Few times Derek Landy has gifted us a story that delves into the long and rich history of his famous character Skulduggery Pleasant and his infamous Dead Men team, and each time it has been a wonder of humour, action and devious plots. Hell Breaks Loose is no exception, delving into the little known about past of this long-term series's most intriguing cast in another edge-of-your-seat adventure.
From the blurb;
'Italy 1703
'As the war with Mevolent rages on, the Dead Men are dispatched to a walled town in the Tuscan hills - not to assassinate the Lord of the Dark Sorcerers, but to save him. A rift has opened to a hellish dimension where a being of devastating power awaits, and only Mevolent is strong enough to seal it and save the world.
'A simple mission, then, which turns ever-so-slightly trickier when Skulduggery is presented with the opportunity to finally get revenge on Nefarian Serpine, the man who murdered him and killed his family thirteen years earlier.'
Rejoice as we rejoin our band of lovable hero's, Skulduggery, Ghastly, Shudder, Ravel, Saracen, Dexter and Hopeless as they dive into an unlikely battle with new friends in the midst of the longest magical war in history.
As our band of characters are forced to question their moral position as they fight not to kill the long-term foe who stands before them at last, but to keep him protected and alive, we are joined with a new mysterious group of characters who seek to aid in the mission that will keep Mevolent standing.
As always Landy fills his action packed story with heart wrenching emotional resonance balanced by quick witted humour and touched with romantic entanglement.
A straight forward story on the outset it doesn't take long before the plot-twists turn this seemingly easy mission into a staggering campaign that ripples into the future. As our characters are forced to make harder decisions with each turn, we remain hooked by the unknown's and sudden revelations that seek to and successfully surprise.
Between the action, heroics, moral dilemmas and marvellous one-liners this glimpse into the historic lives of the dead-men, and their interactions with each other, is the heart-warming delve into these characters history we long to see more of in the future.
Another success from Landy's ever growing Skulduggery Pleasant series, fans will not want to miss out on Hell Breaks Loose.
We give Hell Breaks Loose four stars
ISBN - 978-0-00-862294-7 Hard Cover Price - £14.99 First published in the United Kingdom by HarperCollins Children's Books in 2023
Comments