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Skulduggery Pleasant

by Derek Landy

The Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy has 25 known books (25 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Skulduggery Pleasant (2007). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is A Soul Full of Shadows. Derek Landy wrote the series; book 18 were illustrated by Matt Soffe; book 18 were illustrated by P. J. Holden; book 18 were illustrated by Pye Parr; book 18 were illustrated by Rob Jones.

Books
25 known books (23 novels + 1 companion + 1 collection)
Published
25
First published
2007
Status
ongoing
Shelved under
Fantasy
Last checked

Start here: Skulduggery Pleasant (2007) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Skulduggery Pleasant

Skulduggery Pleasant (2007)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Skulduggery Pleasant

    Novel

    Skulduggery Pleasant opened the series in April 2007: twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgley inherits a strange house from her dead uncle and finds herself teamed up with a wisecracking, magic-wielding, reanimated skeleton detective, investigating a hidden magical Ireland of sorcerers and ancient evils. It runs 368 pages and is the first of the nine-book Phase I run.

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  2. Playing with Fire

    Novel

    Playing with Fire (April 2008) is the second novel in Phase I, continuing Stephanie Edgley's training from tag-along to genuine magical powerhouse alongside skeleton detective Skulduggery Pleasant. It runs 352 pages.

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  3. The Faceless Ones

    Novel

    The Faceless Ones (April 2009), the third Phase I novel, keeps up the series' detective-noir plotting and rapid-fire banter as Valkyrie Cain and Skulduggery investigate deeper into hidden magical Ireland. It runs 384 pages.

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  4. Dark Days

    Novel

    Dark Days, the fourth Phase I novel, sits between The Faceless Ones and Mortal Coil, appearing in April 2010 as the saga's scale and body count keep escalating around Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain. It runs 397 pages.

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  5. Mortal Coil

    Novel

    Mortal Coil, published September 2010 at 448 pages, is the fifth Phase I novel -- part of the run where Derek Landy's tonal swings between rapid-fire banter and real darkness start to sharpen.

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  6. Death Bringer

    Novel

    Death Bringer (September 2011), 608 pages, is the sixth Phase I novel and sits in the back half of the original nine-book run, where the series' startling tonal swings into genuine darkness and loss become most pronounced. It comes between Mortal Coil and Kingdom of the Wicked.

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  7. Kingdom of the Wicked

    Novel

    Kingdom of the Wicked (August 2012), 606 pages, continues the escalating back half of Phase I, sitting between Death Bringer and Last Stand of Dead Men as Valkyrie Cain's powers and the stakes both keep growing.

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  8. Last Stand of Dead Men

    Novel

    Last Stand of Dead Men (August 2013), 608 pages, is the eighth of the nine Phase I novels, positioned after Kingdom of the Wicked and just ahead of the standalone spinoff The Maleficent Seven, as the original run heads toward its close.

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  9. Skulduggery Pleasant: The Maleficent Seven

    Novel

    Skulduggery Pleasant: The Maleficent Seven is one of the series' standalone spinoffs, slotting into the timeline right after Last Stand of Dead Men and just before The Dying of the Light. Published March 2013 at 368 pages, it's genuinely optional reading rather than required for the main plot.

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  10. The Dying of the Light

    Novel

    The Dying of the Light (August 2014) closes out Phase I -- the complete nine-book run (2007-2014) that stands as a satisfying whole on its own -- following the short-story collection Armageddon Outta Here. It runs 608 pages.

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  11. Armageddon Outta Here: The World of Skulduggery Pleasant

    Collection

    Armageddon Outta Here: The World of Skulduggery Pleasant (July 2014) is a short-story collection that slots into the timeline after Last Stand of Dead Men and before The Dying of the Light -- an optional extra rather than required reading, running 528 pages.

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  12. Resurrection

    Novel

    Resurrection (June 2017) opens Phase II, picking the story back up with Valkyrie Cain and Skulduggery Pleasant years after Phase I's ending -- six books running through 2022 that assume you've already finished the original run. It runs 440 pages.

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  13. Midnight

    Novel

    Midnight (June 2018), 440 pages, continues Phase II of the series, the six-book run (2017-2022) that carries the mentor-and-protege double act of skeleton detective and teenage sorceress into a new stretch of the story.

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  14. Bedlam

    Novel

    Bedlam (May 2019), at 592 pages one of the chunkier Phase II entries, keeps up Derek Landy's mix of banter, detective-noir plotting, and genuine darkness across Valkyrie Cain and Skulduggery's ongoing saga.

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  15. Seasons of War

    Novel

    Seasons of War (April 2020), 560 pages, is part of Phase II, continuing the urban-fantasy action-movie plotting -- car chases, magical duels -- that defines the Skulduggery Pleasant saga's middle stretch.

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  16. Dead or Alive

    Novel

    Dead or Alive (April 2021), 608 pages, continues Phase II, positioned after Seasons of War and ahead of the companion volume The Skulduggery Pleasant Grimoire, as the six-book second run heads toward its 2022 close.

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  17. The Skulduggery Pleasant Grimoire

    Companion

    The Skulduggery Pleasant Grimoire (May 2021) is a companion volume rather than a numbered novel, arriving during Phase II between Dead or Alive and Until the End. It runs 416 pages.

