Hi guys, some of you may remember me bringing up possibly doing a book review, well here it is. I was thinking of doing Percy Jackson or the Hunger Games, but I decided to maybe bring some notice to a series I've had a great time reading, The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney.
Yeah, that candle will help a lot against all-powerful darkness
Story
The story revolves around Thomas 'Tom' Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son. A simple 13 year old farm boy about to start his apprenticeship (as is custom). His Father, John Ward, arranged for him to be taught under a mysterious man, the Spook. The Spook's name is John Gregory, his occupation is to protect the County (fictional Lancashire, England) from beings of "the dark," though they are often seen as heretics and very rarely treated with respect, let alone hospitality. The dark refers to evil beings, like witches, boggarts (4-foot tall, vampire badgers, some are even worse), and... well I don't want spoil anything else. There is also potential witch (and love interest), Alice Deane, daughter of... well, again, you'll find out. On the surface it's your typical light vs. dark/good vs. evil story, but it has a lot of grey in between these two sides.
Character Development
I'll talk about Tom first. Tom is, as I said before, the seventh son of a seventh son, which grants him several gifts; he can hear and see ghosts, immunity to Siren songs, and other abilities to help fight the dark. His Mam has said that he is her "gift to the County." Throughout the series he has always been seen as patient and kind young man, but as his battle against dark grows more dangerous, he has been forced to rely on "dark influences" (help from certain witches, mirror texting essentially =P, etc), not helped by Alice who has a very fight fire-with-fire outlook when it comes to dark powers.
Next, The Spook. John Gregory has protected the County for most of his life and has had 29 apprentices, most of whom have died. He is constantly at war with Alice, believing she may tempt Tom towards the dark, though he has accepted her into his home. He has a harsher outlook on uses of the dark, as he's afraid Tom will be corrupted into the dark. Though he is a strict teacher and master, he treats Tom well enough and does care for him.
Alice Deane, the daughter of _____. As I stated before, she is the potential love interest and the most divided character in the series. She constantly walks a thin line between the light and dark, Tom's Mam has stated that she can become the most dangerous witch of all time, but that she can be equally as dangerous towards the dark. She met Tom when he first became a Spook's apprentice, and, through certain rough patches in the beginning, they became best friends. Like the Spook, she also cares about Tom, often putting him before his teachings and herself. She was brought up as a witch by her aunt, Bony Lizzie (looking back, that's kind of a dirty name), so she knows many witch taught gifts, though she tries to avoid using them. She is also a highly trained alchemist.
Mam is Tom's mother. She deeply loves Tom, and believes Tom and the Spook need Alice's help if they are to fight the dark. She is a mysterious woman with an even more mysterious past that you'll have to read to find out.
Religous/Mythological Influence
Some of you may know, I'm quite fond of mythology and religion. This book has English, Greek, and Irish mythology, and a tiny bit of Catholocism. Some English examples are the boggarts and witches. Several Greek examples are the Pillars of Hercules and lamia witches (born from the first Lamia who was promptly ripped to shreds by her 3 children. Watch out, Kyne, kids are crazy :P). Even the Morrigan from Irish mythology makes an appearance. The Catholic influence besides light vs. dark, is shared by the priests you'll come across (you'll only like one of them). Most notably though is when the Spook shares his ideas of a God, he says he "does not believe in a white-bearded man sitting on a golden throne in the sky, but that when we are at most vulnerable, there is something that pushes us, that strengthens us when we are weak."
Conclusion
The Last Apprentice is a series I've deeply loved reading, though the love story aspect may feel like it's being stretched a bit, I still see the relationship between the two, they've been through hell and back with each other, and if they don't end up together I hope you guys will give this a read, it's a classic light vs. dark story, if you throw in Irish/Greek/English mythology with badass and sometimes scary scenes.
This is my first in hopefully a series of many others, so criticism is helpful
See yah guys later
This is a great review, Matthew, and I totally appreciate all the work you put into writing it. How many books have been written so far in the series, and do you have an idea of when it will end? I think you touched on the important points of a good book review (brief plot synopsis, character summaries, potential themes). You certainly provided plenty of "hooks" to get me interested in reading it (I also enjoy mythology), and I am placing the first novel on my library list...along with The Hunger Games.
I do not think I can ask you any other questions, as it might give too much away and then what will be the point of reading it??
I think 9 so far. Careful there are English and American versions with completely different names, make sure you don't buy the same one twice like I almost did. It's not as popular but I think I enjoyed this more than the Hunger Games I can't imagine it going on much longer, I'm worried he might try to stretch it a little The first is less action packed but it has clever writing that I think you'll enjoy. I may reread the earlier books but I think I lost some during the move This series does have plenty of twists, and the mythology doesn't kick in until later, especially books 4-7. I really appreciate the feedback, Kyne, it took a little longer than I expected( close to 2 hours), but I enjoyed it
All right, Matt, so I am in the midst of Book Six (I am not hooked, of course I am not). :P
I hope that you continue your book reviews. I appreciate being introduced to a series that I might not have heard of until one of my own children would have brought the book home. I have been very pleased with the characters so far, and how the author has shown us how they fight both the demons within themselves and outside of themselves. I so particularly enjoy Alice in particular, and I hope that this series will not disappoint after a 13 book investment. A little worried about that number....