I think I may be in love. A little. And I think someone else is, too, but I’m not sure who or how. Last year I compared Skulduggery Pleasant to the Thin Man. This is still very much the Thin Man, and the relationship between Skulduggery and Valkyrie is almost like a marriage. Very chaste and all that, but it’s still love.
The Faceless Ones are horrible. Think Dementors. That sort of thing. If they come the world will end, so it’s a fairly good idea to try and stop them. More double crossings, and lots of adventures for Valkyrie and her skeleton friend. There’s some good news, and some very good things happen.
Some quite bad things happen, too. I’ll quote from the blurb thing: ‘You’ve seen it all before: some bad guy wants to bring about the end of the world, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie fight valiantly to stop it happening. A few people get hurt, sure, but everything’s all right in the end. Well, not this time.’
It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have got started on cliffhangers the other day. This hangs very precariously. But I’m sure it’ll be all right. At some point in the future. It’s a children’s book, after all, with amputations and slashings. Knives and swords are dangerous, as you know.
Oh, and Valkyrie had her first kiss! Pity she wasn’t present when it happened.
Though I did see through xxxxxxx almost from the start, but I don’t want to spoil the reading for anyone else.
I love it when a book for relatively young readers can be so mature at the same time. Derek Landy really writes for adults, except he makes it accessible to all. Apart from the cauliflower field, but at least you can tell Derek writes from experience.
5 responses so far ↓
Sara O'Leary // April 19, 2009 at 14:12 |
Oh, we need this one! I wonder if it’s out over here yet.
I’ve just read an ARC of one you might also like – it’s called Cirrus Flux and is written by Matthew Skelton. It has a good heart-in-your-throat sort of pace, but I also found it interesting historically because it’s sent in and around London’s Foundling Hospital and Skelton works in all kinds of fantastic period detail.
http://www.puffin.co.uk/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000069474,00.html#QUE
Sara O'Leary // April 20, 2009 at 18:41 |
Have to wait until August for the Faceless Ones here in Canada! So unfair.
bookwitch // April 20, 2009 at 19:54 |
Since it’s ‘only’ a book, you could always buy one over here. It’s harder when it’s the DVD region thing, but even that can be overcome. But, yes, I think all these differences between countries are unfair, and I don’t know what they hope to gain by it. For a book to be translated, I can see you need extra time, but English to English should be instant.
Sara O'Leary // April 20, 2009 at 20:07 |
Yes, that’s probably what I will do. Somebody here is making a special trip to Scotland next month just to look for Doctor Who classic figures. At least that’s the rumor.
And yes, we have one computer set for UK DVDs – mainly because of The Magic Roundabout which we have watched about 42 times. I still laugh at Bill Nighy and his “Dontcha know that rabbits are kinda jumpy.”
Rhos // July 7, 2009 at 11:48 |
Derek is a genius!! he is my favourite author and his books are soo amzing!
the faceless ones was epic and one of the best finght scenes (and probably the longest) in childrens book history!
I cabn’t wait for the movie now. I hope it matches up to the book. But atleast derek is doing the screenplay, so it wont be a bad adaptation!