The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane (Book 2)

Beneath Priestown lurks the Bane, locked behind a silver door forever. The spook has run into him before and was almost killed. Now it's time for him to go back and deal with the Bane, as it's getting stronger. Although it can't physically leave the catacombs beneath the town, it has become strong enough to influence those above and work its will on them. They travel to the town because one of the brothers of the spook has died and services are being held. The spook is going to use this excuse to return to the town and defeat the Bane if he can. Unfortunately, the Quisitor has arrived and in his cart are many he plans to execute for the sin of witchcraft. Among them is Alice. Under the influence of the Bane, a priest tells the Quisitor that there is a Spook in town and they capture the Spook. Thomas barely escapes. Now to get the Spook and Alice free. I listened on CD and the voice of the Bane would scare anyone pea green. I would not recommend for children - at least not as an audio. Reader was excellent. This is 2nd in the series and it was better than the first.

Second in The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles paranormal fantasy series for middle-grade readers and revolving around young Thomas Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son.

My Take
One shouldn’t allow ignorance and superstition to interfere with reality, for evil is found everywhere and must be fought. And the truth of that comes out with Delaney’s use of first-person protagonist point-of-view from Thomas’ perspective.

It's a hard road for Thomas with all the authorities on the lookout and a funeral pyre likely to be at the end. It doesn't help that Old Gregory and Thomas can't keep in touch. Especially with all the hatred being focused on them.

Delaney sure gets me all roused up in how he uses his words. Phew. Of course, part of that “rousement” could well be my antipathy toward organized religions. The things religious groups are allowed to get away with!??

I would recommend reading Revenge of the Witch, 1, first, as Delaney isn’t quite as thorough in introducing us to this world in Curse of the Bane. It is still an easy read, just horrific what with the Quisitor’s actions and all that Andrew and Brother Peter have to relate.

There's some interesting back history on Old Gregory, a bit shocking considering his demeanor and actions these days.

The Story
Imprisoned below the cathedral, the Bane is but getting worse and worse, influencing people into corruption and evil. It must be stopped before it becomes too strong, before it breaks out, and before it destroys the countryside.

The only man with a chance of stopping it is the Spook, but Priestown is too full of priests, eager to burn witches and others, such as the Spook and young Thomas.

The Characters
Thomas Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son, has been apprenticed to the Spook, a.k.a., John Gregory. Matthew, a.k.a., “Holy Joe”, had been one of his dad’s brothers. Thomas’ older brothers include Jack and James.

John Gregory is now known as Old Gregory and had once been a priest. His summer home is based in Chipenden while his winter home is in Angelzarke Moor.

A priest is Old Gregory’s very estranged brother — they haven’t spoken in 40 years. Another brother, Andrew, works as a locksmith. Father Cairns is a cousin. Emily Burns had been engaged to one of Gregory's brothers. Margery “Meg” Skelton was a notorious witch.

Priestown is…
…loaded with priests, and the bishop is the uncle of the High Quisitor, the one who takes absolute delight in torturing and killing people, as he confiscates all their goods for himself. Other priests include Father Hendle and the now-deceased Father Roberts. Brother Peter is a gardener for the cathedral.

The Little People are…
…actually called the Seganti, and the Bane was once their god. They built the catacombs. Their next-to-last king had been Heys who lost his sons of whom Naze was the last.

Prisoners of the Quisitor include Alice (Aunt Bony Lizzie was in Revenge of the Witch), Maggie, and so many other innocents. Dr. Sherdley from Horshaw tried to save him. The chained Meg was a lamia witch. The feral ones are dangerous, unpredictable, and unlike humans. The domestic ones often become benevolent. Bill Arkwright is the local spook north of Caster.

The Bane is an ancient and evil spirit that affects the thoughts and emotions of all around it. Three covens of Pendle witches cursed John. Ghosts include Matty Barnes, a serial killer.

