The Skulduggery Pleasant book order – a complete guide
If you need to find the Skulduggery Pleasant book order look no further. We have a full guide to all the cool books in Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant series. You can find everything you need to know about the Skulduggery Pleasant books in the article below. The series is a great read for older children and teens. Those who love supernatural fantasy with a dash of wry humour will love it.
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Our full guide to the thrilling Skulduggery Pleasant books
How many Skulduggery Pleasant books are there and what are the latest Skulduggery Pleasant books?
There are currently 12 books in the Skulduggery Pleasant series. Skulduggery Pleasant Book 13 is on its way in 2020. Skulduggery Pleasant: Bedlam is the 12th and most recent book in the series by Derek Landy. The book hit the shelves in May 2019.
Check prices for Skulduggery Pleasant Book 12: Bedlam here.
The 13th book in the series, Skulduggery Pleasant: Seasons of War is due for release in April 2020.
Preorder Skulduggery Pleasant Book 13: Seasons of War now.
Skulduggery Pleasant book order at a glance
For a quick overview of the order to read Skulduggery Pleasant check out the list of Skulduggery Pleasant books below. Scroll further down the page for full details about each book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series.
This is a quick reference list of the Skulduggery Pleasant books in order. We also have information about Skulduggery Pleasant sets. These can quickly build up a book collection for kids who love the series.
What is Skulduggery Pleasant about?
Skulduggery Pleasant is a long-dead detective and sorcerer. He works with teenage Stephanie Edgley (also known as Valkyrie Cain). She is a fighter and an Elemental magician who also dabbles in Necromancy. Together they battle supernatural evil and solve mysteries.
Many Skulduggery Pleasant characters feature in the series. New supernatural allies join Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie. They include Tanith Low, Fletcher Renn and Ghastly Bespoke. Throughout the series, they come into conflict and work with vampires, necromancers and others. These include Melancholia St Clair and Mevolent. Books 1-9 of the series are available as a boxset collection.
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In Skulduggery Pleasant names are very important. Everyone has a given name, a taken name and a true name. Not everyone knows their true name. Now let’s get on to the full Skulduggery Pleasant book series in order…
Skulduggery Pleasant series
Our Skulduggery Pleasant book list kicks off with the first Skulduggery Pleasant book, simply titled Skulduggery Pleasant.
Skulduggery Pleasant
In the Skulduggery Pleasant first book, we meet twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgley. When her novelist uncle dies he leaves her a fortune and his estate. A stranger wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a scarf over his face attends the funeral.
Stephanie’s life changes as she gets to know this strange individual. He is a walking, talking skeleton who is over 400 years old. Stephanie and Skulduggery work together to solve the mystery of her uncle’s murder. Stephanie has to use a new name – Valkyrie Cain – to protect her identity.
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing with fire
In Skulduggery Pleasant Playing With Fire, the second book of the series, Valkyrie and her undead friend Skulduggery continue to capture criminals. When Baron Vengeous escapes his prison in The Sanctuary he joins a vampire – Dusk. Vampire numbers being to increase in Ireland.
Vengeous plans to resurrect the Grotesquery and bring back The Faceless Ones. Valkyrie is in danger, and Tanith Low comes to her aid. Skulduggery and Valkyrie must put a stop to the dangerous plans of Vengeous. Valkyrie also makes a new enemy of a Texan assassin, Billy-Ray Sanguine.
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Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones
The threat of the return of The Faceless Ones increases. Valkyrie and Skulduggery discover that someone is murdering people with teleporter abilities. The Diablerie cult is determined to open a portal to bring The Faceless Ones into the world. They will bring fire, destruction and oblivion.
Valkyrie and Skulduggery must stop the Diablerie. The last surviving teleporter, Fletcher Renn, joins them. Valkyrie finds him arrogant and annoying. The shocking end of Skulduggery Pleasant The Faceless Ones leaves Valkyrie at a loss without Skulduggery.
