Skulduggery Pleasant (AKA The Skeleton Detective)


Skulduggery Pleasant is a powerful magician who was killed in battle many years ago but came back to life as a skeleton. Many centuries ago according to Skulduggery an evil sorcerer named Mevolent gathered an army and tried to conquer the world but he was opposed by a resistance movement. Skulduggery was one of the leaders of this resistance movement but he fell victim to Mevolent's second-in-command, Nefarian Serpine who killed Skulduggery's wife and child and then attacked Skulduggery himself with a dagger. Skulduggery then grabbed it, and discovered that it was barbed with poison. Mevolent's minions then stuck Skulduggery's body on a pike and burnt it for all to see.



One by one the other leaders of the resistance fell but strangely Skulduggery's spirit did not move on. His bones had been placed in a bag and thrown in a river but Skulduggery somehow was able to go into the bag, re-enter his bones and quite literally pull himself together. He then returned, and with his help the resistance was able to defeat Mevolent whose minions were either imprisoned or rehabilitated, Nefarian Serpine included. Another of Mevolent's henchmen, Baron Vengeous, was personally tracked down by Skulduggery, who threw a stick of lit dynamite at him. A truce was signed between the Sanctuaries and the former followers of Mevolent and an uneasy peace ensued. After Mevolent's defeat, Skulduggery (now a skeleton) became a detective, but he never lost his hatred for and desire for revenge on Serpine.



Skulduggery, despite his bizarre appearance which he hides with a disguise in public, is something of a dapper gentleman. He has a polite, old-fashioned way of speech, and a velvety-smooth voice which enraptures Stephanie when they first meet. As well as a powerful sorcerer, commanding the four elements, he is particularly enthusiastic about detecting, always sleuthing for clues, much to Stephanie's and Tanith's chagrin. He is also a flamboyant egotist, vocally exalting his own plans and showing off his magical abilities to Stephanie, at one point walking on the ocean's surface after falling from a cliff.



Skulduggery is a clever strategist, usually forming the plan the team uses (when they indeed have a plan) and sharpening his wit on Stephanie's, taking pleasure in his own wisecracks. The two partners develop a relationship throughout the books. He reveals in Playing With Fire that he used to be great at motivational speeches, although he has obviously lost this talent, as his attempt to psyche up the party before they confront the Grotesquery ends with "I seem to have lost track of this speech, I'm not sure where it is going, but I know where it started and that's what I want you to remember. Has anyone seen my hat?"



Skulduggery's suave demeanor hides a desire for revenge. Because he died hating Serpine and his hatred brought him back, it forms part of his existence. At Stephanie's questioning, he describes his true nature as a "dark, twisted thing." Several characters throughout the series have commented about his legendary rage, though he has never displayed this in the books. Conversely, witnessing the murder of his family makes him sensitive to the loss of others. Although he accepts sacrifice of individuals as part of war, he is highly reluctant to allow this to happen. He protects Stephanie diligently throughout the novels; originally only about to arrest Serpine, he is forced to kill him when he attempts to kill Stephanie.



When the Faceless Ones returned to Earth, Skulduggery is sucked into the vortex along with them. He was trapped with them in a different universe.



On an interesting note, the head he is currently wearing is not his own, he won it in a poker game. His real head was stolen from him by goblins while he was asleep. At the end of The Faceless Ones a Necromancer called Solomon Wreath says his head is an Isthmus Anchor and says to Valkyrie: "But if you were to retrieve this missing head and give it to Mr. Renn, he would find that the link between the skeleton and his real skull is keeping the gateway from closing over".



In book four, he was rescued by Valkyrie. He also learns to fly, and use his fire powers like a flamethrower.