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Available
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Publication
Bodley Head Children's Books (2009), Edition: Special Collector's Edition, Hardcover, 384 pages
Description
Tom is reunited with his mother and must return to Greece to face a new and terrible threat from the dark forces, and a momentous decision must be made, causing a serious rift between Tom and the Spook that threatens to separate them forever.
User reviews
LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the sixth book in the Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. This was another wonderful book in this series; a lot of changes happen to Tom Ward and his adventures as a Spook take on a more worldly nature to them.
Tom is contacted by his mother who wants him to travel to Greece with her
This was a wonderful book. I loved learning more about Mam, her true nature, and more about her homeland. Tom's dealings with the Fiend were interesting and make the story take on an urgency. This was definitely a page-turner. It was hard to put down and kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time.
The new creatures and dangers that Tom encountered were interesting and creative. It was nice to have Alice deeply involved in the story as well. Delaney doesn't pull any punches as far as the danger these characters face. The writing is superb; the books are beautiful to read.
Another great book, in a wonderful series. This book is a keeper. I just can't wait to see what will happen next!
Tom is contacted by his mother who wants him to travel to Greece with her
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to face the Ordeen, an evil goddess, who is in league with the Fiend. Mam, thinks Tom's presence will help to win the final battle with the Ordeen. Bill, the Spook, and Alice areamong those who Mam hopes will accompany her to Greece. Tom faces all sorts of strange new creatures and has to face one of the most deadliest forces of evil yet. Will Tom be able to resist his own slow decline into the dark?This was a wonderful book. I loved learning more about Mam, her true nature, and more about her homeland. Tom's dealings with the Fiend were interesting and make the story take on an urgency. This was definitely a page-turner. It was hard to put down and kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time.
The new creatures and dangers that Tom encountered were interesting and creative. It was nice to have Alice deeply involved in the story as well. Delaney doesn't pull any punches as far as the danger these characters face. The writing is superb; the books are beautiful to read.
Another great book, in a wonderful series. This book is a keeper. I just can't wait to see what will happen next!
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LibraryThing member vernefan
When I cracked open this book and saw a screaming woman with bloodied knives in each of her hands, and a face covered in swirling Maori-like tattoos staring up at me, I knew I would once again be frightened out of my wits for the entire time it would take me to read Clash of the Demons. Flanagan
Tom’s mother has returned from Greece and wishes him and the Spook to accompany her back to her homeland to fight off the greatest of evil beings, that if not slayed, will destroy the country and soon the world. So desperate for assistance in her plight she gathers up all the local witches, including Gramalkin whom we have fought before, and pulls together all of Tom’s past foes to fight evil with evil as she believes it is her only chance to rid the world of the abomination called the Ordeen. The Spook doesn’t like the sound of this plan one bit, and at first refuses to go as it is against his principle to fight the demons of the world with darkness itself, but he is finally convinced after fellow spook Arkwright, and Mam herself, that it will be THE only way to win this war. Alice too, Tom’s friendly witch-amore that we saw banished from Chipenden by the Spook in the last episode, is also called upon to help and make the journey.
It is a sorrowful, weary and terrified band of both light and dark that board the ship Celeste, all silently praying they will come back alive. With a few shocking surprises regarding who Tom’s mother is, and a couple of visits from Tom’s old arch enemy the Fiend, the motley group of bloodthirsty witches and ghost-busting spooks arrive in the land of Meteora to battle the dark in a gory bloodbath like we’ve never seen before in this series of books. Alice redeems herself, the Spook resigns himself, two party members sacrifice themselves for the cause, and Mam, finally after seven books, reveals all to Tom, what she was, what she is, and what she shall become.
Tom is given hard choices with few options in the Clash of Demons, but the reader will enjoy his growing strengths and power as he learns to recall and put to use all that the Spook has taught him over the years, proving to be a force to be reckoned with as the forces of good and evil challenge his wits and test his skills.
Scarier than the previous books, I couldn’t put this book down and loved every drop of blood that fell upon my quickly turned pages. Once again the illustrator also deserves high praise, I thought this batch of drawings heart-stopping and fabulous to behold. I thought that this being book seven for the seventh son of the seventh son, would finish off the series, but as it appears by the ending, there is thankfully more to come. I never tire of these Last Apprentice stories and do hope they never end. They scare me to death but I smile as I devour them hungry for more!!!
