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Skulduggery Pleasant #0.5
Hell Breaks Loose (Skulduggery Pleasant)
Discover the world of Skulduggery Pleasant in this prequel to the bestselling series. So many enemies, so little time . . . Italy, 1703.As the war with Mevolent rages on, the Dead Men are dispatched to a walled town in the Tuscan hills – not to assassinate the Lord of the Dark Sorcerers, but to save him. A rift has opened to a hellish dimension where a being of devastating power awaits, and only Mevolent is strong enough to seal it and save the world.A simple mission, then, which turns ever-so-slightly trickier when Skulduggery is presented with the opportunity to finally get revenge on Nefarian Serpine, the man who murdered him and killed his family thirteen years earlier.Return to the world of Skulduggery Pleasant in a short novel set hundreds of years before Valkyrie Cain is even born, and follow Skulduggery, Ghastly, Shudder, Ravel, Saracen, Dexter and Hopeless as they argue, bicker and battle their way through an army of their most hated enemies in order to save their oldest enemy so they can stop another, brand new, enemy…And that's when things get complicated.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2023
75 people are currently reading
991 people want to read
About the author
Derek Landy
252 books5,282 followersDerek Landy is an Irish writer and screenwriter. In addition to the bestselling children's/YA series of Skulduggery Pleasant books, a supernatural mystery series starring Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton detective, and Valkyrie Cain, a young female magician, he has written two screenplays that have been made into films: the IFTA award winning "Dead Bodies" and the IFTA nominated "Boy Eats Girl". Landy himself was nominated for an IFTA for Best Script.
He doesn’t like to brag about all the awards he’s won, such as the Irish Book of the Decade, or the Red House in the UK, or all the other awards that he humbly displays on his mantelpiece. He is also far too modest to mention things like the first book being a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year, but would like to extend an invitation to Oprah to pop around one day for tea, in thanks for selecting his book for the Oprah’s Book Club Kids Reading List.
Derek plays too many video games, reads too many comics, and watches too many movies. He lives in Ireland with too many cats. Occasionally he talks to real people, but only when he absolutely has to.
He doesn’t like to brag about all the awards he’s won, such as the Irish Book of the Decade, or the Red House in the UK, or all the other awards that he humbly displays on his mantelpiece. He is also far too modest to mention things like the first book being a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year, but would like to extend an invitation to Oprah to pop around one day for tea, in thanks for selecting his book for the Oprah’s Book Club Kids Reading List.
Derek plays too many video games, reads too many comics, and watches too many movies. He lives in Ireland with too many cats. Occasionally he talks to real people, but only when he absolutely has to.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
April 12, 2023
me every day since it was announced: i will not read the prequel, i am done with the series
me today, sad and vulnerable: ... well anyway
derek does not know what a fucking prequel is.
was this a good book? - hell no.
was it at least a mildly decent book with good pacing? - hahhaha, great joke.
was it worth the TWENTY FUCKING BUCKS THE EBOOK COST ME???? - NO!!!!
was it the only thing that made me laugh today and a welcome distraction from life for a couple hours and did Skulduggery give Valkyrie his hat and did it make me realise that no matter what i say i am definitely not over this stupid book series?
- yes. 4 stars, begrudgingly.
april reading: 9/26
me today, sad and vulnerable: ... well anyway
derek does not know what a fucking prequel is.
was this a good book? - hell no.
was it at least a mildly decent book with good pacing? - hahhaha, great joke.
was it worth the TWENTY FUCKING BUCKS THE EBOOK COST ME???? - NO!!!!
was it the only thing that made me laugh today and a welcome distraction from life for a couple hours and did Skulduggery give Valkyrie his hat and did it make me realise that no matter what i say i am definitely not over this stupid book series?
- yes. 4 stars, begrudgingly.
april reading: 9/26
April 2, 2023
Would give 1.5 stars if available. Spoilers are mentioned. tldr review- good first half that is tainted by proxy with a second half that feels like I've read the premise better in fanfiction.
I fell off Skulduggery Pleasant during the second phase due to a mix of time and not vibing with the new stories, but I was attracted at the idea of a prequel focusing on Skulduggery's adventures with the Dead Men- I distinctly recall hearing about Derek Landy mentioning this would be a story years before Valkyrie entered the picture, and I thought a standalone novel would be a fun side-adventure, given how long the fanbase had been asking for a story focused on the Dead Men.
Initially, that's what the novel provides and it does so successfully. It's interesting to explore these relatively uncharted waters in the series, with Landy using the chance to elaborate on some of the cast left by the wayside in the original stories. Ghastly especially gets a lot of time to shine here as he's essentially the viewpoint character for the story, letting us meet his mother and some of his closer friends outside of the Dead Men.
