The Wardstone Chronicles
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The Wardstone Chronicles (published in the United States as The Last Apprentice) are a series of books of at least six books written by the author Joseph Delaney and published by Random House. The series is about a seventh son of a seventh son, Thomas J. Ward , who can see and sense creatures of the dark and other things that others cannot, he is apprenticed to train as a "Spook" so he may learn how to deal with the dark. 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 July 6, 2006 in the UK), and the fourth book, The Spook's Battle, released on July 4, 2007 and was the longest so far in the series. The fifth book The Spook's Mistake was released before its June 5, 2008 release date. In their release in America they are titled, Revenge of the Witch, Curse of the Bane, Night of The Soul Stealer, and Attack of the Fiend, respectively. The fifth book is to be released in America on August 28, 2008; and is to be entitled "Wrath of the Bloodeye" In this fifth installment Tom is set to be sent to another spook, "Bill Arkwright" to receive further training against the everlasting battle of the dark.
In December 2007 it was announced that Kevin Lima will direct the first movie, The Spook's Apprentice: The Movie, and Matt Greenberg will write the screenplay. The movie is set to be released in 2009.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
[edit] 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 fourth 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 the most dangerous type of boggart, a ripper, slain the Bane, a beast dwelling in the catacombs under the Cathedral in Priestown, and stood up against the mighty Golgoth, Lord of Winter. At the end of the first book, he couldn't bring himself to burn the witch pursuing him, Mother Malkin, and she ran around the barn in the farmyard until 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. In the 5th book she kisses him for the first time.
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.
[edit] 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 in Greece.
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, because 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. He was attacked by a boggart.
During the 5th installment he sends his apprentice to train with Bill Arkwright to receive further training against the everlasting battle of the dark. Later he has to help Tom rescue Arkwright from several Water Witches. At the end of the book he sends Alice away because she used a mirror to communicate with other witches.
Like other seventh sons of seventh sons, John Gregory is left-handed.
[edit] 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 "Bony Lizzie" by the locals because 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 Mother Malkin and the Bane, it was (mostly) her fault that they had to be stopped in the first place, albeit unknowingly. Bony Lizzie had made her convince Tom to give Mother Malkin 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 Chipenden, as well as copying Mr. Gregory's books. Tom said that she had nice handwriting at the end of the book.
During the 5th book she is told by the fiend that she is his child. She saved Tom's life again and kissed him just before she was forced to leave because of Mr. Gregory.
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.
She seems to have feelings for Tom as she used, during a moment of solitude during the day of his birthday, glamour and fascination on him, two witch powers to seduce him and often control him.
[edit] Mam
Mam is the name given to Tom's Mother, She is a very mysterious woman which in book four we find out (though it is heavily hinted at in book two and three)that she is a Lamia witch turned benign. Tom's Father and mother met, when Mam had her hand nailed to a rock, Tom's father came and took off his clothes and covered her from the sun, so she wouldn't burn.
When the sun went down, Mam, who was still nailed to the rock, pulled her hand straight off and Mam and Tom's father kissed. Mam married Tom's father, bearing him 7 sons, 3 of whose names we know (Jack, James and Thomas.)
Mam has a locked room in the house, right under the attic; we find out that she has a great deal of money in there because her money bought the farm in the first place, and when the spook came to collect his money for Tom's training. Mam got it from her room.
In Mam's room there are many things, in the 4th book we find out that it contains a lot of potions and money, it also has inside it two of Mam's sisters who are feral lamias which can be only be woken up when touched by moonlight (which Tom does in book 4), and her wedding dress that she kept all this time. It is also said that only the young can use this room. Mam said that it was alright for Thomas and Alice to enter but not Mr.Gregory. He would not be able to withstand the toll of using the room. This room saved Tom's life when the fiend was under the control of the 3 Pendle witch clans.
[edit] Lore
[edit] The Wardstone
| “ | 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 | ” |
This place is actually real, and is located in Lancashire, England, (which is also the place that the books are set in.) near Chipping. There is a town in England called Chipenden, all the it cannot possibly be the same as that mentioned in the Wardstone Chronicles, as it is in the Midlands, far from any fells.
[edit] Tibb's prophecy
In The Spook's Battle, a seer named Tibb claims to see Tom's future. He says 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 not known of whom Tibb is speaking.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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. Anglezarke is a region just to the north of Bolton
- 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. Alice (Tom's friend) comes from here and her mother comes from the Malkins, her father from the Deanes.