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Dark Days
In Skulduggery Pleasant 4 Valkyrie has to deal with the loss of her mentor Skulduggery. He is lost in another dimension with The Faceless Ones. Valkyrie’s best hope is to retrieve Skulduggery’s original skull. She can then use it to open a portal to bring him back.
That sounds simple enough, but finding the skull has proven to be a real challenge. And then there’s the problem of how Skulduggery will cope after his ordeal. New dangers abound as old enemies resurface. And the new threat of Darquesse is sensed as the plot of Skulduggery Pleasant Dark Days thickens.
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil
Valkyrie finds out shocking news about her true identity Skulduggery Pleasant Mortal Coil. She goes on a quest to stop her prophesied future becoming a horrifying reality. On top of that, body-snatching Remnants are on the loose! The creatures possess people’s bodies and are on a mission to find a new leader. Skulduggery and his friends face their greatest challenges yet!
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer
The Necromancers now have their deathly leader. They plan to begin a deadly ritual – The Passage – which will destroy the barriers between life and death. If they succeed they could put an end to half of human life on earth. Can Skulduggery and Valkyrie stop them?
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom of the Wicked
Kingdom of the Wicked is Skulduggery Pleasant Book 7. Things are not getting any easier for Valkyrie and Skulduggery. People all over the world have inexplicably begun to develop magical powers. Some are out of control and use their powers in deadly ways. Many find their new situation terrifying. But one teenage girl – Kitana – threatens to wield the power of the gods in terrifying and destructive ways. In Skulduggery Pleasant 7 Valkyrie also keeps getting pulled into dark dimensions where Mevolent lurks.
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Last Stand of Dead Men
Other Sanctuaries are blaming The Irish Sanctuary for bringing about too many near-world-ending catastrophes. War breaks out between Sanctuaries around the world. Previous alliances break down as Skulduggery forges new ones. Valkyrie continues to battle her own dark side.
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Skulduggery Pleasant: The Dying of the Light
The war is over and there have been many losses. In The Dying of the Light Skulduggery Pleasant Book 9, Skulduggery must deal with the aftermath. Having lost his closest ally he sets out to recruit an unstoppable team. Together they must find and deal with Darquesse before it is too late. The Skulduggery Pleasant Dying of the Light plot takes a shocking turn in this dramatic addition to the series.
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Resurrection
Valkyrie and Skulduggery are back in the Resurrection Skulduggery Pleasant book 10. This book picks up some time after the shock ending of The Dying of the Light. Valkyrie has had much to recover from. Now a new peril threatens to destroy the world within 24 hours.
In Skulduggery Pleasant 10 Valkyrie agrees to team up with Skulduggery again. Once more they are in a race to fight evil and save the world. A new character, Omen Darkly, joins the team.
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Midnight
Throughout her years of adventure, Valkyrie has tried to keep her family from becoming entangled in the supernatural world. But the kidnapping of her sister Alice throws Valkyrie’s family into danger. In the eleventh book in the series, Valkyrie has until midnight to find her sister. Skulduggery and Omen Darkly join Valkyrie in her desperate attempt to keep Alice safe from harm.
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Bedlam
In the twelfth book of the series, Valkyrie faces further challenges to save her sister. Her quest brings her up against the High Sanctuary. Meanwhile, Abyssinia has a plan that will unleash terror. Readers will be in for a surprise about Abyssinia’s son. And Omen Darkly has to become an unlikely hero.
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Seasons of War
War is coming in the thirteenth book of the Skulduggery Pleasant series. The book is due for release in April 2020 and is available for pre-order now. Valkyrie and Skulduggery will face a gruelling test. We will have to wait for the book’s release to find out more!
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Quick facts & Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any extra Skulduggery Pleasant stories?
Yes, the Skulduggery Pleasant author has also written several Skulduggery Pleasant short stories and novellas. These revolve around more adventures of Valkyrie, Skulduggery and their friends.
