HCCB unveils 'industry-first' narrative podcast based on Derek Landy's Skulduggery series

HarperCollins Children’s Books (HCCB) has announced an “industry-first cross-format" narrative podcast based on Irish author Derek Landy’s bestselling YA dark fantasy series Skulduggery Pleasant, entitled “The Haunted House on Hollow Hill”.

Fiction publisher Nick Lake acquired world English rights to a podcast-first novel from Michelle Kass at Michelle Kass Associates.  

The six-episode podcast series will launch in summer 2024, with one 30-minute narrative episode released each week. A physical hardback, e-book and audiobook will follow on 26th September 2024, comprising the full podcast narrative with bonus chapters and exclusive content for each format. HCCB dubbed the narrative podcast an “industry-first”. 

“Set in the world of Skulduggery Pleasant, ’The Haunted House on Hollow Hill’ is a hugely innovative cross-format project,” the publisher said. “Featuring a talented cast of six actors and high production values, ’The Haunted House on Hollow Hill’ is a full Skulduggery story in serialised form.”   

It features a brand new standalone adventure, based in the Skulduggery Pleasant universe which follows the titular Skulduggery, a detective who is also a skeleton, and his partner, Valkryie Cain, ostensibly human but with magical powers. 

HCCB said: “On a dark and stormy night a pair of ghost-hunting podcasters arrive at the Most Haunted House in Britain – the Hollow Hotel. They’re here to interview the Dark King of television magic, Romeo Gideon. Instead, they and the other guests discover the body of a murdered man hanged from the rafters – the work of a killer who wields actual magic as viciously as he does his blade.  

“With the storm closing in, all exit routes cut off, and the killer taking them out one by one, their only hope lies with the two mysterious Irish detectives who seem quite at home with all this bloodshed.”  

Landy said: “When [HCCB] came to me with this idea, the bitter resentment at their having thought of it first was not strong enough to dampen the sheer delight at having the opportunity to write an audio drama – the modern version of the classic radio play. To indulge in my love of rapid-fire dialogue and dive headfirst into an ocean of banter, wit, and sound effects? It was glorious.”  

Lake said: “I’ve been working with Derek for 18 years now and continue to be blown away by his relentless innovation as a writer. Only Derek could deliver a podcast, a book, and an audiobook, all subtly different versions of the same story, perfectly optimised for their individual medium. His multi-platform storytelling — as evidenced by his brilliant first Skulduggery graphic novel last autumn — takes him into so many different avenues, and we, as well as his many devoted fans, will continue to follow him.”