Spook's, published as The Last Apprentice in the United States, is a children's dark fantasy series by English author Joseph Delaney. It is published by imprints of Penguin Random House in the United Kingdom and HarperCollins in the United States. The series has been published in 30 countries, with sales exceeding 4.5 million copies. It started in 2004 with The Spook's Apprentice, which has been adapted into a play script, a feature film titled Seventh Son, and a French graphic novel.
The main series consists of 20 books, with three arcs. The Wardstone Chronicles follows Thomas "Tom" Ward's journey as he apprentices under John Gregory, the spook of the County, situated in a fictionalized Lancashire. Through his mentorship, Tom masters the skills to confront supernatural threats. However, as the narrative unfolds, Tom finds himself confronting an even greater peril: the Fiend. The Starblade Chronicles extends the adventures of Tom Ward, now a Spook, battling a grave evil endangering the County and beyond. Tom mentors his apprentice, Jenny, amidst formidable challenges. Brother Wulf features the exploits of Brother Wulf, a novice monk, and Tom Ward.
There are also several related works set in the same world, including two short story compilations, a bestiary, and two novellas.
Overview
The first arc of the series titled The Wardstone Chronicles, published from 2004 to 2013, follows Thomas "Tom" Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son who is apprenticed to the County's spook, John Gregory, a master fighter of supernatural evil. The Spook gives Tom practical instruction on tackling ghosts, ghasts, witches, boggarts, and all manner of other things that serve the Dark.
Tom soon discovers that most of John Gregory's apprentices have failed for various reasons, including being killed in the process of learning how to be a Spook. As the arc progresses, the focus expands to other characters, such as the young witch Alice Deane and the witch assassin Grimalkin. Overall, the series develops the plotline of Tom being destined to save the world or be tortured by the Fiend, the father of all evil, for all eternity.
The County referenced in the series is based on Lancashire in the North of England. Various County fictional towns are thinly veiled modern-day cities; for example, the town of Priestown is based on Preston (where the author was born), Caster is Lancaster, Black Pool is Blackpool, and Chipenden is Chipping.[1]
The first arc was followed by The Starblade Chronicles, a trilogy published from 2014 to 2017, continuing the adventures of Tom Ward, who has finished his apprenticeship and is now a Spook in his own right dedicated to fighting an unparalleled evil threatening the County and the world. Throughout the trilogy, Tom mentors his own apprentice, Jenny, as they face daunting challenges together. This was then followed by Brother Wulf, published from 2020 to 2023 as four books following the adventures of Brother Wulf, a young noviciate monk, and Tom Ward.[2]
The Spook's Curse (US: The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane) (2005)
The Spook's Secret (US: The Last Apprentice: Night of the Soul Stealer) (2006)
The Spook's Battle (US: The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend) (2007)
The Spook's Mistake (US: The Last Apprentice: Wrath of the Bloodeye) (2008)
The Spook's Sacrifice (US: The Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons) (2009)
The Spook's Nightmare (US: The Last Apprentice: Rise of the Huntress) (2010)
The Spook's Destiny (US: The Last Apprentice: Rage of the Fallen) (2011)
Spook's: I Am Grimalkin (US: The Last Apprentice: Grimalkin the Witch Assassin) (2011)
The Spook's Blood (US: The Last Apprentice: Lure of the Dead) (2012)
Spook's: Slither's Tale (US: The Last Apprentice: Slither) (2012)
Spook's: Alice (US: The Last Apprentice: I Am Alice) (2013)
The Spook's Revenge (US: The Last Apprentice: Fury of the Seventh Son) (2013)
The Starblade Chronicles
Spook's: A New Darkness (2014)
Spook's: The Dark Army (2016)
Spook's: The Dark Assassin (2017)
Brother Wulf
Brother Wulf (2020)
Brother Wulf: Wulf's Bane (2021)
Brother Wulf: The Last Spook (2022)
Brother Wulf: Wulf's War (2023)
Related works
The Spook's Tale / Interception Point (2009) – A short story "The Spook's Tale" combined with Mark Walden's "Interception Point" as part of a small (128 pages) publication for World Book Day UK, which could be purchased at that event for a £1 coupon.[3]
The Last Apprentice: The Spook's Tale And Other Horrors (2009) – A collection of four short stories: "The Spook's Tale", "Alice's Tale", "Grimalkin's Tale", and "The Gallery of Villains". This compilation was published in the US, incorporating the earlier published "The Spook's Tale".
The Spook's Stories: Witches (2009) – A collection of five short stories: "Meg Skelton", "Dirty Dora", "Alice and the Brain Guzzler," "The Banshee Witch", and "Grimalkin's Tale". Published in the US as The Last Apprentice: A Coven of Witches.
