a result, dark fantasy cannot be solidly connected to a defining set of tropes . The term itself may refer collectively to tales that are either horror-based or fantasy-based. Some writers also use "dark fantasy" (or " Gothic fantasy ") as an alternative description to "horror", because they feel the latter term is too lurid or vivid. Charles L. Grant is often cited as having coined

384-563: A few months after the plot of each book were included with the new paperback releases. They also have fresh covers. After being later deleted, the short tales were later collected and released in July 2014. There are fifteen short tales in all. In addition, Derek has been crafting many novellas that are longer than a full-length book, beginning in February 2012 with The End of the World . Tanith Low starred in

448-508: A fortune including his mansion. While staying there, she was attacked by a strange man and was rescued by Skulduggery Pleasant, a mysterious skeleton mage. Together with Ghastly Bespoke, China Sorrows, and Tanith Low, Stephanie and Skulduggery tried to stop a plot for world domination of Serpine, an evil sorcerer. Serpine wanted to rule the world with the Scepter of the Ancients, a weapon used to defeat

512-596: A gang of villains bent on destroying the Sanctuary, there are some very powerful people who want Valkyrie dead, and as if all that was not enough it looks very likely that a sorcerer named Darquesse is going to kill the world and everyone on it. Skulduggery is gone. All our hopes rest with Valkyrie. The world's weight is on her shoulders, and its fate is in her hands. These are dark days indeed. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are back — just in time to see their whole world get turned upside down! While they struggle to protect

576-544: A known killer from an unstoppable assassin, Valkyrie is on a secret mission of her own. This quest, to prevent her dark and murderous destiny, threatens to take her to the brink of death and beyond. And then the body-snatching Remnants get loose, thousands of twisted souls who possess the living like puppets, and they begin their search for a being powerful enough to lead them. Facing such insurmountable odds, Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Ghastly and Tanith can trust no one. Not even each other! Set between Mortal Coil and Death Bringer ,

640-518: A living skeleton, and three years after his five years as Lord Vile, as he and the Dead Men hunt down Serpine and Vengeous, the Generals of Mevolent. In September 2023 Derek Landy announced the third series of Skulduggery Pleasant . The first book of the third series is called Skulduggery Pleasant: A Mind Full of Murder and was published on 28 March 2024. It was released with this description: 6 years ago,

704-544: A moment, then Darquesse will rise and the world will burn. The final book of the first series. The War of the Sanctuaries has been won, but not without its casualties. Following the loss of Valkyrie Cain, Skulduggery Pleasant must use any and all means to track down and stop Darquesse before she turns the world into a charred, lifeless cinder, drawing together a team of soldiers, monster hunters, killers, criminals... and Valkyrie's own murderous reflection. The war may be over, but

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768-493: A noble ideal, or the killer who sacrifices her own soul for the fate of humanity. The decision must be made, and time is running out. The second cycle of the internationally bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series comes to a thrilling end. The Faceless Ones have returned to our universe. The bad guys have won. With the end of everything just days away – and no longer able to rely on Valkyrie Cain – Skulduggery must make allies of enemies if he's going to stand any chance of saving what

832-496: A podcast, titled "The Haunted House on Hollow Hill",which would be released in the summer of 2024, with audiobook, e-book and print versions coming out in September 2024. It will contain six half-hour episodes with six currently unknown actors playing Skulduggery Pleasant, Valkyrie Cain and four other characters. The printed version will be a cross between a book and a screenplay. A number of supplementary short tales that are all placed

896-472: A serial killer would simply be horror. Stableford suggests that the type of horror conveyed by fantasy stories such as William Beckford 's Vathek and Edgar Allan Poe 's The Masque of the Red Death "is more aesthetic than visceral or existential", and that such stories should be considered "dark fantasies" rather than the "supernaturalized thrillers" of conventional horror fiction. Karl Edward Wagner

960-510: A title previously considered for both Playing with Fire and the first series as a whole, attributing its continued official disuse to an unnamed HarperCollins executive. A lot has changed. Roarhaven is now a magical city, where sorcerers can live openly. Valkyrie Cain has been out of action for years, recovering from the war against her alter-ego Darquesse, which nearly destroyed her and everyone else. Some things never change though: bad people still want to do bad things, and Skulduggery Pleasant

1024-618: A video blog that, although the Skulduggery Pleasant series was complete, the series as a whole was still set to continue with a sequel series. The first book of this sequel was released in June 2017, titled Resurrection . While nine books were planned, the series was cut down to six books by HarperCollins after the publication of Seasons of War. The final book, Until the End , was released in April 2022. In October 2022, Landy announced via YouTube livestream that

