Customer Reviews

The Spook's Battle (Wardstone Chronicles)

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First sentence: The witch was chasing me through the dark wood, getting nearer and nearer by the second.

In Pendle, the three families of Witches are joining forces in an effort to raise Old Nick (the Devil). Father Stocks asks Mr. Gregory (Spook), Tom (his Apprentice), and Alice (Tom's friend and a former Witch). Alice is captured by Mab and threatens to kill her unless Tom takes Mab back to his childhood home.

Tom's mother was Greek and an immortal until she married Tom's father. In a locked room, which will protect Tom from evil, are three large trucks that Mab wants for Alice's life. When they arrive at the house, not only are the trunks gone, but so are Tom's brother, sister-in-law and their child. Tom must do what it takes to rescue his family, save Alice, retrieve the trunks and prevent the witches from accomplishing their goal.

A word of caution: this is not a book for very young or sensitive children and is it dark and graphic with elements of horror. That said, for older children and adult fantasy, it's a great book.

The author has a wonderful voice as Tom, the 13-year-old Spook in training. Tom is definitely an apprentice who is still learning his craft and making the mistakes, but he is learning. I do like that his character, and all the relationships, grows and changes with each book. Father Stocks is also interesting in that he had been an apprentice but felt he could do more as a priest.

For those with children, this book is one that would be excellent to read and discuss together. There are lessons that can be taken from the story. It is a series that should be read in order. While this fourth book in the series is complete in itself, it also segues to the next book. It's on my shelf waiting to be read.

Have you read Delaney's "Attack of the Fiend"? This is apparently the same book, just the UK version. My son has read the Last Apprentice Series and saw these "Spook's" books by the same author. He gets about 10 minutes into the book and says, "Hmmm. This book reads a lot like "Attack of the Fiend...." You know why? Because it IS Attack of the Fiend!! It turns out that there is 20 pages of "exclusive new material" at the end of the book, but it isn't worth buying the book over again. I am not a heavy Delaney fan, so this may be known in the fan circles, but when you buy it online or in a store, it should at least say somewhere that it is really just the same book as "_______" with a few extra pages thrown in. It appears that the other books in the "Spook's" series are copies as well, although I am not going to buy them to confirm it. If you've never read Attack of the Fiend, and don't plan to buy it, well then this book is probably a nice little read for you.