Joseph Delaney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph Delaney
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Delaney at Salon du livre 2008 in Paris
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| Born | Joseph Henry Delaney 25 July 1945 Preston, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 16 August 2022 (aged 77) Manchester, England |
| Pen name | J. K. Haderack |
| Alma mater |
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| Years active | 1996–2022 |
| Notable works | Spook's |
| Spouse |
Marie Smith
(m. 1968; died 2007)Rani Kuncher Vannithamby
(m. 2014) |
| Children | 3 |
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Joseph Henry Delaney (born 25 July 1945 – died 16 August 2022) was an English author. He is best known for his exciting dark fantasy book series, Spook's.
He started his career as a teacher. At first, he wrote science fiction and fantasy books for adults. He used the pen name J. K. Haderack for these books. Later, Delaney began writing under his real name. His first book under his own name was The Spook's Apprentice, published in 2004. This book was the start of his famous Spook's series, which became a huge international success.
He wrote 19 books in the Spook's series. He also wrote several other books that take place in the same universe. In 2014, The Spook's Apprentice was turned into a play script. It was also made into a movie called Seventh Son. Delaney also created two other book series: the science fiction Arena 13 and the dark fantasy Aberrations.
About Joseph Delaney's Life
Joseph Henry Delaney was born on July 25, 1945, in Preston, Lancashire, England. He was the oldest of four children. His father worked as a labourer.
Delaney went to Preston Catholic College. After that, he worked as an apprentice engineer and fitter. He later studied English, history, and sociology at Lancaster University. He then went to St Martin's College to become a teacher.
He became an English teacher at the Blackpool Sixth Form College. There, he helped start the Media and Film Studies Department. In the 1980s, Delaney also studied at the Open University. He wanted to become a computer programmer.
In 1983, he moved to a village called Stalmine. There, he heard a story about a boggart that a priest had found in the past. He wrote this down, and it later became a key idea for his Spook's series.
Becoming a Writer
Delaney's first books were for adults. He used the pen name J. K. Haderack. This name was a reference to the Kwisatz Haderach from Frank Herbert's Dune books. He found it hard to get his adult fantasy and science fiction books published. So, his agent suggested he try writing for younger readers.
To meet the needs of a children's publisher, Delaney created a new book. It was based on a story he had first written in 1993. This story was inspired by the boggart from Stalmine and other Lancashire folklore. In 2004, he published this book as The Spook's Apprentice. He used his real name for this one.
The Spook's Apprentice became the first book in his popular dark fantasy Spook's series. Delaney became famous worldwide for the adventures of his main character, Tom Ward. The series has been published in 30 countries and has sold over 4.5 million copies. After the second book in the series came out, Delaney stopped teaching to write full-time.
He said that J. R. R. Tolkien and Frank Herbert were his biggest inspirations. Like Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula, Delaney sometimes used his dreams to help him write his stories.
From 2015 to 2017, Delaney published the science fiction Arena 13 trilogy. He also published the dark fantasy Aberrations series from 2018 to 2019. Joseph Delaney passed away in Manchester on August 16, 2022, after being ill. He was 77 years old.
Personal Life
Joseph Delaney married Marie Smith in 1968. They had three children and nine grandchildren. Marie passed away from cancer in 2007. In 2014, he married Rani Kuncher Vannithamby.
It's interesting to note that Joseph Delaney shared his full name with another author. This was Joseph H. Delaney, an American science fiction writer.
Joseph Delaney's Books
The Spook's Series
The Spook's series (also known as The Last Apprentice in America) tells the story of Tom Ward. Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means he has special abilities. He becomes an apprentice to John Gregory, who is the local "Spook." A Spook is someone who fights evil supernatural creatures.
John is the Spook for "the County." He teaches Tom how to fight ghosts, ghasts, witches, boggarts, and other creatures of "The Dark." Tom soon learns that most of the Spook's previous apprentices have failed, and some even died. As the stories continue, the focus also includes other characters like the assassin Grimalkin and the young witch Alice Deane.
The Wardstone Chronicles
This is the first part of the Spook's series. It focuses on Tom's destiny to either save or destroy the world. "The County" in the books is based on Lancashire in northwest England. Many places in the books are based on real locations. For example, Priestown is based on Preston, Caster is Lancaster, Black Pool is Blackpool, and Chipenden is Chipping.