Unfortunately, past the halfway mark lies a plot twist that drags the whole story down, as Landy decides to include time travel so that Valkyrie can come back for another adventure. What was promised as a simple prequel giving the fans a story they'd wanted- The Dead Men going on an adventure which could involve being forced to team up with Malevolent's forces- gets pushed aside for what feels like Landy being too insecure to write a full novel without his safety net of Valkyrie and Skulduggery's natural chemistry. With Valkyrie's arrival also brings in new stakes, as the series again introduces a seemingly omnipotent threat with godlike power who's way stronger than the last three villains like this- a villain so impressive, he'll need to be killed at two separate points in time, and it feels so tripe, for lack of a better way to put it. To cap it all off, the new villain escapes to seemingly set up a Skulduggery Phase 3- which after reading this, the thought only brings me dread at the idea that "Oh God, we're gonna do this again."
Past a certain point, considering the last book ended with an outright universe reset, there has to be a limit on how high the power ceiling of this setting can go; but Dragonball this isn't. Skulduggery Pleasant as a franchise feels tired; this series started as a modern urban fantasy and now it can't go ten minutes without introducing a new parallel dimension or pantheon of Gods. The stakes have been raised so high, they've fallen out of sight and become effectively meaningless.
The most insulting thing I can say about Hell Breaks Loose is that it reads as though Landy cribbed fanfiction and did it worse than the fanfic writer would have- and I'm pretty sure I've even read stories about Valkyrie going back in time to meet the Dead Men. But my standards for fanfiction are lower than that of paid, published material, and in that regard Landy's newest fails to justify itself. When it does what it initially promised in a standalone side-story set before the main books, the story is good and contains Landy's trademark wit. When it falls back into being a modern Skulduggery Pleasant book though, is when it falls completely flat on its face.
I don't like not liking Skulduggery's new books given the role Landy helped play in my love for reading, but Hell Breaks Loose is, unfortunately, a bad book following a mediocre sequel series. A firm do not read.
I fell off Skulduggery Pleasant during the second phase due to a mix of time and not vibing with the new stories, but I was attracted at the idea of a prequel focusing on Skulduggery's adventures with the Dead Men- I distinctly recall hearing about Derek Landy mentioning this would be a story years before Valkyrie entered the picture, and I thought a standalone novel would be a fun side-adventure, given how long the fanbase had been asking for a story focused on the Dead Men.
Initially, that's what the novel provides and it does so successfully. It's interesting to explore these relatively uncharted waters in the series, with Landy using the chance to elaborate on some of the cast left by the wayside in the original stories. Ghastly especially gets a lot of time to shine here as he's essentially the viewpoint character for the story, letting us meet his mother and some of his closer friends outside of the Dead Men.
Unfortunately, past the halfway mark lies a plot twist that drags the whole story down, as Landy decides to include time travel so that Valkyrie can come back for another adventure. What was promised as a simple prequel giving the fans a story they'd wanted- The Dead Men going on an adventure which could involve being forced to team up with Malevolent's forces- gets pushed aside for what feels like Landy being too insecure to write a full novel without his safety net of Valkyrie and Skulduggery's natural chemistry. With Valkyrie's arrival also brings in new stakes, as the series again introduces a seemingly omnipotent threat with godlike power who's way stronger than the last three villains like this- a villain so impressive, he'll need to be killed at two separate points in time, and it feels so tripe, for lack of a better way to put it. To cap it all off, the new villain escapes to seemingly set up a Skulduggery Phase 3- which after reading this, the thought only brings me dread at the idea that "Oh God, we're gonna do this again."
Past a certain point, considering the last book ended with an outright universe reset, there has to be a limit on how high the power ceiling of this setting can go; but Dragonball this isn't. Skulduggery Pleasant as a franchise feels tired; this series started as a modern urban fantasy and now it can't go ten minutes without introducing a new parallel dimension or pantheon of Gods. The stakes have been raised so high, they've fallen out of sight and become effectively meaningless.
The most insulting thing I can say about Hell Breaks Loose is that it reads as though Landy cribbed fanfiction and did it worse than the fanfic writer would have- and I'm pretty sure I've even read stories about Valkyrie going back in time to meet the Dead Men. But my standards for fanfiction are lower than that of paid, published material, and in that regard Landy's newest fails to justify itself. When it does what it initially promised in a standalone side-story set before the main books, the story is good and contains Landy's trademark wit. When it falls back into being a modern Skulduggery Pleasant book though, is when it falls completely flat on its face.
I don't like not liking Skulduggery's new books given the role Landy helped play in my love for reading, but Hell Breaks Loose is, unfortunately, a bad book following a mediocre sequel series. A firm do not read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2023
I love Skulduggery and Valkyrie so I had to preorder this as soon as I could. I took me some time to get through, though. It was still amazing, an adventure in 1703. With the Dead Men and Mevolent and a lot of people we know. But it is different from the original series. It's not a bad kind of different but Skulduggery has only been a skeleton for a couple of years and he is not the Skulduggery we know.
