Skulduggery Pleasant: Seasons of War
You can’t accuse Derek Landy of being lazy. Seasons of War is the thirteenth novel in the Skulduggery Pleasant series, the fourth book in the second series and the beginning of the second trilogy of the series.
Skulduggery and Valkyrie return once again, tasked with averting catastrophe, by undertaking a secret mission that takes them to a forsaken land of magic and terror. Joined by a small team of familiar and new characters, they will encounter zombie-like people, infected by a disease called Draugar. Valkyrie will have to fight harder than ever before, not only against her enemies but also her own dark impulses.
Landy’s many fans will not need convincing to dive right into Seasons of War. New readers might be put off by the amount of characters and mythology, but after a few chapters it won’t matter as the reader will soon get to grips with all that is going on. Or what seems to be going on.
Besides Skulduggery and Valkyrie’s mission, Landy manages to skilfully interweave several other characters and plots. He has created an impressive mythology and it’s great to see Ireland being a huge part of it.
Valkyrie is a fascinating character and her personal journey is one of the most interesting things about the book. It’s a rollicking read, filled with compelling characters, epic adventures, dark humour and, of course, magic.
