Curse of the Bane (The Last Apprentice) [Hardcover]

Joseph Delaney (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Last Apprentice | Publication Date: August 29, 2006

Now it's the dark's turn to be afraid

The Spook and his apprentice, Thomas Ward, deal with the dark. Together they rid the county of witches, ghosts, and boggarts. But now there's some unfinished business to attend to in Priestown. Deep in the catacombs of the cathedral lurks a creature the Spook has never been able to defeat; a force so evil that the whole county is in danger of being corrupted by its powers. The Bane!

As Thomas and the Spook prepare for the battle of their lives, it becomes clear that the Bane isn't their only enemy. The Quisitor has arrived, searching for those who meddle with the dark so he can imprison them—or worse.

Can Thomas defeat the Bane on his own? Is his friend Alice guilty of witchcraft? And will the Spook be able to escape the Quisitor's clutches?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7–In this second book in the series, Delaney chronicles the spine-tingling adventures of Thomas Ward, seventh son of a seventh son, and the last remaining apprentice of monster hunter Mr. Gregory, aka the Spook. The most dangerous monster of all, the Bane, has been imprisoned in the catacombs under Priestown. He kills by squashing his victims completely flat, and he appears to be succeeding at controlling the minds and actions of some of the town's inhabitants. He needs to be dealt with once and for all. Priestown holds its own dangers for Thomas and the Spook, however, as their work makes them subject to being declared witches and executed by the Quisitor. In the scary and dangerous events that follow, Thomas, accompanied by his friend Alice, faces the most difficult choices of his life so far, and learns to trust himself rather than simply follow his master's instructions. His first-person narration gives this truly spooky story an immediacy and a sense of reality that heightens the tension and impending danger. While part of a series, the story stands successfully on its own. Occasional eerily atmospheric woodcuts enhance the story's mood.–Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. When readers met Tom Ward in The Revenge of the Witch (2005), the first entry in the Last Apprentice series, he was a callow lad, apprehensively apprenticed to the Spook, who routs the Dark from the County. The malevolent forces that came into play last time seem almost mundane compared to the challenges Tom and the Spook face now: a violent, deadly bane growing in strength and power to become the embodiment of evil. Despite the blood and gore, this tale is more than a well-crafted horror story. Delaney infuses his characters with depth and emotion, but equally important, he grows his world by contributing significantly to the back story. Readers learn the reason the Spook has strong feelings about women in general and witches in particular, and Tom discovers something unexpected about his mother and her wisdom. Delaney also does an exceptional job of interweaving stories, with one plot point leading insistently to the next; at the book's conclusion, readers can go over all Tom has learned by leafing through his journal. Kids will breathlessly await Tom's next adventure. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; First Printing edition (August 29, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060766212
• ISBN-13: 978-0060766214
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joseph Delaney formerly taught media and film studies at a high school in Blackpool, England. He lives with his family in Lancashire, in the middle of boggart territory.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Character-Rich And Spooky!, November 16, 2006

By 

Mel Odom (Moore, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Curse of the Bane (The Last Apprentice) (Hardcover)

Young Tom Ward and his master, the Spook (Old Gregory)have had a turn of bad luck that's been years in the making. While the Spook is sick, Tom goes down to a small village where one of the Spook's brothers is a priest. The brother has tried to stop a Boggart, a malicious being capable of murder. After a breath-taking opening, Tom wins and loses. The Boggart is bound, but the Spook's brother eventually dies. While attending the funeral in Priestown, the Spook runs into the Quisitor, a man dedicated to burning witches and punishing those who get too close to the Dark. The Spook is high on the Quisitor's list. Furthermore, the Bane -- one of the strongest and most evil of the denizens of the Dark -- still lies buried in the catacoombs beneath the town. It's held prisoner by an ancient curse, but it's growing stronger. The Spook tried to rid the town of it once and failed, nearly losing his life. When the Spook is taken prisoner, only Tom is left to save the day. And to do that, he has to risk everything, learn more about his master and his mother than he'd ever wanted to, and find a strength inside himself that he didn't know he had.

This is Joseph Delany's second book, and the second book in this series. I'm anxiously awaiting more.

As in the first novel, Delaney manages to evoke the feelings of the macabre, fear, and dread on nearly every page. I found myself totally immersed in the story. Instead of a superficial return, though, Delaney deepens the characters even more from the first book. You'll learn things in this novel that you didn't know and might only have suspected from the first one. Alice is back as well, and still practicing witchcraft, which makes her interesting and a threat to Tom.

The books are written on a level that kids can enjoy them, but adults who love fantasy, history, and a good scare on a quiet night of reading will enjoy these books as well. Delaney's world is as deeply evolved as Harry Potter's, and seems to be growing by leaps and bounds in geography as well as legends. These books should be on every library shelf, and in the homes of everyone who loves a good story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeps getting better, July 6, 2009

By 

Mercedes (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane (Paperback)

This is the 2nd book in the Last Apprentice series. Tom is an apprentice to the Spook. Tom is sent in place of the Spook himself to deal with a nasty boggert that has his brother held as victim. Even though Tom defeats the boggert the Spook's brother dies. His funeral is held in Priestown where the evil Bane is bound. The Spook and Tom head there for the funeral and to take care of the Bane once and for all. However, along the way, the Spook becomes a prisoner and Tom discovers his friend Alice is set to burn. He may have to take on the Bane alone.

This book is a real page turner. I'm an adult and don't find the book scary but it's defiantly dark fantasy. So far this is a great series and a keeper. I recommend this book to all.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Audio, June 11, 2008

By 

V - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane (Paperback)

I'm not usually one for audio books but I had to do a 64 hour drive from California and back in a 4 days period. Having read the first Apprentice book I was very interested in this one.
Let me tell you, it scared the heebies out of me. :) It was exciting and terror-filled. Many times I had to turn it off because I was driving in middle of nowhere Texas.

All in all, 2 thumbs up for scaring a 22 year old college student.