Playing with Fire

Moving forward in her apprenticeship to Skulduggery, Valkyrie Cain (aka Stephanie Edgley) has made great strides, but has a great deal left to learn. Skulduggery's old nemesis, Baron Vengeous and his band of legendary monsters, known as the Grotesquery are determined to release the Faceless Ones and destroy the world. Of course, the oh' so cool, ultra chic, quick-witted wizard stands in their way.

The story takes off when the Baron escapes from what was reportedly an inescapable prison and sets his devious plan into motion. To revive the ancient creatures known as the Faceless Ones he would first have to revive the Grotesquery, a hideous creature with the power to split the framework of space and time. However, the entire plan rests with show more Baron's ability to obtain the most vital ingredient...Stepanie's (Valkyrie's) blood...

Throughout this wonderfully frightening imaginary journey, our heroes must find a way to stop Baron Vengeous' army of monsters from coming fully back to life. Should Valkyrie and Skulduggery fail, the Faceless Ones will return, and the world as they know it will be no more. Will the evil band of hideous baddies defeat the dapper dead wizard and his young apprentice?

An intense, exciting adventure that will have even the most reluctant reader on the edge of their seat. While some of the more frightening characters and scenes may be a bit too much for very young readers, their older counterparts will devour the pages. Skulduggery is an ingenious, likable character...strong and heroic but not without fear -- Derek Landy's ability to craft a character that kids can relate too, that is exciting, fun to read and encourages creativity is a noteworthy accomplishment. Allowing the hero to display a fear, albeit an understandable one, that of torture, allows kids to see that even the people they look up to have faults and fears and in today's society this is an important message that flows over into every aspect of life.

A fabulous series that seems to get better with each new installment - the book is filled with biting dialogue that propels the action with the speed and intensity of lightning. Four hundred pages, may at first seem a bit much, however, there's no wasted space and never a dull moment. At the conclusion, you will find yourself wishing the book had been four times as long. As the characters grow, the stories expand in depth, allowing the reader to become emotionally invested in the story. From the ultra-cool skeleton to the action and scenery, each has been vividly painted to fully immerse the reader in Skulduggery's world. Although the series was initially penned for ages 10+, these books easily cross all barriers, including age, providing an exciting, entertaining reading experience for all! And this grown-up is hooked - I look forward to the next installment with great anticipation!

Happy Reading!

-RJ show less

The Skulduggery Pleasant books are absolutely hilarious and I enjoy them every time I read one. These books have exactly the kind of exciting world I loved reading about when I was younger, and is still nostalgic today. Playing with Fire is just as much fun as the first book in the series, and sets us up for even more danger and thrills to come as the series moves forward.

Now that the world has been unveiled Derek Landy has a bit of room to tease out the relationships between characters, including their sordid pasts. Playing with Fire has the feel of history repeating itself, but this history is just as new to the reader as it is to Valkyrie Kane. We spent quite a lot of time untangling evil motives and plots in this book, but there is show more still time for Skulduggery’s dry sense of humor and Valkyrie’s family reunion. Many new faces appear in Playing with Fire, but there are also many faces from the first book that we have grown to love. Altogether the characters remain delightful, providing both intrigue and entertainment.

I really do genuinely love fantasies like this where there is a world within a world. It is the idea that there is something more than the eye can see in our own reality, and that that makes everything both in the book and in our own lives feel just a little bit more magical and mysterious. Derek Landy absolutely nails this feeling in the Skulduggery Pleasant series, and Playing with Fire is no exception.

The pacing in these books is fantastic. It keeps the reader on their toes the whole time without getting boring or rushing too quickly. Landy has mastered a perfect balance in his writing style, one that makes this book which is intended for middle graders and young adults accessible to any age. I love the comedy woven in to Skulduggery’s character in particular. And as if all of these things were not enough to make this book incredibly fun, the narrator does an excellent job bringing the story to life.

