Playing with Fire
AuthorDerek Landy
Cover artistTom Percival
CountryRepublic of Ireland Ireland
LanguageEnglish
SeriesSkulduggery Pleasant
GenreChildren's novel, Fantasy novel, detective novel, comedy novel, adventure novel
PublisherHarperCollins
Publication date
1 April 2008
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages351 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN0-00-72570-58 (first edition, hardback)
OCLC877986693
Preceded bySkulduggery Pleasant (2007) 
Followed byThe Faceless Ones (2009) 

Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire is a young adult and fantasy novel written by Irish playwright Derek Landy, published in April 2008. It is the second of the Skulduggery Pleasant series and sequel to the novel of the same name.

The story follows the sorcerers and detectives Valkyrie Cain and Skulduggery Pleasant and numerous magic-wielding allies as they try to prevent Baron Vengeous and his forces from resurrecting the Grotesquery and returning the Faceless Ones to the world. The book did not see release in the US and Canada until 2018.[1] HarperCollins Audio also publishes the unabridged CD sets of the books read by Rupert Degas.

In 2009, it won the award of Senior Irish Children's Book of the Year.

Plot summary

One year after the events of the first novel, Valkyrie Cain (formerly known as Stephanie Edgely) works with Skulduggery Pleasant, an undead skeleton detective, capturing villains on the behalf of The Sanctuary, now ruled by Thurid Guild in a new location after the massacre in the previous Sanctuary.

Soon, Baron Vengeous (one of the original three Generals of the Elemental Mevolent) escapes his prison and begins searching for the armour of Lord Vile, another one of Mevolent's Generals with which he can resurrect the Grotesquery, a hybrid monster made from a Faceless One's remains with the power bring back the Faceless Ones. In Ireland, he meets Dusk, a vampire who ows a debt to him. He orders Dusk to kidnap Valkyrie. Dusk infects two humans to help him. Meanwhile, Londoner Tanith Low arrests Springheeled Jack after a fight.

After losing to Skulduggery, Baron Vengeous goes after China Sorrows, who was once part of a cult that worshipped the Faceless Ones and also included Serpine and Vengous himself. The Baron confronts Sorrows in her apartment whilst Valkyrie is visiting. Valkyrie hides whilst China and Vengeous talk. Vengeous was released from prison by an assassin named Billy-Ray Sanguine who with Dusk. A battle ensues during which Valkyrie defends China. Valkyrie is soon chased by Sanguine, who can travel through earth and buildings. After a struggle, Tanith Low saves her. In the process, Valkyrie steals Sanguine's straight razor.

At the Magician's village of Roarhaven, Valkyrie and Skulduggery look for the Torment, a man who knows where the Grotesquery is. The Torment says he will only help if Valkyrie is killed, as she is descended from the Ancients (whom he despises, thinking any usage of power will corrupt civilization). Skulduggery tricks him by shooting a magical Reflection of Valkryie. Satisfied, the Torment tells Skulduggery the whereabouts of the Grotesquery. Skulduggery and Valkyrie go to Bancrook Castle, where Vengeous's minions have already obtained it. Soon after, Skulduggery and Valkyrie take the reflection back to Valkyrie's house. Valkyrie touches the mirror to absorb its memories. Valkyrie then notices that whenever she tries to look back in her memories one part always remains blank and she cannot pin it down. She realizes that her reflection hid something from her. However, she goes on with Skulduggery without mentioning it to him.

Skulduggery and Valkyrie find Vengeous' group with the Grotesquery. In the ensuing fight, Skulduggery shoots the Infected and has a fight with Vengeous, who wins. While trying to escape, Valkyrie is kidnapped by Sanguine who takes her to an abandoned church to the Faceless Ones. Before an altar, Vengeous cuts the palm of Valkyrie's hand, spilling her blood onto the Grotesquery's body before using the Armour's shadow powers, which mingle with the blood. Skulduggery subsequently arrives and rescues Valkyrie. After stealing the Grotesquery, an incapacitated Valkyrie wakes up in hospital. Skulduggery turns the lifeless Grotesquery over to the Sanctuary's top scientist, Kenspeckle Grouse, to take apart the hybrid. However, the Grotesquery has already absorbed a lot of power from Vile's armour and Valkyrie's blood and eventually wakes up whilst being operated on. He kills the Grouse's assistants and guards, then goes after Valkyrie. Skulduggery and Tanith arrive, and help Valkyrie attack the Grotesquery, which escapes. Meanwhile, members of Sanctuaries all across the world are being murdered by assassins to distract people from Vengeous's plan. Sanguine has also released Springheeled Jack from prison and sends him after a Sanctuary official in London. Jack realizes that he is being manipulated by Vengeous in an attempt to bring back the Faceless Ones, and has a change of heart.