The Cover and Title
The cover has the look of an engraving with the lines in metallic golds. The background is a deep copper against which stands the gate, the gorgeous wrought iron gate that imprisons the Bane with Thomas in his cloak, holding a candle aloft with his staff in hand. There are bones and skulls on either side of the hall he must walk. The series information is at the very top in a distressed gothic font in the same deep copper with black shading and a pale, pale yellow glow. Directly under it is the title in black using the same glow as a background. The author’s name is in white at the very bottom.

The title refers to the evil against which Thomas must battle, the Curse of the Bane.

Review Originally Posted At: www.FictionForesight.com

Dan S’ Review:
Curse of the Bane was an interesting sequel to Joseph Delaney’s Revenge of the Witch. Set a bit after the events of the first book, Tom is beginning to show signs of growth and is starting to become a much better Spook (as shown even from the very first chapter of the book). However, even with his increasing skill and wit, is it enough to beat the next creature of the dark?…Well for that you will have to read it yourself. Overall this review is going to be very brief because I don’t feel there is much to add really. The reason for this is because if you read our first review of Revenge of the Witch, you will know how I felt about this book as well.

The writing style, character flaws, and everything else I mentioned is the same with the exception being that you do in fact learn a bit more history and lore about the world Joseph Delaney created with this series. This book reads just like the next chapter after a brief fast-forward in time for Tom to train a bit more. Other than that I can’t say much else, other than that the ending for the book I found to be a bit more predictable than the last, but still enjoyable.

So with that in mind, my rating of this book is 4 out of 5 stars and if you want more of my opinion, check out our last review of its predecessor: Revenge of the Witch!

Treavor G’s Review:
3.5 Stars…. Again!

Curse of the Bane was as thrilling, mysterious and just plain spooky as Joseph Delaney’s first novel Revenge of the Witch.

A Quick Summary:

Beginning shortly after the conclusion of Revenge of the Witch, Curse of the Bane opens with Thomas Ward working on his first independent assignment. With his master ill, it is up to Thomas to bind a nasty boggart who is wreaking havoc on a nearby village. Just another day at the office for a future spook. Unfortunately this assignment hits a bit closer to home than most. While Thomas did succeed in binding the boggart, his success came at a cost. That cost? The life of the priest that the boggart was feeding off of. The priest who also happens to be the Spook’s brother.

As it turns out, all priests are buried in a place called Priestown (Clichéd? A bit, but we’ll let it slide). While the Spook wants to go and pay his last respects to his brother, he is also a bit wary. Priestown is no friend to spooks, and the punishment for being caught there would be certain death. Danger aside, the Spook decides he and Thomas must go, but not just for his brothers sake.

Long ago the Spook fought one of the most evil and dangerous creatures to walk this earth…. the Bane. Now, even banished to the catacombs of Priestown, the Bane is causing more and more problems. Corrupting the city above has allowed it to grow stronger and stronger. Soon the prison may not be enough to hold it. It is up to the Spook and Thomas to stop the Bane once and for all. But this is easier said than done. The world is on the line, and danger is everywhere.

The Good:

Spooky, spooky, spooky. I said it before with Revenge of the Witch, and I will say it again now, Joesph Delaney scares the crap out of me. I never thought a young adult novel could be scary, not in the least. Mr. Delaney corrected my way of thinking the first time around, and has put me in my place yet again. Now I’m not one for scary in the first place, so this could have a big effect, but none-the-less. Being forewarned with the previous novel, I made sure to read this one only when the sun was out. Boy am I glad of that. I expect I would have jumped out of my skin at every pin drop otherwise.

Character development was much better this time around. I made a note to talk about this even before I read this book because of how left out I felt with the last one. I enjoyed learning more about the Spook’s back-story. It helped me to be able to identify with him more, and thus become more connected with the story. It made his actions and reactions more understandable because you could see where he was coming from. The same could be said for Thomas. It’s the little insights about him and his family that made him feel less like a puppet, and more like a real boy!

Oh the emotions. I know I've talked a bit about the scariness that this book evokes with its readers, but lets talk a bit more about the emotions of the characters. Black and white, good and bad, these are not phrases I would use to describe this book. Nothing is that simple when it comes to Joseph Delaney. His ability to create characters that are both conflicted and resolved is quite interesting. I mean here we have Thomas who wants to remain loyal to his master, become a great spook, etc, and yet he is constantly stepping on his own toes in the process. His sympathy and compassion make him unpredictable, even when the choice should be obvious. Before I labeled this naïvety, and he still is naïve, but now we know it’s more out of care than stupidity.