1088-471: A villain herself... It is a good day to be a bad guy. War has finally come. But it is not a war between good and evil, or light and dark – it is a war between Sanctuaries. For too long, the Irish Sanctuary has teetered on the brink of world-ending disaster, and the other Sanctuaries around the world have had enough. Allies turn to enemies, friends turn to foes, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie must team up with

1152-494: A witch. It introduces the concept of "Horts", essentially people outside of the fictional universe who consume entertainment (that is actually real in the fictional world) and have choices as to what happens. In October 2019, following a joint interview alongside Eoin Colfer , Landy confirmed the original and preferred title of Resurrection and the sequel series as a whole to be Valkyrie Cain , after both series' main protagonist ,

1216-432: Is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L. Grant and Karl Edward Wagner are credited with having coined the term "dark fantasy"—although both authors were describing different styles of fiction. Brian Stableford argues "dark fantasy" can be usefully defined as subgenre of stories that attempt to "incorporate elements of horror fiction" into

1280-481: Is easily my book of the year so far. Read it! Christina Hardyment ( The Independent ): Landy is an established horror writer, and the combats between Skulduggery, Serpine and his legions of Hollow Men and vampires rival the climaxes of the Potter films for hair-raising effects; it isn't often that writing makes you feel as if you are watching a film. The Times : Dark fantasy A strict definition for dark fantasy

1344-447: Is here that Valkyrie will have to fight the hardest – not only against the enemies who want her dead but also against her own self-destructive impulses. And it is only by crawling through the darkness that she will be able to once again stand within the light... In a matter of days, the world will change. Billions of lives will be wiped away in a final, desperate search for Alice, the Child of

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1408-402: Is in contrast to the traditional horror model, which focuses more on the victims and survivors. In a more general sense, dark fantasy is occasionally used as a synonym for supernatural horror , to distinguish horror stories that contain elements of the supernatural from those that do not. For example, a story about a werewolf or vampire could be described as dark fantasy, while a story about

1472-545: Is left of the world. And just when things are looking their bleakest, they manage to get even worse, with Omen Darkly suddenly having to step up when his brother, the Chosen One, falls. A reference guidebook , The Skulduggery Pleasant Grimoire , was published on 27 May 2021. In October 2022, Landy announced via YouTube livestream that a "one-off prequel " and "Book 0·1", officially titled Skulduggery Pleasant: Hell Breaks Loose (titled on-page as Hell Breaks Loose: From

1536-476: Is often credited for creating the term "dark fantasy" when used in a more fantasy-based context. Wagner used it to describe his fiction about the Gothic warrior Kane . Since then, "dark fantasy" has sometimes been applied to sword and sorcery and high fantasy fiction that features anti-heroic or morally ambiguous protagonists. Another good example under this definition of dark fantasy is Michael Moorcock 's saga of

1600-465: Is referred to as Sant Jordi's Day or The Day of Books and Roses . In 1995, UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on 23 April, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega , as well as that of the birth or death of several other prominent authors. (In a historical coincidence, Shakespeare and Cervantes died on

1664-477: Is set a few months after Death Bringer . It was included in the 2014's short story collection. Magic is a disease. Across the land, normal people are suddenly developing wild and unstable powers. Infected by a rare strain of magic, they are unwittingly endangering their own lives and the lives of the people around them. Terrified and confused, their only hope lies with the Sanctuary. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are needed now more than ever. And then there's

1728-425: Is sometimes used for "darker" fiction written by authors best known for other styles of fantasy; Raymond Feist 's Faerie Tale and Charles de Lint 's novels written as Samuel M. Key would fit here. Roald Dahl 's novel The Witches (and its film adaptations) is described as dark fantasy. Dahl's poetic reworking of " Cinderella " (which features in his poetry collection Revolting Rhymes ) sees him upend

1792-479: Is still there to stop them. When Skulduggery learns of a plot to resurrect a terrifying evil, he persuades Valkyrie to join him for just 24 hours. But they need someone else on their team, someone inconspicuous, someone who can go undercover. Enter Omen Darkly. Student at the new Corrival Academy. Overlooked. Unremarkable in every way. 24 hours to save the world. One sharply dressed skeleton. One grief-stricken young woman. One teenage boy who cannot remember which class he

1856-538: Is supposed to be in. This cannot end well... For years, Valkyrie Cain has struggled to keep her loved ones safe from harm, plunging into battle — time and time again — by Skulduggery Pleasant's side, and always emerging triumphant. But now the very thing that Valkyrie fights for is in danger, as a ruthless killer snatches her little sister in order to lure Valkyrie into a final confrontation. With Skulduggery racing to catch up and young sorcerer Omen scrambling along behind, Valkyrie only has twelve hours to find Alice before it

