Dreadful monsters abound in this new chapter of the Spook’s saga and as ever Delaney’s storytelling will catch many readers. Tom Ward is now the County’s Spook and when reports come in of a series of horrible murders it’s his duty to investigate. He’s accompanied by an apprentice of his own, a young girl Jenny, seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. The real threat comes from a truly terrifying enemy, the army of Kobalos, ruthless monsters determined to slaughter all human men and enslave the women: Tom is lucky to have Jenny at his side. The ending will shock all Spook’s fans and leave them desperate for the next in this new series. ~ Andrea Reece
There’s more gripping ghost-hunting action in Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood and Co. series, and lots of opportunities for monster combat in Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson’s seminal Fighting Fantasy series.
This is the first terrifying tale in the Starblade Chronicles, from the bestselling author of The Spook's Apprentice.
'It's a dangerous job, but someone has to do it.' For years, the local Spook kept the county safe from evil. But now his time has ended, and there is only one boy who can take over - Thomas Ward, barely more than a child himself. Now he too must take on an apprentice, a girl called Jenny who is untested but willing to be trained in the dangerous life of a Spook. When girls start dying in mysterious circumstances, they soon find themselves on the path of a terrifying and deadly beast. Monstrous assassins are loose in the County, and far to the north, a new darkness is rising that threatens to engulf the whole world. Do Tom and Jenny stand a chance against the might of the Kobalos?
Joseph Delaney is a retired English teacher living in Lancashire. He has three children and seven grandchildren and is a wonderful public speaker available for conference, library and bookshop events. His home is in the middle of Boggart territory and his village has a boggart called the Hall Knocker, which was laid to rest under the step of a house near the church.
Most of the places in the Spook's books are based on real places in Lancashire. And the inspiration behind the stories often comes from local ghost stories and legends.
The Spook's Apprentice, The Spook's Curse and The Spook's Secret have all been shortlisted for the Lancashire children's Book for the Year Award. The Spook's Apprentice is the winner of both the Sefton Book Award and the Hampshire Book Award.
