The Maleficent Seven

Image credit: Skulduggery Pleasant Wiki-Fandom

Taking a break from the increasingly dramatic adventures of Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain, whilst not leaving their world entirely, I have just flipped the final page of The Maleficent Seven starring Tanith Low.

Taking place somewhere between Death Bringer, Kingdom of the Wicked, and Last Stand of Dead Men, The Maleficent Seven is a classic heist story and a nice change from the dramatic odds currently overwhelming the good guys. The book follows Tanith Low, now living with a Remnant bonded to her soul, and her plan to enable Darquesse’s destruction of the world by ridding it of four God-Killer weapons that the forces of good might use to stop her. Putting together a team of con artists, vampires, psychopaths, and other cursed beings Tanith travels around the world stealing these weapons from some of the most secure places imaginable. It’s a good day to be a bad guy.

Whilst providing a bit of breathing space from the dramatic events of Kingdom of the Wicked and the next undoubtedly intense instalment of the series, The Maleficent Seven is also a delightful and subtle change in genre. Whilst still technically being a goal-oriented quest narrative, the book takes on the vibe of a classic heist story with the added fun of being told from the perspectives of the villains. Landy does not part with his third person omniscient narrator and simple prose, but uses it to let the reader into the minds of some of his supporting characters, bringing a whole other lot of layers to the depth and complexity of the world he’s created.

Image credit: Skulduggery Pleasant Wiki-Fandom

Here we get to see a bit of Tanith’s past and how she came to be the badass freelance mercenary that we fell in love with in Skulduggery Pleasant as well as get some insight into the minds of other supporting characters that have popped up repeatedly over the course of the series e.g. Dusk and Springheeled Jack, which just makes for a whole lot of fun.

It’s a short and simple book in comparison to its parallel-running series and while it’s a little more involved and complicated than The End of the World, it provides a wonderful break from the dark, intense, and adrenaline-pinching escapades of Skulduggery and Valkyrie. Loved it!

The Maleficent Seven is a stand alone novel from the world of Skulduggery Pleasant written by Derek and Landy and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2013.