2. Joseph Delaney is a great writer and has inspired me to write about creatures of the dark.
3. I have just finished Spook’s Stories: Witches and found it the best one so far.
4. Joseph Delaney has a very wild imagination, wilder than mine even.’
Eric Murphy
‘I really love the Spook’s books when I start reading it I feel like I’m in the story with Tom, Alice and Bill Arkwright. I really wish I could meet Joseph Delaney and tell him that I’m his biggest fan and ask him what he will be doing next after he has finished book 13. I feel really sad that he has nearly finished the Wardstone Chronicles and wish they never stopped.’ Vicky Von-Hessler
‘I started reading this series when the first three books were published in Dutch here in the Netherlands and Flanders. I must say, the Wardstone Chronicles are unique! The series is really wonderful! Also, I am a happy person because I’m not very afraid, so I read the books after dark – ha ha.’ Tim Hoogstoel
‘The Spook’s books were originally introduced to me by my beautiful girlfriend, Hayley. Hayley has been a fan since childhood but we still like to share information on the series despite me being relatively new to the chronicles. The books have had a euphoric impact on me and have given me a more pleasant lease of life knowing we are guarded from those fearful witches . . . and much crueller and fouler things that the darkness is yet to unveil!’ Phil McCann
‘I’m 13 and I collect books on mythology and mythological creatures, and the book series not only contains accurate mythology but also a gripping story throughout the books. That’s why I love the series and I just can’t wait until the very last book to see what happens with the characters.’ Thomas (Anthony) Wootton
‘The Wardstone Chronicles is the best and most interesting series I have ever read. I loved the way The Spook’s Destiny was set in Ireland because I am from there. I hope you keep writing new and interesting books!’ Mark Coughlan
‘I began to fear and love the books as I read them. I’ve grown up loving Tom, being jealous of Alice and fearful of – yet adoring – Mr. Gregory. The Wardstone Chronicles are everything I love about literature and when they end I shall re-read them again and again because great stories like this one should never end.’ Hailey Tumilson
‘The Spook’s series are my favourite books. At first the message on the back worried me and I was too scared to read them after dark, but then I got so into them that it was the quickest I’ve ever read a book (just a few days!).’ Lucy Morgan
‘I would love to get my name in the last Spook’s book it will mean a lot to me. I got my first book when I was 7 and have been following them ever since!’ Samuel Livesey
As the wind blows and night draws on
The witches lay their eyes upon
The Fiend, a monster, the one and only,
The devil himself, so evil and unholy.
The monster in the flesh, standing in all his glory.
The villain that’s told of in bedtime stories,
And as he told the witches he’d rule the County
They told him of an enemy who made them quite rowdy.
Tom was the name they all despised
One witch said he’d beat him, though he’s just a boy.
The Fiend was upset to later hear
If he killed this boy, his lifetime rule would disappear.
So he sent his best assassins to make sure the boy died
None returned, though he heard they all tried.
So the Fiend got an idea, if he joined the boy
The places they could rule, the enemies they’d destroy
But Tom refused for his heart was pure
He stopped the devil there and then and said he’d hear no more.
So he went on with his apprenticeship to the local spook.
This is the plot summary of my favourite books.
A Spook’s Poem
By Nathan Prunty, Age 14
About the Author
Joseph Delaney is a retired English teacher living in Lancashire. He has three children and nine grandchildren, and often speaks at all sorts of 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 locations in Lancashire, and the inspiration behind them often comes from local ghost stories and legends.
You can visit the Wardstone Chronicles website at www.spooksbooks.com where you can find Joseph’s blog and more information on the books.
THE WARDSTONE CHRONICLES
BOOK ONE:
THE SPOOK’S APPRENTICE
BOOK TWO:
THE SPOOK’S CURSE
BOOK THREE:
THE SPOOK’S SECRET
BOOK FOUR:
THE SPOOK’S BATTLE
THE SPOOK’S MISTAKE
BOOK SIX:
THE SPOOK’S SACRIFICE
BOOK SEVEN:
THE SPOOK’S NIGHTMARE
BOOK EIGHT:
THE SPOOK’S DESTINY
BOOK NINE:
SPOOK’S: I AM GRIMALKIN
BOOK TEN:
THE SPOOK’S BLOOD
BOOK ELEVEN
SPOOK’S: SLITHER’S TALE
BOOK TWELVE
SPOOK’S: ALICE
BOOK THIRTEEN
THE SPOOK’S REVENGE
ALSO AVAILABLE
THE SPOOK’S STORIES:
WITCHES
THE SPOOK’S BESTIARY
THE SPOOK’S REVENGE
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 446 49563 6
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Random House Group Company
This ebook edition published 2013
Copyright © Joseph Delaney, 2013
Cover illustration © Talexi Taini, 2013
Interior illustrations copyright © David Wyatt, 2013
First Published in Great Britain
Bodley Head 9780370332048 2013
The right of Joseph Delaney to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.