1920-505: Is too late. The clock is ticking... On a desperate journey to recover her sister's lost soul, Valkyrie Cain goes up against the High Sanctuary itself, and there is nothing Skulduggery Pleasant can do to stop her. With Abyssinia's grand plan about to kick off in a night of magic, terror, and bloodshed, it falls to Omen Darkly to save the lives of thousands of innocent people. And as the madness unfolds around him, as hidden enemies' step into

1984-528: The albino swordsman Elric . The fantasy work of H. P. Lovecraft , Clark Ashton Smith and their emulators have been specified as "dark fantasy", since the imaginary worlds they depicted contain many horror elements. Dark fantasy is occasionally used to describe fantasy works by authors whom the public primarily associates with the horror genre. Examples of these are Stephen King 's The Dark Tower series, Peter Straub 's Shadowland and Clive Barker 's Weaveworld . Alternatively, dark fantasy

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2048-443: The 2013 book The Maleficent Seven , which was released in March. A compilation of all previously released short stories as well as fresh material, titled Armageddon-Outta-Here , was released on 3 July 2014. Get Thee Behind Me, Bubba Moon , a short story that grew into a novella, was also featured. Another short story, Apocalypse Kings , was published in March 2021 in honor of World Book Day. Stephanie Edgley's uncle died leaving her

2112-459: The Faceless Ones – she who is destined to bring about the return of humankind's ancient overlords. To prevent this, Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain have one last – terrible – option: the assassination of Damocles Creed. With protests stirring in the magical city of Roarhaven, with riots and revolutions on the horizon, Valkyrie must decide who she wants to be: the hero who risks everything for

2176-407: The Faceless Ones. If his bones have not already been turned to dust, chances are he's insane, driven out of his mind by the horror of the ancient gods. There is no official, Sanctuary-approved rescue mission. There is no official plan to save him. But Valkyrie's never had much time for plans. The problem is, even if she can get Skulduggery back, there might not be much left for him to return to. There's

2240-525: The International Booksellers Federation. it's about the worlds book day and not about the deaths it's all about the promoting to all about reading, readers and importance of reading books In Spain , Book Day began to be celebrated since 1926 every October 7, the date that Miguel de Cervantes was believed to have been born. But, it was considered more appropriate to celebrate this day in a more pleasant season for walking and browsing

2304-587: The Necromancers' secret before it is too late. The clock is ticking. Lord Vile is loose. And after this one, nothing will ever be the same again. (6–7) In June 2011 Landy posted on his blog that he would be writing a short story about Skulduggery called The End of the World . It was released in late February 2012 to coincide with World Book Day 2012. The Australian release of this novella came with an additional short story titled Just Another Friday Night . Deleted scenes from Skulduggery Pleasant were included. It

2368-420: The Sanctuary and killed two Elders with the help of the other traitorous Elder. He tried to use the Book of Names to control the World but all three Elders' consent was needed to read from it. During the fight with Serpine in the Sanctuary, Stephanie glimpsed her True name in the Book of Names but could not remember it before the Book of Names was destroyed. Skulduggery destroyed Serpine with the Scepter, breaking

2432-404: The Scepter is rumored to be) is. Stephanie goes to China Sorrows to see if she can get Skulduggery back, and China uses her given name against her. In desperation, Stephanie takes the name Valkyrie Cain (Valkyrie is a warrior woman, and Cain means trouble). Valkyrie gets a team of Ghastly, Tanith, and two cleavers (Sanctuary police-army). They break into Serpine's Castle and extract Skulduggery. On

2496-482: The Scepter's power in the process. Afterward, Skulduggery offered to take Stephanie on as his assistant and apprentice because she is a descendant of the Ancients. Stephanie decided to take the name of Valkyrie Cain. With Serpine dead, the world is safe once more. At least, that is what Valkyrie and Skulduggery think, until the notorious Baron Vengeous makes a bloody escape from prison, and dead bodies and vampires start showing up all over Ireland. With Baron Vengeous after

2560-531: The World of Skulduggery Pleasant , the same titling scheme as the 2013 novella Tanith Low in... The Maleficent Seven ), was already written and edited, and would release 27 June 2023 Three-hundred years before the story begins... the story begins. Set in Tuscany, Italy , 1703, during the War, Hell Breaks Loose focuses on an enraged Skulduggery, 13 years after being killed with his wife and child by Serpine and resurrected as

