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''Skulduggery Pleasant '' (also known as ''Skulduggery Pleasant: Sceptre of the Ancients'') is the debut novel of Irish playwright Derek Landy, published in 2007. It is the first of the ''Skulduggery Pleasant novels''. The novel crosses the horror, comedy, mystery, and fantasy genres. The story follows the character Skulduggery Pleasant, an undead sorcerer and detective, with his partner Stephanie Edgley who goes by the name Valkyrie Cain, and numerous magic-wielding allies as they try to prevent Nefarian Serpine from unleashing a weapon of terrible power on the world. The book was retitled ''Sceptre Of The Ancients'' for the 2009 paperback release in the US and Canada. HarperCollins Audio also publishes the unabridged CD sets of the books read by Rupert Degas. It won the coveted Red House Children's Book Award and the Hampshire Book Award in 2007.〔(Red House Children's Book Award ).〕 Warner Bros. was at one point in talks to create a live action film based on the book. ==Plot summary== Stephanie Edgley's novelist uncle, Gordon Edgley, dies, leaving her his vast mansion and the royalties from his best-selling books. At the reading of the will, a strange man in a tan overcoat, a hat, a frizzy wig, sunglasses and a scarf is present (called Skulduggery Pleasant) along with Fergus and Beryl, Stephanie's none-too-liked aunt and uncle. Stephanie's aunt and uncle are given something: a seemingly useless brooch, a boat, and a car, (which they both do not want). Stephanie's parents (Desmond and Melissa Edgley) are left a villa in France while Stephanie is left Gordon's mansion along with all his riches and possessions. Spending a night alone in the mansion, Stephanie is attacked by a strange man around midnight demanding she hands over a "key". The man attacks Stephanie when she refuses to let him inside and to give him the "key" and the mysterious Mr. Pleasant arrives and saves her, throwing a fireball (which is produced from clicking his fingers) at the man who is discovered to be fire-proof - even laughing and asking for more. Upon this discovery Skulduggery Pleasant shoots the attacker in his shoulder with a six-slot revolver and the man is forced to flee from the scene. During the fight, Skulduggery's disguise of a widebrimmed hat, wig, scarf and sunglasses fall off to reveal that he is an undead mage, made up of only a skeleton held together by magic. Upon slowly realising that her uncle was murdered, Stephanie, wanting to escape her previously boring and tedious life, helps Skulduggery investigate his mysterious death. Skulduggery and Stephanie gradually uncover a greater plot for world domination. Stephanie's uncle discovered an ancient weapon used by the first sorcerers, the Ancients, to defeat their tyrannical gods, the Faceless Ones. He sealed this deadly weapon, the Sceptre of the Ancients, in a maze beneath the house Stephanie inherited. The "key" is in fact the old, insignificant-looking brooch left by her uncle to his other brother's wife, Beryl. Stephanie and Skulduggery, aided by an immensely strong tailor named Ghastly Bespoke, a librarian China Sorrows and an English professional swordswoman Tanith Low attempt to prevent the main antagonist, Nefarian Serpine, from obtaining the Spectre. Serpine once served under the evil wizard Mevolent who waged a secret war on the wizard community attempting to take over the world. Skulduggery opposed Mevolent in this war four hundred years ago, when he was still alive. He became ensnared in a trap by Serpine, his wife and child murdered before his eyes and himself killed after several days torture by Serpine. He returned from the grave, or rather a river, as a bag of bones (literally) and got up to continue the war after putting himself together. Mr Bliss, China's brother, betrays the Sanctuary to Serpine and hands him the Sceptre. Sagacious Tome, one of the Elders, also reveals himself a traitor, and allows the two other Elders, Eachan Meritorious and Morwenna Crow, to be murdered by Serpine. Serpine invades the Sanctuary and enters the Repository. Serpine's original plan was to use the Book of Names to control the World into submission to find the one man who could him how to bring back the Faceless Ones, but he had not realised that all three Elders' consent - or their deaths - was needed to remove the defensive field around it to use it. In a fit of rage, Serpine murders Tome. Mr Bliss then revealed himself as a double-crosser, as he never was with Serpine at all. Now working as a detective and with Stephanie's help, Skulduggery attacks Serpine, with the Book of Names being destroyed in the process, though earlier in the fight Stephanie glimpsed her own name in the book.. Angered at his loss, Serpine tortured Stephanie with his Red Hand, but Skulduggery destroys him with the Sceptre, breaking the Sceptre's power in the process. At the conclusion of the novel, Skulduggery offers to take Stephanie on as his assistant, partner and student in sorcery; Stephanie has discovered through the course of the novel's events that her family are descendants of the Ancients and she herself has magic abilities. Throughout the plot, Stephanie is told multiple times that she must choose a name should she wish to remain in the magical community for several reasons. At the near end of the book, Stephanie Edgely chooses to leave behind her old self and takes on the name of Valkyrie Cain. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Skulduggery Pleasant」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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