I still loved this and I am really looking forward to reading the upcoming graphic novel!
I still loved this and I am really looking forward to reading the upcoming graphic novel!
July 9, 2025
It's been too long since I last read a Skulduggery Pleasant book. This series is just so fun and I love spending time in the world. Hell Breaks Loose was a great read, if not what was expected (more in spoiler section)!
April 7, 2023
False marketing.
If you know, you know.
If you know, you know.
April 13, 2023
I really enjoyed this and it went by as fast as all other Skuldugerry books! However, I was really wanting a full on prequel Dead Men adventure. So when Valkyrie just kind of popped in like halfway through I was a little disappointed. I will 100% admit Valkyrie is a Dead Man and she’s done a lot, but I wanted to see the original group in their prime during their conflict with Mevolent. I wanted to see the events that shaped them BEFORE Valkyrie and the events of the series. That being said, it still rocks and Skulduggery Pleasant owns my ass
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2023
*Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this to review!*
I haven’t read a Skulduggery book in a good few years now so I was excited to dive into thai because I remember the books being so fast paced and engaging, and above all they were ridiculously funny. On that front, this book didn’t disappoint me at all. It had the classic Derek Landy humour in here, I found almost all of the dialogue to be hilarious and it made me laugh out loud on a couple of occasions. It was very quick in pacing as it was a very action focused book, and I managed to fly through it in just a couple of hours. All of the characters I know of and love were in here which made it a really enjoyable and nostalgic read indeed.
One thing that threw me off completely about this book is that it is described as being a prequel novel and in the marketing it said it can be read as a standalone, and that I’d heavily disagree with. I haven’t been in this universe for a while so I was a little rusty, but you definitely need some previous knowledge of this series if you want to get some enjoyment out of this book because with no context it’s not going to make any sense at all! We have no introduction to the world or characters, we have no attempt at worldbuilding or even trying to explain what is happening, and we have a plot that is just basically one long action scene and dialogue between characters that feels very much like an inside joke. Obviously, from someone who is a fan this did very much feel like a fan service novel and that’s great, but it didn’t work as a ‘standalone prequel’ by any means. I don’t even think it counts as a prequel by the time you factor in the time travel (that melted my brain). You will not get anything of substance out of this if you’re not familiar with at least a book or two from the original series, but even then this book felt lacking to me.
The only way I can describe this book is that it felt like a filler novel. Honestly, not much happened here. It was just straight into action, a lot of battles, some really great witty moments of dialogue to its credit, a fun Valkyrie cameo, and then a really abrupt ending. I don’t really see the point of anything that happened, and it didn’t feel in the same vein or give me the same vibe that those original books did. I will say it did make me want to go back into that world and pick up where I paused reading them though, if that’s any consolation.
Very mixed feelings on thai one which is such a shame because I was so excited! On the one hand I did like it, on the other it didn’t really deliver anything spectacular and I don’t really see the point.
I haven’t read a Skulduggery book in a good few years now so I was excited to dive into thai because I remember the books being so fast paced and engaging, and above all they were ridiculously funny. On that front, this book didn’t disappoint me at all. It had the classic Derek Landy humour in here, I found almost all of the dialogue to be hilarious and it made me laugh out loud on a couple of occasions. It was very quick in pacing as it was a very action focused book, and I managed to fly through it in just a couple of hours. All of the characters I know of and love were in here which made it a really enjoyable and nostalgic read indeed.
One thing that threw me off completely about this book is that it is described as being a prequel novel and in the marketing it said it can be read as a standalone, and that I’d heavily disagree with. I haven’t been in this universe for a while so I was a little rusty, but you definitely need some previous knowledge of this series if you want to get some enjoyment out of this book because with no context it’s not going to make any sense at all! We have no introduction to the world or characters, we have no attempt at worldbuilding or even trying to explain what is happening, and we have a plot that is just basically one long action scene and dialogue between characters that feels very much like an inside joke. Obviously, from someone who is a fan this did very much feel like a fan service novel and that’s great, but it didn’t work as a ‘standalone prequel’ by any means. I don’t even think it counts as a prequel by the time you factor in the time travel (that melted my brain). You will not get anything of substance out of this if you’re not familiar with at least a book or two from the original series, but even then this book felt lacking to me.
The only way I can describe this book is that it felt like a filler novel. Honestly, not much happened here. It was just straight into action, a lot of battles, some really great witty moments of dialogue to its credit, a fun Valkyrie cameo, and then a really abrupt ending. I don’t really see the point of anything that happened, and it didn’t feel in the same vein or give me the same vibe that those original books did. I will say it did make me want to go back into that world and pick up where I paused reading them though, if that’s any consolation.