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returns with a more powerful than ever, frightful tale of the latest adventure of the Spook and young Tom Ward. Tom’s mother has returned from Greece and wishes him and the Spook to accompany her back to her homeland to fight off the greatest of evil beings, that if not slayed, will destroy the country and soon the world. So desperate for assistance in her plight she gathers up all the local witches, including Gramalkin whom we have fought before, and pulls together all of Tom’s past foes to fight evil with evil as she believes it is her only chance to rid the world of the abomination called the Ordeen. The Spook doesn’t like the sound of this plan one bit, and at first refuses to go as it is against his principle to fight the demons of the world with darkness itself, but he is finally convinced after fellow spook Arkwright, and Mam herself, that it will be THE only way to win this war. Alice too, Tom’s friendly witch-amore that we saw banished from Chipenden by the Spook in the last episode, is also called upon to help and make the journey.
It is a sorrowful, weary and terrified band of both light and dark that board the ship Celeste, all silently praying they will come back alive. With a few shocking surprises regarding who Tom’s mother is, and a couple of visits from Tom’s old arch enemy the Fiend, the motley group of bloodthirsty witches and ghost-busting spooks arrive in the land of Meteora to battle the dark in a gory bloodbath like we’ve never seen before in this series of books. Alice redeems herself, the Spook resigns himself, two party members sacrifice themselves for the cause, and Mam, finally after seven books, reveals all to Tom, what she was, what she is, and what she shall become.
Tom is given hard choices with few options in the Clash of Demons, but the reader will enjoy his growing strengths and power as he learns to recall and put to use all that the Spook has taught him over the years, proving to be a force to be reckoned with as the forces of good and evil challenge his wits and test his skills.
Scarier than the previous books, I couldn’t put this book down and loved every drop of blood that fell upon my quickly turned pages. Once again the illustrator also deserves high praise, I thought this batch of drawings heart-stopping and fabulous to behold. I thought that this being book seven for the seventh son of the seventh son, would finish off the series, but as it appears by the ending, there is thankfully more to come. I never tire of these Last Apprentice stories and do hope they never end. They scare me to death but I smile as I devour them hungry for more!!!
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LibraryThing member AdamBourke
If you haven't read any of the Wardstone Chronicles books before, go and do so now. Or after you've finished reading the review, anyway. They are one of the best children's series I know, alongside the Edge Chronicles (although somewhat different), to the point where I know many adults who read
This book has a different cover to the originals, which is something I'm quite disappointed about, given that I rather liked the original style. But while I like matching books, It's not vitally important, and the new covers do give more of an impression of what the story is about.
Which in this case is a blend of supernatural and fantasy genres that works really well (OK, you could say that supernatural is a sub-genre of fantasy anyway).The general premise is of a character who protects "The County" from "the Dark", and takes an apprentice, Tom Wardstone. In this sixth book, the heroes must defeat a goddess, who threatens to destroy the world.
It is a very different tone from the first books in the series, heavier and darker, as many series tend to become, but the quality of the stories hasn't changed. The characters are still brilliantly presented, particularly the Spook himself, and the story flows particularly well from the previous book, despite being an almost entirely new setting and enemy.
There is only one problem that I had with the story, and that is that the tower-climbing section of the book seemed to me to read like a computer game would progress. It's not a major problem, since it's not a huge part of the book, but the fact that I noticed it meant that the narrative wasn't keeping me as tightly focused during that section.
While some parts might be understood a bit better if you've read the previous books, there really is no limitations if you haven't (although you should!). I couldn't really remember the Spook's Mistake very well, but nevertheless found myself enyojing this book immensely, and you should allow yourself to do the same. Adult or otherwise, buy this book.
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them.This book has a different cover to the originals, which is something I'm quite disappointed about, given that I rather liked the original style. But while I like matching books, It's not vitally important, and the new covers do give more of an impression of what the story is about.
Which in this case is a blend of supernatural and fantasy genres that works really well (OK, you could say that supernatural is a sub-genre of fantasy anyway).The general premise is of a character who protects "The County" from "the Dark", and takes an apprentice, Tom Wardstone. In this sixth book, the heroes must defeat a goddess, who threatens to destroy the world.
It is a very different tone from the first books in the series, heavier and darker, as many series tend to become, but the quality of the stories hasn't changed. The characters are still brilliantly presented, particularly the Spook himself, and the story flows particularly well from the previous book, despite being an almost entirely new setting and enemy.
