I worry Landy is starting to struggle with motivation, less so with Skulduggery than with Valkyrie, who has been so boring and depressed for so long now. Speaking with him at YALC he stated he wished to write for adults and I urged him to keep the joy, which is otherwise so present in these books. Many of the new characters and ideas are great, China is rocking it, but please, no more Darquesse!

A strong addition to the Skullduggery series. Returning favourites and clear character development makes sure this instalment is as strong as the first.

I absolutely love the Skulduggery Pleasant series and this one didn’t disappoint. The book kept my attention the whole way through and what a great twist at the end. Although curse you Derek Landy I want to read the next one to find out what happens next.

Bedlam is the twelfth book in Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant series. While a number of plots are moving at differing paces, the two key threads in Bedlam are Valkyrie trying to recover her sister’s lost soul while obviously suffering from PTSD and serious mental health issues as a consequence of previous events, while Abyssinia plans to rule the worlds of both sorcerers and mortals by inciting a war between the two.

The previous two books since Landy returned to the Skulduggery universe were a little lacking in comparison to the first nine. One criticism from fans was that the main two characters who had drawn fans in and held their love and attention, Skulduggery and Valkyrie, spent too much time apart. In Bedlam, Skulduggery and Valkyrie spend more time together and their delightful wit and banter of old shine through.

Another criticism has been the profusion of characters to keep up with, many new and some with little apparent impact on the plot of each book. Bedlam suffers from this again as the chapters leap around the various groupings and plot threads, some integral to this book’s plot and others obviously spanning a larger arc. You have to be paying attention and retaining who everyone is and everything that is going on. Happily, though, one character (Omen Darkly) who has frankly been irritating in the previous two books, now has some pleasing character development.

While Bedlam could benefit from stronger editing to trim the fat of Landy’s convoluted plotlines, there is enough of his trademark wit and humor here to please long term fans, plus a bit of fan servicing with some old fan favorite characters making appearances. While nowhere near one of the better books in the Skulduggery Pleasant series, Bedlam is an enjoyable improvement on the previous two.

With the release of Resurrection a couple years back, Derek Landy reignited the world of Valkyrie Cain and Skulduggery Pleasant. After 9 books and constant peril, the story of Valkyrie seemed to have been finished. Three books in to this current run and we’ve been introduced to a whole cast of new characters, acting as a clever gateway for new readers to the series and bringing fresh perspective to the saga.

In this 12th book, Derek Landy commits to expanding the lore and mythology of this rich world he has built over the course of the series. There is always the touchstones of the first few Skulduggery books, like being in Haggard in the Edgley household or mentions of Mevolent and Baron Vengeous. But there’s so much going on now that has surpassed the storylines of the original saga and made it into a much bigger world. We started with most of the action in Dublin in the cleverly hidden Sanctuary. The magical world in Ireland has now mainly relocated to the town of Roarhaven, which was all but destroyed at the end of the 9 books, only to be reborn as a slick city run by Supreme Mage China Sorrows. There are few characters left from those first few books, but those who are around are great characters, particularly China, Valkyrie and Skulduggery. My favourite line is where the Supreme mage is described as

‘one hundred percent China Sorrows at all times…’

Valkyrie is now a fascinating study in an accomplished mage trying to control her new-found powers and trying to quell a growing unease in morally ambiguous ways. There’s a whole section of the book where Valkyrie’s mind becomes the setting for some off-kilter action where you’re not sure what’s real and what isn’t. Valkyrie also has good personal development going on throughout with the presence of a teacher, Ms Gnosis, of particular interest.

Skulduggery has a somewhat limited role this time around and he is separated from Valkyrie for a good chunk of the book. He still gets all the best lines and he must be an absolute joy to write.

Derek Landy seems to have now established the newer characters over the course of these three books. Omen Darkly is a character you now really root for, no matter how pathetic he seems to be. There’s more of his brother Augur in this latest, and a glimpse into the family dynamics. It goes some way towards explaining why Omen is the meek one of the brothers.

There’s so many named characters in this tome alone, but I also really enjoyed Razzia in Bedlam. Derek Landy consistently comes up with new ways of exploring this magical world, and Razzias “pets,” magical creatures attached to her, are particularly inventive.

From humble beginnings with elemental magic, we’ve seen necromancy, lightning, flying, aura-vision and several other kinds of magical manipulation.

Mostly what I keep coming back to this series for is well-written dialogue and snappy action scenes. Derek Landy continues to write vivid and dynamic action, ramping up the tension all the time. You get the sense that with a number of huge revelations towards the end of Bedlam, the series is building again towards cataclysmic events, with Skulduggery and Valkyrie to the fore as usual.

An excellent addition to the Skulduggery Pleasant series. Derek Landy never ceases to impress. With a compelling plot and the usual humour I couldn't put this book down. It was amazing to read about the characters I have come to love from previous books and I would recommend this series to everyone as it's truly incredible.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Link to my review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2812837980

In this ever changing and uncertain world, it's reassuring to know that there'll always be a new Skulduggery book to look forward to each year. However terrible things may be Skulduggery, Valkyrie and the rest are bound to be facing something much worse! Gives us all hope 😁
As with every book in this series, Bedlam is an action packed thrill ride with lots of humour, plenty of magic and more than a few surprises along the way. Great stuff!

Skulduggery and Valkyrie never fail to disappoint and this latest instalment is no exception. Landy has created a world under the skin of our own, where the prolific use of magic and sarcasm gives us unforgettable characters on extraordinary adventures. As always, it's the relationships that really stand out, especially after the events of the previous book (Midnight)! The swift pace and plausible fantasy keeps this series alive and feeling fresh every time.

Thanks to Harper Collins for the advance copy to review.

Love love love Skulduggery & Valkyrie & Tanith.....the gang’s all here basically! Some gasp aloud moments in this latest adventure along with the usual sarcastic humour and non stop action. Read this far too quickly, wanted to slow down and savour it but was too eager to read what would happen next, damn you Landy!