The Spook's Apprentice (American title: The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch) is a 2004 children's dark fantasy novel by Joseph Delaney. It was published by The Bodley Head and Red Fox in the United Kingdom, and Greenwillow Books in the United States. It is the first story in The Wardstone Chronicles arc of the Spook's series. The book has sold over 3 million copies and was the winner of the Sefton Book Award, Hampshire Book Award and Prix Plaisirs de Lire. It has been adapted into various mediums, including a play script, feature film titled Seventh Son, and a French graphic novel.
The plot centres on a 13-year-old farm boy named Thomas "Tom" Ward who lives in the countryside of the County, loosely based on the English county of Lancashire. As Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son, he is able to see things others cannot, such as ghosts, boggarts, ghasts, and other supernatural creatures.
Plot
Thomas "Tom" Ward has lived his whole life in the County, loosely based on the English county of Lancashire. Because he is the seventh son of a seventh son and thus has the ability to see ghosts and fight other supernatural beings, his parents have apprenticed him to the Spook, a cloaked man named John Gregory (because only seventh sons of seventh sons have the aforementioned abilities, all spooks are seventh sons of seventh sons). Tom's mother, referred to as Mam, sent a letter to the Spook shortly after Tom's birth alerting him to his status as a seventh son of a seventh and promising that Tom would be "the best apprentice [the Spook will ever have, who will] also be [his] last." The Spook travels the County fighting troublesome creatures such as boggarts, ghosts, ghasts, and witches for the people who need these things gone. Tom will have to learn how the Spook fights the Dark, so that he may one day become a Spook as well.
The Spook tells Tom that most of his other apprentices have failed due to their being cowardly, disobedient, or unluckily killed. It is revealed that one of the deceased was Billy Bradley, who had his finger bitten off and died from loss of blood while fighting a particularly dangerous boggart. Tom goes to live in the Spook's house in Chipenden. This house is protected from unwanted visitors by a boggart, with whom the Spook has made a contract. The contract states that as long as the roof is standing, the boggart must guard the home and kill intruders (as well as cook and clean for the Spook and his apprentices). It kills any visitors not invited in by the Spook (such as his apprentices), and as such potential clients wait outside and alert the Spook via a bell system. The boggart is promised in return the blood of creatures in the home after dark, as well as any hostile creatures of the dark.
Tom is sent out on an errand to pick up some food for the house (as the boggart kills guests, provisions are supplied by having someone go to the town grocer). He is given a strict warning by the Spook: do not talk to women wearing pointy shoes, something characteristic of witches, whom spooks oppose. On his way home, some boys about the same age as Tom threaten to beat him unless he gives them some food. Tom refuses and the boys are about to beat him when suddenly a girl in pointy shoes shows up and scares them away by telling them a certain person is back. The mysterious girl's name is Alice Deane, and she is a relative of some of the most dangerous witches in the county: Mother Malkin and Bony Lizzie. The two are powerful witches in Pendle, a town conducive to the use of dark magic, and members of the Malkin clan, one of three Pendle witch clans along with the Deanes and Mouldheels (Alice's father was supposedly a Deane and her mother was Bony Lizzie, so her last name remains Deane despite her Malkin allegiance/membership).
Alice tricks Tom into giving cakes, which he does not know contain blood, to Mother Malkin, a powerful witch Gregory has imprisoned in his garden. The blood empowers Malkin to escape, fulfilling in part Lizzie's plan, which also calls for Gregory's killing. Lizzie, a bone witch, works with her supposed niece and reluctant witchcraft student Alice, whom she abuses, and Tusk, a large and powerful abhuman (the offspring of a union between a human witch and the devil, referred to in the series as the Fiend).
Dissatisfied with the cruelty of her relatives and fellow Pendle witches, Alice tentatively aligns herself with Tom, whom she befriends. However, Gregory remains distrustful of the young witch and his principles keep him in steadfast opposition to the use of dark magic, in which Alice still participates. This conflict over Alice leads to tension between Tom and Gregory in future installments.
Gregory kills Tusk in battle by stabbing him through the forehead. Tom manages to "kill" Malkin at one point through a combination of his rowan wood staff, the staff's silver-alloy blade, and a furious river. Rowan wood, silver, and running water are all extremely dangerous to witches. However, as an extremely powerful witch, Malkin is able to live on as a dead witch, oozing into people's heads to control them. The Spook advises Tom that a witch can only be truly killed and sent to the Dark (an afterlife for creatures of the Dark and malicious humans roughly analogous to Hell) in one of two ways: either one must eat the witch's heart, or one must burn the witch's body.
