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| Author | Derek Landy |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Tom Percival |
| Language | English |
| Series | Skulduggery Pleasant |
| Genre | Children's novel, Fantasy novel, detective novel, comedy novel, adventure novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | 3 April 2007 |
| Publication place |  Ireland |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 368 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-00-724161-5 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 77012018 |
| Followed by | Playing with Fire (2008) |
Skulduggery Pleasant (also known as Skulduggery Pleasant: Scepter of the Ancients, or simply The Scepter of the Ancients) is the debut novel of Irish playwright Derek Landy, published on 2 April 2007. It is the first of the Skulduggery Pleasant novels. The novel crosses the horror, comedy, mystery, and fantasy genres.
The story follows the characters Skulduggery Pleasant — a skeleton, sorcerer and detective — and his partner Stephanie Edgley, who also goes by Valkyrie Cain. They and their numerous magic-wielding allies try to prevent the necromancer Nefarian Serpine from unleashing a powerful weapon called The Sceptre of Ancients. The book was re-titled Sceptre Of The Ancients for the 2009 paperback release in the US and Canada. HarperCollins Audio also publishes the unabridged CD sets of the books read by Rupert Degas.[1]
It won the Red House Children's Book Award and the Hampshire Book Award in 2008.[2] Warner Bros. considered creating a live-action musical film based on the book, before Derek Landy bought back the rights.[citation needed]
- ^ "SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT by Derek Landy Read by Rupert Degas | Audiobook Review". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Red House Children's Book Award.