Skulduggery works out that Vengeous is actually a pawn in someone else's plan and accuses Thurid Guild of being in league with this mystery benefactor. In a rage, Guild fires Skulduggery who decides to go after Vengeous anyway. Valkyrie goes to her family reunion as a distraction to Dusk. The Torment meanwhile has discovered that Valkyrie is alive and goes after her only to be confronted by Skulduggery and Tanith Low. The Torment transforms into a giant spider but Skulduggery and Tanith defeat him nevertheless. Valkyrie is attacked by vampires and forced to flee. Dusk corners her and vows that after transforming her into a vampire he will set her loose on her parents while in her bloodlust. Valkyrie stabs Dusk in the leg with the syringe he uses to curb his vampiric side whilst he is transforming and as a result, he is caught between vampire and human and put in intense pain. Springheeled Jack arrives and defeats Dusk.

In an underground car park, Vengeous, with Lord Vile's Armour, murders China's bodyguards, then beats her unconscious before taking her to Clearwater Hospital, his headquarters. Tanith Low, Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Mr. Bliss and some Cleavers go to Clearwater Hospital and battle with the Grotesquery which due to being part Faceless One is virtually invincible. Mr. Bliss is incapacitated, but the Cleavers attack the Grotesquery and almost overpower it when Vengeous arrives along with China. He and the Grotesquery kill most of the Cleavers and knock Tanith out. Vengeous then beats Skulduggery and Valkyrie into submission. Valkyrie tricks Vengeous into releasing her and China, who attacks him and the Grotesquery. Valkyrie then frees Skulduggery, who tears off Vengeous' helmet and breastplate before shooting him in the stomach. As punishment for failing, the Grotesquery breaks Vengeous' neck. The Torment arrives as a reinforcement and tries to kill the Grotesquery but is defeated and scalped. Valkyrie then uses Tanith's sword to stab the Grotesquery through the heart. Before dying, the creature screams, signaling the Faceless Ones where Earth is.

Sanguine then meets his master, who is happy that the Faceless One's spirits know the whereabouts of the Earth. All he has to do now is open the door. For this, Sanguine is paid.

Valkyrie and Skulduggery start thinking about who Vengeous and Sanguine' master is and if Thurid Guild is in league with him. The duo's thoughts are intercepted by a vampire, who prompts them to go into battle once again.

Characters

Valkyrie Cain

Skulduggery Pleasant

Baron Vengeous

A war criminal and one of Mevolent's top generals, he was determined to bring the Faceless Ones back into earth.

Billy-Ray Sanguine

The eyeless straight razor-baring William Raymond "Billy-Ray" Sanguine breaks Vengeous out of prison using his digging abilities.

Dusk

The vampire known as Dusk reluctantly works with Vengeous in order to pay back a long-standing debt he is owed by him.

The Grotesquery

The Grotesquery is a fusion of the remains of a Faceless One and several other creatures capable of opening the portal for them to come back, provided it is active around the time of a lunar eclipse, built with the intent of resurrecting the Faceless One whose remains are a part of it, brought back using a combination of Lord Vile's armour and Valkyrie Cain's blood.

Kenspeckle Grouse

Kenspeckle Grouse, described as a cranky old man, is a doctor who fixes Skulduggery's and Valkyrie's injuries and continually lectures them both about Skulduggery's decision to train Valkyrie. Despite his disapproval, he has a soft spot for Valkyrie, strongly expressing his dislike for Skulduggery in his presence.

Reviews

Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire has opened to largely positive reviews by critics.

  • Jill Murphy (The Book Bag)

The continuing adventures of the skeleton detective and his sidekick are as full of action and terrible one liners as ever. There's a line of wry humour in these books which raise them way above the average bar.[2]

  • Fergus (Squishy Minnie):
All in all, I feel as though I could talk for five hours about this novel. It was a complete success, and I enjoyed every moment of it. Skulduggery is hilarious, Valkyrie is completely strong in both a physical and mental sense, and the perfect combination of humour, heart and horror cements Playing with Fire as my favourite Skulduggery Pleasant novel to date.[3]
The plot speeds along amid a whirl of chases, last-tick rescues, one high casualty melée after another and plenty of snappy, hard-boiled dialogue. Landy gives the term “deadpan humor” a whole new meaning; readers who prefer their heroes laconic and their action nonstop are in for a wild ride.[4]
  • Marya Jansen-Gruber (Through the Looking Glass):
The action is fast paced, the characters reveal interesting facts about themselves as the story unfolds, and readers will be hard pressed to find a more unique and surprising book.[5]
  • Karissa (Hidden In Pages):
If you are looking for a fast-paced, humorous, dark fantasy read I would recommend checking this out. It's a fun read with some neat magic in it.[6]

Awards

In 2009, Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire was awarded the title of Irish Senior Children's Book of the Year.

References

  1. ↑ "He's Baaaack: HarperCollins Reintroduces Skulduggery Pleasant".
  2. ↑ Murphy, Jill (April 2008). "Skulduggery Pleasant Review". The Book Bag. 60.
  3. ↑ Book Review – Skulduggery Pleasant Book 2, Playing with Fire by Derek Landy
  4. ↑ PLAYING WITH FIRE Review by Derek Landy Archived 2019-11-26 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
  6. ↑ Review – Playing with Fire (Skulduggery Pleasant, Book 2) by Derek Landy (4/5 stars)
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