Very mixed feelings on thai one which is such a shame because I was so excited! On the one hand I did like it, on the other it didn’t really deliver anything spectacular and I don’t really see the point.
Read
May 20, 2023there’s a skulduggery pleasant prequel coming out in 2 months. sign me UP
ok review time!!
firstly, i have no idea what to rate this book. it’s unratetable.
for big skulduggery pleasant fans (like me), the idea of a prequel was incredibly exciting. however i must say… this book felt kind of pointless?! it was a fun story for all fans of skul and valkyrie and it did have its classic SP humour but (maybe i missed something) but i did feel as if the story didn’t really have to exist. maybe it was just be. sorry derek landy.
ok review time!!
firstly, i have no idea what to rate this book. it’s unratetable.
for big skulduggery pleasant fans (like me), the idea of a prequel was incredibly exciting. however i must say… this book felt kind of pointless?! it was a fun story for all fans of skul and valkyrie and it did have its classic SP humour but (maybe i missed something) but i did feel as if the story didn’t really have to exist. maybe it was just be. sorry derek landy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2023
This was my least favourite of the Skulduggery novels - the plot seemed rushed and the writing lacked its personality and ease to me. But, while I didn't initially love the direction it started going down about halfway through, the end was actually pretty strong.
May 7, 2023
Loved it as always, very much hope this is the start of a brand new series...
April 8, 2023
I felt like I just read an AU fanfic written by the author himself… and while it was quite trippy, I’m not entirely mad? Hella confused and a little bit disappointed but to be very honest, I’m a diehard SP fan so this review … will be way too biased. When it comes to SP, all rationality dies and so do I.
Set only 13 years after Skulduggery’s family and wife are murdered and set in Italy, 1700’s, we see Skulduggery in a completely different light than we usually do: he’s darker, brooding and incredibly impulsive. His wit and humour is quite flat, unlike how we first met him all those books ago in the first of the series, which honestly, is a contrast I’m genuinely happy and excited for.
I will say halfway through I DID NOT expect that plot twist, and it was quite out of left field but can why am I not surprised with the way phase 2 was handled. That’s where the disappointment sets in because while I’m all for it, this new direction/pattern is something that hasn’t made me want to re-read the newer books compared to the way I used to want to read the phase one books.
However, in saying this, I already want to re-read this book to pick up on the clues I missed, but for now, I’m super content and can’t wait for more SP books to be released in the future (even though the first 9 books will always *always* be the best).
This book, like most spin offs and extras books, doesn’t need to be read and can be skipped, but is a fun little addition to the SP universe for those die hard fans!
Set only 13 years after Skulduggery’s family and wife are murdered and set in Italy, 1700’s, we see Skulduggery in a completely different light than we usually do: he’s darker, brooding and incredibly impulsive. His wit and humour is quite flat, unlike how we first met him all those books ago in the first of the series, which honestly, is a contrast I’m genuinely happy and excited for.
I will say halfway through I DID NOT expect that plot twist, and it was quite out of left field but can why am I not surprised with the way phase 2 was handled. That’s where the disappointment sets in because while I’m all for it, this new direction/pattern is something that hasn’t made me want to re-read the newer books compared to the way I used to want to read the phase one books.
However, in saying this, I already want to re-read this book to pick up on the clues I missed, but for now, I’m super content and can’t wait for more SP books to be released in the future (even though the first 9 books will always *always* be the best).
This book, like most spin offs and extras books, doesn’t need to be read and can be skipped, but is a fun little addition to the SP universe for those die hard fans!
April 13, 2023
be categorically for real
February 13, 2024
nicht was ich gedacht hätte, aber dennoch sehr gut, ich mag die welt einfach sehr gerne :)
January 2, 2025
Would've been cooler if it didn't just rely on fan service and valkyrie being there for literally no reason
April 7, 2023
landy apparently doesn't know the meaning of the words 'standalone' and 'prequel' but this was so much better than the last few instalments of phase 2 that i don't even care that much. the main romance was the least convincing thing i've ever read though lmao
April 30, 2023
Unlike most of the reviews here that still give it 5 stars for nostalgia’s sake while making the same complaints I’m about to, I’m giving it 2 and leaving it at that.
The Skulduggery Pleasant series is close to my heart, it is, but god Derek Landy needs to branch out.
We were promised a Dead Men centric prequel. For the first half that is what we got. Now the Dead Men themselves didn’t feel….natural? Not like what we are used to from previous books. That could be because it’s a “prequel” or the fact the author has lost connection with these characters (and really needs to get it back). Other than that, it’s great, it’s what we wanted as a fanbase.
Now…into the second half? Terrible. Valkyrie was not needed. Time travel was not needed. The lengthy lessons on timelines was not needed. What was supposed to be a prequel and stand alone involving fan favourites turned into Book 16 of the series. Even then, by the end the same mechanics from ‘Until the End’ come into play, reset everything and save the day.