There is only one problem that I had with the story, and that is that the tower-climbing section of the book seemed to me to read like a computer game would progress. It's not a major problem, since it's not a huge part of the book, but the fact that I noticed it meant that the narrative wasn't keeping me as tightly focused during that section.
While some parts might be understood a bit better if you've read the previous books, there really is no limitations if you haven't (although you should!). I couldn't really remember the Spook's Mistake very well, but nevertheless found myself enyojing this book immensely, and you should allow yourself to do the same. Adult or otherwise, buy this book.
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LibraryThing member alice443
I did not care for this series much. The books are set in a world that is an innovative combination of a wider than usual collection of mythologies, which kept me coming back -- but I found the treatment of women and girls offensive. Females are earthy and dangerous, not just dangerous with a
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tendency to be evil. This book does something to combat that issue but is was too little and much too late. Show Less
LibraryThing member TylerF.
This is an action packed novel written by Joseph Delaney. In this book, an apprentice spook (Tom) Accompanies his mother (a witch) to Greece to fight the dark. On their way, they have to fight pirates, witch assasins, and fire elements. In the end, the light wins with the sacrifice of Tom's mother.
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I really enjoyed this story because it was full of action and always kept me entertained. I esspecialy liked how much detail Tom explained about the witches. The only problem I had was that Tom didn't sress how crazy the fire spire looked. When he explained, it sounded very dull. Other than that, my favorite book of the series so far. Show Less
LibraryThing member lexiechan
The Spook's Sacrifice... DONE!!!
TOM! Why did you accept the bargain?! :( Well, I understand that you're just thinking of them. But it's just the COUNTY! Didn't you think of what would happen to the whole world if the Fiend reigned?? Sigh.
I know that Tom's Mam was a Lamia Witch since she has her
Oh boy, what will happen next? Guess will find out in the next books.
TOM! Why did you accept the bargain?! :( Well, I understand that you're just thinking of them. But it's just the COUNTY! Didn't you think of what would happen to the whole world if the Fiend reigned?? Sigh.
I know that Tom's Mam was a Lamia Witch since she has her
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"sisters" in that trunks. BUT as usual, I didn't expect that she's THE one. :O Shocking.Oh boy, what will happen next? Guess will find out in the next books.
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LibraryThing member wickedshizuku
Overall the tone of this book hasn't been like the other books. It's a great deal slower, and it surely is a lot more advanced. I am liking that there is a lot more monsters in this book compared to the previous in the series.
There are epic consequences from the parties traveling to Greece, but
Cheers and Spooky Reading!
There are epic consequences from the parties traveling to Greece, but
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you'll have to read it for yourself to find out how it turns out. Cheers and Spooky Reading!
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LibraryThing member ptom3
Clash of the Demons was full of action. And demons. It is the 6th installment in The Last Apprentice series. The tension is there from the start.
Thomas Ward's mother (mam) is coming to visit. She has something important to discuss. Truns out she is about to embark on quest. She needs her son's
The Spook refuses to help. He will not join forces with evil to fight evil. He tells Thomas Ward to make a choice. If Thomas decides to help his mother, then he can forget about his apprenticeship. It is a tough choice, and Thomas is not sure what is the right thing to do. All he knows for sure is that he can't turn his back on his mother.
We get to see Spook, Bill Arkwright. The journey is long and dangerous. Ordeen is about to wake up, and the Fiend is ready to attack the group. Sacrifices are made, difficult choices are made, and heartache is shared by all ... by all who survive.
Another fantastic book by Joseph Delaney. Getting ready to start Book 7 next.
Phillip Tomasso
Author of Damn the Dead, and Young Blood: The Nightbreed Saga
Thomas Ward's mother (mam) is coming to visit. She has something important to discuss. Truns out she is about to embark on quest. She needs her son's
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help. And The Spook's. They need to travel to mam's hometown in Greece. The Ordeen is about to return to earth. It happens every seven years. She gets stronger each time. With the Fiend loose (previous books), and the ordeen coming, the entire world is in danger of being taken over by dark forces. The only problem -- Mam's other alleys include the witches from Pendle. The Spook refuses to help. He will not join forces with evil to fight evil. He tells Thomas Ward to make a choice. If Thomas decides to help his mother, then he can forget about his apprenticeship. It is a tough choice, and Thomas is not sure what is the right thing to do. All he knows for sure is that he can't turn his back on his mother.
