Skulduggery Pleasant (1) by Derek Landy
A book about a skeleton... Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy! Part one of nine (and two spin-offs). (In German: Skulduggery Pleasant, in French Skully Fourbery). I read it in German where it contained 344 pages. Age: nine to death (boys and girls). Originally published 2007.
After her uncle's death, Stephanie, just twelve years old, inherits his house - to her own surprise. But the big house does not come without a price! When she crashes there all by herself, someone tries and comes in and a fight for her life begins – but Stephanie gets unexpected help: She doesn't trust her eyes when a skeleton comes to her aid – with magical tricks. Skulduggery Pleasant, an old friend of her uncle - and a magician! Suddenly Stephanie is in the middle of a war between the magicians and the alchemists, about life and death - and a relict that can destroy everything.
This book is absolutely boring. The characters are flat. Everything that makes Stephanie special is… well, she has a name? She walks around? That was it pretty much. And her new name, later on? Walküre Unruh? What's that for a name? It doesn't even sound cool! Either the English version was better and someone translated it, or this name just sucks. And I'm usually all for bad names. By the way, I don't get that stuff with the names. Why does the name you first can be used against you, but only until you chose another? Aaand why can't that name be used against you? This seems to be kinda “inspired” from Bartimaeus – just without any coherent explanation at all. That's actually sad.
The only character who is remotely interesting is Skulduggery Pleasant, but only because he's dead. Her parents are kinda cool, because they have this weird scientist mojo. I can't remember what their jobs were, but they are just as distracted and, well, just a little weird – in a cool way.
To the humour: Maybe I just had too high expectations, because a friend of mine told me how gorgeously funny the book is. But I couldn't laugh about most of the stuff in there. It was just too… well, too try-hard.
The ideas weren't much better. A dead protagonist is something unique. But apart from that, this all just-evil-villain is SO CLICHÉ! Besides, why does Skulduggery Pleasant need her Stephanie'd help? She's twelve and has no idea of the world – besides, she adapts to it too fast – doesn't he have other friends who can help him?
So… I was pretty disappointed in this book.
In brief:
I give no star. Sorry.