You’re standing in a bookstore. Or maybe you're scrolling through a digital library, eyes glazing over as you see a skeletal detective with a penchant for high-end tailoring and fireballs. You want in. But then you see the sheer volume of titles. It's a lot. Derek Landy hasn't just written a series; he’s built a sprawling, chaotic, often heartbreaking multiverse. If you pick up Bedlam before you’ve read The Faceless Ones, you aren’t just going to be confused. You’re going to be utterly lost in a sea of dead gods, secret legacies, and sarcastic banter that won't make a lick of sense.
Reading skulduggery books in order isn't just a suggestion for the pedantic. It’s a requirement. This isn't an episodic procedural where every monster is caught by page 300 and everyone goes home for tea. This is a linear, brutal progression of a girl named Stephanie Edgley turning into a powerhouse named Valkyrie Cain, and the world-ending stakes that grow with her.
The Foundation: Phase One and the Rise of Valkyrie Cain
It all started in 2007. Landy introduced us to a world where magic is hidden behind "mortal" eyes, and the skeleton of a murdered mage is the only thing standing between us and total annihilation. The first book, simply titled Skulduggery Pleasant, sets the pace. It’s fast. It’s funny. It’s darker than you’d expect for something often shelved in the "middle grade" section.
Honestly, the transition from the first book into Playing with Fire and The Faceless Ones is where most readers get hooked. You start to see the threads. You realize that a throwaway line in chapter four might become a massive plot point three books later. That’s why the sequence matters.
After the initial trilogy, things get heavy. Dark Days, Mortal Coil, and Death Bringer form what many fans consider the "golden era" of the first phase. We see the Necromancers. We see the introduction of Vile. The stakes stop being about just stopping a bad guy and start being about the moral decay of our heroes. If you skip around, you miss the slow, agonizing burn of Valkyrie’s trauma. You miss the way Skulduggery’s wit hides a genuinely terrifying past.
By the time you hit Kingdom of the Wicked, Last Stand of Dead Men, and the massive finale of Phase One, The Dying of the Light, the cast has ballooned. You’ve got the Dead Men—Skulduggery’s old war squad—and a political landscape in the Irish Sanctuary that is constantly collapsing. Last Stand of Dead Men is famously one of the longest and most emotionally draining books in the series. It’s a war novel. Plain and simple.
Phase Two: A New Era or a New Nightmare?
Then came the gap. For a while, we thought it was over. Then Resurrection dropped in 2017, kicking off Phase Two. This is where the order gets even more critical because Landy introduces a "soft reboot" feel while carrying over a decade of heavy lore.
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Valkyrie is older now. She’s broken. She’s dealing with what is essentially magical PTSD. We get new characters like Omen Darkly—a protagonist who is explicitly not the "chosen one"—and a deeper look at the ripples caused by the events of the first nine books. The sequence follows through Midnight, Bedlam, Seasons of War, Dead or Alive, and Until the End.
Phase Two is divisive for some. It’s more political. It’s more complex. It deals with gender identity, the philosophy of power, and much larger cosmic threats. If you haven't read the first phase, the emotional weight of Valkyrie looking at her own reflection won't land. You need the history. You need to know why the name "Darquesse" sends a shiver down the spine of every sorcerer on the planet.
The Spin-offs and Where They Actually Fit
People always ask about The Maleficent Seven. Do you need it? Yes. It takes place between Kingdom of the Wicked and Last Stand of Dead Men. It focuses on Tanith Low and a ragtag group of villains. It’s essential because it sets up the state of the world before the Great War of Phase One.
Then there’s Armageddon Outta Here. This is a collection of short stories. Some take place hundreds of years ago; some take place between the main novels. While you can read it whenever, it’s best enjoyed after book seven or eight, so you actually know who the side characters are before you read their backstories.
Recently, Landy added Bad Magic, a graphic novel. It’s great. It’s visual. But it’s a side quest. If you’re a completionist, you slot it in, but the main skulduggery books in order remain the spine of the experience. We also can't forget A Mind Full of Murder, which kicked off Phase Three. Yeah, we're in Phase Three now. The ride never ends.