- The Spook's Apprentice (America: The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch) – 2004
- The Spook's Curse (America: The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane) – 2005
- The Spook's Secret (America: The Last Apprentice: Night of the Soul Stealer) – 2006
- The Spook's Battle (America: The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend) – 2007
- The Spook's Mistake (America: The Last Apprentice: Wrath of the Bloodeye) – 2008
- The Spook's Sacrifice (America: The Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons) – 2009
- The Spook's Nightmare (America: The Last Apprentice: Rise of the Huntress) – 2010
- The Spook's Destiny (America: The Last Apprentice: Rage of the Fallen) – 2011
- Spook's: I Am Grimalkin (America: The Last Apprentice: Grimalkin the Witch Assassin) – 2011
- The Spook's Blood (America: The Last Apprentice: Lure of the Dead) – 2012
- Spook's: Slither's Tale (America: The Last Apprentice: Slither) – 2013
- Spook's: Alice (America: The Last Apprentice: I Am Alice) – 2013
- The Spook's Revenge (America: The Last Apprentice: Fury of the Seventh Son) – 2014
The Starblade Chronicles
This is a trilogy that continues Tom Ward's adventures. Tom has finished his training and is now a Spook himself. He must fight a powerful evil that threatens his home and the world. Tom is only seventeen, so many people in the County doubt him because of his age. He also meets Jenny, a sixteen-year-old girl who wants to be his apprentice. This is unusual because women have never been Spooks before.
- Spook's: A New Darkness – 2014
- Spook's: The Dark Army – 2016
- Spook's: The Dark Assassin – 2017
The Spook's Apprentice: Brother Wulf
This series follows the adventures of a new character, a young monk named Brother Beowulf.
- Brother Wulf – 2020
- Brother Wulf: Wulf's Bane – 2021
- Brother Wulf: The Last Spook – 2022
- Brother Wulf: Wulf's War – 2023
Spook's Spin-off Books
Joseph Delaney also wrote other books set in the world of Spook's. These are often shorter stories or guides.
- The Spook's Tale – This short story was part of a special book for World Book Day UK in 2009.
- The Last Apprentice: The Spook's Tale And Other Horrors – A collection of four short stories. This was released in the USA.
- The Spook's Stories: Witches – A collection of five short stories about witches. Published in the US as The Last Apprentice – A Coven of Witches.
- The Spook's Bestiary – A guide to all the different creatures found in The Wardstone Chronicles universe. Published in the US as The Last Apprentice – The Spook's Bestiary: The Guide to Creatures of the Dark.
- The Ghost Prison – This book is set in the same world as The Wardstone Chronicles but has different characters and storylines. – 2013
- The Last Apprentice: The Seventh Apprentice – A short novel about the Spook's seventh apprentice, a boy named Will Johnson. – 2015
The Arena 13 Series
The Arena 13 series is about a sixteen-year-old boy named Leif. He wants to become the champion of a famous fighting pit called Arena 13. His goal is to defeat Hob, an evil creature who rules and scares the city zone of Midgard. Hob destroyed Leif's family.
- Arena 13 – 2015
- Arena 13: The Prey – 2016
- Arena 13: The Warrior – 2017
The Aberrations Series
The Aberrations series tells the story of a character named Crafty. He has been stuck in his family's cellar for almost a year. His only friends are his restless, whispering dead brothers and a friendly monster he calls the Bog Queen.
- The Beast Awakens – 2018
- The Witch's Warning – 2019
Other Books and Stories
Joseph Delaney also contributed to other collections of short stories.
- Half-Minute Horrors – He wrote a story called "All Fingers and Thumbs" for this collection of very short horror stories. – 2009
- Haunted – He wrote "The Castle Ghosts" for this collection of spooky stories. – 2011
Book to Film and Play Adaptations
In 2014, Joseph Delaney's son, Stephen Delaney, turned The Spook's Apprentice into a play script. It was published as The Spook's Apprentice – Play Edition.
Also in 2014, The Spook's Apprentice was made into a movie. It was produced by Legendary Pictures and directed by Sergey Bodrov. The movie was called Seventh Son.
- Ben Barnes played Tom Ward.
- Jeff Bridges played the Spook.
- Julianne Moore played Mother Malkin.
- Alicia Vikander played Alice Deane.
- Kit Harington played Billy Bradley.
- Djimon Hounsou played Radu (a new character for the film).
- Antje Traue played Bony Lizzie.
Images for kids
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Joseph Delaney's signature