So that entire first half of the book has now become redundant. We didn’t get a Dean Men centric book, we got another Valkyrie Cane book.
Another reviewer on here says “this series isn’t Dragon Ball” and I have to agree. There needs to be a cap on the power levels and Derek needs to come out from under his Valkyrie Cane security blanket and try something new.
The Skulduggery Pleasant series is close to my heart, it is, but god Derek Landy needs to branch out.
We were promised a Dead Men centric prequel. For the first half that is what we got. Now the Dead Men themselves didn’t feel….natural? Not like what we are used to from previous books. That could be because it’s a “prequel” or the fact the author has lost connection with these characters (and really needs to get it back). Other than that, it’s great, it’s what we wanted as a fanbase.
Now…into the second half? Terrible. Valkyrie was not needed. Time travel was not needed. The lengthy lessons on timelines was not needed. What was supposed to be a prequel and stand alone involving fan favourites turned into Book 16 of the series. Even then, by the end the same mechanics from ‘Until the End’ come into play, reset everything and save the day.
So that entire first half of the book has now become redundant. We didn’t get a Dean Men centric book, we got another Valkyrie Cane book.
Another reviewer on here says “this series isn’t Dragon Ball” and I have to agree. There needs to be a cap on the power levels and Derek needs to come out from under his Valkyrie Cane security blanket and try something new.
June 7, 2023
the worst six hours of my life <3 i thought i was gonna read a book about dead men and it was finally our chance to have a WHOLE book dedicated to them but no it had to be ruined by time travel stuff, and i was really excited to see more of mevolent and generals too but what did we got? nothing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2023
-all the reviews which said they didn't like it because valkeryie wasnt in it, did you even read the book?
-the dead men are a bunch of disaster bisexuals and that's canon
-the dead men are a bunch of disaster bisexuals and that's canon
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2024
2,5-3 🌟
Intressant start på det nya bokåret! ”Hell Breaks Loose” är en ””””prequel””” (återkommer om detta) som utspelar sig 300 år innan Skulduggery Pleasant serien. Man kom snabbt in i boken och jag tyckte mycket om att vara tillbaka i en tid som kändes utspela sig innan, det som Landy kallar, säsong 2 som startar från och med bok 10 ”Resurrection”. Det var enkelt, The Dead Men har ett uppdrag och de ligger i krig med Mevolent. Skulduggery har endast varit ett skelett i 13 år, vi får följa Ghastlys perspektiv. Inget för komplicerat och ett spännande äventyr har startat.
Tills det blev komplicerat.
Derek Landy gick ut tidigt och skrev att ”Hell Breaks Loose” skulle vara en standalone prequel… men det är just det inte inte blir dessvärre.
Tidsresor….. detta fenomen är jag inte så särskilt förtjust i och har aldrig varit. Det måste göras försiktigt annars förstörs magin med hela berättelsen. Det var några segment, särskilt ett i boken, som fick mig att stanna upp och säga ”Vänta va…. Neeeeeeeej” för jag orkade inte med det komplicerade alstret som Landy kryddat säsong 2 av serien med. Hade han kunnat låta bli att göra hela berättelsen till en komplicerad historia med tidsresor osv, så hade den här boken förmodligen nått till en 5/5. Ingen av de ”nyare” (säsong 2) SP-böckerna har fått det betyg och det är synd att även denna skulle berövas mina lovord.
Till min spoiler, det som verkligen sänkte betyget, var att Landy inte lät den här bokens äventyr bara vara ett fast äventyr som utspelade sig 1703. Det hade räckt om läsaren fått följa The Dead Men i Italien, följa Ghastlys oro över Skulduggery som nyligen är tillbaka på banan med dem men nu nära sin baneman Serpine. Men Landy var tvungen att slänga in Valkyrie även i denna tid - för hon kan ju resa genom tid och rum sedan säsong 2. Hon behöver ändra något för att få tag i någon i sin framtid och kaos bryter ut. Folk dör som egentligen ska dö i den originella serien, jag som läsare blir orolig men i slutändan blir tidslinjen som den vargen början. Och det är mitt problem. Kunde vi inte bara fått endast berättelse som var spännande och intressant? Ghastlys mamma är med i denna och det har varit guldläge för Landy att i denna bok avsluta med en hint, segmentet att detta äventyr 1703 banar en långsam väg mot framtiden där hans vän Skulduggery kanske kan bli en man låter folk komma honom nära igen. Jag ville ha scenen när Ghastlys mamma berättar för Ghastly att hon sett Valkyrie i en framtidsvision (för detta får vi veta i den originella serien). Då hade vi fått höra Valkyries namn, men hon hade inte behövts i denna berättelsen för jag ville helt enkelt bara ha en story som handlar om The Dead Men och den magiska världen 300 år innan första boken i serien börjar. Punkt.
