Hi ho all in "The Land of Blog,"
Tis good to talk with you again.
At the moment I am a Youth Services Librarian without a home (not working at a Library). However I am still reading great books for tweens and teens. Therefore my name has been changed to Ronin Librarian Bill. Now you may be asking, what exactly is a Ronin. Well this is a pretty good/brief definition I found:
Ronin - in Japanese history, masterless samurai , knights of feudal Japan without Lords to serve.
Okay let's talk some recent reads:
The Last Apprentice: The Spook Bestiary, The Guide To Creatures Of The Dark by Joseph Delaney and Julek Heller - Well if you are a fan of The Last Apprentice Series, this book is a must for you or any other up and coming Spook. This book covers not only all the creatures that the Spook John Gregory has dealt with in his lifetime but also notes from the likes of Spook Apprentice Tom Ward, Past Apprentices, the much missed Spook Bill Arkwright and many more. Covered not only in text but with wonderful illustrations the book cover Boggarts (and believe me there are many different types). The most frighting of all Boggarts to me are Rippers which feed on animal and human blood (very dangerous) eventually killing their victims. Also of interest covered are The Old Gods (such as Aphrodite, Artemis, The Bane - a very nasty creature that can cause it's victims to be crushed, breaking bones and crushing internal organs, by exerting a tremendous amount of pressure, The Fiend (known by other names such as the Devil, Satan, Lucifer and The Father of Lies), Golgoth (Lord of Winter), Pan (The Horned God) and many more. Of course witches are covered (man there are so many types), Elementals and things Spooks and others have only heared tales of. This is a great companion piece to go with the series and even has some encounters by various Spooks featured guaranteed to curl the hair on your very head. Recommended for readers 11 years old and up!!!!!! Great Stuff!!!!!
The Last Apprentice: Grimalkin The Witch Assassin (Book 9) by Joseph Delaney - I have to tell you one of my favorite characters in this series the Witch Assassin Grimalkin of the Malkin witch clan. Once a sworn enemy of The Spook and Tom, she becomes a part of of an alliance between them and Alice.
Spoiler Alert - The alliance is primarily the assurance that The Fiend is once and for all taken care of (that is put out of the picture if you know what I mean). Grimalkin has in her possession the head of The Fiend and is on the run from dark forces while Tom, The Spook and Alice search for a way to end The Fiends threat forever. If the head and body are reconnected The Fiend will live again so Grimalkin along with her apprentice Thorne are running from forces that even give Grimalkin a challenge. The main being an evil obscenity known as a Kretch that actually hurts Grimalkin very badly. How long can Grimalkin and Thorne keep ahead of the deadly hunt by the Kretch and other dark beings? Read and find out if this very cool knife throwing witch assassin is up to the task. A page turner for sure. Recommended for those 13 and up mainly because of the violence factor.
A very cool action pose of Grimalkin!!!!
I know it has been awhile since I wrote a review, but hopefully things will get better in the future and thanks to everyone who has been hanging with the blog.
Peace,
Bill
Hi all out there in "The Land of Blog." Where did the summer go? I can't believe it's September already. Well at least football season has started and I am a huge college football fan. I went to collage at The University of South Carolina and thus I am A big Gamecock fan. We are classic underachievers and kings of disappointment, kinda like the Charlie Brown of the college football world, but we never give up. Who knows maybe this year we will do really well.
Go Gamecocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well that's not really what I'm here to talk about so let's get things moving along with some recent good reads:
The Last Apprentice - Clash of The Demons by Joseph Delaney - This is the sixth instalment in this awesome series. Tom, the seventh son of a seventh son, is recruited by his Mam who has returned home from Greece to take on a great evil she has been fighting there sense the death of her husband and Tom's Dad. She also recruits Tom's Master The Old Spook Gregory, a former Spook Trainer Bill Arkwright, Witches from different clans that share interest with Mam's fight, The crafty Witch Assassin Grimalkin, others, and last but not least Tom's close friend Alice (also a Witch). They are all headed to Greece to take on a powerful Old God, The Ordeen who appears in her Citadel, The Ord, every few years to terrorize humanity. In the past an order of monks located in Greece have been able to contain her malevolence to a small part of Greece. However with the Fiend now on the lose, the monks are in danger of being destroyed and the destruction caused by the Ordeen and her monstrous followers unleashed upon all parts of the world. There journey is long and they face many evils before reaching the monks in Greece such as Fire and Tapper Elementals (the first using the powers of fire and the second harnessing the power of rock and earth, Maenalds (women from Greece who have gone mad and are deadly cannibals), Sirens, Lamia Witches, and more. Then at the end of their journey there is the great evil citadel of The Ordeen and the demons and monstrosities that live within. Not everyone will return from this adventure and those that do can count themselves amongst the very lucky. Can't wait for the next book!!!! Recommended for those 9 and up!!!!!
Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity by Dave Roman - This Graphic Novel is one of the most original I have read in awhile. The stories in this GN revolve around a mered of different characters attending a school which just happens to be in Outer Space. There are two many characters to talk about so I will introduce you to just a few (you can find out about the rest by checking this excellent GN out). The first character we are introduced to is Hakata Soy who gave up his place in a superhero team wh
Heyo all,
It's Library Ninja Bill with what appears to be a very depressing post; if you just read the title. Let me tell ya something though....the end has never bee so fun!!! What the heck am I talking about? Check it out:
Warning: The Last Apprentice books can be quite scary as the creatures that a Spook must take on can do some pretty horrible stuff. So if you or your parents don't want you reading this sort of material, DON'T!!!!!!!!!The Last Apprentice: Night of The Soul Stealer by Joseph Delaney - This is the third book in the series, following Revenge of The Witch and
Curse of The Bane, and this title does not disappoint. The Spook (Mr. Gregory), his apprentice Tom and the young witch Alice are back dealing with more than ever before. In this story not only do they have to take on Stone-Chuckers and other beasties, but while wintering in the Spook's home in Anglezarke Tom meets the love of Mr. Gregory's life, Meg. Meg is a very dangerous witch that the Spook is keeping imprisoned by drugging her tea. Wait a minute, he loves her but keeps her memory of what she is fogged and distorted. This can only lead to bad things... Add to that an evil Necromancer, a mage who controls the dead for his own selfish purposes, named Morgan (who also was once the Spook's apprentice) and the return of an ancient god called Golgoth ("The Lord of Winter") and I'd say the Spook and company have a very full plate indeed!!!! This is a great series that just keeps getting better. If you click on "Curse of The Bane" above you can look at my review on this blog of that book. As for "Revenge of the Witch" read the next entry below.
Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son and in the world of magic that makes him extremely special. Tom lives in what appears to be medieval England (or around that tim
I was working through a stack of books, cataloging them for the junior high library where I was subbing. I was changing and adding MARC tags as per our district's specifications when this book appeared on the top of the stack.
The cover had a softly burnished silvery purpley glow. The art work by Patrick Arasmith reminded me of 19th century woodcut illustrations. It was almost square in shape. I noted the wide margins and easy spacing between the lines of text. I flipped back to the verso of the title page and saw the elegant, unusual font was Cochin and the book design was by Chad W. Beckerman. This tome was absolutely gorgeous. The first page of each chapter was printed with a black background and white text along with another woodcut style vignette, white on black.
Oh nooo, this is Book 2 of a series. Surely, the librarian has the first one? Yes!
Just to prove I am not a slacker, I finished the entire stack of books. I cataloged the audiobooks and the videos. I printed the barcodes and the spine labels and imported the records into the database. Then I raced to the stacks to find Book 1. Happily, the all-powerful library aide gave me permission to check it out (the sad price my librarians pay for having me in to catalog) and I was one happy camper.
I had not encountered The Last Apprentice series before. There is very little about the author Joseph Delaney at the HarperCollins site. This is all it says.
Joseph Delaney lives with his family in Lancashire, England, in the middle of boggart territory.
Wikipedia has a
little more.
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney, 2005
Young Thomas Ward is a seventh son of a seventh son and it seems his mother has known all her life that he would be apprenticed to the area’s spook. The Spook has the job of dealing with unpleasant and dangerous spirits and apparitions, sort of a nineteenth century ghostbuster. This is an important job but spooks are feared and shunned by ordinary folk.
Leaving his family, Thomas starts his new life, mindful that the Spook's last apprentice was killed by one of the deadly spirits they were called on to dispatch. The Spook is a demanding teacher. Thomas keeps a notebook which he fills with every bit of learning his master imparts. He learns how to dig a pit exactly the proper dimensions for burying a boggart, and all manner of facts about witches and spirits.
