Hell Breaks Loose

The word magic means very different things to different people. At least in part, I guess, this is an age thing – to the very young it is likely to mean fairies and witches, and to my generation it possibly conjures up the world of illusion as seen regularly on Saturday night TV growing up. My favourite type of magic, however, is the one that gives its wielders powers beyond the simple waving of wands or bubbling of cauldrons. I love magic which is dark and powerful and threatening – exactly the type of magic woven through the Skulduggery Pleasant series to which this is the recently published prequel.

For those who are not as yet familiar with the skeleton detective – an oversight, surely – this is the very latest in a wealth of titles aimed at an audience of readers just above middle grade and is crammed full of dark humour, violence and a wide range of individuals with their own unique supernatural powers, wielded in the constant battle of good vs evil. Although ostensibly the good guy, Skulduggery is no goody-two-shoes sorcerer but a frequent rule-breaker with his own agenda, making him a brilliant hero whose adventures hold enormous appeal to his many fans.

Long before we first met him, in the Italy of 1703, Skulduggery has spent the 13 years since the deaths of himself and his family living without any sort of strict moral code but this is all about to change as he re-joins the group of friends known as The Dead Men. Together with friends Ghastly, Saracen and Hopeless, Skulduggery approaches the enemy camp with a view to taking out its occupants. Mission accomplished, the foursome rendezvous with fifth group member Dexter who is holding captive a man called Adalbert who confirms that close by is La Porta dell’Inferno – the gateway to Hell.

Explaining that all-round-bad-guy Vengeous is trying to ascertain whether or not the gateway can be opened, Adalbert reveals that it is believed to be the portal to the Faceless Ones’ dimension – one which if opened will allow them through to burn the mortal infestation from the face of the Earth. Requiring further information, Skulduggery threatens Adalbert with a hideous death and he cracks, revealing that in addition to Vengeous, the Lord of the Dark Sorcerers – Mevolent – and Skulduggery’s murderer Serpine are also present.

Under instruction to ensure the portal is closed by Mevolent as soon as he realises his mistake in opening it, the Dead Men are assigned to protect him for the sake of all humankind but with Serpine within reach, will Skulduggery follow orders or will he break away once more to bring to justice the man he hates above all others?

Although he is, without question, one of the good guys, there is no doubt that to a certain extent Skulduggery not only enjoys violence but he has a real talent for it. Where in other books the almost constant fighting and use of brute force might prove to be too much, here it is always tempered with huge helpings of very dark humour and the knowledge that as someone who is already dead, Skulduggery – unlike many of his opponents – will ultimately be okay.

For fans of the original series, the names of Ghastly, Saracen and Mevolent etc, will all mean something and I was thrilled to meet up with them once more as many others will be too. For those who are picking this up as a standalone title, everything you need to know is seamlessly woven in so that no previous knowledge of either characters or events is necessary. Am I hoping that this won’t be left as a standalone and that there will be more from Skulduggery’s past? Of course! And the ending is such that I am hoping for much more to come – only time will tell.