Men jag vet att Landy är fast i sitt alldeles för stora träsk nu, så jag ser dessa nya böcker som bonusmaterial men de första nio är (som Derek själv så på den tiden) de fasta SP- böckerna för nummer nio skulle varit den sista.
Intressant start på det nya bokåret! ”Hell Breaks Loose” är en ””””prequel””” (återkommer om detta) som utspelar sig 300 år innan Skulduggery Pleasant serien. Man kom snabbt in i boken och jag tyckte mycket om att vara tillbaka i en tid som kändes utspela sig innan, det som Landy kallar, säsong 2 som startar från och med bok 10 ”Resurrection”. Det var enkelt, The Dead Men har ett uppdrag och de ligger i krig med Mevolent. Skulduggery har endast varit ett skelett i 13 år, vi får följa Ghastlys perspektiv. Inget för komplicerat och ett spännande äventyr har startat.
Tills det blev komplicerat.
Derek Landy gick ut tidigt och skrev att ”Hell Breaks Loose” skulle vara en standalone prequel… men det är just det inte inte blir dessvärre.
Tidsresor….. detta fenomen är jag inte så särskilt förtjust i och har aldrig varit. Det måste göras försiktigt annars förstörs magin med hela berättelsen. Det var några segment, särskilt ett i boken, som fick mig att stanna upp och säga ”Vänta va…. Neeeeeeeej” för jag orkade inte med det komplicerade alstret som Landy kryddat säsong 2 av serien med. Hade han kunnat låta bli att göra hela berättelsen till en komplicerad historia med tidsresor osv, så hade den här boken förmodligen nått till en 5/5. Ingen av de ”nyare” (säsong 2) SP-böckerna har fått det betyg och det är synd att även denna skulle berövas mina lovord.
Till min spoiler, det som verkligen sänkte betyget, var att Landy inte lät den här bokens äventyr bara vara ett fast äventyr som utspelade sig 1703. Det hade räckt om läsaren fått följa The Dead Men i Italien, följa Ghastlys oro över Skulduggery som nyligen är tillbaka på banan med dem men nu nära sin baneman Serpine. Men Landy var tvungen att slänga in Valkyrie även i denna tid - för hon kan ju resa genom tid och rum sedan säsong 2. Hon behöver ändra något för att få tag i någon i sin framtid och kaos bryter ut. Folk dör som egentligen ska dö i den originella serien, jag som läsare blir orolig men i slutändan blir tidslinjen som den vargen början. Och det är mitt problem. Kunde vi inte bara fått endast berättelse som var spännande och intressant? Ghastlys mamma är med i denna och det har varit guldläge för Landy att i denna bok avsluta med en hint, segmentet att detta äventyr 1703 banar en långsam väg mot framtiden där hans vän Skulduggery kanske kan bli en man låter folk komma honom nära igen. Jag ville ha scenen när Ghastlys mamma berättar för Ghastly att hon sett Valkyrie i en framtidsvision (för detta får vi veta i den originella serien). Då hade vi fått höra Valkyries namn, men hon hade inte behövts i denna berättelsen för jag ville helt enkelt bara ha en story som handlar om The Dead Men och den magiska världen 300 år innan första boken i serien börjar. Punkt.
Men jag vet att Landy är fast i sitt alldeles för stora träsk nu, så jag ser dessa nya böcker som bonusmaterial men de första nio är (som Derek själv så på den tiden) de fasta SP- böckerna för nummer nio skulle varit den sista.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2024
This is a 3 1/2 stars read.
The team is trying to close the gate to hell. Assuming that it is not a good thing. The Hidden god behind the gate will turn anyone into believer and will want magic to spread wide in the world.
So lot of fighting later. They find out that one of their member is using a fake identity.
There is some time traveling involved. So, kind of fun ride to keep trying to find a solution.
It is not really my cup of tea. As there isn’t much room for anything else, I don’t really got a lot of characters development or any kind of relationships building.
As it is still a pretty okay story.
The team is trying to close the gate to hell. Assuming that it is not a good thing. The Hidden god behind the gate will turn anyone into believer and will want magic to spread wide in the world.
So lot of fighting later. They find out that one of their member is using a fake identity.
There is some time traveling involved. So, kind of fun ride to keep trying to find a solution.
It is not really my cup of tea. As there isn’t much room for anything else, I don’t really got a lot of characters development or any kind of relationships building.
As it is still a pretty okay story.
September 20, 2023
Gr glitched and deleted my review, days ive read it and every other bit of data...why does gr love to curse us all
March 30, 2023
Meh this is the first book dereks done that I actually questioned what he was thinking! It started off pretty good as a grounded prequel about the dead men back in the day and was dark and gritty and then out of nowhere Valkyrie came in and decided to fill a quarter of the book with random time travel lore about how it affects everything travelling in time which I think no book should really try to cover that much cause otherwise you’d read some theoretical physics.
