Published in 2007, Skulduggery Pleasant: Scepter of the Ancients is a young adult fantasy novel by Derek Landy. Set in Ireland in contemporary times, the story follows a young girl as she collaborates with the 400-year-old titular character to solve the mystery of her uncle's murder and stop the end of the world. It is the first in the nine-book Skulduggery Pleasant series, which was awarded the Staffordshire Young Teen Fiction Award, the Red House Children's Book Award, and the Bolton Children's Book Award. Landy is an award-winning author, screenwriter, and winner of Irish Book of the Decade. When the novelist Gordon Edgley dies, the family gathers for the reading of his will. Present are Gordon's twelve-year-old niece, Stephanie, and her parents; her unpleasant aunt and uncle, Fergus and Beryl; and a mysterious stranger hidden inside a tan overcoat, scarf, and hat. Gordon's will leaves a French villa to Stephanie's parents, an odd brooch to Fergus and Beryl, and his mansion to Stephanie. As Stephanie spends her first night alone in the mansion, a strange man arrives, demanding that she hand over a certain key. Stephanie has no idea what he is talking about. The man attacks her, but just then, the stranger in the tan overcoat arrives. He snaps his finger to shoot a fireball at the attacker, and when that does not work, the stranger shoots the attacker with his revolver. After the attacker flees, the stranger introduces himself as Skulduggery Pleasant. He is a 400-year-old mage with a skeleton for a body. When Stephanie learns that her uncle was murdered, she eagerly joins Pleasant in his investigation. Gradually, they learn that Gordon uncovered a weapon that was once used by the Ancients, the world's first mages, to stop the evil Faceless Ones. Gordon hid the weapon in a crypt under his mansion, but any wishing to unlock it will need the key, which is none other than the odd brooch left to Fergus and Beryl. Nefarian Serpine seeks this weapon, the Scepter of the Ancients. Four hundred years ago, Serpine served under Mevolent, an evil sorcerer bent on taking over the world. During the war against Mevolent, Pleasant was captured by Serpine. After Serpine tortured and murdered him, Pleasant used magic to return from the grave. As they uncover information, Stephanie and Pleasant are attacked by Serpine and his soldiers, the Hollow Men. They capture Pleasant, but Stephanie kills a Hollow Man and escapes. She goes to a library to try to learn magic so that she can rescue Pleasant. There she meets a librarian, China Sorrows, who is also a powerful mage. China agrees to help rescue Pleasant, an old comrade of hers. They are joined by Ghastly Bespoke, a sorcerer, and Tanith Low, a magic-using swordswoman. After they rescue Pleasant, he and Stephanie visit Mr. Bliss, China's brother who acts as a double agent between the mage headquarters (called Sanctuary) and Serpine. They want information from Bliss, but he, instead, steals the brooch, using it to obtain the Scepter. Once Bliss gives the Scepter to Serpine, the sorcerer tries to kill Stephanie and Pleasant. They escape, but Serpine resurrects a creature called the White Cleaver to hunt them down. The White Cleaver soon finds Stephanie, Pleasant, Tanith, and Ghastly; they quickly realize that it cannot be killed. They must escape again, which Ghastly accomplishes by freezing himself into a statue. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Sagacious Tome, one of the Elders of Sanctuary, is a traitor. He allows the other two Elders to be murdered and lets Serpine into Sanctuary. Serpine plans to use the Book of Names to control the world, but, belatedly, he learns that the book cannot be used without all three Elders' permission. Furious, he kills Tome. Stephanie, Pleasant, and Tanith raid Sanctuary in an attempt to stop Serpine. When they run into the White Cleaver, Tanith confronts it so that Stephanie and Pleasant can find Serpine. They attack the sorcerer, but he breaks Stephanie's leg and pulls Pleasant into a wall. Stephanie looks into the Book of Names and sees her True Name, but she cannot remember it. Serpine returns to Sanctuary and tells Bliss to murder Stephanie. Instead, Bliss turns on Serpine and tries to kill him. Pleasant emerges from the ceiling and also attacks Serpine. Serpine uses the Scepter to try to kill Pleasant, but Pleasant holds the Book of Names in front of him to block the spell. The Book is destroyed in the process. Enraged, Serpine attacks Stephanie, but Pleasant takes the Scepter and uses it to destroy him. The Scepter is broken in the process. Stephanie learns that her family is descended from the Ancients, and Pleasant accepts her as his apprentice. Stephanie renames herself Valkyrie Cain and joins Pleasant, leaving her old, boring life behind.

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Derek Landy

Middle grade

Novel

Fiction

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