The Spook's Apprentice
Encyclopedia
The Spook's Apprentice (American title: The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch), written by Joseph Delaney
, is the first story in the series "The Wardstone Chronicles
" The plot is centred around a 13 year old farm boy named Tom who lives in the countryside of The County, loosely based on the English county of Lancashire
, where the author resides with his large family. As Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son he is able to see things others cannot, such as boggarts, ghasts, ghosts and others, which is traditional in the County.
Tom knows that his parents have agreed to make him the apprentice of the Spook. He will have to learn how the Spook fights "The Dark", as it's referred to in the book. He can use practice, reading or listening to learn about all creatures that feature in the dark.
The Spook is actually a person, and looks after Tom well. He explains that most of his other apprentices have failed, due to them being cowardly, disobedient, or deceased. It is revealed that one of the deceased was Billy Bradly, who whilst fighting a particularly dangerous boggart had his finger bitten off and died from loss of blood. The Spook's staff is not what it appears. It has a retractable knife at the end of it and the wood is very uncomfortable to witches. Later on Tom Ward realizes it is very useful to defeat witches.
The Spook lives in a house at Chipenden. This house is protected from unwanted visitors by a boggart, in whom the Spook has made a servant of sorts. The Spook has promised the boggart that as long as the house is standing, the boggart must cook for them, do the dishes, and do their laundry. The boggart happily complies with these tasks, because this is what boggarts do best.
After learning what the Spook does, Tom is sent out on an errand to pick up some food for the house. He is given a strict warning - do not talk to women wearing pointy shoes. On his way home, some boys about the same age as Tom come up and threaten to beat him unless he gives them some food. Tom refuses and the boys are about to beat him up, when suddenly a girl in pointy shoes shows up and scares them away by telling them a certain person is back. She has an ungodly amount of strength for a girl of her age.
The mysterious girl's name is Alice, and she is a relative of some of the most dangerous witches in the world: Mother Malkin and Bony Lizzie. Bony Lizzie uses bone magic, a type of necromancy involving the bones of dead enemies. Mother Malkin was one of the most sinister witches, who uses blood magic, a type of witchcraft that involved draining the blood of anyone she thought could have useful features. She was called Mother Malkin for her strategy of welcoming young runaway women into a care home, and then sucking the blood of every girl there to make her more youthful. Over time she had developed a taste for children.
A long time ago the Spook had bound Mother Malkin to a pit in the ground with 13 iron bars on top, so she could never escape to terrorize anyone again.
Soon Tom is tricked by Alice to give Mother Malkin three cakes, one every night at midnight for three days, which (Tom doesn't know) is filled with blood. Mother Malkin becomes stronger and breaks out of her pit prison in two days. Tom then tries to find a way to deal with Mother Malkin, because the Spook is not at home. A horrible monster-like boy, who is Mother Malkin's son, as well as Bony Lizzie, try to kill Tom. Alice first tricks Tom, but as Bony Lizzie sharpens her knife to kill him, she pulls him out of the pit he was thrown in. The Spook returns home, kills Mother Malkin's son with his staff, then tests Alice to see whether she is good or evil. She passes the test, then they put Bony Lizzie into her pit.
Tom returns home, to realize that Mother Malkin has followed him. She possesses the body of the pig killer of Tom's farm, using terrible dark magic, but is thrust out of his body with the help of Alice, who runs and kicks the pig killer hard when his possessed body is about to murder Tom. The three then kill Mother Malkin by having her escape into the lair of the hungry pigs, who eat her alive, including her heart. This ensures that she cannot return to the world again after death.
Tom, the Spook and Alice decide that Alice should go to Staumin to escape the dark influence of her witch relatives and Tom escorts her there. Tom then returns to Chipenden to resume his training as a Spook.
, Jeff Bridges
and Julianne Moore
. Sam Claflin
and Alicia Vikander
were cast as Tom Ward and Alice but as of in June 2011 Variety
revealed that Claflin had bowed out for unknown reasons and Ben Barnes
was cast in his stead. The actual filming is set to start on 13 September in Vancouver, Canada
.
, and a third book, The Spook's Secret
were released in July 2006. The fourth book of the series, The Spook's Battle
was released on 5 July, 2007. The Spook's Mistake
was released on 5 June 2008.The Spook's Sacrifice
was released Summer 2009 The Spook's Nightmare was released Summer 2010.
Joseph Delaney
Joseph Henry Delaney is a British former educator and currently an author of science fiction and fantasy books.-Life and career:On first leaving school, Delaney started work as an apprentice engineer. Upon the completion of his schooling, he went on to become an English instructor, with his initial...
, is the first story in the series "The Wardstone Chronicles
The Wardstone Chronicles
The Wardstone Chronicles is a dark fantasy series of books written by British author Joseph Delaney and published by Random House Publishing...
" The plot is centred around a 13 year old farm boy named Tom who lives in the countryside of The County, loosely based on the English county of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, where the author resides with his large family. As Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son he is able to see things others cannot, such as boggarts, ghasts, ghosts and others, which is traditional in the County.
Plot summary
The story begins after the arrival of the Spook, who will be taking Tom Ward, the narrator, as his apprentice. The Spook is a cloaked old man carrying a wooden staff in his left hand, who travels the county fighting troublesome creatures such as Boggarts, Ghosts/Ghasts, and Witches, for the people who need these things gone. However the religious world hates them, for they are thought to be meddling in the dark powers themselves, which is against the Christian church.Tom knows that his parents have agreed to make him the apprentice of the Spook. He will have to learn how the Spook fights "The Dark", as it's referred to in the book. He can use practice, reading or listening to learn about all creatures that feature in the dark.