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  18. Until the End

    Novel

    Until the End (April 2022) closes out Phase II, the six-book run that began with Resurrection in 2017, following the companion Grimoire and preceding the standalone spinoff Hell Breaks Loose. It runs 646 pages.

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  19. Hell Breaks Loose

    Novel

    Hell Breaks Loose (April 2023), 307 pages, is one of the series' standalone spinoffs, slotting into the timeline right after Phase II closes with Until the End -- an optional side-story rather than essential reading for the main plot.

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  20. Bad Magic: A Skulduggery Pleasant Graphic Novel

    Novel

    Bad Magic: A Skulduggery Pleasant Graphic Novel (November 2023) brings Derek Landy's saga into comics form, illustrated by P. J. Holden, Matt Soffe, Rob Jones, and Pye Parr. It runs 144 pages and arrives just ahead of Phase III's opening novel, A Mind Full of Murder.

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  21. A Mind Full of Murder

    Novel

    A Mind Full of Murder (March 2024) opens Phase III, the three-book run continuing the Skulduggery Pleasant saga through 2026, sitting between the Bad Magic graphic novel and A Heart Full of Hatred. It runs 416 pages.

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  22. The Haunted House on Hollow Hill

    Novel

    The Haunted House on Hollow Hill (September 26, 2024, 240 pages, HarperCollins) is a standalone Skulduggery Pleasant spinoff -- the book version of the series' first podcast -- in which Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain have hours to find a killer in the Hollow Hotel, Britain's most haunted house, after ghost-hunting journalists interviewing a TV magician there discover a man murdered by someone who wields real magic. It sits between A Mind Full of Murder (March 2024) and A Heart Full of Hatred (March 2025) in publication order.

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  23. A Heart Full of Hatred

    Novel

    A Heart Full of Hatred, the seventeenth novel in the series and second of the three-book Phase III run, was published in March 2025. It runs 416 pages, continuing Derek Landy's saga of Valkyrie Cain and Skulduggery Pleasant.

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  24. A Small Matter of Impending Catastrophe

    Novel

    A Small Matter of Impending Catastrophe (October 23, 2025, 240 pages, HarperCollins) is a standalone Skulduggery Pleasant spinoff -- the book version of the series' second podcast -- following three sorcerers who converged in 1962 to battle in a hidden chamber near a disused London Underground platform, with a prophecy that the victor would hold the fate of humanity in their hands, and nothing since -- until now. It sits between A Heart Full of Hatred (March 2025) and A Soul Full of Shadows (March 2026) in publication order.

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  25. A Soul Full of Shadows

    Novel

    A Soul Full of Shadows, the eighteenth novel and closing entry of the three-book Phase III run, was published in March 2026 -- the most recent installment in a saga that has run since 2007. It runs 417 pages.

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About the Skulduggery Pleasant series

Twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgley inherits a strange house from her recently deceased uncle and finds herself teamed up with its previous tenant's oldest friend: a wisecracking, magic-wielding, reanimated skeleton detective named Skulduggery Pleasant. Together they investigate a hidden magical Ireland full of sorcerers, monsters, and ancient evils, and Stephanie - who takes the name Valkyrie Cain - trains up from tag-along to genuine magical powerhouse across a saga that keeps escalating in scale and body count as it goes. Derek Landy's voice is the hook: rapid-fire banter, dry gallows humor, and genuinely startling tonal swings into real darkness and loss once the series gets rolling, especially from the back half of the first nine-book run onward.

This is urban fantasy built like an action movie - car chases, magical duels, detective-noir plotting - filtered through middle-grade/YA sensibilities that don't flinch from killing off characters readers love. It's a strong pick for fans who want their fantasy funny and fast rather than lyrical, with a central mentor-and-protégé double act (skeleton detective and teenage sorceress) that carries the whole nine-book-and-counting run through multiple named "Phases" spanning nearly two decades of publication.

Frequently asked questions

Who writes the Skulduggery Pleasant series?

Derek Landy wrote the series; book 18 were illustrated by Matt Soffe; book 18 were illustrated by P. J. Holden; book 18 were illustrated by Pye Parr; book 18 were illustrated by Rob Jones.

How many books are in Skulduggery Pleasant?

18 main-sequence novels across three phases (Phase I: 9 books, Phase II: 6 books, Phase III: 3 books), plus five standalone companion works: The Maleficent Seven, the short story collection Armageddon Outta Here, Hell Breaks Loose, the reference book The Skulduggery Pleasant Grimoire, and the graphic novel Bad Magic.

What order should I read Skulduggery Pleasant in?

Publication order, starting with Skulduggery Pleasant. Phase I forms a complete story; Phase II and Phase III continue directly afterward and assume you've read what came before.

Is Skulduggery Pleasant finished?

Phase III concluded with A Soul Full of Shadows in March 2026. As of August 2026 there is no confirmed announcement of a further phase, but Derek Landy has continued the series through multiple planned phases before, so treat the series as on hiatus rather than definitively over.

Do I need to read the spinoff books like The Maleficent Seven?

No. They're standalone side stories set at specific points in the timeline and add flavor, but the main numbered novels tell the complete core story without them.

Can I start with Phase II or Phase III?

No. Each phase builds directly on character relationships, losses, and plot developments from the phase before it - start from book 1.

Reading order last verified .