Hell Breaks Loose

Discover the world of Skulduggery Pleasant in this prequel to the bestselling series. So many enemies, so little time . . . 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. Return to the world of Skulduggery Pleasant in a short novel set hundreds of years before Valkyrie Cain is even born, and follow Skulduggery, Ghastly, Shudder, Ravel, Saracen, Dexter and Hopeless as they argue, bicker and battle their way through an army of their most hated enemies in order to save their oldest enemy so they can stop another, brand new, enemy… And that's when things get complicated.

Derek Landy, a master juggler of scary and funny, has done it again with a twisty mini-masterpiece' The Times 'Revelling in the dark comedy, action set-pieces and unforgettable characters that are a hallmark of the Skulduggery Pleasant series, this standalone novel transports readers to early eighteenth-century Italy where our heroes are forced to save the Lord of the Dark Sorcerers' Waterstones, Books You Need to Read in 2023 Praise for the Skulduggery Pleasant series: ‘A writer at the height of his powers . . . Whatever your age, read them and enjoy the ride’ Irish Independent ‘Fast and funny’ The Times ‘Skulduggery Pleasant serves up a thoroughly satisfying blend of humour, magic and adventure’ Rick Riordan ‘Landy's witty style will win him fans of all ages’ Irish Mail on Sunday ‘Hugely enjoyable – a thrill-a-minute adventure’ Jonathan Stroud ‘A fast evolving plot and a great mix of scariness and humour’ Sunday Express ‘Exciting, pacy, nicely handled and fun’ Philip Ardagh, Guardian ‘Gripping’ Observer ‘A remarkably accomplished debut with wonderful dialogue’ Irish Times ‘A rip-roaring adventure’ Irish Sunday Independent

Derek Landy lives near Dublin. Before writing his children's story about a sharply-dressed skeleton detective, he wrote the screenplays for a zombie movie and a murderous horror film. "I think my career-guidance teacher is spinning in her grave," he says, "or she would be if she were dead."

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