The book ends as the undead Malkin chases Tom back to his family's farm. He greatly weakens her with salt and iron, greatly effective against witches and other creatures of the Dark, and she flees into a pig pen. Malkin is then wholly eaten by pigs and thus goes to the Dark. Ward is firmly positioned as Gregory's apprentice, with Alice as an ally tolerated by the Spook.
Characters
Thomas Jason "Tom" Ward: An apprentice to John Gregory and a seventh son of a seventh son.
John Gregory: The main spook for the County who mentors Tom. He was previously a priest and is also a seventh son of a seventh son.
Alice Deane: A young witch who befriends Tom.
Bony Lizzie: A malevolent witch, Alice's ex-teacher, and her aunt. She practices Bone Magic.
Mother Malkin: Bony Lizzie's aunt and a malevolent witch who was bound in a pit by the Spook.
Tusk: The monstrous abhuman son of Mother Malkin.
Mam: Tom's mysterious mother who seems to possess the ability to look into the future.
John Ward: Tom's father, a farmer, and a former sailor.
Jack Ward: Tom's oldest brother, who inherited the farm, except for one room meant for Tom.
James Ward: Tom's second oldest brother, a blacksmith by trade.
Ellie Ward: Jack's wife.
Mary Ward: The young daughter of Ellie and Jack.
Father Gregory: The Spook's brother. They haven't spoken with each other in over forty years.
Development
In 1983, upon relocating to the village of Stalmine, Joseph Delaney stumbled upon historical accounts of a boggart discovered there by a priest, a detail he meticulously documented. This finding later served as the inspiration for the book.[1]
Delaney initially wrote under the pseudonym J. K. Haderack.[2] Struggling to gain traction with science fiction and fantasy novels aimed at adults, his agent suggested exploring writing for a younger audience, in line with a children's publisher's requirements.[3] To meet the publisher's criteria, Delaney revisited a story he had crafted in 1993, drawing inspiration from Stalmine's boggart and Lancashire's folklore, history and geography.[3] Additionally, he incorporated elements from his own childhood recollections and experiences.[4]
Publication
In 2004, Delaney published the book in the United Kingdom as The Spook's Apprentice, under his real name. The hardback edition was published by The Bodley Head, with illustrations by David Wyatt.[5] An audiobook version of the book, narrated by Jamie Glover, was published by Random House Audio.[6] The following year, a paperbook edition was published by Red Fox[7] and an American version titled The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch, was published Greenwillow Books, with illustrations by Patrick Arrasmith.[8]
A review in The Guardian gave the book a nine out of ten, stating that despite occasional pacing issues, its action-packed plot and unique fantasy elements like boggarts make it a captivating read for ages ten and up.[12] Fantasy Book Review gave the book a "perfect" ten out of ten, asserting that Delaney's vivid descriptions and characterizations create a chilling yet captivating atmosphere, making it a must-read for young adults seeking thrilling fantasy adventures.[13]
Lawrence Downes, writing for The New York Times, stated that Delaney's narrative effectively builds suspense through eerie encounters and atmospheric illustrations, but the story's reliance on exposition occasionally detracts from its potential enchantment.[14]
Adaptations
In 2014, The Spook's Apprentice - Play Edition, an 160-page play script adaptation of the book was published by Stephen Delaney, Joseph Delaney's son, who collaborated with his father to produce the script.[15]
In 2023, a French graphic novel adaptation of the book, titled L'Épouvanteur, Tome 1: L'Apprenti épouvanteur, was released. It was written by Pierre Oertel and illustrated by Benjamin Bachelor.[17]
Related Research Articles
A boggart is a supernatural being from English folklore. The dialectologist Elizabeth Wright described it as 'a generic name for an apparition'; folklorist Simon Young defines it as 'any ambivalent or evil solitary supernatural spirit'. Halifax folklorist Kai Roberts states that boggart ‘might have been used to refer to anything from a hilltop hobgoblin to a household faerie, from a headless apparition to a proto-typical poltergeist’. As these wide definitions suggest boggarts are to be found both within and out of doors, as a household spirit or a malevolent genius loci inhabiting fields or other topographical features.
In Manx folklore, a buggane was a huge ogre-like creature native to the Isle of Man. Some have considered them akin to the Scandinavian troll.