The only thing that keeps me from making this a five-stars-across-the-board book is the plot. The plot isn’t bad, but it just isn’t as good as the first book was. Playing with Fire sets the stage for the third book in the series, and it is necessary world and story building. However, it just isn’t as exciting as the first book was or I imagine the third book will be. I don’t hold this too much against the book, and in series like this you have to expect that some books are going to be more world building and setting up a storyline than they are going to be standalone exciting books. I can’t emphasize enough that the plot wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good as what I’ve already seen. That said, I am absolutely going to continue the series and I look forward to it.

I continue to recommend the Skulduggery Pleasant books, but if you haven’t read the first book in the series read that before you read Playing with Fire. show less

((Read with my 8.5 year old daughter))

Stephanie, now Valkyrie Cain, after her battles with Mevolent in the first novel, despite being only 13, is committed to a life as a magical detective and is apprentice to Skulduggery Pleasant, who doesn't let being a dead skeleton interfere with his work fighting evil. His magic and fighting skills make him the most able of generals against whatever horde arises, though he is assisted by a series of other magical creatures: China Sorrows, whose magic with symbols is incredibly powerful. There is also Mr Bliss, immensely strong, and Tanith Low, who acts as a ninja on steroids.

Valkyrie's magical and fighting skills are clearly growing, which is fortunate, since now there is not one arch-enemy to show more face, but three. First there is Baron Vengeous, the leader, whose dark magic is tremendously destructive. Then there is Dusk, a vampire, who keeps his vampire side under control with regular injections. Finally there is the most insidious of them all, Sanguine, who can disappear, burrow underground, and reappear elsewhere, making him a deadly fighter and extremely tricky to catch.

Vengeous is intent on resurrection the Grotesquery, a Frankenstein's monster of many parts, including the torso of a Faceless one. If this being is alive and able, at the next lunar eclipse it could pull all the Faceless Ones back to earth, thus effectively destroying humanity and allowing a new tyranny to rein. Can Valkyrie, Skulduggery, and their allies stop this? And with rumours of a traitor within, who is really pulling the strings here?

This novel continues with the complex exciting plot, regular stream of witty banter, and many many fighting scenes that were hallmarks of the first novel. I do fear for Valkyrie at times, thinking she must get PTSD any day now. But so far she's missed that bullet. The scenes are often reminiscent more of a Marvel movie than a novel, which is no bad thing.

I did find the plot almost too complex at times, especially for a younger audience, but my daughter was totally hooked, and we'll both be reading the next novel together straight away. show less

You could guess from the five stars that I loved this book, how can you not love a series that has a skeleton as a lead character? Also I like the fact that while one of the lead characters is a twelve year old she isn't annoying like a lot of fictional or even real twelve year olds tend to be.

I like that the author assumes that if you are reading this book then you have read the first one and therefore he doesn't need to waste pages explaining who the characters are and why skulduggery is now a skeleton.

Book Description:

Baron Vengeous, one of Mevolent’s terrifying Three Generals has escaped from a Russian prison. He intends to gain control of the Grotesquery, the horrific beast created from parts of the ancient Faceless Ones, before the next lunar eclipse. With the help of 13-year-old Valkyrie Cain, Skulduggery Pleasant must try to stop him before he is able to open a portal through which the Faceless Ones themselves can return to the world, and enslave all of humanity.

Pros:

To say that Playing with Fire is better than the Scepter of the Ancients would be an understatement. This second volume is, simply put, just great. Almost every positive aspect of the previous book is improved upon and much of the negative points are allayed.

To show more begin with, the stakes feel much higher this time around, mostly owing to a better-defined main conflict. The action begins straightaway and the plot is immediately engaging. The throwaway action of the previous volume is here replaced with spectacular car chases, battles, and general derring-do that more than anything else feel a lot more central. Over-description is also less of a problem here.

Characterization, which had been at best archetypal, is improved greatly. This is especially evident in dialogue and humor that are far more character-specific. Some of the new characters, notably "Southern boy " Billy-Ray Sanguine, are also very entertaining.