The True Chronological Path
If you want the definitive list to keep your shelf—and your brain—organized, here is the path. No fluff. Just the titles.
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- Skulduggery Pleasant (The Scepter of the Ancients)
- Playing with Fire
- The Faceless Ones
- Dark Days
- Mortal Coil
- Death Bringer
- Kingdom of the Wicked
- The Maleficent Seven (Spin-off, but read it here)
- Last Stand of Dead Men
- The Dying of the Light
- Resurrection
- Midnight
- Bedlam
- Seasons of War
- Dead or Alive
- Until the End
- A Mind Full of Murder (The start of Phase Three)
There are also novellas like The End of the World and Get Thee Behind Me, Bubba Moon. They are fun, but if you’re just trying to get through the main arc, focus on the numbered entries.
Why the Order Changes the Way You See the Characters
Character growth in this series isn't a straight line. It's a jagged, bloody mess.
Valkyrie starts as a twelve-year-old girl who thinks magic is a cool escape from her boring life. By the middle of the series, she is a lethal, terrified weapon. By Phase Two, she is a woman trying to find a reason to keep going. If you read these out of order, you lose that. You see a "capable" Valkyrie without understanding the cost of that capability.
Same goes for Skulduggery. He is the "witty mentor" trope turned on its head. He’s a monster who chooses to be a hero every day, and that choice becomes harder as the series progresses. The revelation of Lord Vile's true identity is one of the biggest "holy crap" moments in modern YA literature. If you spoil that for yourself by jumping into Death Bringer first, you’ve robbed yourself of one of the best payoffs in the genre.
Common Misconceptions About the Series
Some folks think this is a "kids' book" series. Sure, the first few are targeted at that demographic. But Landy ages the writing with his audience. By the time you get to Last Stand of Dead Men, the body count is staggering. Characters you love will die. Not "Disney" die—they will be erased from existence in ways that are genuinely upsetting.
Another misconception: "The spin-offs don't matter."
Actually, The Maleficent Seven introduces concepts of the "Remnants" and the dynamics of the villain underworld that make the subsequent books much richer. It’s not just filler. Landy doesn't really do filler. Every scene usually serves a purpose, even if that purpose doesn't become clear until four years later.
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Navigating Phase Three
As of 2024 and heading into 2025 and 2026, we are firmly in Phase Three. A Mind Full of Murder returns us to a more mystery-focused plot, but with the massive weight of the previous 15 books behind it. The universe has been reset, altered, and traumatized so many times that the very fabric of reality in the books is thin.
Reading Phase Three without the context of the "Utu" or the "Viddu De" from Phase Two is a recipe for a headache. The lore is dense now. It’s rewarding, but it’s dense. You have to respect the timeline.
Practical Steps for New Readers
If you're ready to dive in, don't buy the "box sets" immediately unless they are clearly labeled by Phase. Often, you’ll find sets of the first three or first nine.
- Start with the original 2007 novel. Don't let the "Phase Two" covers fool you into thinking they are a separate series. They are a continuation.
- Keep a wiki handy, but be careful of spoilers. The Skulduggery Pleasant fandom is intense and the wikis are deep, but a single accidental glance at a character's "status" (Alive/Dead) can ruin a whole trilogy for you.
- Pay attention to the names. Names have power in this world. Given names, taken names, and true names. Understanding this mechanic early is the key to understanding how the magic system actually works.
- Look for the 15th Anniversary editions. They have some great extra content and consistent cover art if you're someone who cares about how your bookshelf looks.
The journey of Valkyrie and Skulduggery is one of the most consistent and imaginative runs in modern fantasy. It's funny, it’s violent, and it’s deeply human despite the protagonist being a skeleton. Respect the order, start at the beginning, and prepare yourself for the fact that "the sparrow flies south for the winter" will eventually mean a lot more to you than just a weird sentence.
Grab Skulduggery Pleasant (Book 1), find a comfortable chair, and don't look up until you've reached at least The Faceless Ones. By then, the hooks will be in, and you’ll be glad you followed the path exactly as Landy laid it out. After you finish the first phase, take a break before Phase Two; the tone shift is significant, and you'll need a moment to process the ending of The Dying of the Light before jumping back into the fray.