Review: Skulduggery Pleasant: Dead or Alive

Derek Landy’s cast of characters return for their latest adventure in Skulduggery Pleasant: Dead or Alive, the fourteenth novel in the Skulduggery Pleasant series. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valerie Cain pursue their last remaining option to prevent the return of the Faceless Ones — to assassinate Damocles Creed. Landy’s duo, with their usual wittiness and, at times, genuine tenderness, must decide if murder is acceptable if it will save the rest of the world. The book revisits characters from previous instalments in the series, including Auger and Omen Darkly. We see Omen’s new partnership with Crepuscular develop into an intriguing and certainly entertaining dynamic.

Although this is the fourteenth novel in a series, this story is accessible independently. The narrative is rich with action and excitement, albeit with vividly violent descriptions, and gives adequate context for new readers without slowing the story down with too much information. The text also accesses and explores characters’ emotions. The story is told in different times using the present tense, and the frequency of these time hops could prove challenging for younger or less experienced readers.

The narrative feels chaotic and violent, but also sensitive and attuned to characters’ emotions. It is quick-witted, quick-paced, and will be quickly loved by fans of the series and new readers alike. The penultimate novel of the series, it leaves many questions unanswered and is sure to have fans eagerly awaiting the final book.

Grace Kelly