![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
”You’re wearing it,” Darquesse said, almost excitedly. “The gauntlet! You know what that means, don’t you? The vision is about to come true … “
Valkyrie. Darquesse. Stephanie.
The World ain’t big enough for the three of them.
The end will come.
The War of the Sanctuaries has been won, but it was not without its casualties. Following the loss of Valkyrie Cain, Skulduggery Pleasant must use any and all means to track down and stop Darquesse before she turns the world into a charred and lifeless cinder.
And so he draws together a team of soldiers, monster hunters, killers and criminals … and Valkyrie’s own murderous reflection.
The war may be over, but the final battle is about to begin. And not everyone gets out of here alive …
It’s two weeks after SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT – THE LAST STAND OF THE DEAD MEN. Having finally overwhelmed Valkyrie’s will the Darquesse is out in the world, the Accelerator is continuing its countdown to Armageddon and there are a load of souped up and temporarily insane sorcerers to deal with. Given that Stephanie is the only person able to wield the Sceptre, Skulduggery Pleasant has little choice but to team up with her. As the two hunt for a way to stop Darquesse once and for all, enemies must become friends and old grudges set aside but in a sea of shifting alliances and conflicting agendas no one can ever really be trusted and treachery lies just around the corner …
The ninth and concluding volume in Derek Landy’s bestselling fantasy series is a fitting, action-packed end that ties up loose ends and provides a resolution (albeit not one fans may necessarily want). Front and centre is the relationship between Darquesse, Stephanie, Valkyrie and Skulduggery and I really enjoyed the way Landy draws this out and examines each of their characters in a way that does justice to all of them. Stephanie in particular develops a great deal in this book both through her relationship with Fletcher and the rivalry and envy she feels for Valkyrie but there’s also some surprising developments for Darquesse who is much more than a stereotypical Big Baddie. I was particularly pleased by the role played by Scapegrace and Thrasher who have been through a lot in the series and often provide the silliest laughs but also some surprisingly touching moments. Although there are big character deaths in this book, they weren’t as gut-wrenching for me as in THE LAST STAND OF THE DEAD MEN but there are still some lump-in-the-throat moments involving Tanith Lee and Fletcher. Valkyrie’s family also play a much bigger role in this book although for me, they provided some of the more irritating moments given some of their actions. There is a hell of a lot of action (as you’d expect) but the fight scenes are very well crafted and provide a lot of excitement and pace. The book ends with the potential for Landy to revisit the characters (and I really hope we see them pop up somewhere) but it’s also a satisfying conclusion and while I’m sad this is over, it’s been one hell of a ride.
The Verdict:
The ninth and concluding volume in Derek Landy’s bestselling fantasy series is a fitting, action-packed end that ties up loose ends and provides a resolution (albeit not one fans may necessarily want). Front and centre is the relationship between Darquesse, Stephanie, Valkyrie and Skulduggery and I really enjoyed the way Landy draws this out and examines each of their characters in a way that does justice to all of them. Stephanie in particular develops a great deal in this book both through her relationship with Fletcher and the rivalry and envy she feels for Valkyrie but there’s also some surprising developments for Darquesse who is much more than a stereotypical Big Baddie. I was particularly pleased by the role played by Scapegrace and Thrasher who have been through a lot in the series and often provide the silliest laughs but also some surprisingly touching moments. Although there are big character deaths in this book, they weren’t as gut-wrenching for me as in THE LAST STAND OF THE DEAD MEN but there are still some lump-in-the-throat moments involving Tanith Lee and Fletcher. Valkyrie’s family also play a much bigger role in this book although for me, they provided some of the more irritating moments given some of their actions. There is a hell of a lot of action (as you’d expect) but the fight scenes are very well crafted and provide a lot of excitement and pace. The book ends with the potential for Landy to revisit the characters (and I really hope we see them pop up somewhere) but it’s also a satisfying conclusion and while I’m sad this is over, it’s been one hell of a ride.
Valkyrie. Darquesse. Stephanie.
The World ain’t big enough for the three of them.
The end will come.
The War of the Sanctuaries has been won, but it was not without its casualties. Following the loss of Valkyrie Cain, Skulduggery Pleasant must use any and all means to track down and stop Darquesse before she turns the world into a charred and lifeless cinder.
And so he draws together a team of soldiers, monster hunters, killers and criminals … and Valkyrie’s own murderous reflection.
The war may be over, but the final battle is about to begin. And not everyone gets out of here alive …
It’s two weeks after SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT – THE LAST STAND OF THE DEAD MEN. Having finally overwhelmed Valkyrie’s will the Darquesse is out in the world, the Accelerator is continuing its countdown to Armageddon and there are a load of souped up and temporarily insane sorcerers to deal with. Given that Stephanie is the only person able to wield the Sceptre, Skulduggery Pleasant has little choice but to team up with her. As the two hunt for a way to stop Darquesse once and for all, enemies must become friends and old grudges set aside but in a sea of shifting alliances and conflicting agendas no one can ever really be trusted and treachery lies just around the corner …
The ninth and concluding volume in Derek Landy’s bestselling fantasy series is a fitting, action-packed end that ties up loose ends and provides a resolution (albeit not one fans may necessarily want). Front and centre is the relationship between Darquesse, Stephanie, Valkyrie and Skulduggery and I really enjoyed the way Landy draws this out and examines each of their characters in a way that does justice to all of them. Stephanie in particular develops a great deal in this book both through her relationship with Fletcher and the rivalry and envy she feels for Valkyrie but there’s also some surprising developments for Darquesse who is much more than a stereotypical Big Baddie. I was particularly pleased by the role played by Scapegrace and Thrasher who have been through a lot in the series and often provide the silliest laughs but also some surprisingly touching moments. Although there are big character deaths in this book, they weren’t as gut-wrenching for me as in THE LAST STAND OF THE DEAD MEN but there are still some lump-in-the-throat moments involving Tanith Lee and Fletcher. Valkyrie’s family also play a much bigger role in this book although for me, they provided some of the more irritating moments given some of their actions. There is a hell of a lot of action (as you’d expect) but the fight scenes are very well crafted and provide a lot of excitement and pace. The book ends with the potential for Landy to revisit the characters (and I really hope we see them pop up somewhere) but it’s also a satisfying conclusion and while I’m sad this is over, it’s been one hell of a ride.
The Verdict:
The ninth and concluding volume in Derek Landy’s bestselling fantasy series is a fitting, action-packed end that ties up loose ends and provides a resolution (albeit not one fans may necessarily want). Front and centre is the relationship between Darquesse, Stephanie, Valkyrie and Skulduggery and I really enjoyed the way Landy draws this out and examines each of their characters in a way that does justice to all of them. Stephanie in particular develops a great deal in this book both through her relationship with Fletcher and the rivalry and envy she feels for Valkyrie but there’s also some surprising developments for Darquesse who is much more than a stereotypical Big Baddie. I was particularly pleased by the role played by Scapegrace and Thrasher who have been through a lot in the series and often provide the silliest laughs but also some surprisingly touching moments. Although there are big character deaths in this book, they weren’t as gut-wrenching for me as in THE LAST STAND OF THE DEAD MEN but there are still some lump-in-the-throat moments involving Tanith Lee and Fletcher. Valkyrie’s family also play a much bigger role in this book although for me, they provided some of the more irritating moments given some of their actions. There is a hell of a lot of action (as you’d expect) but the fight scenes are very well crafted and provide a lot of excitement and pace. The book ends with the potential for Landy to revisit the characters (and I really hope we see them pop up somewhere) but it’s also a satisfying conclusion and while I’m sad this is over, it’s been one hell of a ride.