The Spook's Bestiary (2010) – A guidebook to the creatures found in the Spook's universe. Published in the US as The Last Apprentice: The Spook's Bestiary: The Guide to Creatures of the Dark.
The Spook's Stories: Grimalkin's Tale (2011) – Short story published as an e-book.
Alice and the Brain Guzzler (Storycuts) (2011) – Short story published as an e-book.
The Ghost Prison (2013) – A novella occupying the same universe, but with different characters and storylines.
Spook's: The Seventh Apprentice (2014) – A novella featuring the Spook's seventh apprentice, a boy named Will Johnson. Published in the US as The Last Apprentice: The Seventh Apprentice.
Seventh Son (2015) – The first two Spook's books, The Spook's Apprentice and The Spook's Curse, repackaged into one book as a film tie-in.
In the County, Thomas "Tom" Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son, is apprenticed to John Gregory, a Spook who deals with supernatural beings such as boggarts, ghosts and witches. Despite repeated warnings from the Spook to keep his distance from witches, Tom befriends Alice Deane, whose family connections to Mother Malkin and Bony Lizzie draw him into danger. Alice helps Malkin escape by mistake, triggering a series of confrontations with the witch and her allies. With the Spook's guidance and using traditional tools of the trade, such as rowan wood and silver, Tom learns to face these threats. He finally lures Mother Malkin into a pig pen where she is destroyed, confirming his place as the Spook's apprentice, while Alice remains a doubtful but useful friend in his struggle against the Dark.
The Spook's Curse
In the cathedral catacombs beneath Priestown, the Spook and his apprentice Tom Ward confront the Bane, a powerful creature the Spook has never managed to defeat. Their task is complicated by the arrival of the Quisitor, who hunts witches, Spooks and anyone suspected of practising dark magic. In the catacombs, Alice Deane strikes a dangerous bargain with the Bane, offering it her blood and risking being taken over by it. When the Spook is arrested and sentenced to death, Tom and Alice work together to free him and confront the Bane. Alice grows afraid of the creature's influence and supports the Spook and Tom in planning its destruction. In the final encounter, Tom uses the Bane's moment of distraction after Alice's plea for mercy to destroy it, lifting Priestown's curse.
The Spook's Secret
During a harsh winter, the Spook suddenly decides to leave Chipenden for his winter house at Anglezarke, unsettling Tom. The house contains a cellar crowded with bound witches and boggarts, which adds to its threatening atmosphere. As the months pass, Tom learns more about his master's past and the reason for their move. The stranger who has appeared is revealed as Morgan Hurst, the Spook's former apprentice and now a necromancer seeking to raise an old god. Through Tom's discoveries and the Spook's memories, the book traces the Spook's earlier failures and the long-standing conflict with Morgan that now threatens the County.
The Spook's Battle
Tom learns that his mother has returned to Greece and left behind three trunks intended for him alone. On the Spook's orders, Tom and Alice Deane travel to collect them, only to learn that his family has been abducted by witches and taken to Pendle. While Tom struggles with what he learns about the Spook's history and the priest Father Stocks, he must also deal with rival witch clans, including the Mouldheels, and the threat of Mistress Wurmalde. The witches plan to summon the Fiend, a powerful personification of the Dark. Tom fights to rescue his family and prevent the summoning, confronting unsettling truths about his own heritage and his mother's links to dark powers.
The Spook's Mistake
Sent north for further training under Bill Arkwright, Tom endures harsh lessons at a haunted mill surrounded by dangerous marshes. Arkwright's methods are severe, but he prepares Tom for attacks from the Dark, including the Fiend's daughter Morwena, a deadly water witch sent to kill him. When Arkwright misjudges the danger and leaves Tom exposed, Tom is forced to face enemies with little support. With help from Alice Deane and the Spook, he takes part in a series of battles against Morwena and other servants of the Fiend. The effects of the Spook's choice to send Tom away, and Arkwright's own failings, threaten to give the Dark an advantage and place Tom's future as a Spook at risk.
The Spook's Sacrifice
Tom Ward is drawn between loyalty to the Spook and obedience to his mother, Mam, who reveals that she is a lamia with a complex history. Tom, Mam, Alice and the Spook travel to Greece to confront the Ordeen, a powerful entity whose return would bring widespread destruction. On their way they must deal with the Fiend's attempts to win Tom over, and with allies who use dark magic for their own purposes. Mam places herself between the Ordeen and the human world, giving her life to hold it back. Through her letters and a final encounter with her spirit, Tom gains a clearer understanding of her motives and accepts his role in the fight against the Dark, continuing his apprenticeship with Alice Deane at his side.
