#Spook Apprentice

[xxlucyxlolaxx]

Are there fans of Spook Apprentice?

[mrsometimes11]

Not sure if you still exist, but Wardstone Chronicles/Last Apprentice (books) fans, this one's for you.

So, this is a theory that I've been thinking about for a while, and I'd like to hear what you folks think.

The topic of when the books take place has long been one that troubles me. The background of witch trials screams 16th/17th century, but the continued prevalence of what seems to be the Catholic Church in fantasy Lancashire makes that unlikely Equally, it can't be much earlier as the existence of potatoes as a common food item shows that it takes place after the European discovery of the Americas. You must admit, it is strange.

However, I suggest that, rather than the past, the books take place in the future. A distant, post-apocalyptic future to be specific. Not only does this take care of certain historical inconsistencies in the series, but it also explains a few things. For one thing the fact that ice ages seem to be common knowledge, and the notion of the Segantii as a sophisticated precursor civilisation, the real Segantii were a Celtic tribe of no known great advancement.

And, the biggest bit of evidence, to quote 'then the ice came again, and when it retreated, even the shapes of the hills and the names of the towns in the valleys were changed'. Or to put it another way, after an ice age, and we know that the events of the books take place after Golgoth's last outing, the shapes of the hills, including Pendle Hill, which currently is far too steep to climb as easily as the characters in the books are able to*, and the names of towns, like Chippenden or as we call it Chipping, changed.

Now, granted, this idea cuts both ways, the events of the books could also occur in the distant past, a forgotten past. However, the existence of the Greek gods as Old Gods, and knowledge of Greek myth, would dispute this, as, indeed, does the presence of potatoes.

Finally, the clincher, throughout all his life Joseph Delaney was always unwilling to confirm that the books take place in the 1700s, as is often believed. Now, it may be that he considered the events of his books to take place in a fantasy timeline entirely separate to our own, but - again - the 'then the ice came again...' seems to tie the books firmly to the world we know.

*proof of how steep Pendle Hill is, based on my recent trip there

[madamrynodm]

Local apprentice killed for going to breakfast too early, more at 7

[notcryingtoday]

God why child me picked the most niche book series ever to be obsessed with.

[coyoteroyalty]

this week's fake skin practice!

a couple little hiccups on this one, but overall i'm really happy with this guy. i wish the colors would show up more true to life on the fake skin. just imagine it much brighter haha.

really stoked to eventually be able to offer this lil guy as a flash piece. <3

[giraffefeather]

Debating whether to start reading the 13 book series, another in a long line of predictable thrillers, or one of the free kindle reads sure to be hilariously bad...

[cat-a-holic]

Sudden realization that books involving apprentices were a major part of my formative middle and high school years.

[booktomoviebrawl]

We are not judging how bad the movie is, we are judging which adapted the book the worst. There are good movies that are bad adaptions.

Propaganda below the cut (spoilers may apply)

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (originally the Darren Shaw saga/The Vampire's Assistant):

Took on a much more early 2000s teen flick approach to a book that, while initially for younger audiences, had a lot of very dark and Intense moments. The casting was also fairly bad and it really went in a different direction from the novel.

Bad acting, weird script choices, not even Ken Watanabe & Salma Hayek could save it

Characterisation was nothing like the books and it couldn't decide if it was a comedy or horror

Seventh Son (originally The Spook's Apprentice):

The book is a dark fantasy book for children, with fantastical elements that ring true to folklore but still have their own distinct flair, really well written horror centered on the fact that the protagonist is still just a boy, and a very strong theme that the spook opposes the forces of darkness and evil with knowledge and wits rather than heroics. The series as a whole has a lot of digs at established powers, both the Church or the nobles. It also has a mentor that is showed as imperfect from the get-go because of sexist tropes, and a protagonist who criticizes it even at the beginning when he's just a boy. The movie makes the protagonist an adult, turns the spook from an old wise man who practices using a stick (peasant weapon!) to fight and throwing silver chains to immobilize supernatural creatures, into the SURVIVOR of an ORDER OF KNIGHTS, and generally removes all the slow creeping horror to turn it into generic shitty fantasy movie #493, with bad acting on top. And it bombed so bad it probably RUINED the Spook's series chances to ever get a good adaptation, damnit!

Mentor gets changed from being part of a long line of people with a cool fantasy job to a discount Templar, cool methods of handling monsters got reduced to just killing them, awesome assassin grandma changed to Default Movie Witch, and more! It's pretty much not the story anymore.

It takes pretty much nothing that I liked from the books with the initial premise and some names being pretty much the only things kept intact.

