Not a good idea, obviously. Unless you are Valkyrie Cain, in which case you should do things with fire every now and then. Playing With Fire is Derek Landy’s second offering of Skulduggery Pleasant, and Valkyrie is his sidekick. This time last year I was saying I was looking forward to meeting them again, and the really sharp eyed amongst you will now point out that Skulduggery’s sidekick was called Stephanie. She was. Then she went and changed it to Valkyrie. Gave her more power, or some such thing.
It was still nice to see the two of them again. I think I could be in for the duration, here, for however many books Derek will give us. (For all that money he’s got, he jolly well should provide a few books.)
I have got used to bad language in children’s books. Sometimes I don’t even notice it. What’s so good with Skulduggery Pleasant, though, is that there is no need for it. You can be cool and exciting and full of action without four letter words.
What the book does have is “wall-to-wall deadpan sarcasm”. I had to steal this one over at Crime Always Pays, and even there it’s a quote, but it’s such a good one. I love the plot, but more than anything, I love the humour. It’s rather like The Thin Man. Lots of very commonplace polite phrases, but used slightly eccentrically.
We like that.
4 responses so far ↓
Sara O'Leary // April 15, 2008 at 11:34
My son has been listening to the free audiobook version of the first book at the UK site http://www.skulduggerypleasant.co.uk/extras/audio.html
He’s loving it but a little anxious as it says “one month only” and we’re not sure when it went up there and he’s afraid one night he’ll get into bed and cue up his chapter and it will be gone.
He’d already read the book, but says he’s really enjoying this and is now keen for volume two.
I hadn’t read it yet myself but as soon as you say “Thin Man” I’m there.
bookwitch // April 15, 2008 at 12:41
I don’t know about the audiobook, but I may know a woman who does. Will find out.
Of course a skeleton will be a thin man! Sorry, bad joke. But I do find that there are some nice, adult touches in there. The best books are those with more layers than one, and oldies can get something their children might not.
bookwitch // April 16, 2008 at 16:33
Derek’s publicist says she thinks it’s up for the whole of April. Hope that turns out to be right.
Sara O'Leary // April 16, 2008 at 19:39
Oh thanks, Ann, that’s great. He now seems to be listening to that one and reading the latest Montmorency installment. He’s hard to keep up with but I am looking forward to a dose of Skulduggery now. He says you are dead on about the sarcasm.
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