🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Joseph Delaney
Born in Preston, Lancashire, England on July 25, 1945, Joseph Delaney is the author of several renowned science fiction and fantasy novels. Such as, The Wardstone and Starblade Chronicles. He attended Preston Catholic College before working as an apprentice engineer and fitter. Studying A levels at night, Delaney earned entry into Lancaster University, whereby he eventually became an English teacher at the Blackpool Six Form College. It was at this College where Joseph Delaney helped start the Media and Film Studies Department. As a child, Delaney had a re-occurring nightmare where he was sitting on the carpet and suddenly the room would be overtaken by a deep chill and a dark shadow-like figure would rise up from the coal cellar.
All Book Series by Joseph Delaney
The Spook's Apprentice / Revenge of the Witch
Series opener · book 1 of 16 · published 2004
The Spook's Blood / The Last Apprentice
Latest in the series · book 16 of 16 · published 2012
The Spook's Tale: And Other Horrors
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 2009
The Spook's Bestiary: The Guide to Creatures of the Dark
Book 3 of 4 · published 2010
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Joseph Delaney?
Born in Preston, Lancashire, England on July 25, 1945, Joseph Delaney is the author of several renowned science fiction and fantasy novels. Such as, The Wardstone and Starblade Chronicles. He attended Preston Catholic College before working as an apprentice engineer and fitter.
Which Joseph Delaney series should I start with?
The best place to start is The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles series, the earliest of Joseph Delaney's multi-book series: it opens with The Spook's Apprentice / Revenge of the Witch (2004) and runs to 16 books across 2004–2013, ending with The Spook's Blood / The Last Apprentice (2012). Joseph Delaney's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Joseph Delaney written?
Joseph Delaney has 36 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1997 and 2023. 32 of them belong to 6 named series — the largest being The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles series with 16 books — and 4 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Joseph Delaney's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Joseph Delaney's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles (2004–2013, 16 books), Spook’s Stories (2009–2014, 4 books) and The Starblade Chronicles (2014–2017, 3 books), plus 3 more.
How are Joseph Delaney's books organised into series?
This guide splits Joseph Delaney's 36 books into 6 named series and 4 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles (16 books, 2004–2013); Spook’s Stories (4 books, 2009–2014); The Spook's Apprentice: Brother Wulf (4 books, 2020–2023); The Starblade Chronicles (3 books, 2014–2017); Arena 13 Trilogy (3 books, 2015–2017), plus 1 further series.