The Spook's Curse

Image credit: World of Books Aus

Well, I am well and truly down the rabbit whole with this little children’s fantasy/horror series, having absolutely powered through the first book and now having bulldozed my way through the second. This week my reading time was devoted to the second instalment in The Wardstone Chronicles: The Spook’s Curse.

Tom Ward has been the Spook’s apprentice for 6 months now, successfully ridding the County of supernatural troublemakers like boggarts. But his training is put on the fast track when he and his master go to Priestown to rid it of an ancient evil known as the Bane. The mission is quickly thrown into jeopardy when the Spook is arrested by the Quisitor; a merciless man who scours the Country looking for witches and dark practitioners to burn. It soon falls to Tom to rescue his master so they can eradicate the Bane. The only hitch is that they have no idea how. 

Where the first book was an introduction to the world and its characters, The Spook’s Curse is the one where the world building really starts to get rolling. We start learning more about Tom’s mysterious master, a very intriguing character indeed, as well as get to see more of the towns that make up the County. Mysterious and magical secrets even start to appear within Tom’s own family, padding out the central story of good vs. evil delightfully. 

While the Bane is certainly depicted as the villain, a most nightmarish one at that, Delaney creates a very interesting battle ground between good and evil in that the two sides really become a matter of perspective. Priestown, as the name suggests, is a fanatically religious setting where the Spook himself, usually the hero, is seen as the tool of the Devil. Prejudice, piety, and righteousness are easily as major villains as the hellish Bane and this ongoing drama of having a whole town against Tom, the Spook, and their way of life make the book a real page-turner. 

Image credit: Goodreads

I have to say it’s most refreshing to read a children’s series that is more horror fantasy than adventure fantasy. Written in a compelling, but delightfully nonchalant prose, Delaney manages to make a difficult genre exciting and accessible to young readers. I am absolutely loving this series. 

Author: Joseph Delaney, 2005

Published: The Bodley Head, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

Chronicle: The Spook’s Curse is the second book in Joseph Delaney’s The Wardstone Chronicles series.