Book Review: Spook's: Alice by Joseph Delaney

Quick warning to those that aren’t up-to-date with the series, this review may contain a few spoilers…

Alice is not only book twelve in the Wardstone Chronicles but also the penultimate installment, which means only one thing; the series is almost coming to its long-awaited climax. Having followed the series for years, I am sad to be nearing the end. But the work doesn’t just stop in the County, so let’s get to the review.

Alice, perhaps not surprisingly, follows the character of Alice from the series; in the same way Delaney has previously written Slither’s Tale and Grimalkin.

Alice, loyal companion of Tom and the Spook, get’s straight down the business; travelling into the realm of ‘The Dark’ to find the third object needed by the Spook and his apprentice, Tom, in order to destroy their greatest enemy, The Fiend. The Dark is not a place anyone would want to go – a place where the non-human folk end up when they die on Earth. It just so happens that Alice has done her fair share of killing some on the more dangerous and evil creatures over the year – or at least been a helping hand – and by travelling into their realm, they finally have the chance to take their revenge.

This makes for a bad situation for Alice but a brilliant, action-packed story for the reader! Alice not only encounters past threats but also takes readers down memory lane by revisiting her childhood through an encounter with a particular enemy. Unlike the majority of the books in the series, Alice isn’t told through the viewpoint of our hero and protagonist, Thomas Ward, but, as the title suggests, is written in first person by Alice.

As always, Delaney is able to effortlessly create an atmospheric world fit for witches and other such unsavory creatures that I have grown to love so much. I feel that Alice is slightly more gruesome than previous installments, particularly the scenes in which Alice remembers magic she saw her mother, Boney Lizzie (my old favourite!), preforming when she was a child. It involves flies and rats, that’s all I’ll say!

The writing is easy enough for a younger audience to read by the content is gory enough for adults to enjoy just as much as children. It is vital – and enjoyable - to start at the beginning of the series and read the books in order to be able to fully appreciate this series as one of the best of the decade.

Another thing to touch upon before I finish is that this series is currently being turned into a film, called Seventh Son I believe, which is scheduled to be released towards the end of this year.

If anyone is interested in the order the Spooks series should be read in, I have complied a list below:

1)    The Spook’s Apprentice
2)    The Spook’s Curse

3)    The Spook’s Secret
4)    The Spook’ Battle

5)    The Spook’s Mistake

6)    The Spook’s Sacrifice

7)    The Spook’s Nightmare

8)    The Spook’s Destiny

9)    Spook’s: I am Grimalkin

10) The Spook’s Blood

11) Spook’s Slither’s Tale (reviewed here...)

12) Spook’s: Alice

Book Review: Spook’s: Slither’s Tale by Joseph Delaney

Slither is prematurely awakened from his winter hibernation by a disturbance in the area of land under his protection. A man with whom Slither has for many years traded with has been badly injured and is soon to die. Upon his untimely death, their long-standing trade is broken. But the dying man uses his last breath to make a new trade with Slither. He must travel with his youngest two daughters to their Aunt and Uncle’s house, where they will be taken care of. In return, Slither may have the man’s eldest daughter, Nessa, to sell at a slave auction; something that all of Slither’s species must do every-so-often to keep up their tough reputation. For Slither, this is an offer he can’t pass up and, after all, how hard would it be to accompany two young children on their travels for a few days? And so the trade is done and the adventure begins…

Joseph Delaney is – without a doubt – one of my favourite authors of children’s fiction, tying in top place with Derek Landy, and that is definitely saying something about my love of Delaney’s writing because I do consider Derek Landy to be a writing genius!

This newest instalment, Slither’s Tale – the eleventh in Delaney’s Wardstone Chronicles - is a far cry from Tom’s home in Chipenden and introduces the readers to a whole new country with plenty of new characters. This time our protagonist is not Tom, but a previously unheard of creature known as Slither; so named because of the sound his tail makes. Yes, he has a tail. Initially, the plot of the Wardstone Chronicles revolved around the Spook’s fighting against the dark, but Slither’s Tale marks the second book in the Spooks series which Delaney has dedicated to the viewpoint of a different character, showing the Spook’s world through the eyes of a creature of the dark. The first book Delany tried this with was the ninth book; I am Grimalkin, which was a major success.

Even Alice and the Spook himself, John Gregory, don’t get a mention in Slither’s Tale, but don’t let that put you off! There is a familiar character who has crossed over from the county into Slither’s country: Grimalkin, the witch assassin herself. It is strange at first to see the Spook’s world through the eyes of a typically ‘bad’ character. Both Grimalkin and Slither are evil and violent characters, but with morals and common sense. They are each, equally the strongest of their kind and this is apparent in Slither’s Tale, when their personalities clash. It is easy to see that Delaney enjoys writing scenes which feature Grimalkin just as much as the audience enjoys reading them. Her presence is felt by all the characters inSlither’s Tale; she is a fierce witch assassin with unmatched skill and a powerful reputation. She has become my favourite character and I eagerly look forward to any future books in which she will certainly feature.

In writing the Wardstone Chronicles, Joseph Delaney has set up a world that rivals even that of Harry Potter and Skulduggery Pleasant. Without doubt, this is a scary world, filled with witches, ghosts and other dangerous creatures that reside in the dark. But the element of fear only makes reading more exciting, and has the advantage of enticing young children into reading. The only complaint I have ever had with any of the Wardstone Chronicles is the new book covers (I say new, but they have been around for a while now). They were changed half-way through the series and the replacement illustrations on the new jackets not only have no likeness at all to the characters being described in the books, but they resemble every other child’s fiction book currently out on the market. The previous covers are now only released with the paperback version, months after the initial release date, as a collector’s edition – but they were unique and enhanced the story’s old world feel; it was like reading a book straight from the Spook’s Chipenden library and I really miss that!

Although the Spook’s series is marketed at older children (from about 11+), I am, at nineteen, proof that anyone can read and enjoy these books without feeling that they are being directed at a younger audience. Slither’s Tale was released after it was revealed that the Wardstone Chronicles is soon to be adapted for the silver screen, under the name The Seventh Son. I can only hope that the film, to be released in late 2013, will do this excellent series justice! This is your chance to enter the Spooks world now, before the country goes Spook-crazy with the release of the film later this year! But remember, these are not books to be read after dark…