The Spook's Nightmare
With war spreading through the County, the Spook, Tom and Alice Deane travel to the Isle of Mona in search of safety, but instead find fear and persecution. Suspected witches are subjected to brutal tests, and if they are found guilty they are offered to the buggane. Lord Barrule, a shaman who works with the buggane, controls much of what happens on the island. Matters worsen when Bony Lizzie returns, seeking revenge on the Spook for the years she spent imprisoned in his garden pit. Surrounded by hostile forces and shifting loyalties, Tom, Alice and the Spook must survive both the island's rulers and old enemies from the County.
The Spook's Destiny
The Spook, Tom Ward and Alice Deane travel to the south-west of Ireland to confront a Celtic witch and the goat mages who intend to raise Pan. Tom discovers the Destiny Blade, a powerful weapon that tempts its bearer with the promise of easy victory and bloodshed. The group's position improves when Grimalkin, a feared witch assassin previously loyal to the Dark, joins them. Together they face the witch, the goat mages and the growing influence of Pan. The mission reveals more about the cost of using weapons shaped by the Dark and about Tom's willingness to resist them.
Spook's: I Am Grimalkin
The story follows Grimalkin, a witch assassin who first met Tom Ward when he became apprentice to the Spook. Her actions are driven by the murder of her son, for which she seeks revenge. Grimalkin agrees to work with Tom and the Spook to bind the Fiend, even though she remains part of the Dark. After the Fiend is beheaded, she takes responsibility for guarding and moving his severed head so that his followers cannot recover it. The narrative follows her attempts to keep the head from rival forces, using her skills and experience to protect the fragile victory over the Fiend.
The Spook's Blood
Tom Ward returns to Malkin Tower and learns what must be done to destroy the Fiend completely, a prospect that leaves him close to despair. Soon afterwards, he and the Spook are drawn to Todmorden under the pretext of adding to the Chipenden library, and discover a town gripped by fear after dark. As they investigate, they are caught up in attacks from creatures of the Dark and in a struggle for control that strains even their partnership with Alice Deane and Grimalkin. During the fighting, the Spook is badly wounded and the Vampire God Siscoi is released, raising the danger to a new level.
Spook's: Slither's Tale
The story centres on Slither, an inhuman creature who lives beyond the County's borders and feeds on sleeping humans. When a local farmer dies, Slither decides to claim the man's daughters as prey, but the farmer insists on a bargain: Slither must protect the two younger girls in exchange for taking the eldest, Nessa, with him. Slither keeps to the agreement and begins a journey with Nessa through a region filled with hostile beings. Among those they encounter is Grimalkin, still seeking a way to destroy the Fiend. The story follows Slither and Nessa as they try to survive enemies on all sides and avoid being drawn into the wider struggle between the Dark and its opponents.
Spook's: Alice
Alice Deane travels alone into the dark to obtain the last weapon needed to defeat the Fiend. Separated from Tom and the Spook, she must move through places and figures from her own past, confronting memories she had hoped to escape. The task set before her may cost her life, since Tom is expected to kill her once she brings back the weapon. As she moves deeper into the dark realm, Alice must fight both external threats and the risk of giving in to the Dark itself. The book shows how she attempts to hold on to her sense of self and to her loyalty to Tom while carrying out a task that may end with her death.
The Spook's Revenge
Tom Ward faces new revelations and growing danger at the end of his apprenticeship. Alice Deane returns with the final hero blade and instructions for its use, increasing the pressure on Tom as the one expected to end the Fiend's power. Tom learns that his mother was the first lamia and that the Wardstone has hidden properties linked to old prophecies, which further complicates his position. The effort to stop the Fiend's return brings Tom into conflict with Lukrasta and leads to Alice turning to the Dark under Lukrasta's influence. After a series of losses, including the death of the Spook, Tom succeeds in ending the Fiend. The novel closes with Tom taking on the task of protecting the County in his own right, trying to live up to the Spook's legacy while dealing with the personal cost of the struggle.
The Starblade Chronicles
Spook's: A New Darkness
Tom Ward assumes the mantle of the Chippenden Spook after his mentor John Gregory's death. Tom faces new challenges, including the Kobalos incursion threatening the County. Alongside him is Jenny, a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, who possesses unique magical abilities. As they confront a Kobalos mage terrorising the land, Tom must retrieve the Starblade, a powerful weapon buried with his mentor. Grimalkin, a former ally turned adversary, complicates matters with her vendetta against the Kobalos. Tom's journey unfolds amidst freezing temperatures and escalating danger, setting the stage for the next chapter in the battle against darkness.