We get to see Spook, Bill Arkwright. The journey is long and dangerous. Ordeen is about to wake up, and the Fiend is ready to attack the group. Sacrifices are made, difficult choices are made, and heartache is shared by all ... by all who survive.
Another fantastic book by Joseph Delaney. Getting ready to start Book 7 next.
Phillip Tomasso
Author of Damn the Dead, and Young Blood: The Nightbreed Saga
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LibraryThing member claireh18
The 6th book in the series and the 2nd I've read. Received from the publisher via a goodreads giveaway, in return for a review.
Tom, the spook's apprentice, has to go on a long adventure in order to defeat the Ordeen. There are lots of battles along the way, lots of different characters and
Well written and interesting. I'm actually really looking forward to reading this series from the beginning.
Tom, the spook's apprentice, has to go on a long adventure in order to defeat the Ordeen. There are lots of battles along the way, lots of different characters and
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emotional dilemmas.Well written and interesting. I'm actually really looking forward to reading this series from the beginning.
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LibraryThing member ForeverMasterless
I can't quite put my finger on it, but the first four books of The Last Apprentice were non-stop entertainment for me. I can find no flaws with them, considering the age-group they were written for.
The fifth book brought all that to a halt and, even being a very short kid's book, was a bit of a
This book brought back more of that intangible element that I loved about the series in the first place, but not enough to warrant a higher rating, seeing as how probably eighty percent of my enjoyment came from the last seventy pages or so. Everything leading up to that felt like a slog.
that being said, it does set up a lot of things and I'm hoping book seven will be better.
The fifth book brought all that to a halt and, even being a very short kid's book, was a bit of a
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struggle for me to get through, and the thing is I can't even put my finger on why. This book brought back more of that intangible element that I loved about the series in the first place, but not enough to warrant a higher rating, seeing as how probably eighty percent of my enjoyment came from the last seventy pages or so. Everything leading up to that felt like a slog.
that being said, it does set up a lot of things and I'm hoping book seven will be better.
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LibraryThing member LarissaBookGirl
Despite Alice's training as a witch, she is Thomas Ward's friend. So even after Alice had been banished by the Spook and had returned to Pendle, Tom missed her. The Spook however would no longer tolerate Alice and her connection to the dark, his greatest fear was that Tom would be turned to the
Tom's Mam has returned to the County seeking help in her homeland of Greece. After having enlisted the aid of the Pendle witches, Alice among them, Mam seeks out the help of the Spook, Bill Arkwright and her son Tom, who would never refuse his Mam. Although Bill Arkwright also agrees to accompany Mam and the witches to Greece to fight this great evil, the Spook refuses to sacrifice his principles by working with the enemy.
The Spook’s Sacrifice takes Tom to Greece, where lives will be lost, secrets revealed and the dark makes a powerful win. But as Tom is tempted ever closer to the dark through secrets and lies, and even after the greatest battle against the dark has been fought, there will be a terrible price to pay, and Tom will make the biggest sacrifice of all. The dark has never been more frightening in this, the most thrilling tale in the series yet.
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dark, therefore giving the Fiend unspeakable power. But not even the Spook can stop the dark from reaching his own home.Tom's Mam has returned to the County seeking help in her homeland of Greece. After having enlisted the aid of the Pendle witches, Alice among them, Mam seeks out the help of the Spook, Bill Arkwright and her son Tom, who would never refuse his Mam. Although Bill Arkwright also agrees to accompany Mam and the witches to Greece to fight this great evil, the Spook refuses to sacrifice his principles by working with the enemy.
The Spook’s Sacrifice takes Tom to Greece, where lives will be lost, secrets revealed and the dark makes a powerful win. But as Tom is tempted ever closer to the dark through secrets and lies, and even after the greatest battle against the dark has been fought, there will be a terrible price to pay, and Tom will make the biggest sacrifice of all. The dark has never been more frightening in this, the most thrilling tale in the series yet.
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LibraryThing member LynnMPK
This book had more action than usual and it was very fast paced. Tom travels to Greece and we learn about some of the creatures in that part of the world. I would have liked to know more about them, or maybe had Tom talk with the local Spooks (I can't remember what the actual term is) more, but he
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didn't, so we don't. This entry in the series felt a bit less satisfying. I have trouble visualizing what's going on when there's a lot of action so that could be why. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
384 p.; 7.01 inches
ISBN
0370331788 / 9780370331782
Local notes
Duplicate. In the original jacket design.