Book Review: The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

Young Thomas Ward was born the seventh son of a seventh son, and being such, he's saddled with trying to find a profession for himself. After all, his oldest brother Jack would inherit the family farm, and his other siblings had been married off or found suitable employment. But with the help of his Mam -- who knew he was born for a specific purpose -- Thomas is about to become the apprentice of Old Gregory, The Spook.

Old Gregory spends his days traveling the county, warding away ghosts and ghasts, protecting homes from boggarts, and doing away with the occasional witch. His days are numbered, though, and he needs someone to whom he can pass his duties -- and it can only be the seventh son of a seventh son. Reluctantly, he takes young Thomas on, teaching him the basics of the lonely life of a Spook. And Thomas has a lot to learn, especially when he unwittingly releases the evil witch Mother Malkin from her confinement. With Old Gregory lured away, can he defeat Mother Malkin on his own, or will he end up like the Spook's last twenty-nine apprentices?

Jospeh Delaney's novel is a fun adventure tale, geared more toward the young adult crowd, but I think everyone will enjoy it. He presents some great characters: Thomas Ward, who possesses some special gifts, seeing as he's the seventh son of a seventh son, and is trying to cope with being away from his family for the first time; Old Gregory, The Spook who dreads trying to train yet another apprentice only to possibly lose this one, too; and Mother Malkin, with glowing eyes and skin ravaged by worms, determined to seek revenge on the one who confined her. Sometimes Thomas comes across a bit too thoughtful and cautious, moreso than I think a young boy his age would be. Rather than dragging the story down, it actually makes his character more likable, taking time to consider all his options before acting on them.

I enjoyed the story, as well, getting caught up in the action scenes of Thomas forcing himself to enter a dark, quiet forest at midnight on his own (creepy enough when you're an adult) or battling ghosts in an abandoned house. Each scene is paced well and not overly long, so that by the end of one chapter, I had to find out what happened next, and didn't put the book down until I finished it. Best of all, the story doesn't talk down to kids. Thomas may be frightened, he may be facing a new world on his own, but he's smart, he takes the time to consider everything rather than act rashly without preaching to the reader that this is how you should act.

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch is a fun read, perfect for anyone wanting to take a stab at reading horror for the first time -- not too scary and filled with lots of action. (And witches, boggarts and ghosts.)

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch
by Joseph Delaney
Greenwillow Books/HarperTrophy
ISBN: 0-06-076620-4
softcover, 358pp.

purchased book

Image from SF Scope.