Bedlam

Book Title: Bedlam

Author: Derek Landy

Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #12

Date Started: May 30th 2019

Date Completed: June 1st 2019

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Horror

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Stars

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

Anyone that knows me knows that the staple of my reading is basically Skulduggery, Throne of Glass and anything Neil Gaiman writes. I've enjoyed the last couple of sequels to the original series, this Bedlam was one of those books that hit me straight in the face. It’s taken a running jump, but Skulduggery’s finally back to its old self.

Bedlam was a lot more in the line of the action/adventure/fantasy genre like the old books (rather than maybe the horror thriller direction the first two sequels looked at) which is more my kind of thing. But it takes what worked really well from Resurrection and Midnight and mixes it in too; these sequel books get to look at the darker and more 'mature' consequences of the original series, primarily through Valkyrie being genuinely traumatised from it all amongst other things. Bedlam balances the two temperaments really well.

There's a hell of a lot going on now. Only two books in and it's hotting up real quick. But it's coherent, even with what is already a massive cast of characters, I can remember their plots as I get to each chapter. I think a big part of this is the fact that Derek humanises his villains out of stereotypes and into people, sometimes for comic effect but also to raise the stakes. If we can relate, on some level, to a villain they're so much more engaging. I'm sure as hell not rooting for China or Sebastian or Caisson, but they're still interesting to read about.

Speaking of characters, I have to put out recognition for Tanith Low, my own true queen, idol, hero, badass. I can't explain how happy I am that she's back in the fold, damaged but fighting. Again with Val, characters may be messed up from their experiences, but they're getting better. Derek's really good at letting his characters evolve consistently, they're not stuck in characteristics forever. Val's been in pretty dark places, but she can work her way out of them too. As someone with mental health difficulties, it's rare to see characters functioning in a story with these issues, let alone see them go through good and bad days alike.

Derek's just great on representation all round, man. His characters go beyond ticking a box because he just writes people, in all their weird and wonderful variations. The protagonist is bisexual, and while it's a part of her identity, it's not her storyline. The female characters are kick ass because they kick ass, not because they have to prove themselves (I will refer once again to my one and only queen swordlady). I'm so grateful that I had the original series when I was a kid and that it's grown up with me as I've grown up, but it also makes me happy that they're still coming out for new generations.

It's been a long time since I read something, looked up and realised four hours had unexpectedly past. I've had quite a few 'not-want-to-put-down' books, but none that I physically couldn't put down. I can't wait for the rest of this series because it's going to be just as epic as the first one.