2624-705: The aim of encouraging a culture of reading in all ages and sharing UNESCO's values. UNESCO adopted the 31c/Resolution 29, in 2001, establishing the World Book Capital programme and naming Madrid as the first WBC city in 2001. The advisory committee is composed of UNESCO, the International Publishers Association , the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions , the International Authors Forum and

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2688-546: The better for that. And, I might add, it's self-contained. Landy may well revisit these characters – I sincerely hope he does – but it's a pleasingly rounded tale, which is refreshing in these days of endless open-ended books of never-ending series. Nathan Nicholls ( Whitby Gazette ): There is no expense spared by Landy in this book and I would have to say that everyone who could be bothered to read it, would definitely be drawn into it and certainly enjoy it. (...) Something for everyone and everything for someone, Skulduggery Pleasant

2752-462: The books in the open-air. Spring was much better than fall. So in 1930 King Alfonso XIII approved the change of celebration of the Book Day on April 23, the supposed date of the death of Cervantes. In Sweden , the day is known as Världsbokdagen ("World Book Day") and the copyright aspect is seldom mentioned. Normally celebrated on 23 April, it was moved to 13 April in the year 2000 and 2011 to avoid

2816-488: The dark fantasy genre, notably the Dark Souls series along with Bloodborne and later Elden Ring . World Book and Copyright Day World Book Day , also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book , is an annual event organized by UNESCO ( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ) to promote reading , publishing , and copyright . The first World Book Day

2880-459: The darkness within. The novels are broken up into three phases with multiple prequels and short tales. Since the release of the first novel in 2007, Skulduggery Pleasant , the series has been praised by both readers and critics. The first novel was published in April 2007. The following novels were released each year afterward, with the exception of the fourth and fifth novels, Dark Days and Mortal Coil , which were both released in 2010. Landy

2944-454: The deadly armour of Lord Vile, and pretty much everyone out to kill Valkyrie, the daring detective duo face their biggest challenge yet. But what if the greatest threat to Valkyrie is just a little closer to home...? As a number of teleporters are mysteriously murdered, Valkyrie and Skulduggery learn that it is quickly linked to a fanatical cult named the Diablerie, who seek to open a portal with

3008-697: The final battle is about to begin. And not everyone will get out of here alive... Armageddon Outta Here is a collection of all the previous short stories and novellas published in the series along with 3 new short stories, 1 new novella and a sample chapter from the final book. It was released on 3 July 2014. The order below represents chronological order, as they as listed in the collection, as opposed to their original publication date. The paperback (29 January 2015) contains three more short stories: The 2022 version contains even more short stories, while also removing Death and Taxes : (13-14) The story follows Valkyrie and Skulduggery going to America to investigate

3072-447: The four God-Killer level weapons that could hurt Darquesse when she eventually emerges. Also on the trail of the weapons is a secret group of Sanctuary sorcerers, and doing his best to keep up and keep Tanith alive is one Mister Ghastly Bespoke. When the villains around her are lying and scheming and plotting, Tanith needs to stay two steps ahead of her teammates and her enemies. After all, she's got her own double-crosses to plan – and she's

3136-412: The goal of returning the Faceless Ones to the world. With the assistance of cocky young teleporter Fletcher Renn, Valkyrie and Skulduggery have very little time to track down a mysterious man named Batu, stop the Diablerie, and prevent the return of the Faceless Ones. This one will have deadly consequences. Do panic. They are coming. Skulduggery Pleasant is gone, sucked into a parallel dimension overrun by

3200-438: The happy tale. Berserk , a manga and anime franchise by Kentaro Miura that debuted in 1989, is frequently noted as an example of the genre due to its depictions of extreme violence, moral ambiguity, apocalyptic storylines and anti-hero protagonists. Attack on Titan is a dark fantasy for its intense violence and the dystopian world it takes place in. Ridley Scott 's film Legend (1985) has been described as

3264-454: The light, and as Valkyrie is sucked into a desperate, lawless quest of her own, he has no choice but to become the hero he never really wanted to be — or die in the attempt. War is coming. To avert catastrophe, Skulduggery and Valkyrie are sent on a secret mission that takes them away from everything they know, to a forsaken land of magic and grim, unrelenting terror, with the last Dead Men, Tanith Low, and Dimensional Shunter "Luke Skywalker". It

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3328-439: The novella Apocalypse Kings was published in February 2021. The Necromancers no longer need Valkyrie to be their Death Bringer, and that is a good thing. There's just one catch. The reason the Necromancers do not need her anymore. Because they've found their Death Bringer already, the person who will dissolve the doors between life and death. And that is a very, very bad thing... Skulduggery and Valkyrie have seven days to uncover

