Synopses & Reviews
Things can never be the same again.
The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, have returned to the county after a long journey and a hard battle. But their troubles are far from over. Their home has been over-run by enemy soldiers. The Spook's house is in ruins, the boggart protecting it has fled, and the malicious witches imprisoned in the gardens have escaped.
Tom, Alice, and the Spook must flee, too, across the ocean to the island of Mona. And it's on Mona that this small band fighting against the dark will face an old enemy grown terrifyingly powerful. Will they be able to vanquish an evil that crawls beneath the ground itself? At what cost?
Will Tom and the Spook ever be able to return home?
Review
“A gleefully chilling, eerily familiar tale that will leave readers whistling nervously in the graveyard while eagerly awaiting the next installment.” Bulletin of the Center for Children & #8217;s Books
Review
Praise for the Last Apprentice series: “The Last Apprentice series continues to be one of the best written of the last several years.” ALA Boo klist
Review
“This is the stuff of skin-prickling campfire stories.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“Anything but tame.” Horn Book (starred review)
Synopsis
You can't make alliances with witches and suchlike and hope to avoid being drawn toward the dark.
As the Spook's apprentice, Thomas Ward's first duty is to protect the County from ghosts, boggarts, and other dangerous creatures. But now his mother has come back from her homeland to seek his help. One of the most dangerous of the old witches, Ordeen, is about to return to earth, bringing with her suffering and devastation. Tom's mother has mustered a powerful army--including Tom's friend Alice, the Pendle witches, and the assassin Grimalkin--to confront Ordeen. If Tom joins them, the Spook will refuse to take Tom back as his apprentice. What sacrifices will be made in the battle against the dark?
Synopsis
As the Spook's apprentice, Thomas Ward's first duty is to protect the County from ghosts, boggarts, and other dangerous creatures. But now his mother has come back from her homeland to seek his help.
About the Author
Joseph Delaney lives in Lancashire, England, right in the middle of boggart territory. His village has a boggart, called a hall knocker, which was laid to rest under the steps of a house near the church. Most of the places in The Last Apprentice series are based on real locations in Lancashire, and the inspiration behind the stories often comes from local ghost stories and legends.