The first book in a chilling new trilogy from the author of the internationally bestselling Last Apprentice series! Tom Ward is an apprentice no longer—he is a full-fledged spook battling boggarts, witches, and other creatures of the dark. A New Darkness is the first in a three-book arc that introduces brand-new readers to Joseph Delaney's haunting world. Tom Ward is the Spook, the one person who can defend the county from bloodthirsty creatures of the dark. But he's only seventeen, and his apprenticeship was cut short when his master died in battle. No one trusts Tom's skill, not until he's proven himself. And a fifteen-year-old girl named Jenny knows more about the three mysterious deaths in the county than Tom does. She is a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, and she wants to be Tom's first apprentice—even though a female spook is unheard of. Together, Tom and Jenny will uncover the grave danger heading straight toward the county, and they'll team up with a witch assassin to confront it. A New Darkness begins a three-book arc that will introduce new readers to Joseph Delaney's deliciously scary imagination, and electrify his longtime fans. A New Darkness is perfect for every reader who loves thrills, chills, action, and adventure—no prior knowledge of The Last Apprentice series is necessary! The Last Apprentice series, the first internationally bestselling series about Tom Ward, is now a major motion picture, Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Olivia Williams, Antje Traue, Djimon Hounsou, and Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin.

‘It’s a dangerous job, but someone has to do it.’ For years, the local Spook kept the county safe from evil. But now his time has ended, and there is only one boy who can take over – Thomas Ward, barely more than a child himself. Now he too must take on an apprentice, a girl called Jenny who is untested but willing to be trained in the dangerous life of a Spook. When girls start dying in mysterious circumstances, they soon find themselves on the path of a terrifying and deadly beast. Monstrous assassins are loose in the County, and far to the north, a new darkness is rising that threatens to engulf the whole world. Do Tom and Jenny stand a chance against the might of the Kobalos? The first terrifying tale in the Starblade Chronicles, from the bestselling author of The Spook’s Apprentice

Young Tom, the seventh son of a seventh son, starts work as an apprentice for the village spook, whose job is to protect ordinary folk from ghouls, boggarts, and all manner of wicked beasties. The Last Apprentice.

When young novice monk Brother Beowulf is sent to spy on Spook Johnson, he has no idea of the trouble he's about to find himself in. Johnson boasts to Wulf of his battles against demonic creatures, and even seems to imprisons local witches, though Wulf is sceptical - not least because the church has taught him that Spooks are a force for evil, and not to be trusted. But then the monsters Johnson claims to fight turn out to be very real indeed, and soon Wulf is forced to seek help from another young Spook, Tom Ward, who terrifies and charms him in equal measure. But the forces of the dark are many, and it's not long until Wulf and Tom realise they've bitten off far more than they can chew. A horrifying new enemy is rising - and only Wulf can stop it.

The Last Apprentice series follows the terrifying adventures of the Spook's apprentice, Thomas Ward. But Tom's is only one story. There are others. . . . The Spook himself was once an apprentice. How did he begin his training? And what of Alice, the young witch who is Tom's closest ally? How did she overcome her dark past? What did the witch assassin Grimalkin do to become the most deadly and feared witch in the county? And, collected in a gallery of horrors, discover the rest of the county's menacing villains and relive the vicious battles waged against them. Enter a land where creatures of the dark creep out of the shadows. Do you dare?

Although his apprenticeship was not done when John Gregory died, Tom Ward spent years learning to fight boggarts, witches, demons, and more and feels prepared to be the new county Spook, but while his youth causes many people to distrust him, Jenny is determined to be his apprentice.

A companion title to the phenomenally successful Spook's Apprentice titles. Discover how to bind a boggart and deal with a dead witch in this fascinating and lavishly illustrated Spook's own notebook. A must for die-hard fans of the series and an irresistible introduction to the dark and the dangerous for new recruits.