Magical creatures are an aspect of the fictional Wizarding World contained in the Harry Potter series and connected media originally created by British author J. K. Rowling. Throughout the seven main books of the series, Harry and his friends encounter many of these creatures on their adventures in Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, or other locations throughout the Wizarding World. In addition, students learn to take care of creatures such as hippogriffs and unicorns in the Care of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts. Rowling has also written Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a guide to the magical beasts found in the series, and based on the fictional textbook of the same name written by Newt Scamander and used by students at Hogwarts.
Pendle Hill is in the east of Lancashire, England, near the towns of Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Brierfield, Clitheroe and Padiham. Its summit is 557 metres (1,827 ft) above mean sea level. It gives its name to the Borough of Pendle. It is an isolated hill in the Pennines, separated from the South Pennines to the east, the Bowland Fells to the northwest, and the West Pennine Moors to the south. It is included in a detached part of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
A grimalkin, also known as a greymalkin, is an archaic term for a cat. The term stems from "grey" plus "malkin", an archaic term with several meanings derived from a hypocoristic form of the female name Maud. Scottish legend makes reference to the grimalkin as a faery cat that dwells in the highlands.
Magyk is a fantasy novel written by English author Angie Sage. It is the first book in the seven-book Septimus Heap series. The sequel, Flyte was released in March 2006, Physik in March 2007, Queste in 2008, Syren in September 2009, Darke in July 2011, and Fyre in 2013. The book cover of Magyk alludes to the diary that the ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia makes for her apprentice, Septimus Heap. The cover also depicts Septimus's Dragon Ring, rendered as if it were sitting atop the diary.
Septimus Heap is a series of children's fantasy novels featuring a protagonist of the same name written by English author Angie Sage. In all, it features seven novels, entitled Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren, Darke, and Fyre. The first, Magyk, was published in 2005 and the last, Fyre, in 2013. A full colour supplement to the series, entitled The Magykal Papers, was published in June 2009, and an online novella titled The Darke Toad is also available. A sequel trilogy, The TodHunter Moon Series, set seven years after the events of Fyre, began in October 2014.
Spook is a synonym for ghost. Spook or spooks may also refer to:
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 originated 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.
Joseph Henry Delaney was an English author best known for his children's dark fantasy series, Spook's, inspired by the folklore, history and geography of Lancashire. The series has been published in 30 countries, achieving sales of over 4.5 million copies.
Alice Nutter was an English woman accused and hanged as a result of the Pendle witch hunt. Her life and death are commemorated by a statue in the village of Roughlee in the Pendle district of Lancashire.
The trials of the Pendle witches in 1612 are among the most famous witch trials in English history, and some of the best recorded of the 17th century. The twelve accused lived in the area surrounding Pendle Hill in Lancashire, and were charged with the murders of ten people by the use of witchcraft. All but two were tried at Lancaster Assizes on 18–19 August 1612, along with the Samlesbury witches and others, in a series of trials that have become known as the Lancashire witch trials. One was tried at York Assizes on 27 July 1612, and another died in prison. Of the eleven who went to trial – nine women and two men – ten were found guilty and executed by hanging; one was found not guilty.
The Wicked Years is a series of novels by Gregory Maguire that present a revisionist take on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, its 1939 film adaptation, and related books.
The Lancashire Witches is the only one of William Harrison Ainsworth's forty novels that has remained continuously in print since its first publication. It was serialised in the Sunday Times newspaper in 1848; a book edition appeared the following year, published by Henry Colburn. The novel is based on the true story of the Pendle witches, who were executed in 1612 for causing harm by witchcraft. Modern critics such as David Punter consider the book to be Ainsworth's best work. E. F. Bleiler rated the novel as "one of the major English novels about witchcraft".
Seventh Son is a 2014 American action fantasy film directed by Sergei Bodrov, and starring Ben Barnes, Jeff Bridges, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington and Julianne Moore. It is loosely based on the 2004 novel The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney. The story centers on Thomas Ward, a seventh son of a seventh son, and his adventures as the apprentice of the Spook. After having its release date shifted numerous times, the film was released in France on December 17, 2014, and in Canada and the United States on February 6, 2015, by Universal Pictures. Seventh Son received generally negative reviews from film critics and it earned $114 million on a $95 million budget.
↑ Delaney, Joseph (2005). The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch. Illustrated by Patrick Arrasmith. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN978-0-06-076620-7. OCLC56685102.
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