Finally, I loved the plot reveals. They weren’t anything overwhelmingly amazing, but they were pretty good. There were a couple of points I found myself re-reading just to make sure I understood exactly what was being said. It was almost like “oh man, that was that girl?!”. It had that kind of mystery that the first book was lacking.

The Bad:

As much as this book improved on its predecessor, it was still lacking in a few areas.

First lets address Tom’s utter lack of foresight. I mean this time around he has a bit stronger level of conviction in his decisions, but he still isn’t using his head. He makes these gut calls in the spur of the moment that anyone can see will bite him in the backside before the end is through. I understand he has to make difficult choices, but I mean think it through man. Ultimately his gut calls win out, but so much conflict could have been avoided if he would just think.

The action. It’s there, but it’s not really there. That is to say, while I did find this thrilling, it’s still missing that special feeling that would really push it over the top. I really hate to mention movies when I’m talking about book reviews but hear me out. If you've ever seen the movie adaptation of the first novel you’d know it’s absolutely nothing like the book. In fact pretty much everything is different besides the name of the characters, and the basic premise of the seventh son. However, the action that took place at the end of that film was awesome! That’s what I wanted for this book. I wanted the action to feel like all the stops were being pulled out. Like this was it. I’m still looking for that feeling. So much build up to a flat ending, that’s what really hurt this book for me.

Other:

Maybe this doesn’t need to be mentioned, as this is just a work of fiction, but there is quite the religious overtone in this book. It’s not to say that this is all about religion, or negativity towards religion, but there is something there. I’m curious if this was just a plot booster, or if this has some basis in Delaney’s real world feelings towards religion as a whole.

Overall:

Curse of the Bane was a decent followup to a decent book. I won’t go on and on saying this is something so special, or that you must read it now because it’s unlike anything you've ever read before. That’s simply not the case. But if you’re looking for a good book, with a some spookiness to it, you've got the right read. I think I’ll continue with this series to see how it progresses. Here’s for hoping for some chills, thrills and action along the way!

(www.FictionForesight.com)

The life of a spook is dangerous, thrilling, and enriching, although there's always a price to pay in order to get rid of the dark. Tom Ward, a boy of 13 years old was placed into this exciting life, a few months ago in book 1. His father had given him apprenticeship to John Gregory, the County Spook. With their tools of the trade and knowledge they get rid of any dark creatures that could be potential enemies to their beloved County. In Joseph Delaney's second book of the series, Tom is rushed into battle from the start. He is sent to take care of a Ripper, which is a powerful boggart. We later find out that the priest who had intended to take care of the ripper in the first place was the spook's brother. The story soon unravels to an unknown territory, Priestown. All the while, Tom learns about the different creatures of the dark and quickly discovers a very powerful one. The spook instructs his apprentice about the Bane. Its domain is in the catacombs, underneath Priestown and he can now reach people's minds and make them do what he likes. The spook and his apprentice are hard-pressed by the new arrival of the Quisitor. Now they have two enemies too deal with and not much time!

I enjoyed book two of The Last Apprentice, as much as the first. the story was fast paste and each chapter brought different ideas or different conflicts. I enjoyed seeing Tom grow as a person and apprentice, whether it was when he learned about enemies of the light or when he had to make harsh decisions. The author did a splendid job introducing the new characters. He left nothing out and did it efficiently without rambling on uselessly. Interestingly we see the spook at his weakest and it makes me think if Tom will have to take over soon. The bane was a clever addition to the series, and it showed us how strong the characters really are. The conclusion was terrific; I loved the note from his mam and the plot twist. This book was Delaneys best so far! I'm excited to read the third and hope it's as great as this one.

The second in the "Wardstone Chronicles/Spook's/Last Apprentice" YA fantasy series, not as good as the first but eminiently readable.

