The Wardstone Chronicles (also known as Spook Books to fans, and The Last Apprentice in America) are a series of books written by the author Joseph Delaney and published by Random House. The series, thus far, is about a thirteen year old child, named Thomas J. Ward who is a seventh son of a seventh son, and this allows him to see things which others cannot, and to train as a "Spook". His adventures in his apprenticeship are documented in the books. Four books in the series have been written so far: The Spook's Apprentice, The Spook's Curse, The Spook's Secret (which was released on 6 July 2006 in the UK), and the fourth book, The Spook's Battle, released on 4 July 2007 and was the longest so far in the series. In their release in America they are titled, Revenge of the Witch, Curse of the Bane, Night of The Soul Stealer, respectively. The fourth book is set to release in America on 1 March 2008 and will be titled Attack of the Fiend.

Characters

Thomas James Ward

Tom is a flourishing apprentice to Mr. Gregory, the county spook. He is the seventh son of a seventh son but it is revealed in the second book of the series that his mother is a domestic lamia witch from Greece whom his father saved during his time as a sailor. Tom has accomplished many things despite his lack of experience thus far. He has bound a boggart, the most dangerous type, a ripper, slain the Bane, a beast dwelling in the catacombs under the Cathedral in Priestown, and stood against the mighty Gologoth, Lord of Winter. At the end of the first book, he couldn't bring himself to burn the witch pursuing him, Mother Malkin, and as she ran around the barn in the farmyard she fell into the pig pen and was eaten by the ill-mannered pigs on the farm.

He has a friendship, though strongly disapproved of by his master, with Alice, a young girl who will grow into a witch, though it is uncertain whether she will become malevolent or benign. However, both his mother and his master's love, a lamia witch called Meg have advised him to 'treat her better than John treated me and it won't end like this'. Tom continues his friendship with Alice, despite the warnings given by the spook. He also seems to develop some feelings for her, although it is possible that he could be constantly fretting over her because she is the closest thing he ever had to a friend.

Not much is known about his appearance, although it was written in The Spook's Battle that he has green eyes.

He is left-handed, just like Mr. Gregory.

John Gregory

John Gregory is one of the most prolific Spooks and has a mysterious history that he will not tell Tom. We gradually discover more about him. He originally trained to be a priest but after falling out with his brother, he doubted the existence of God and became a Spook.

Gregory is a strict mentor, always to the point and hard to please. However, he gives praise to Tom at some rare moments, albeit rather gruffly and (somewhat) reluctantly, showing that he has a soft side. (But is afraid to show it.)

He has had relationships with Meg Skelton and Emily Burns, and is suspected to have more. He met Emily Burns first, admitting that she was his brother's girl, claiming that "he was young". However, she got tired of him and moved on, although they remained to be good friends. When he had just become a spook, Gregory met Meg. He had been going off to take care of a monster, and she happened to be in the tower with it, bound with a silver chain. He ended up sleeping with her and discovered that she was a lamia witch in the morning. When he tried to put her into a pit, Gregory found he couldn't bring himself to do it. Eventually, he sends Meg and her sister, Marcia, back to their home.

He has a brother named Andrew ,who is his only living brother, and a skilled locksmith. He has made keys that can open almost any door, which have often come in useful, such as when battling the Bane in the Priestown catacombs. Tom meets him for the first time in the second book. He has one other significant brother who is a priest. He is first met in Horshaw after Tom has just begun his apprenticeship. Gregory and his brother did not speak, due to the fact that Emily Burns was once the priest's lover, but went for the Spook instead. However, he did decide to pay his last respects and attend his funeral when he died.

Like all seventh sons of seventh sons, John Gregory is left handed.

Alice Deane

Alice is the niece of a witch who in the first book of the Wardstone Chronicles is under the care of her Auntie known as "Boney Lizzy" by the locals due to the fact that she uses Bone Magic. She first tricks Tom into freeing the witch "Old Mother Malkin" but helps him escape from her Aunt. She originally came from Pendle. Her mother was a Malkin and her father was a Deane, though neither practiced witchcraft. They died at an early age so Alice was put under the care of her Aunt.

In the first part of the Wardstone Chronicles, Alice Deane seems to be a confused young girl seemingly under the wrong influence. However, as the series goes on, she starts to see from good and bad, and starts to help Tom in many ways. She seems to be a feminist, throwing a fit when Tom suggested that she cooks. (Although Tom later pointed out that she is good at it.) She also seems somewhat reluctant to help out Mr. Gregory when he's in a tight spot, pointing out that he probably wouldn't do the same for her, but ends up being convinced by Tom to do so anyway. She doesn't like the fact that Mr. Gregory doesn't trust her, and is known for throwing fits when she's left out of something big.

However, Tom's mother was often worried about how Alice would turn out, as she seems to be on the fine line between good and evil. Even though she helped destroy Madam Malkin and the Bane, it was her (mostly) fault that they had to be stopped in the first place, albeit unknowingly. Bony Lizzy had made her convince Tom to give Mother Malking blood cakes, and she had made a sacrifice to the Bane out of pure hatred and spite toward the Quisitor. Although she knew the consequences, she had freed the Bane to help Tom, Mr. Gregory, and herself.

Alice seems to have a gift with botany, putting leaves on Tom's hand to treat his burn and mixing a potion to help Mr. Gregory's pneumonia. She is assigned to tell Tom all she knows while she is staying at Chippenden, as well as copying Mr. Gregory's books. Tom said that she had nice handwriting at the end of the book.

Alice is said to be pretty with big, brown eyes and long, black hair. She wears pointy shoes like most of the witches in the books except the Mouldheels.