Spook's: The Dark Army
In the aftermath of Tom Ward's death, despair grips those left behind as they face the impending threat of a dark army poised to plunge the world into eternal winter. With Tom gone, the pressing question looms: Who will step up to continue the battle against the forces of darkness? As time dwindles, the remaining allies must rally together to confront the looming darkness before it returns to the County, altering the world irreversibly.
Spook's: The Dark Assassin
In the shadowy realm between earth and oblivion, an enigmatic assassin stalks, their identity and purpose shrouded in mystery. As the people of the County cower in fear of encroaching beasts determined to wage war on their land, the daunting question arises: How can they withstand adversaries empowered by the might of a god? Amidst despair, a glimmer of hope emerges as whispers suggest that the elusive creature lurking in the darkness may hold the key to salvation for the embattled County.
Brother Wulf
Brother Wulf
The story follows Brother Beowulf (Wulf), a young monk and scribe who serves Spook Johnson. When Johnson is captured by a witch, Wulf travels with Tom Ward and Alice Deane to try to rescue him. Their journey brings them up against a series of threats and betrayals, including encounters with powerful beings such as Circe, and forces Wulf to learn more about the work of spooks and the nature of witches. As the dangers increase, Wulf must decide how far he is prepared to go to protect his companions.
Brother Wulf: Wulf's Bane
Wulf continues his apprenticeship under Spook Johnson and is drawn deeper into a world of magic and violence. He works alongside Tom Ward, Alice Deane and Tilda, facing opponents that include Circe and the Malkin clan. Guided by figures such as Hrothgar and Grimalkin, Wulf takes part in battles and trials that reveal the extent of his abilities and his limits. He helps in the defeat of Circe and then joins his companions on a journey to confront the Pendle witches, facing tests of loyalty, courage and endurance.
Brother Wulf: The Last Spook
Tom Ward and Alice Deane confront renewed threats in Priestown, including signs of the Fiend's return and other forces of the Dark. At the same time, Wulf continues his training with Hrothgar, faces bound wraiths and is given the task of destroying the Fiend. As their stories come together, each character is forced to make sacrifices and accept the demands of prophecy. The novel builds to a final attempt to end the Fiend's influence, bringing Tom, Alice and Wulf's separate journeys to a shared crisis.
Brother Wulf: Wulf's War
The story's opening shows Wulf's first contact with powerful beings such as Golgoth, the Lord of Winter, and Loki. Wulf sets out to find Grimalkin and Thorne so they can continue their fight against the Dark. His search takes him through places such as Silverdale and Silvertown, where he encounters traps, shifting loyalties and prophecies that seem to foretell his death, as well as the schemes of trickster gods. With help from Jenny and other allies, Wulf confronts demons and witches and finally faces Golgoth himself. The closing section suggests that time may have been altered and raises questions about the cost of changing the past, leaving Wulf reflecting on fate, sacrifice and the burden of his choices.
Characters
Thomas Jason "Tom" Ward: apprentice to John Gregory and the seventh son of a seventh son, also the son of the ancient and powerful sorceress lamia; from his father he has inherited the gifts of a spook and from his mother the ability to speed up, slow down, and halt time, the ability to locate his prey supernaturally, the ability to heal from otherwise-fatal wounds like a lamia witch, and a "lamia form" that increases his strength, speed, durability, and healing but also anger and bloodlust.
John Gregory: the Spook for the County who mentors Tom Ward.
Alice Deane: a witch who becomes Tom's closest friend. She is the daughter of Bony Lizzie and the Fiend and an immensely powerful witch who walks the line between good and evil.
Bony Lizzie: a malevolent witch, Alice's ex-teacher and cruel mother. She is captured by Gregory but later freed and attempts to conquer the Isle of Mona, but is killed.
Mother Malkin: a powerful malevolent witch, who was killed by Ward.
Tusk: an abhuman, and Mother Malkin's son, who was killed by Gregory.
Agnes Sowerbutts: Alice's aunt and Lizzie's sister, a benign witch, healer, and midwife who helps Alice and a young Grimalkin. She is killed for helping Alice by pro-Fiend witches, "living" on as a dead witch.
Adriana: a bird witch on the Isle of Mona who allies herself with Ward, Gregory, and Alice Deane and helps thwart and kill Lizzie.
Mam/Lamia/Zenobia: Tom's mysterious mother, the original lamia witch.
Wynde and Slake: two lamia witches and Mam's spiritual "sisters" who ally themselves with Ward.
Wurmalde: a Greek witch and old enemy of Mam who nearly killed her.
