Joseph Delaney

Joseph Henry Delaney (25 July 1945 – 16 August 2022) was an English author best known for his dark fantasy series, Spook's. Initially embarking on a career as a teacher, Delaney also penned science fiction and fantasy novels for adults under the pseudonym J. K. Haderack. He later transitioned to writing under his real name, beginning with the publication of The Spook's Apprentice, in 2004. This marked the start of his widely successful Spook's series, which eventually encompassed 19 books along with several others set in the same universe. In 2014, The Spook's Apprentice was adapted into both a play script and the feature film Seventh Son. Additionally, Delaney published two other series: the science fiction-themed Arena 13 and the dark fantasy Aberrations.

For other people named Joseph Delaney, see Joseph Delaney (disambiguation).

Joseph Delaney
Delaney at Salon du livre 2008 in Paris
Delaney at Salon du livre 2008 in Paris
BornJoseph Henry Delaney
(1945-07-25)25 July 1945
Preston, Lancashire, England
Died16 August 2022(2022-08-16) (aged 77)
Manchester, England
Pen nameJ. K. Haderack
Alma mater
Genre
Years active1996–2022
Notable worksSpook's
Spouse
Marie Smith
​
​
(m. 1968; died 2007)​
    Rani Kuncher Vannithamby
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2014)​
    Children3
    Signature
    Website
    josephdelaneyauthor.com

    Life and career

    Joseph Henry Delaney was born on 25 July 1945 in Preston, Lancashire, the son of a labourer;[1] he was the oldest of four children.[2] Delaney attended Preston Catholic College and then worked as an apprentice engineer and fitter. He took his A-Levels at night school before studying English, history and sociology as a mature student at Lancaster University.[1] Following graduation, he studied at St Martin's College to become a teacher.[3] He later became an English teacher at the Blackpool Sixth Form College, where he helped start the Media and Film Studies Department.[4] In the 1980s Delaney completed an Open University degree in an effort to become a computer programmer.[3] In 1983, he moved to the village of Stalmine, where he discovered that, in the past, a boggart had been found there by a priest; he noted this down and the finding later became the source of the Spook's series.[5]

    Delaney's first works were written under the pseudonym J. K. Haderack;[6] a reference to the Kwisatz Haderach from Frank Herbert's Dune universe.[2] After struggling to find success publishing fantasy and science fiction books for adults, his agent encouraged him to try writing for a younger audience, to meet the brief of a children's publisher. To fulfil the requirements of the brief, Delaney created a book based on a story he had first written in 1993, which was inspired by Stalmine's boggart, as well as Lancashire folklore and other stories.[1] In 2004, he published the book as The Spook's Apprentice, under his real name, which became the first book in the dark fantasy Spook's series. Delaney achieved international success chronicling the adventures of his lead character, Tom Ward. The series has been published in 30 countries, with sales exceeding 4.5 million copies.[7] Following the publication of the second book in the series, Delaney retired from teaching to write full-time.[4] He identified J. R. R. Tolkien and Frank Herbert as his two biggest inspirations,[8] Delaney, similar to Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, used his dreams to help write his stories.[9]

    From 2015 to 2017, Delaney published the science fiction Arena 13 trilogy.[10] He published the dark fantasy Aberrations series from 2018 to 2019.[11]

    Delaney, who was living in Manchester, died on 16 August 2022, after a period of illness; he was 77 years old.[12]

    Personal life

    Delaney married Marie Smith in 1968; they had three children and nine grandchildren. She died of cancer in 2007. In 2014, he married Rani Kuncher Vannithamby.[1]

    Delaney shared his name (including middle name) with the late Joseph H. Delaney, an American science fiction author of several books and short stories.[13]

    Works

    Spook's
    Main article: Spook's

    Spook's (published in America as The Last Apprentice) follows Tom Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son, on his adventures as apprentice to John Gregory, the local "Spook" or master fighter of supernatural evil. John is the Spook for "the County" and gives Tom practical instruction on tackling ghosts, ghasts, witches, boggarts, and all manner of other things that serve "The Dark". Tom soon discovers that most of his predecessors have failed for various reasons—including death. As the Chronicles progress the focus expands to other characters such as the assassin Grimalkin and the young witch Alice Deane.

    The Wardstone Chronicles

    Overall the first series' arc, titled The Wardstone Chronicles, develops the plot line of Tom being destined to either save the world or destroy it. "The County" referred to in the Chronicles is based on Lancashire in the north west of England. Several of the locations mentioned in the books are thinly-veiled versions of actual places; Priestown is the author's hometown of Preston, Caster is Lancaster, Black Pool is Blackpool, and Chipenden is Chipping.[4]

    1. The Spook's Apprentice (America: The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch) – 2004
    2. The Spook's Curse (America: The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane) – 2005
    3. The Spook's Secret (America: The Last Apprentice: Night of the Soul Stealer) – 2006
    4. The Spook's Battle (America: The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend) – 2007
    5. The Spook's Mistake (America: The Last Apprentice: Wrath of the Bloodeye) – 2008
    6. The Spook's Sacrifice (America: The Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons) – 2009
    7. The Spook's Nightmare (America: The Last Apprentice: Rise of the Huntress) – 2010
    8. The Spook's Destiny (America: The Last Apprentice: Rage of the Fallen) – 2011
    9. Spook's: I Am Grimalkin (America: The Last Apprentice: Grimalkin the Witch Assassin) – 2011
    10. The Spook's Blood (America: The Last Apprentice: Lure of the Dead ) – 2012
    11. Spook's: Slither's Tale (America: The Last Apprentice: Slither) – 2012
    12. Spook's: Alice (America: The Last Apprentice: I Am Alice) – 2013
    13. The Spook's Revenge (America: The Last Apprentice: Fury of the Seventh Son) – 2013

    The Starblade Chronicles

    The Starblade Chronicles are a trilogy following the continued adventures of Tom Ward, who has finished his apprenticeship and is now a Spook in his own right dedicated to fighting an unparalleled evil threatening the County, and the world. However, unlike past Spooks, Tom is only seventeen, and he is met with doubt and distrust by many in the County owing to his age. Complicating matters is his interactions with Jenny; the sixteen-year-old girl who seeks to be his apprentice, notwithstanding that women have never been Spooks before.

