“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Nobody Move, This Is A Review: SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT by Derek Landy

Devastated by the death of her eccentric but beloved uncle Gordon, 12-year-old Stephanie is bewildered to discover that she’s been bequeathed his rambling old mansion in his will. But she’s far more astonished when she discovers that one of Gordon’s old friends, Skulduggery Pleasant, is a private detective who happens to be dead. A walking, talking, wise-cracking skeleton, Skulduggery battles the forces of evil on behalf of the mysterious but benevolent Elders, and even manages to win once in a while. But with Serpine Mevolent plotting to draw a veil of darkness over the entire universe, Skulduggery is going to need a little help on his latest case – and Stephanie, although little in stature, is just busting out all over with attitude. Comparisons are odious, but fans of Eoin Colfer’s off-beat Artemis Fowl capers are likely to find Derek Landy a kindred spirit. Skulduggery Pleasant is a hugely likeable character, one part Philip Marlowe to generous dash of skeletal Don Quixote, but while adult readers will enjoy the knowing references to classic hardboiled dialogue, younger readers will be more impressed by the savvy and self-contained Stephanie, who more than holds her own in adult company. For a debut novel (Landy was previously a screenwriter, with two comedy-horror flicks under his belt), SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT is remarkably assured, offering a seamless blend of mystery, humour and fantasy-inspired magic and mayhem. Dotted throughout with pithy, laconically understated lines (“The moon was out and the stars were twinkling and it really was a beautiful night for pain.”), this imaginative and effortlessly charming reworking of the private eye template really is a gift for kids of all ages. – Declan Burke

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