The Spook is actually a person, and looks after Tom well. He explains that most of his other apprentices have failed, due to them being cowardly, disobedient, or deceased. It is revealed that one of the deceased was Billy Bradly, who whilst fighting a particularly dangerous boggart had his finger bitten off and died from loss of blood. The Spook's staff is not what it appears. It has a retractable knife at the end of it and the wood is very uncomfortable to witches. Later on Tom Ward realizes it is very useful to defeat witches.
The Spook lives in a house at Chipenden. This house is protected from unwanted visitors by a boggart, in whom the Spook has made a servant of sorts. The Spook has promised the boggart that as long as the house is standing, the boggart must cook for them, do the dishes, and do their laundry. The boggart happily complies with these tasks, because this is what boggarts do best.
After learning what the Spook does, Tom is sent out on an errand to pick up some food for the house. He is given a strict warning - do not talk to women wearing pointy shoes. On his way home, some boys about the same age as Tom come up and threaten to beat him unless he gives them some food. Tom refuses and the boys are about to beat him up, when suddenly a girl in pointy shoes shows up and scares them away by telling them a certain person is back. She has an ungodly amount of strength for a girl of her age.
A long time ago the Spook had bound Mother Malkin to a pit in the ground with 13 iron bars on top, so she could never escape to terrorize anyone again.
Soon Tom is tricked by Alice to give Mother Malkin three cakes, one every night at midnight for three days, which (Tom doesn't know) is filled with blood. Mother Malkin becomes stronger and breaks out of her pit prison in two days. Tom then tries to find a way to deal with Mother Malkin, because the Spook is not at home. A horrible monster-like boy, who is Mother Malkin's son, as well as Bony Lizzie, try to kill Tom. Alice first tricks Tom, but as Bony Lizzie sharpens her knife to kill him, she pulls him out of the pit he was thrown in. The Spook returns home, kills Mother Malkin's son with his staff, then tests Alice to see whether she is good or evil. She passes the test, then they put Bony Lizzie into her pit.
Tom returns home, to realize that Mother Malkin has followed him. She possesses the body of the pig killer of Tom's farm, using terrible dark magic, but is thrust out of his body with the help of Alice, who runs and kicks the pig killer hard when his possessed body is about to murder Tom. The three then kill Mother Malkin by having her escape into the lair of the hungry pigs, who eat her alive, including her heart. This ensures that she cannot return to the world again after death.
Tom, the Spook and Alice decide that Alice should go to Staumin to escape the dark influence of her witch relatives and Tom escorts her there. Tom then returns to Chipenden to resume his training as a Spook.
Characters
- Tom
- The Spook
- Alice
- Bony Lizzie
- Mother Malkin
- Mam
Adaptation
The book will be adapted into a film titled The Seventh Son scheduled to be released on 15 February 2013. It stars Ben BarnesBen Barnes (actor)
Benjamin Thomas "Ben" Barnes is an English actor, best known for his portrayal of Caspian X in The Chronicles of Narnia films Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.-Early life and education:...
, Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
and Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
. Sam Claflin
Sam Claflin
Samuel George "Sam" Claflin is an English actor, perhaps best known for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides....
and Alicia Vikander
Alicia Vikander
Alicia Amanda Vikander is a Swedish actress best known for her role in Swedish TV drama Andra Avenyn and the role of Alice Deane in the forthcoming movie The Seventh Son...
were cast as Tom Ward and Alice but as of in June 2011 Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
revealed that Claflin had bowed out for unknown reasons and Ben Barnes
Ben Barnes (actor)
Benjamin Thomas "Ben" Barnes is an English actor, best known for his portrayal of Caspian X in The Chronicles of Narnia films Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.-Early life and education:...
was cast in his stead. The actual filming is set to start on 13 September in Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
Other books
The sequel, The Spook's CurseThe Spook's Curse
The Spook's Curse is the second book in the Wardstone Chronicles series. In America, it was released as the second book in The Last Apprentice series, with the title Curse of the Bane.-Plot summary:...
, and a third book, The Spook's Secret
The Spook's Secret
The Spook's Secret is the third book in the Wardstone Chronicles series. In America, it was released as Night of the Soul-Stealer in the Last Apprentice series....
were released in July 2006. The fourth book of the series, The Spook's Battle
The Spook's Battle
The Spook's Battle, written by Joseph Delaney, is the fourth story in the series The Wardstone Chronicles. It was released in America in March 2008, and is titled Attack of the Fiend, as the fourth book in The Last Apprentice series.-Plot:...
was released on 5 July, 2007. The Spook's Mistake
The Spook's Mistake
The Spook's Mistake is the fifth book in the Wardstone Chronicles children's fantasy series by Joseph Delaney. In the U.S. it has been titled: The Last Apprentice: Wrath of the Bloodeye. It was first published in 2008.-Plot summary:...
was released on 5 June 2008.The Spook's Sacrifice
The Spook's Sacrifice
The Spook's Sacrifice is the sixth installment in the Wardstone Chronicles series by Joseph Delaney. Its release date is August 25, 2009. In the U.S. it is titled The Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons....
was released Summer 2009 The Spook's Nightmare was released Summer 2010.
Additional information
- Paperback: = Published: 30 June 2005 Red FoxRed FoxThe red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
ISBN 0099456451 - Hardback:= Published: 1 July 2004 Bodley Head ISBN 0370328264