    1. Spook's: A New Darkness – 2014
    2. Spook's: The Dark Army – 2016
    3. Spook's: The Dark Assassin – 2017

    The Spook's Apprentice: Brother Wulf

    The Spook's Apprentice: Brother Wulf follows the adventures of novice monk Brother Beowulf.[14]

    1. Brother Wulf – 2020
    2. Brother Wulf: Wulf's Bane – 2021
    3. Brother Wulf: The Last Spook – 2022
    4. Brother Wulf: Wulf's War – 2023

    Spook's spin-offs

    Delaney has also written spin-off works set in the world of Spook's.

    • The Spook's Tale – This short story was combined with Mark Walden's Interception Point as part of a small (128 pages) special publication for World Book Day UK 2009 which could be purchased at that event for a £1 coupon.[15] – 2009
    • The Last Apprentice: The Spook's Tale And Other Horrors – A collection of four short stories [The Spook's Tale; Alice's Tale; Grimalkin's Tale; A Gallery of Villains]; this is a USA-released compilation incorporating the earlier published The Spook's Tale. – 2009
    • The Spook's Stories: Witches – A collection of five short stories [Meg Skelton; Dirty Dora; Alice And The Brain Guzzler; The Banshee Witch; Grimalkin's Tale]. Published in the US as The Last Apprentice – A Coven of Witches. – 2009
    • The Spook's Bestiary – A guidebook to the creatures found in The Wardstone Chronicles universe. Published in the US as The Last Apprentice – The Spook's Bestiary: The Guide to Creatures of the Dark. – 2010
    • The Ghost Prison (The book occupies the same world as The Wardstone Chronicles, but with different characters and story lines) – 2013
    • The Last Apprentice: The Seventh Apprentice (Novella featuring the Spook's seventh apprentice, a boy named Will Johnson) – 2015

    Arena 13

    Arena 13 follows the adventures of sixteen-year-old Leif, who seeks to become the champion of the notorious Arena 13 fighting pit and destroy Hob, the evil creature who rules and terrorises the city zone of Midgard and who destroyed Leif's family.

    1. Arena 13 – 2015
    2. Arena 13: The Prey – 2016
    3. Arena 13: The Warrior – 2017

    Aberrations

    Aberrations follows the story of Crafty, who has been stuck in his family's cellar for nearly a year. His only companions are his restless, whispering dead brothers, and an unusually friendly aberration he names the Bog Queen.

    1. The Beast Awakens – 2018
    2. The Witch's Warning – 2019

    Other works
    • Mysterious Erotic Tales (writing as J. K. Haderack; contributing author of "Elvara Should Be Easy" to this short story anthology) – 1996
    • Mercer's Whore (writing as J. K. Haderack) – 1997
    • Half-Minute Horrors (contributing author of "All Fingers and Thumbs" to this short story anthology) – 2009
    • Haunted (contributing author of "The Castle Ghosts" to this short story anthology) – 2011

    Adaptations

    In 2014, Stephen Delaney, Joseph Delaney's son, adapted The Spook's Apprentice into a 160-page play script; it is published under the title The Spook's Apprentice – Play Edition.[16]

    A 2014 film adaptation of The Spook's Apprentice was produced by Legendary Pictures, directed by Sergey Bodrov, and entitled Seventh Son. Ben Barnes played Tom Ward, Jeff Bridges was the Spook, Julianne Moore was Mother Malkin, Alicia Vikander was Alice Deane, Kit Harington was Billy Bradley, Djimon Hounsou was Radu (an original character), and Antje Traue was Bony Lizzie.[17]

    References
    1. Eccleshare, Julia (2 September 2022). "Joseph Delaney obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
    2. "Joseph Delaney interview". Fantasy Book Review. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
    3. "My Biography". Joseph Delaney. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
    4. "The Spook's County". BBC. 16 January 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
    5. "The BiblioFiles: Joseph Delaney" (PDF). Cotsen Children's Library. Princeton University Library. 18 April 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
    6. "Joseph Delaney". Science Fiction Fantasy Book Reviews. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
    7. "Joseph Delaney". Penguin. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
    8. "Joseph Delaney on The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch (Book 1)". HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
    9. "Delaney, Joseph 1945–". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
    10. "Arena 13". Penguin. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
    11. "Aberrations". Penguin. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
    12. "Spook's author Joseph Delaney dies aged 77". BBC News. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
    13. "Delaney, Joseph H". SFE: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
    14. "Brother Wulf". Penguin. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
    15. "The Spook's Tale by Joseph Delaney book review". Fantasy Book Review. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
    16. "The Spook's Apprentice – Play Edition". Penguin. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
    17. "Seventh Son – Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
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