The plot balances levity and danger well. (Characters will make jokes during risky situations and not only does it feel appropriate, it feels indispensable.) It’s also significantly more focused than in the in the first book.

The concepts of the Grotesquery and Vile’s armor are great, as are the abilities of characters. I especially liked those China Sorrows and Baron Vengeous.

Cons:

The major mistake here is, I think, that fact the Lord Vengeous is undermined right out the gate. (He is captured by China Sorrows in the beginning of the book, but is freed a short while late.) This makes him, obviously, a less threatening antagonist.

The writing is still a little dodgy, and the author’s tendency of telling not showing is still present, if decreased.

Also, this book may contain too much violence and too high a body count for younger children.

Verdict:

Significantly improving upon the original, Playing with Fire is an enthralling, humorous, and highly-entertaining adventure with just the right balance of light and dark. show less

Stephanie Edgley is no ordinary girl.

After her uncle´s death, twelve-year-old Stephanie meets Skulduggery Pleasant, a fast-talking, snappy dressing detective who just happens to be a walking, talking skeleton. He tells Stephanie that she is directly descendant from the Ancients, people who used control magic.

Under Skulduggery´s tutelage, Stephanie´s skills have grown. She is an Elemental, able to control Air, Earth, Water and Fire to her will. While still not as skilled as Skulduggery, she´s getting better. Which is a good thing; she´s going to need all her skills for a new evil that is threatening the world.

Evil sorcerer, Baron Vengeous, has hatched a plan to bring back the Faceless Ones; Gods who ruled the Earth with dark show more magic and great cruelty. Stephanie and Skulduggery previously defeated the Baron´s boss, the horrible Serpine. But the Baron has a surprise in store for our hero´s far nastier than Serpine.

The Baron plans to resurrect the Grotesquery. Part man, part Frankenstein mishmash of mythical creatures and all evil. If brought back to life, the Grotesquery will call the Faceless Ones back to earth and then everyone will be done for.

Skulduggery and Stephanie will need all their magic, all their allies, to defeat this most monstrous of enemies.

And they only have three days to do it.

I am a huge fan of Landy´s first Skulduggery book. I´ve given copies out to friends and family and have told everyone I know about it. It was one of my favourite books of 2007.

It was funny, fun, frantic and incredibly fantastic. It was also self-contained. So, needless to say, I was a little worried about a second book in the series though extremely excited at the same time. Would Playing With Fire be just as funny, as fast paced and fun?

The answer is a loud and resounding yes. In fact, Playing With Fire is better than Landy´s first offering. Landy manages to write a dark gothic fantasy that is laugh out loud funny and also incredibly original, fresh and new.

Landy has managed to do something that many authors have not: transcend genres. While this is first and foremost a young adult fantasy, it´s also a noir comedy and can be read by young adults and adults alike.

Landy is a talented writer and has managed to create characters we care about. The relationship between Skulduggery and Stephanie is comic, yes, but also extremely touching. It´s a rare and talented author that can make us laugh in one sentence and then pull our heartstrings in another.

Playing With Fire is an incredible, amazing treat and one hell of a read. It´s also the best young adult book I´ve read in years. If you haven´t read Skulduggery Pleasant, the first book in the series, do so. Then read Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire. You won´t be sorry.

In fact, you´ll be left begging for more. show less

Landy's follow-up to Skulduggery Pleasant finds Valkyrie Cain knee deep to over her head in dirt - at times, quite literally. A paranormal jailbreak, a dead necromancer's armor, a knife-wielding serial killer and the odd vampire or six - somehow it all ties together into a plot to reanimate a very grotesque Frankenstein of a monster. Someone wants the Faceless Ones returned in the worst way, and if Skulduggery and Valkyrie can't stop him the world may not survive the aftermath.

Fast and furious fun - don't expect to want to put it down for long.