Young Thomas Ward is the apprentice of the Spook, a man who guards the County from dark things like boggarts and witches. The Church, however, does not approve of the Spook -- teaching that only priests can deal with the dark -- and when the Spook travels to Priestown to destroy an ancient evil known only as the Bane, he is taken by the soldiers of the Quisitor.

Okay, one thing that is only hinted at, and that mainly in the first book: this is (approximately) our world, after some future ice age. Technology has been lost and dark things are loose. But anyway...

The plot is somewhat predictable, but the characters, other than the Quisitor (who is a boring and cliched kind of evil) are interesting and the language clear and evocative. S. informs me that they remain predictable for another book or two and then the main plot takes over, so I'll stick it out for a while and see what happens.

The Spook has returned to Priestown for the funeral of his brother, who was killed by a boggart. There is danger in Priestown. One of the most malevolent spirits the Spook ever dealt with is locked in the catacombs beneath the cathedral. Unable to kill it at the time, the Spook confined the Bane behind a silver gate but its influence and poison are spreading and all it needs is a willing soul to free it from its prison.

Because the town and the country side are under threat from the Quisitor, a priest conducting Inquisition style retribution on anyone or anything suspected of supernatural dealings, Tom and his master hope to just attend the funeral and then leave town quickly. They disguise their occupation while in town and stay at separate inns to avoid detection.

The Quisitor returns unexpectedly with prisoners though. Tom sees that his friend Alice, has been swept into the Quisitor's trap. She will be burned for witchcraft along with other innocents. The Spook is also captured, betrayed by a member of his own family. Tom is desparate to save his friends but faces the ultimate sacrifice to do it.

This is a first rate read. These books are wonderfully creepy, full of atmosphere. The book design will make them accessible for readers of all strengths (as are the Charlie Bone series). There is just enough burning at the stake, blood sacrifice and live burials to keep things interesting but not overtly graphic.

Fans of scary stories and fantasy need to know about this series NOW!

I am a sixth grader.

This book The Last Apprentice: Curse Of The Bane by Joseph Delaney is my favorite book that I have read so far. This book is the second one in its series. This book is about the young Thomas Ward a seventh son of a seventh son. If you are a seventh son of a seventh son your destiny is to become a Spook. The Spook is a person who protects humans from evil. They see and sense things that other people cannot - the likeness of dead people, evil spirits and boggarts. Tom Ward's family lives next to hangman's hill; during the war if you were a prisoner you would be hung on this hill. Tom would hear strange noises of people screaming; people who had died long ago.

Now Tom Ward is older and stronger than ever and has more challenges to face. When Old Gregory, the current Spook, retires, Tom will become the new Spook. In the beginning of the book, Old Gregory comes down with a cold and Tom has to do his work for him; Tom cannot be any mistakes. Tom's first job is to stop a boggart. This boggart is sucking the blood out of the Spooks brother, a priest, and Tom has to save him. Tom has to save many lives from The Bane. The Bane is a creature who changes shapes. He also will get inside your head when you dream and will try to convince you to give your blood to him.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action and adventure. This whole book is full of action. Also, I think that you should not read this book after dark. The reason to not read this book after dark is because it is scary. I would rate this book a six on a scale of 1 to 5. It rates a six because it is so good.

JMM

A mix of medieval fantasy and good old-fashioned horror, this second book in The Last Apprentice series will definitely take its place in your grey matter [and your bones] for a long time. Young Tom Ward is the Spook's apprentice. The Spook, whose brother is a priest, rids the county of dark forces on a less spiritual level. Although people throughout the county are indebted to the work of the Spook, who neutralizes dangerous witches, boggarts and ghosts, he is treated with fear and apprehension. A major antagonist is the Quisitor, who makes it his mission to eliminate those who practice what he deems 'the dark arts'. And yet, there is an even more deadly foe, the Bane, a shape-shifting demon that controls minds, and must be eliminated before the dire prophecy regarding the Bane rings true. The story is told by Tom, accommodated by intriguing illustrations and addendums. This is edge-of-your-seat scary, and I can't wait to read it again!

