The Last Apprentice: Night of the Soul Stealer (Book 3)

Night of the Soul Stealer is one of the best books in this series. No spoilers, but its just beautiful.

Really good story, loved the characters. Would put it on par with the Harry Potter books for not wanting to put it down.

Thomas Ward has been the Spook's apprentice for several months now. When the winter starts to roll in, the spook decides it is time to leave his home in Chipenden, to go to his house in Angelazarke. Thomas is forced to leave Alice, a young witch friend, behind in a town on the way to Angelazarke. The Spook hides many things about his past, Thomas at one point read a personal diary of the Spook's which revealed he was and is in love with a domestic lamia witch, and Thomas gets the pleasure of meeting her in Angelazarke. Yet more secrets come out when Thomas leans about a trouble maker in a town near Angelazarke, a failed apprentice of the Spook's, named Morgan. Morgan, who practices necromancy, wants to raise an ancient and forgotten god of winter, Golgoth. If Golgoth is raised, then the entire county or maybe even more will fall under an eternal winter. Morgan attacks Tom's recently deceased father, who is in limbo, and tortures him, so Tom will do Morgan's bidding. When the Spook catches Tom attempting to steal an ancient book with the summoning ritual for Golgoth, Tom's actions are stopped. Eventually Morgan captures Tom again and he steals the ritual book. As Morgan begins the ritual in an underground crypt Thomas ponders how he could escape, realizing that he can't. Unannounced to Morgan and Thomas, however, the Spook destroyed to original book and had it remade, with an extremely minute change but important change; he replaced a word in Latin with another. Now, instead of summoning Golgoth outside of a protective ritual circle, Morgan summons Golgoth inside the circle, which ends in Morgan's demise. Now Thomas is sure he is doomed, as the tunnel has collapsed, but soon he finds Meg, the Lamia witch and her feral sister coming to his rescue. With Morgan dead and Golgoth never to be summoned again, the worries of winter are over. The Spook and Meg have come to an agreement; Meg and her sister are going back to their homeland via ship. This is the wisest choice because up until now the Spook has been feeding Meg some special herb drinks, making her forget who she truly is and what she can do. For the remainder of the winter the Spook and Thomas will continue battling evil on the Angelazarke side of the county.

The Last Apprentice series, while dark and sinister, has many white knuckle scenes, leaving you holding your breath with anticipation. Delaney is masterful, his fine crafting of words creates a world far different from other fantasy/horror writers. The beyond-sinister witches and other creatures make you want to take that running jump into bed at night, in case there is something underneath that may just grab you. I never know what to expect next, his many twists and turns in the plot leave you amazed and wondering where he is leading you. My son and I are huge fans of his books we can hardly wait for the next installment.

The Last Apprentice: Night of the Soul Stealer is a great follow-up to the first two books in this series. Just like it's counterparts, Soul Stealer kept me on the edge of my seat with terror, while at the same time wanting MORE, MORE, MORE! I was a bit apprehensive when I got the book, wondering how Mr. Delaney could possibly come up with new ideas, but as usual, he did not disappoint! As usual, I was terrified of going into my basement alone after I read this! This series is fantastic for adults and kids (10 and over) alike, especially for anyone who likes to be scared! My eleven-year-old son has read the series and cannot wait for the next book to come out. I just can't wait to see what kind of trouble Tom Ward will get into next! Keep up the GREAT work, Mr. Delaney!

Thomas Ward and the Spook have to attend a funeral in Priesttown, and the name really describes the town. It seems half of the occupants are indeed priests. Which is unfortunate for Thomas and the Spook, becuae the visiting Inquisitor would very much like to meet them. But this is only half of the story, the Spook is really there to take care of some "unfinished business", namely the Bane, who likes to press his victims to death, which is exactly what it would like to do to the Spook and his apprentice. Enter, Alice, the witch, and as usual, she is truly the catalyst to the story, and without her "end justifies the means" antics, and Thomas's bravery, all would again be lost and the County would suffer to no end. A really brilliant story, with some background given on "Mam" really makes this a satisfying sequel to the first. A must read for those who enjoy a good "ghost story" that is well written. A bit darker than the Potter books, but that is what makes this series better! I hope Alice remains a prominent character in all the books!