Book
Title : Skulduggery
Pleasant
Author
: Derek Landy
Publisher
: Harpercollins
Children Books
Date
Published: 2007
Number
of pages: 379
Genre
: Detective
A normal 12-years-old girl named Stephanie
Edgley significantly changed into
strange after Gordon Edgley, her uncle’s death. It happened after she met a strange guy in
black coat who came to her uncle’s funeral at the mansion. The guy known as skullduggery pleasant, a living died-skeleton detective who have
magic power. Stephanie found that her uncle death was mysterious after she read
some manuscripts in his mansion and she is told by skullduggery pleasant that
was in charge of Gordon’s death case. With the help from Stephanie and some of
skullduggery friends, they tried to reveal the death. Stephanie became the
partner of the detective and had a long adventure of the magic world.
The most eccentric character in this novel is skullduggery
pleasant. At the beginning he came to the story mysteriously with bunch of
secret they hadn’t told to Stephanie. He caught my attention the most because
he succeeded to make me wondering if he was alive or died till I read half of
the book. Stephanie as the female lead character is also attractive. As a young
girl, she is not afraid to engage in danger. She volunteered herself as a
detective partner to accompany skullduggery and her curiosity makes her
stubborn to learn the magic.
If I can choose the character that I wish I can be Valkyrie Cain.
Valkyrie Cain is another name of Stephanie in magic world. I adored how
Valkyrie Cain the process of her pursuing her dreams to produce magic. She
learned a lot from books, and never give up to find the way. She also proofs it
by her brave action to not afraid of being injured many times. Wise
consideration and critical thinking that she had at that age are also the
example of her excellent.
The most interesting part of the story is the adventure of Stephanie
and friends finding scepter of the ancient. They had gone plenty of occasions
where they had to face danger. They also travelled many places like cave,
gallery, until sanctuary to find it because it was the key point of the
Gordon’s death. They also had the chance to meet the main enemies of this magic
world, Serpine who was believed as her uncle’s murderer. Some other unique and
strange enemies at the same also appeared, and the plots twist when one of the
alliances backstabbing them also happened on the adventure.
The part when Valkyrie Cain can produce magic occurred at the very
last page of the book is a bit devastating. She got the ability of fire magic
by flicking her finger at the end of the story. On the way of reading, I wish I
could see Valkyrie use some magic to attack the enemies instead of being fall
down and injured many times. I regret how the magic can appear when she
finished the case.
If I were the author, I would like to put the part of skullduggery
train Stephanie. I would make skullduggery focus on Stephanie ability of magic
before she came to the war set. It would be better if she also get the trained
from other fellow members like Mr. Bliss or China. If Stephanie having well
trained before the game started, the fights of magic would appear more in the
plots.
I thought the kind of magic that would appear or would be the main
focus on the story was some kind of Avatar The legend of Aang because they
mentioned at the first part of the book about four elements such as air, water,
fire, and earth. Aang has the ability to control all of the four elements;
therefore I thought it would be the same case with Stephanie. In the end
Stephanie only have fire with her. I wonder if the other elements will be found
on the next season series of the books.
I believe fiction story plot like this novel is providing lot of
moral values that we can get. The bravery that all the heroes and heroine have
in this novel is a good example for people to learn. The trust that is built by
each of the characters especially Stephanie and skullduggery was heartwarming
and teach us that we should help each other no matter how dangerous the problem
is, there will be always the way to get through it.
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