Wow! This was great! Just as scary and exciting as the first book, and even more riveting. There is nothing like a good scary book for fun. The Spooks Apprentice Tom Ward gets in a little deeper trouble in this second installment and quickly begins to fight off tougher demons and things more evil than he could have ever imagined. The book starts off with the Spook too sick to work, so Tom starts right out learning to battle and bind his first high-level boggart and does it with bravery and insight to make his master proud. But thankfully after that first good job done, the action never stops throughout and this novel will keep you up all night for sure. The character of the young witch Alice plays a bigger part in this book and one never knows which side she is on, but readers will find her character very endearing and loveable. The loyal friendship deepens between her and Tom much to the Spooks dismay,but the two are strong and creative in fighting the forces of evil together and more than once in these books save each others lives. Another intriguing ingredient added to this volume is that we get a little more information on Tom's mysterious mother, leaving us to wonder what her part will be in the finale. Not for the faint of heart or for kids who get nightmares, these books are horrifying and descriptively scary, albeit delicious to devour! I just can't wait for book three!

I read the first book, The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch, at my son's recommendation and ended up reading it in less than 24 hours. The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane was just as hard to put down! In this sequel, you learn a lot more about the Spook's past, as well as some Ward family secrets. My 10-year-old and I read the book at the same time and he found it just as riveting as I did, although he said I was the bigger chicken. I will admit that at times, even I had to put the book down for a little while because I was so nervous for Tom Ward, the main character. If your "tween" is the type that wants to climb in bed with Mom & Dad after a ghost story, this is not the book for him/her. But Curse of the Bane is a delicious, edge-of-your-seat thriller for anyone 10-100 who loves to be spooked! I cannot wait for Joseph Delaney's next book!

Another wonderful book in this tremendous series. Fast-paced action coupled with further development of the unique characters in this series creates an engaging book that I couldn't wait to continue reading. I find myself deep within Joseph Delaney's world with each page I read.

After reading the fist one i HAD to find another. Tom and Mr. Gregory are some of my fav characters. This story is so fun and exciting. I love how the story continues with wonder but doesnt give it to you all at once. There wasnt a dull moment.

When the influence of an ancient evil threatens innocent lives - Thomas and the Spook must avoid arrest and accomplish the impossible or the dark will snuff them out.

Written with a tone and context that makes your skin crawl, Curse of the Bane draws you through its pages without supplying a single dull moment. The reader should be aware that it contains implications of prior sexual acts, sadistic material, and graphic implications of death/torture, although most of the graphic detail is left to the imagination of the reader.

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Certainly not for the age group specified. I preview books for my grandchildren but this scared me! Very intense and gruesome in places. Make sure you have plenty of time to read when you start this one - it's hard to put down. Very entertaining but if you're prone to nightmares you might want to reconsider.

This book was great, started off exciting with Tom, the spooks apprentice binding his first boggart. From there the story leads to The master and apprentice going to preistown to take care of the Bane, an ancient dark creature that lives in the catacombs under the city. Overall great book.

Delaney delivers in the second book of the The Last Apprentice series. Character development and the overall plot of the series continue to grow as Delaney expands the range of supernatural beings that a spook must face.

Delaney delivers in the second book of the The Last Apprentice series. Character development and the overall plot of the series continue to grow as Delaney expands the range of supernatural beings that a spook must face.

This series is disappointing, especially if you are familiar with better written Susan Cooper tales of the seventh son of the seventh son, Will Stanton, whose Old Magic predates the Church, taking place in much more richly evoked English and Welsh countryside settings in the Dark is Rising series. Or many other better books.

The writing is weak and the characters as shallow as Pokemon cards, without the charm of Harry Potter to which it has been compared. Events are redundant when read quickly from one book to the next(boggart and witch binding, for example). Rhetorical questions are redolent of Goosebumps (Is it coming for my blood? Could it be this other horrible thing?)

A cheap thrill with an anti-clerical, agnostic bent. In this book, Delaney gives his ex-priest Spook the chance to expound on his lack of belief in God but tolerence of others' points of view, be they ever so wiltingly unattractive and misguided as he mispaints them.