Skullduggery Pleasant Books in Order
Derek Landy has written 28 Skullduggery Pleasant books, published between 2007 and 2026. The first book is Scepter of the Ancients / Skulduggery Pleasant (2007) and the newest is A Soul Full of Shadows (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 28
- Published
- 2007–2026
- Confirmed
- 3 of 28 titles
- Pages on record
- 4,032 in 9 of 28 books
Skulduggery Pleasant is the magician-detective at the centre of Derek Landy's children's fantasy series, working alongside Stephanie. Scepter of the Ancients (2007), also published as Skulduggery Pleasant, opens the run, and 28 books follow through Playing with Fire, The Faceless Ones, Dark Days, Mortal Coil, Death Bringer and Kingdom of the Wicked. Magic, wizards, adventure and comedy run through them, and A Soul Full of Shadows (2026) is the newest.
Source: composed
How many Skullduggery Pleasant books are there?
Skullduggery Pleasant has 28 books, released between 2007 and 2026.
Skullduggery Pleasant Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 28 Skullduggery Pleasant books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of November 2026.
- 1Scepter of the Ancients / Skulduggery PleasantSkulduggery Pleasant #12007 · 416 pages · confirmed 2/420074162/4
- 22008–2/4
- 320084322/4
- 42010–2/4
- 52010–2/4
- 62011–2/4
- 72011–2/4
- 820116022/4
- 920121272/4
- 102012–2/4
- 112013–2/4
- 122013–2/4
- 1320144782/4
- 142014–2/4
- 152017–2/4
- 1620184172/4
- 1720195843/4
- 1820205603/4
- 192021–2/4
- 202021–2/4
- 212021–2/4
- 222022–3/4
- 232023–2/4
- 242024–2/4
- 252024–2/4
- 2620254162/4
- 272025–2/4
- 282026–2/4
Do you have to read Skullduggery Pleasant books in order?
You should read the Skullduggery Pleasant books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Skullduggery Pleasant book also stands alone.
Where to start with Skullduggery Pleasant
Start with Scepter of the Ancients / Skulduggery Pleasant (2007), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Skullduggery Pleasant book?
A Soul Full of Shadows (2026) is the newest Skullduggery Pleasant book released so far.
Is there a new Skullduggery Pleasant book coming?
No next Skullduggery Pleasant book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Skullduggery Pleasant at a glance
- Still running
- Skullduggery Pleasant is still running, with a title published as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Skullduggery Pleasant books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 4,032 pages across the 9 of 28 books with a recorded length, a median of 432 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Skullduggery Pleasant books, 14 of 28, were published in the 2010s.
When Skullduggery Pleasant books were published
Publication distribution by decade, showing when Skullduggery Pleasant titles appeared. 2010s was the most productive decade with 14 titles.
28 books total across 3 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.
What the Skullduggery Pleasant books are about
16 of the 28 Skullduggery Pleasant books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy is tagged on 13 of 16. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Fantasy 13 of 16 books
- Children's fiction 11 of 16 books
- Magic 10 of 16 books
- Skulduggery Pleasant (Fictitious character) 9 of 16 books
- Stephanie (Fictitious character : Landy) 6 of 16 books
- Wizards 6 of 16 books
- Adventure stories 3 of 16 books
- Humor 2 of 16 books
- Mystery & detective 2 of 16 books
More books by Derek Landy
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Derek Landy books in order 37 books
Series that include Skullduggery Pleasant books
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Skulduggery Pleasant books in order 28 books