3392-456: The rest of the Dead Men if they're going to have any chance at all of maintaining the balance of power and getting to the root of a vast conspiracy that has been years in the making. But while this war is only beginning, another war rages within Valkyrie herself. Her own dark side, the insanely powerful being known as Darquesse, is on the verge of rising to the surface. And if Valkyrie slips, even for

3456-657: The same date —23 April 1616—but not on the same day , as at the time, Spain used the Gregorian calendar and England used the Julian calendar ; Shakespeare actually died 10 days after Cervantes died, on 3 May of the Gregorian calendar.) The World Book Capital (WBC) is an initiative of UNESCO which recognises cities for promoting books and fostering reading for a year starting on April 23, World Book and Copyright Day. Cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capital carry out activities with

3520-406: The small matter of Kitana. A normal teenage girl who, along with her normal teenage friends, becomes infected. Becomes powerful. Becomes corrupted. Wielding the magic of gods, they're set to tear the city apart unless someone stands up against them. Looks like it is going to be another one of those days... (7–8) A spin-off novel featuring Tanith Low taking place between the seventh and eighth books

3584-487: The standard formulae of fantasy stories. Stableford also suggests that supernatural horror set primarily in the real world is a form of " contemporary fantasy ", whereas supernatural horror set partly or wholly in " secondary worlds " should be described as "dark fantasy". Additionally, other authors, critics, and publishers have adopted dark fantasy to describe various other works. However, these stories rarely share universal similarities beyond supernatural occurrences and

3648-653: The term "dark fantasy". Grant defined his brand of dark fantasy as "a type of horror story in which humanity is threatened by forces beyond human understanding". He often used dark fantasy as an alternative to horror , as horror was increasingly associated with more visceral works. Dark fantasy is sometimes also used to describe stories told from a monster 's point of view, or that present a more sympathetic view of supernatural beings usually associated with horror. Anne Rice 's The Vampire Chronicles , Chelsea Quinn Yarbro 's Saint-Germain , and Neil Gaiman 's The Sandman are early examples of this style of dark fantasy. This

3712-403: The tyrannical gods called the Faceless Ones. Serpine was the murderer of Skulduggery and his family in a war four hundred years ago. But Skulduggery returned from death mysteriously as a living skeleton. At Stephanie's uncle Gordon's house, Serpine attacks with Hollow Men and captures Skulduggery, hoping Skulduggery knows where the key to the caves of the void (caves under Gorden's house and where

3776-448: The universe ended. When it restarted, it brought with it a darkness that remains hidden from the mortal population. As the first four novels released, immense popularity and positive reviews have been given to the novels. Many critics praised Derek Landy 's way of writing due to his large gallery of characters. Phillip Ardagh ( The Guardian ): It's exciting, pacy, nicely handled and it's fun. There's nothing worthy about it, and it's all

3840-504: The way in, Tanith sacrifices a cleaver so they can sneak past an army of Hollow Men. When they try to escape, Hollow men block their path. Tanith demonstrates an ability to walk on walls and ceilings and they escape with Skulduggery. After obtaining the Scepter, Serpine created an immortal fighter called the White Cleaver. During a fight with the White Cleaver, Ghastly used magic to petrify himself to avoid being killed. Serpine then invaded

3904-596: Was celebrated on 23 April in 1995, and continues to be recognized on that day. A related event in the United Kingdom and Ireland is observed in March. On the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO along with the advisory committee from the major sectors of the book industry, select the World Book Capital for one year. Each designated World Book Capital City carries out a program of activities to celebrate and promote books and reading. In 2024, Strasbourg

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3968-535: Was designated as the World Book Capital. The original idea was conceived in 1922 by Vicente Clavel, director of Cervantes publishing house in Barcelona, as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes and boost the sales of books. It was first celebrated on 7 October 1926, Cervantes' birthday, before being moved to his death date, 23 April, in 1930. The celebration continues with great popularity in Catalonia, where it

4032-514: Was initially contracted to write three books, with any further books depending on how well the first trilogy sold. The success of the first novels ensured that the deal was extended first to six books and in 2011, HarperCollins signed the deal for the third and final trilogy. The final book in the first series was published in August 2014. The new books in the second series began to be published annually in June 2017. In July 2016, Derek Landy announced via

4096-516: Was released on 28 March 2013 in the U.K & Ireland and 1 April in other countries. The cover and title ( Tanith Low in... The Maleficent Seven: From the World of Skulduggery Pleasant ) were released on 7 December 2012 after several delays, with Landy stating it to be his favourite book cover ever. This time, the bad guys take the stage. Tanith Low, now possessed by a remnant, recruits a gang of villains – many of whom will be familiar from previous Skulduggery adventures – in order to track down and steal

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