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A review by crowinator
Night of the Soul Stealer by Joseph Delaney
4.0
Posted to my Livejournal in March 2008, saved here for posterity:
This is the third in the Last Apprentice series, which follows young Thomas as he is apprenticed to the local Spook, Mr. Gregory (whose job it is to rid his county of ghasts, witches, boggarts, etc.). In this one, Tom and Mr. Gregory travel to his dreary winter home, where there are dangerous witches bound in pits in the cellar and another, subtly more dangerous one loose in the house. Worse, the Spook's old apprentice, Morgan, lives in the area and has become a necromancer. He hates the Spook, and he has plans for Tom that involve binding the ghost of Tom's father as blackmail.
I love this series because it is truly scary and suspenseful -- it doesn't skimp on the supernatural horror -- yet still appropriate for middle grades kids. The creatures Delany creates -- from the blood-drinking boggarts to the slimy, crawling, flesh-eating witches -- are macabre in the best way, and the Spook's process, such as how to bind a boggart or trap a witch, feels totally original and unique to that world. The black and white illustrations are moody and dark, complimenting the creepiness, and Tom always includes his study notes in the end papers. The setting, in the rural English countryside, also adds to the atmosphere. Tom is loyal and honest and hard-working, and isn't above being scared to death of his job sometimes, but he always tries to do what's right, and the Spook is an appropriately crafty, mysterious, but caring figure. I read somewhere that said this series was like Sweeny Todd mixed with Harry Potter, and that was so apt, I had to share it, though now I can't remember where I read it. Probably somewhere on Amazon. There are plenty more mysteries to solve (such as the truth about Tom's spiritually wise mother, and the origin of the coming darkness that both she and the Spook predict) and I can't wait for the next one.
This is the third in the Last Apprentice series, which follows young Thomas as he is apprenticed to the local Spook, Mr. Gregory (whose job it is to rid his county of ghasts, witches, boggarts, etc.). In this one, Tom and Mr. Gregory travel to his dreary winter home, where there are dangerous witches bound in pits in the cellar and another, subtly more dangerous one loose in the house. Worse, the Spook's old apprentice, Morgan, lives in the area and has become a necromancer. He hates the Spook, and he has plans for Tom that involve binding the ghost of Tom's father as blackmail.
I love this series because it is truly scary and suspenseful -- it doesn't skimp on the supernatural horror -- yet still appropriate for middle grades kids. The creatures Delany creates -- from the blood-drinking boggarts to the slimy, crawling, flesh-eating witches -- are macabre in the best way, and the Spook's process, such as how to bind a boggart or trap a witch, feels totally original and unique to that world. The black and white illustrations are moody and dark, complimenting the creepiness, and Tom always includes his study notes in the end papers. The setting, in the rural English countryside, also adds to the atmosphere. Tom is loyal and honest and hard-working, and isn't above being scared to death of his job sometimes, but he always tries to do what's right, and the Spook is an appropriately crafty, mysterious, but caring figure. I read somewhere that said this series was like Sweeny Todd mixed with Harry Potter, and that was so apt, I had to share it, though now I can't remember where I read it. Probably somewhere on Amazon. There are plenty more mysteries to solve (such as the truth about Tom's spiritually wise mother, and the origin of the coming darkness that both she and the Spook predict) and I can't wait for the next one.