When the Spook warns Thomas to beware of girls with pointy shoes he does not think much about it until he meets the mysterious Alice, a girl his own age, who wears pointy shoes. She comes from a family of dangerous witches but he wants to help her. As small children begin to go missing from the village, Thomas realizes the evil threat Alice and her family represent. Is Alice so far gone to the darkness that she cannot be saved?
Full of folklore, the story is down right scary. The book carries this advice on the back cover, “Warning: Not to be read after dark—especially page 148.”
The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney, 2006
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, 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 attend the funeral and then leave town quickly.
The Quisitor returns unexpectedly with prisoners and Tom sees that Alice, the girl with the pointed shoes, has been swept into his trap. She will be burned for witchcraft along with other innocents. The Spook is also captured, betrayed by a member of his own family.
This is a first rate read. These books are wonderfully creepy, full of atmosphere and 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.
I don't know how many kids are aware of this series. They need to know about it NOW!
The Last Apprentice: The Spook Bestiary, The Guide To Creatures Of The Dark by Joseph Delaney and Julek Heller - Well if you are a fan of The Last Apprentice Series, this book is a must for you or any other up and coming Spook. This book covers not only all the creatures that the Spook John Gregory has dealt with in his lifetime but also notes from the likes of Spook Apprentice Tom Ward, Past Apprentices, the much missed Spook Bill Arkwright and many more. Covered not only in text but with wonderful illustrations the book cover Boggarts (and believe me there are many different types). The most frighting of all Boggarts to me are Rippers which feed on animal and human blood (very dangerous) eventually killing their victims. Also of interest covered are The Old Gods (such as Aphrodite, Artemis, The Bane - a very nasty creature that can cause it's victims to be crushed, breaking bones and crushing internal organs, by exerting a tremendous amount of pressure, The Fiend (known by other names such as the Devil, Satan, Lucifer and The Father of Lies), Golgoth (Lord of Winter), Pan (The Horned God) and many more. Of course witches are covered (man there are so many types), Elementals and things Spooks and others have only heared tales of. This is a great companion piece to go with the series and even has some encounters by various Spooks featured guaranteed to curl the hair on your very head. Recommended for readers 11 years old and up!!!!!! Great Stuff!!!!!
The Last Apprentice: Grimalkin The Witch Assassin (Book 9) by Joseph Delaney - I have to tell you one of my favorite characters in this series the Witch Assassin Grimalkin of the Malkin witch clan. Once a sworn enemy of The Spook and Tom, she becomes a part of of an alliance between them and Alice. Spoiler Alert - The alliance is primarily the assurance that The Fiend is once and for all taken care of (that is put out of the picture if you know what I mean). Grimalkin has in her possession the head of The Fiend and is on the run from dark forces while Tom, The Spook and Alice search for a way to end The Fiends threat forever. If the head and body are reconnected The Fiend will live again so Grimalkin along with her apprentice Thorne are running from forces that even give Grimalkin a challenge. The main being an evil obscenity known as a Kretch that actually hurts Grimalkin very badly. How long can Grimalkin and Thorne keep ahead of the deadly hunt by the Kretch and other dark beings? Read and find out if this very cool knife throwing witch assassin is up to the task. A page turner for sure. Recommended for those 13 and up mainly because of the violence factor.
These sound like something my brother would enjoy. He's hard to find books for, so thanks for the recommendation!
They're BRILLIANT !! I've read the first three of the series (they're known as "The Spook's Apprentice", "The Spook's Curse" and "The Spook's Secret" over here !) They're all reviewed on my Blog...
Yes, I remember that now. They have different covers over here. The US book design is just fantastic. So there is a third one. Yippee!
I wonder if you could get an interview with him for EOTF?
I tried to reply to this the other day and Blogger was having none of it ! So I shall try again !
I could try contacting Joseph Delaney re. an interview. Perhaps in time for the publication (here) of the fourth book (no idea when that will be, mind you !) I'll see what I can find out...
omg i luv the book and i hope ther is a third!!!they really left me hanging and i am very proud to say i own both 1 and 2
anonymous--
The 3rd book is already out in England. I can't wait for it to be out here too!