The plot and world were completely changed. Most of the changes make for a much more generic and, in my opinion, worse story. Spooks in the books are seventh sons of seventh sons who are trained to fight creatures of the dark because seventh sons of seventh sons are able to sense the supernatural. They are hired for jobs by ordinary people, usually exorcising ghosts or capturing creatures like boggarts and witches. In the movie, the Spooks are also seventh sons of seventh sons, but for some reason, they are an order of knights. In the books lot of people think Spooks are charlatans until they come face to face with a ghost or creature of the dark because the world is usually pretty ordinary and peaceful. The setting is inspired by Lancashire and the world feels pretty unique. The setting in the movie is Generic CGI Fantasy Land where everyone has American accents and big CGI monsters are everywhere.

The protagonist Tom and Alice, his friend and later love interest, were aged up like in the Percy Jackson movies. In the books, Tom starts out as a 12-year-old and grows up as the series continues. He starts out very uncertain and wants to stay on his family farm. He only becomes a Spook because he knows he has to get a job to ease the financial burden on his family. He grows into his role as a Spook's apprentice over time. Alice is a pretty interesting character in the books, she is naturally very talented as a witch but struggles with the darker side of her powers over the course of the series. In the movie, they became incredibly generic Hero and Love Interest characters with pretty much no personality and instantly fall in love.

Mother Malkin was a first-book villain, who was mostly only such a threat because Tom was an extremely inexperienced 12-year-old at this point who accidentally released her and didn't realise how dangerous she was. She was monstrous and decrepit and fed on blood. In the movie she is turned into a beautiful seductress and a world-ending threat who can turn into a dragon. They also made her the Spook's lover for some reason.

Tom's mother is a really cool character in the books who pushes him to become a Spook despite him being reluctant and plays a larger role in the later books. In the movie, Tom is the one who wants to be a Spook and his mother doesn't want him to.

I think the character who got it worst was the Spook himself, John Gregory. In the books, he is a former priest at the end of his career as a Spook, he is incredibly uptight and disciplined to an extent that other Spooks find over the top. For example, he has a rule of fasting before a battle that he makes his apprentices follow and he only kills as a last resort. He's tough but usually pretty fair to Tom and explains things to him so he doesn't get hurt. In the movie he is pretty much the complete opposite, he's a drunkard who spends the whole movie making getting angry and fighting and doesn't seem very interested in teaching Tom how to be a Spook. Also, the accent that Jeff Bridges uses is terrible.

I'm not sure the movie would be enjoyable if you hadn't read the books, having read them I hated it, but I feel like it would be mediocre at best even without the comparison. The acting is pretty bad despite the big-name cast. I think you could maybe enjoy it in a so bad it's good kind of way. The books were spooky and pretty charming from what I remember and I think if they had been adapted more accurately, preferably as a TV show, it could have been pretty good. Sorry this is such an essay, I've never hated an adaptation more. It's been a long time since I've both read the books and seen the movie, so if anyone wants to correct anything feel free.

[drakonrys]

oh my god i haven’t checked tags yet but please PLEASE tell me there is wardstone chronicles side of tumblr

[jagexisterar]

Summer reads of 2024

the horse and his boy, jane eyre, candide, the bridge to terabithia, the spooks apprentice and wuthering heights

[mrsometimes11]

Rereading The Spook's Mistake, and am kind of wondering how long The Fiend was impersonating Mr. Gilbert?

When I first read it, I assumed he'd only started impersonating him on the day he gave the Spook and Tom the fake letters, but the more I think about it, I wonder if he might have been the Fiend for the whole time.

When we first meet him, he references his son and daughter who help him out sometimes, the daughter we later find out is Morwenna, and the son could refer to any number of abhumans or even Loki. Of course it may be that Mr. Gilbert and the Fiend just happen to have very similar families, but that seems like a bit of a coincidence. Also, when he gives Tom a lift to the mill, it is noted that the food Mr. Gilbert prepared is undercooked, which in retrospect seems like foreshadowing that he isn't used to cooking, and isn't really human.

[madamrynodm]

Haven't thought about the series in years but I feel the overwhelming urge to reread The Last Apprentice/Spook's Apprentice

Mainly because I remember the pictures being very cool and Grimalkin being a queen all the time

[what-life-is-really-like]

Alice: I asked Tom about the spirit and he thinks it might be updog. John Gregory: What is updog? Alice: Tom! Get in here, I told you I could do it!

[lefty-of-the-day]

Today's Lefty of the day is Thomas Jason Ward from the Spook's Books

[prismjiinx]

A wild squirrel and shrew appear!

[eviethedevil]

Masterlist & What I Write For

I currently write for;

Harry Potter

Avatar

Once Upon A Time

Percy Jackson

DSMP

The Spooks

Lockwood & Co.

The Vampire Diaries

Short stories based of songs

random/requested oc's

The Sandman

The Hunger Games

Arctic Monkeys

random stories with absolutely no plot what so ever

Miguel O'hara

Marvel

She-Ra (SPOP)