- 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 - indeed PriestTown is the city's ancient name.
- 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. Blackrod is a real place, another suburb of Bolton
[edit] Secondary areas
- Winter Hill
- Ravington - Rivington close to Anglezarke
- Smithhills
- Turton Moor
- Darwen Moor
- Pendle Hill
[edit] 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.
So far, the only necromancer to be seen in the entire series (other than witches who use Bone magic) is Morgan, an ex-apprentice of the Spook. Morgan makes his debut and departure in The Spooks Secret, he only book to so far feature him (he is later killed by the god he summons, Golgoth). His way of summoning is more related to sorcery than necromancy, though he can converse with and torture the souls of the dearly departed (in the Spooks Secret, he torments Tom's dad after his death to prove to Tom that he is dead). He claims to be Mr Gregory's son, though this later turns out to be a misunderstanding.
Witches can be split into four basic groups: The Benign (the good), the Falsley Accused (accused wrongly of being witches), the Unaware (unaware of their powers) 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.
- Scrying: Usng a mirror or reflective surface to see into the future or another place in time.
- Long-Sniffing: Detecting a presence of danger from a long way away in time or land (7th sons of 7th sons immune to this).
- Short-Sniffing: Detecting a presence of danger in the immediate future or vicinity.
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. The pit is then covered with salt and iron mix(including crushed bone. 13 iron bars are fixed across which will hold the witch forever (unless she is given help from the outside). When Mother Malkin escapes, she is eaten by a pig. The heart is consumed as well, which means that she is dead.
Ways to fight a witch:
- Salt and Iron (also effective against boggarts and many weak entities of the Dark)
- A Wooden staff (Rowan wood is the most effective)
- A Silver Chain (Extremely powerful, could even harm The Bane).
- Running water (Cannot be crossed by Malevolent witches).
Witches seen in the book:
- 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.Is the Spook's true love. Seen in The Spook's Secret.
- Marcia Skelton- Feral Lamia. Meg's sister. Was put in a pit in the Spook's cellar.
- Alice Deane – Seen in all of the books. Her mother was a Malkin while her father was a Deane.
- Mam – Seen in all books except for the last one.
- Mab - Seen in the Spook's Battle shows a love interest in Tom. Part and leader of the pendle witches called the Mouldheels.
- Mam's Sisters - Two feral Lamia stowed away in Mam's trunks.
- Grim Malkin - The Malkins top assassin and torture expert; hardy and battle strengthened.
- Many un-named Pendle witches in the The Spook's Battle, and many other named minor characters.
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). However, as 'Lamia' means 'Vampire' in Greek, and they are said to prey upon men and drink thir blood, it is suggested that they are not witches at all, as they never use any other type of magic other than blood, and sunlight burns their essence. It is therefore a valid assumption that they are vampires (they are far more powerful than the other witche, as two feral lamia ran all of the Malkins and the Mouldheels from Malkin tower in The Spooks Battle).
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. The most vicious type of Boggart that has been encountered so far in the series.
Boggarts seen in the book:
- '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. It was seriously wounded when it fought against The Bane when "it" attacked the Spook's house. Lost an eye and an ear in the fight.
Other Creatures
- Wight
- Ghosts (not really Dark)
- Ghasts (not really Dark)
- Abhumans (Tusk)
- Wraiths
- Gods (The Bane, Golgoth, The Fiend)
Golgoth-An old god of those who lived in the County before the present people came. It's power is at it's peak during the winter, though said to be still quite powerful even during the summer.
The Fiend, also known to be "The Devil". Said to be the greatest evil being to walk the County, with its powers too strong to be controlled.
[edit] Magic
As the spooks do not use magic little is known of their magic.
[edit] The Wardstone Chronicles Series
There are going to be at least six books in the series and so far 5 have been released. It was announced on the 3 June 2008, in a recent school visit, that the sixth book will have the title ' The Spook's Sacrifice'.
The books that have been released by Joseph Delaney are (in order of publication):
- The Spook's Apprentice(Revenge of the Witch)
- The Spook's Curse(Curse of the Bane)
- The Spook's Secret( Night of The Soul Stealer)
- The Spook's Battle( Attack of the Fiend)
- The Spook's Mistake( Wrath of the Bloodeye)
- The Spook's Sacrifice
[edit] External links
| The Wardstone Chronicles |
|---|
| Books in the series: The Spook's Apprentice | The Spook's Curse | The Spook's Secret | The Spook's Battle | The Spook's Mistake |