Bill Arkwright: the Spook for the County north of Caster, and a previous apprentice of Gregory. He is killed helping the others escape the Ord.
Judd Brinscall: a spook and former apprentice of John Gregory who primarily worked in Romania before moving to Caster to take up the late Arkwright's place.
Grimalkin: the Malkin witch assassin who formed an alliance with Tom and the Spook to destroy the Fiend, who killed their son.
Thorne Malkin: a witch and Grimalkin's apprentice as witch assassin. She is killed defending the Fiend's severed head.
John Ward: Tom's father and a seventh son, who saved Tom's mother's life.
Jack Ward: Tom's oldest brother, inherited the farm except for one room meant for Tom.
James Ward: Tom's second oldest brother, a blacksmith by trade. Also helped fight the Pendle witch clans.
Tibb: a mysterious creature of the Dark created by the Malkins to see into the future.
Mab Mouldheel: a young witch and Mouldheel witch clan leader. Her potent scrying motivates the rival Malkins' creation of Tibb.
Morgan Hurst: a necromancer and fallen apprentice of Gregory who tried to summon Golgoth.
Meg Skelton: the mysterious lamia witch that lives in John Gregory's winter house in Anglezarke. Formerly Gregory's lover.
The Fiend: Old God and the Devil. Primary antagonist later killed by Tom Ward.
Lukrasta: an ancient immortal dark mage and creator of the power-granting Doomdryte grimoire, wrongly believed dead. To combat the Kobalos, an all-male non-human warrior race intent on killing all human males and enslaving all human females (to ensure their species' survival), he allies with Alice and Pan.
Horn: an abhuman who can see darkness in oneself.
Kratch: the Boggart who serves the Spook in Chipenden.
Slither: a skilled and powerful Kobalos mage forced by circumstance into taking up arms against his kind.
Talkus the Unborn: a new Kobalos God who takes over the Fiend's place as the strongest dark entity after Ward kills the Fiend.
Golgoth: Old God and god of winter whom Morgan attempted to summon.
Siscoi: Old God and vampire god who serves the Fiend.
Pan: Old God and nature god who forced Alice to ally with Lukrasta.
Hecate: Old God and self-proclaimed Queen of the Witches, later killed and usurped by Grimalkin.
The Bane: former Old God who declined in power into a demon, killed by Ward, the Spook, and Alice.
The Ordeen: Old God killed by her enemy Mam as a lamia/zenobia.
Publication
The Wardstone Chronicles, was published from 2004 to 2013. In the United Kingdom, the hardbook editions were published by The Bodley Head, an imprint of Penguin,[4] and paperbacks by Red Fox, an imprint of Random House.[5] In the United States, it was published by Greenwillow, an imprint of HarperCollins.[6] The Starblade Chronicles, was published from 2014 to 2017 by the same publishers.[7]Brother Wulf was published from 2020 to 2023 by Puffin, which is also an imprint of Penguin.[8]
Illustrations
The illustrator for the UK versions David Wyatt, providing the original series covers and the illustrations for each chapter.[9] The US versions were illustratied by Patrick Arrasmith; in addition to the cover art, Arrasmith designed pen and ink drawings which precede every chapter in the books.[10]The Last Apprentice: A Coven of Witches was illustrated by Tim Foley[11] and The Spook's Bestiary was illustrated by Julek Heller.[12]
The US audiobooks were produced by Harper Audio. Christopher Evan Welch read books 1 through 10,[20] and he was joined by Angela Goethals in reading Book 11.[21] Welch also read the short story collection The Spook's Tale And Other Horrors.[20] Welch died of lung cancer in 2013.[22]Angela Goethals read Book 12[23] and Alexander Cendese read Book 13.[24]
Adaptations
In 2014, Stephen Delaney, Joseph Delaney's son, along with his father, published an adaption of The Spook's Apprentice into a 160-page play script, under the title The Spook's Apprentice - Play Edition.[25]
In 2023, a French graphic novel adaptation of The Spook's Apprentice was published under the title L'Épouvanteur, Tome 1: L'Apprenti épouvanteur. Pierre Oertel authored the text and Benjamin Bachelor provided the illustrations.[27]
Reception
The Spook's series has been published in 30 countries, with sales exceeding 4.5 million copies.[28]
Critical reception of the series has been positive,[29][30] with two of the books in the series making the ALSC's 2006 list of "Notable Videos/DVDs, Recordings, Software, and Subscription Services" and the YALSA's list of "Fabulous Films & Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults" for 2009.[31][32]The Spook's Apprentice was the winner of both the Sefton Book Award and the Hampshire Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Lancashire Book of the Year award.[33]
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