And then as soon as serpine dies you just know at the end of it nothings going to have any effect in the future and it’s all going to go back to normal at the end which kinda of put a dampener on things as they move forward.
Then towards the end it turns into another crazy overpowered boss battle where there’s yet another god with no backstory. Finally things just get out of hand where there’s a battle between two points in time and it’s casually mentioned that Valkyrie still can summon that black lightening which is effectively a cheat code so why not just use that on the bad guy.
So all in all a bit of a let down after a great promising start. At least the next book is effectively a comic so will be a bit easier to picture with all these insane powerful beings running around.
And then as soon as serpine dies you just know at the end of it nothings going to have any effect in the future and it’s all going to go back to normal at the end which kinda of put a dampener on things as they move forward.
Then towards the end it turns into another crazy overpowered boss battle where there’s yet another god with no backstory. Finally things just get out of hand where there’s a battle between two points in time and it’s casually mentioned that Valkyrie still can summon that black lightening which is effectively a cheat code so why not just use that on the bad guy.
So all in all a bit of a let down after a great promising start. At least the next book is effectively a comic so will be a bit easier to picture with all these insane powerful beings running around.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2023
Would have been a 5/5 if the "prequel" would have been a prequel.
I was very disappointed at the half way mark and would have preferred the story of the first 150 pages to continue like the actual events stated in the Novels.
Still, I had fun reading it.
I was very disappointed at the half way mark and would have preferred the story of the first 150 pages to continue like the actual events stated in the Novels.
Still, I had fun reading it.
November 21, 2023
a hot mess of a book that just simply doesn’t function as a prequel?? i love the dead men and wanted to see their dynamic explored in depth but this squandered its potential massively (2.5 stars) (if i’m being generous)
May 17, 2023
Delirium in the middle of a battle was almost as bad as a twisted ankle.
My Rating: 4.5/5⭐
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Sci-fi
My Reading Dates: 7 May - 8 May
Pages: 308
Pace: Fast to medium
POV: singular pov (double towards the end) - third person
Book Summary
Ghastly swirled his thick tongue in his stupid mouth, and tried again. "Are you scared of splinters?"
Vengeous smiled. "No."
Damn. That had been Ghastly's only chance at winning this fight.
My Thoughts
Hmmmmmmmmmmm. I quite liked this book. But apparently not everyone else did, and i am wondering why. Maybe it's been too long since i read the previous books, but i really enjoyed this book. There was the usual writing and plot twists that i loved. Skulduggery was slightly different, but it just shows character development (in the other books).
The random Valkyrie pop-up in the middle of the book was odd, but u wasn't complaining, since i thought i was gonna be bored with all these same characters, but without the experiences that I already knew about. It felt too alien, yet I still KNEW these people. Valkyrie came and then the rest fell back into the easy pattern of before.
Also the plot didnt make that much sense. Or maybe i just wasn't paying attention. Either way i finished this in two days, which is pretty quick for me, and for that i am glad. If the book stretched too long i would most definitely get bored.
Overall a good book, but if i think too much i can definitely see mistakes and just things Derek Landy did wrong. I am looking forward to the graphic novel, despite the fact I usually don't like them.
My Rating: 4.5/5⭐
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Sci-fi
My Reading Dates: 7 May - 8 May
Pages: 308
Pace: Fast to medium
POV: singular pov (double towards the end) - third person
Book Summary
Ghastly swirled his thick tongue in his stupid mouth, and tried again. "Are you scared of splinters?"
Vengeous smiled. "No."
Damn. That had been Ghastly's only chance at winning this fight.
My Thoughts
Hmmmmmmmmmmm. I quite liked this book. But apparently not everyone else did, and i am wondering why. Maybe it's been too long since i read the previous books, but i really enjoyed this book. There was the usual writing and plot twists that i loved. Skulduggery was slightly different, but it just shows character development (in the other books).
The random Valkyrie pop-up in the middle of the book was odd, but u wasn't complaining, since i thought i was gonna be bored with all these same characters, but without the experiences that I already knew about. It felt too alien, yet I still KNEW these people. Valkyrie came and then the rest fell back into the easy pattern of before.
Also the plot didnt make that much sense. Or maybe i just wasn't paying attention. Either way i finished this in two days, which is pretty quick for me, and for that i am glad. If the book stretched too long i would most definitely get bored.
Overall a good book, but if i think too much i can definitely see mistakes and just things Derek Landy did wrong. I am looking forward to the graphic novel, despite the fact I usually don't like them.
April 2, 2023
Such a damn good time - I've missed being in the world of Skulduggery!