Tibb's prophecy

In The Spooks Battle, a seer named Tibb claims to see Tom's future. He said that it would be sad and lonely, but most interesting of all, he sees a girl, soon to be a woman, who will love him, betray him, and die for him. This girl is quite possibly Alice, however another girl who loved Tom named Mab was in The Spook's Battle and she betrayed him. It is still unknown whom Tibb is speaking of.

Lore

“

The Highest point in the County is marked by mystery. It is said that a man died there in a great storm, while binding an evil that threatened the whole world. Then the ice came again, and when it retreated, even the shapes of the hills and the names of the towns in the valleys were changed. Now, at the highest point on The Fells, no trace remains of what was done so long ago. But its name has endured. They call it - The Wardstone

”

The County

This is the fictitious country in which the series is set. It is perhaps an old-age take on England. The county referred to in the books is Lancashire.

Main areas

• Anglezarke

This is where the Spook's winter house is. It is a bleak area, covered in moorland. The area is much close due to the dark and its influence and also the peril of Winter. The Spook's brother Andrew works near the Spook's house for part of the year.

• Chipenden

The village, based on the real village of Chipping, in which the Spook's summer house is situated, surrounded by fells. The house is guarded by a boggart which sometimes takes the form of a ginger cat. Tom first met Alice here, and the Spook puts captured witches in pits found in one of his gardens.

• Pendle

Pendle is a district of villages that surrounds Pendle Hill. The area is "riddled with witches". The three main covens are the Malkins, the Deanes and the Mouldheels. They often bicker with each other, but when they unite their power is greatly increased.

• Priestown

This a large city which is visited by the Spook in the second book. It is home to many priests, and also to the Bane: an ancient spirit that is trapped under the catacombs under the great cathedral. Here, the Quisitor tries and punishes suspected witches and warlocks. This city was inspired by Preston where the author lived as a child.

• Horshaw

Tom first sees his Master's brother, who is a priest, in this village. It is a very dismal place and Tom spends his first night as an apprentice in a haunted house. Mr. Gregory also grew up in the same house and it was here that he first faced the dark in his cellar.

• Blackrod

Blackrod is an Anglezarke moor. Little is known about this place, except that it is where the Spook's old friend Emily Burns lived before she died.

Secondary areas

• Winter Hill
• Ravington
• Smithhills
• Turton Moor
• Darwen Moor

The Dark

This malevolent force is feared throughout The County, and dark figures like witches use this power to their advantage.

Creatures of the Dark

There are a number of "creatures" from the Dark. Each creature has a ranking of 1 to 10; 1 being the most dangerous (seeing that it can kill), 10 being virtually harmless.

Witches

Witches can be split into two basic groups: The Good and The Malevolent (the bad). There are many different types of magic a witch can use such as:

• Blood Magic: the gathering of power through blood drinking.
• Familiar Magic: offering creatures' blood in return for deeds.
• Bone Magic: the gathering of power through a form of necromancy.

Witches can be killed so they won't return from the dead, either by:

• Burning them at the stake.
• Having their heart eaten.

Of course, Mr. Gregory doesn't hold with burning witches at the stake or having their heart eaten, therefore he usually fights the witch in question by binding her with a silver chain, then carrying her over his left shoulder into a pit approximately six feet deep and then...

Weapons such as these can be used in a battle against a witch:

• Salt and Iron
• A Rowan Wood Staff (being the most effective staff)
• A Silver Chain
• Running water (cannot be crossed by Malevolent witches).

Famous Witches:

• Mother Malkin – uses Blood magic. Eaten by pigs in The Spook's Apprentice.
• 'Boney' Lizzie – uses Bone magic. Bound by the spook in The Spook's Apprentice.
• Meg Skelton – Domestic Lamia. Lives at the spook's winter house. Seen in The Spook's Secret.
• Marcia Skelton- Feral Lamia. Meg's sister.
• Alice – seen in all books.
• Mam – seen in all books.

Seeing that 'The Wardstone Chronicles' are set in 'The County' we are mostly shown the type of witches dwelling there but there are other different races of witches such as the Lamia Witches from Greece.

Boggarts

These creatures can be imprisoned by burying them in a pit near the roots of a tree and covering them by a large slab glued with a mixture of iron, salt and blood. They travel along underground lines known as leys.

Types of boggart:

• Hairy: Sometimes seen in the form of cats, dogs and occasionally horses.
• Hall Knockers: Rattle pans, knock on doors. Can quickly turn into stone chuckers.
• Stone Chuckers: Throw stones, rocks and occasionally boulders.
• Rippers: Usually suck blood from cattle. Have been known to have a taste for human blood.

Famous Boggarts:

• 'Horshaw Ripper': Seen in The Spook's Curse. Tom deals with it alone, after it sucked the blood of a priest, who was the Spook's brother.
• 'The Spook's boggart': Hairy boggart. Seen in The Spook's Apprentice and The Spook's Curse. Takes care of the Spook's 'Summer' house. Sometimes appears as a ginger cat.

Other Creatures

• Wight
• Ghosts (not really Dark)
• Ghasts (not really Dark)
• Abhumans (Tusk)
• Wraiths
• Gods (The Bane, Golgoth)

Books in the series

There are going to be at least six books in the series and so far 4 have been released. The fifth, if following the same pattern as the others, should come out during the first week of July, 2008.

External links

• Wardstone Chronicles Official Site

The Wardstone Chronicles
Books in the series: The Spook's Apprentice | The Spook's Curse | The Spook's Secret | The Spook's Battle

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