Skulduggery Pleasant: Armageddon Outta Here compiles most of these stories and two of the novellas in one collection. We walk you through how they fit into the Skulduggery Pleasant reading order below. The list includes a World Book Day special novella – The End of the World.
Another novella, The Maleficent Seven, is available as a separate book.
Derek Landy, who wrote Skulduggery Pleasant, lives in Ireland and enjoys the company of his cats and dogs. You can catch up with his news and thoughts on Twitter if you like.
What genre is Skulduggery Pleasant?
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy is Fantasy Fiction. The supernatural themes of the books bring a touch of horror so they also fall under Horror Fiction. The series is age flexible and bridges both Children’s Fiction and YA Fiction.
Where is Skulduggery Pleasant set?
A lot of the action in Skulduggery Pleasant takes place in and around the Irish city of Dublin. Landmarks and streets of the city often feature in scenes. Readers who are familiar with Dublin can picture the action in familiar streets. For example in Dark Days, Valkyrie and Tanith chase Chabon through the streets of Dublin. He tries to shake them off in the Powerscourt Centre.
Valkyrie lives in a town named Haggard near Dublin. Real towns in Ireland provided inspiration for Landy to create the fictional town.
What is the Skulduggery Pleasant age group or rating?
Is Skulduggery Pleasant age appropriate for young children? These books are at the more mature end of middle-grade reading. The later books can also be bracketed in Young Adult fiction. The age-ratings for the series vary from 9+ to 13+.
As with most books, it’s helpful to take a flexible approach depending on your child’s interest and maturity. The series does contain violence, gore and horror elements. These themes can often appeal to this age range! My son started to read this series at the age of 10. He has progressed into reading the darker, later books as he has gotten older.
Is there a Skulduggery Pleasant movie?
Not yet. After the first book came out in 2007, a Skulduggery Pleasant film was on the cards. A movie was initially scripted by Warner Brothers but that did not work out. There have been hints from David Landy that his own script will form the basis of a movie. However, there is no confirmation yet.
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Skulduggery Pleasant books in chronological order with the short stories
Derek Landy has written several short stories and three novellas alongside the Skulduggery Pleasant series books. The short stories and two of the novellas form the compilation Armageddon Outta Here. If you want to read them chronologically with the novels here is a quick reading order.
Note: you can find all of the short stories listed below in the Armageddon Outta Here compilation. It also contains two of the novellas. The Maleficent Seven novella is not in the compilation. However,l it is available as a separate book.
- The events of the short stories “Across A Dark Plain” and “The Horror Writers Ball” occur in the 1860s and 1980s. They happen before the events of the first Skulduggery Pleasant book.
- After Book 1: Skulduggery Pleasant read the short story “The Lost Art of World Domination”.
- After Book 2: Playing With Fire read the short story “Gold Babies and the Brothers Muldoon”.
- After Book 3: The Faceless Ones read the short stories “The Slightly Ignominious End to the Legend of Black Annis”, “Friday Night Fights” and “Death and Texas”.
- After Book 4: Dark Days read the short story “Myosotis Terra”.
- After Book 5: Mortal Coil read the short stories “The Wonderful Adventures of Geoffrey Scrutinous” and “Just Another Friday Night”.
- After Book 6: Death Bringer read the novella, “The End of the World” (a World Book Day special) and the short story “Trick or Treat”.
- After Book 7: Kingdom of the Wicked read the novella, “Get thee behind me Bubba Moon” and the short story, “Theatre of Shadows”.
- Read The Maleficent Seven novella featuring Tanith Low next.
- Next, read the short story “The Eyes of the Beholder”. Then move on to Book 8: Last Stand of Dead Men.
- After Book 8, read the “Armageddon Outta Here” short story, followed by Book 9, Book 10, Book 11 and Book 12.
Get the Skulduggery Pleasant look
Kids and grown-ups looking for ideas for World Book Day costumes can start a Skulduggery costume with a Skulduggery Pleasant hat. This fedora will help any budding detective to look the part.
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If you liked this…
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