I loved seeing an earlier time period than we're used to with this series, and seeing a younger version of Skulduggery and the rest of the Dead Men - and what really worked for me was this being written from Ghastly's POV, the man doesn't get enough love and seeing his view on everything was fascinating!
This one definitely kept me guessing, and while my theories didn't pan out, this was still a really, really fun book to read, and has possibly added to what was set up in the Grimoire and Until The End, which could may be the start of a new Skulduggery run!
TW FOR WAR, DEATH, VIOLENCE, BLOOD, MENTIONS OF MURDERED WIVES AND CHILDREN, POSSESSION, END OF THE WORLD SCENARIOS, ATTEMPTED MURDER
I loved seeing an earlier time period than we're used to with this series, and seeing a younger version of Skulduggery and the rest of the Dead Men - and what really worked for me was this being written from Ghastly's POV, the man doesn't get enough love and seeing his view on everything was fascinating!
This one definitely kept me guessing, and while my theories didn't pan out, this was still a really, really fun book to read, and has possibly added to what was set up in the Grimoire and Until The End, which could may be the start of a new Skulduggery run!
TW FOR WAR, DEATH, VIOLENCE, BLOOD, MENTIONS OF MURDERED WIVES AND CHILDREN, POSSESSION, END OF THE WORLD SCENARIOS, ATTEMPTED MURDER
April 24, 2023
Honestly was quite dissatisfied with this novel considering nearly every other SP book has been utterly brilliant. I think if the big plot twist hadnt had happened it wouldve felt a lot better. Aside from the dialogue which is great as always in any Derek Landy book, it is not as well written in any shape or form and it just felt clumsy. I think if the plot twist hadnt had occured the book would probably have been 100% stronger in terms of both plot and writing.
On a brighter note, a book this entertaining to read still shouldn't be looked down on and it still is a great read just not quite what I was hoping for.
On a brighter note, a book this entertaining to read still shouldn't be looked down on and it still is a great read just not quite what I was hoping for.
April 13, 2023
When I heard about a Skulduggery Pleasant prequel to say I was excited is an understatement. I can and will consume everything Derek writes relating to this series, and that includes books that are prequels but also aren’t prequels. This isn’t really a prequel. Of course it was good, in the way that Skulduggery Pleasant is always good because it is Skulduggery Pleasant, but I felt it didn’t have the same excitement and rush as some of the other books. Obviously they are longer and are part of an overarching plot, but this as a one-off didn’t hit the same mark.
A lot of that is due to the fact the second Valkyrie arrived I knew that the implications on the entire series would be too great if this book didn’t end with the entire events of this book becoming irrelevant to the timeline. So while Derek was busy killing everyone I loved, I knew it would be fine in the end, they weren’t dead for good, so part of me didn’t really care?
I was hoping to see Skulduggery without Valkyrie, to learn more about the Dead Men and read a story that had a real impact on who Skulduggery is today, perhaps one of the many stories hinted at in the books, something that made the Dead Men, the Dead Men, y’know? And this isn’t that. Really, this is less a prequel and more a time travel adventure.
That being said, this was still mostly the funny, magic infused series I’ve always loved which ultimately prevents me from rating any of these books poorly at all. So here is my contractually obligated 4 star rating for making me laugh with a silly book written for 11 year olds, even if I’m not 11.
A lot of that is due to the fact the second Valkyrie arrived I knew that the implications on the entire series would be too great if this book didn’t end with the entire events of this book becoming irrelevant to the timeline. So while Derek was busy killing everyone I loved, I knew it would be fine in the end, they weren’t dead for good, so part of me didn’t really care?
I was hoping to see Skulduggery without Valkyrie, to learn more about the Dead Men and read a story that had a real impact on who Skulduggery is today, perhaps one of the many stories hinted at in the books, something that made the Dead Men, the Dead Men, y’know? And this isn’t that. Really, this is less a prequel and more a time travel adventure.
That being said, this was still mostly the funny, magic infused series I’ve always loved which ultimately prevents me from rating any of these books poorly at all. So here is my contractually obligated 4 star rating for making me laugh with a silly book written for 11 year olds, even if I’m not 11.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2023
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
The first half was really great, maybe one of the best Skullduggery books ever. But after the twist it started to drop in quality. Not nearly as cringey as the second series but still not as good as I know Landy can do. Idk if he’s afraid to do something new/different but Skulduggery books just seem so Flanderized now its sad to see. I’ll still pick them up cause I love the series but I just wish they lived up to their potential.
The first half was really great, maybe one of the best Skullduggery books ever. But after the twist it started to drop in quality. Not nearly as cringey as the second series but still not as good as I know Landy can do. Idk if he’s afraid to do something new/different but Skulduggery books just seem so Flanderized now its sad to see. I’ll still pick them up cause I love the series but I just wish they lived up to their potential.
August 15, 2023
Very twisty and turny. Another excellent listen.
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