Early life edit

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] As a child, Delaney had a recurring nightmare where he sat with his mother while she knitted, when, suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged from the coal cellar, picked him up, and carried him into darkness.^[3]

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.^[4] He later became an English teacher at Blackpool Sixth Form College, where he started the Media and Film Studies Department.^[3]

In the 1980s Delaney completed an Open University degree in an effort to become a computer programmer.^[4] 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]

Writing career edit

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 science fiction and fantasy books for adults, his agent encouraged him to try writing for a younger audience, to meet the brief of a children's publisher.^[1]

To fulfil the requirements of the brief, Delaney wrote a book based on a story he had first written in 1993, which was inspired by Stalmine's boggart, as well as the folklore, history and geography of Lancashire;^[1] Delaney also drew on his childhood memories and experiences.^[3] In 2004, it was published as The Spook's Apprentice, under his real name, which became the first book in his dark fantasy Spook's series.^[7] The book was widely successful, selling over 3 million copies,^[8] and winning the Sefton Book Award, Hampshire Book Award and Prix Plaisirs de Lire awards, as well as being shortlisted for the Lancashire Book of the Year.^[4]

This marked the start of the Spook's series, which achieved international success chronicling the adventures of Delaney's lead character, Tom Ward, who is apprenticed to John Gregory, the local spook, to help protect the County from the Dark.^[9] 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.^[3]

Delaney identified J. R. R. Tolkien and Frank Herbert as his two biggest inspirations.^[10] Similar to Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, Delaney used his dreams to help write his stories,^[11] and never plotted or planned his stories in advance.^[12]

Delaney travelled widely to boost the visibility of his books, frequently choosing New Zealand and Singapore for winter stays due to his aversion to cold weather. However, the majority of his time was devoted to his native county, Lancashire, which served as a profound inspiration for all of his literary works.^[12]

Delaney authored two additional series for children. From 2015 to 2017, he published the science fiction and fantasy trilogy Arena 13. The trilogy follows the journey of Leif, a sixteen-year-old determined to conquer the notorious fighting pit, Arena 13, and vanquish Hob, the malevolent being reigning over and terrorizing the city zone of Midgard city, who is responsible for Leif's family's death.^[13] From 2018 to 2019, he published the dark fantasy duology Aberrations, which tells the story of Crafty; trapped in the Shole's mist, Crafty must train as a gate grub in the Castle, operating portals for the Gatemancers guild and relying on his cunning to survive.^[14]

Death edit

Delaney, who was living in Manchester, died on 16 August 2022, after a period of illness; he was 77 years old.^[15] He was working on his final book, Brother Wulf: Wulf's War, right up to his death;^[12] it was published posthumously in 2023.^[16]

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.^[17]

Spook's edit

The Wardstone Chronicles edit

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

The Starblade Chronicles edit

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

Brother Wulf edit

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)

Related works edit

• The Spook's Tale / Interception Point (2009) – A short story "The Spook's Tale" combined with Mark Walden's "Interception Point" as part of a small (128 pages) publication for World Book Day UK, which could be purchased at that event for a £1 coupon.^[18]
• The Last Apprentice: The Spook's Tale And Other Horrors (2009) – A collection of four short stories: "The Spook's Tale", "Alice's Tale", "Grimalkin's Tale", and "The Gallery of Villains". This compilation was published in the US, incorporating the earlier published "The Spook's Tale".
• The Spook's Stories: Witches (2009) – A collection of five short stories: "Meg Skelton", "Dirty Dora", "Alice and the Brain Guzzler," "The Banshee Witch", and "Grimalkin's Tale". Published in the US as The Last Apprentice: A Coven of Witches.
• The Spook's Bestiary (2010) – A guidebook to the creatures found in the Spook's universe. Published in the US as The Last Apprentice: The Spook's Bestiary: The Guide to Creatures of the Dark.
• The Spook's Stories: Grimalkin's Tale (2011) – Short story published as an e-book.
• Alice and the Brain Guzzler (Storycuts) (2011) – Short story published as an e-book.
• The Ghost Prison (2013) – A novella occupying the same universe, but with different characters and storylines.
• Spook's: The Seventh Apprentice (2014) – A novella featuring the Spook's seventh apprentice, a boy named Will Johnson. Published in the US as The Last Apprentice: The Seventh Apprentice.
• Seventh Son (2015) – The first two Spook's books, The Spook's Apprentice and The Spook's Curse, repackaged into one book as a film tie-in.

Arena 13 edit

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

Aberrations edit

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

Other works edit

• 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 edit

In 2014, Stephen Delaney, the son of Joseph Delaney, collaborated with his father to publish The Spook's Apprentice – Play Edition, an adaptation of The Spook's Apprentice into a 160-page play script.^[19]

In the same year, a film adaptation of The Spook's Apprentice was released 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.^[20]

In 2023, a French graphic novel adaptation of the book, titled L'Épouvanteur, Tome 1: L'Apprenti épouvanteur, was released. It was written by Pierre Oertel and illustrated by Benjamin Bachelor.^[21]

• Official website
• Joseph Delaney at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Joseph Delaney at Penguin Books
• Joseph Delaney at Fantastic Fiction
• Interview with Fantasy Book Review (2008)
• Interview with The Guardian (2014)