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Joseph Delaney

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Joseph Delaney
Delaney at Salon du livre 2008 in Paris
Delaney at Salon du livre 2008 in Paris
BornJoseph Henry Delaney
(1945-07-25)25 July 1945
Preston, Lancashire, England
Died16 August 2022(2022-08-16) (aged 77)
Manchester, England
Pen nameJ. K. Haderack
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • short story writer
Alma mater
Genres
Years active1996–2022
Notable worksSpook's
Notable awards
Spouse
Marie Smith
​
​
(m. 1968; died 2007)​
Rani Kuncher Vannithamby
​
​
(m. 2014)​
Children3
Signature
Website
josephdelaneyauthor.com

Joseph Henry Delaney (25 July 1945 – 16 August 2022) was an English author. He was best known for his children's dark fantasy series, Spook's, inspired by the folklore, history and geography of Lancashire. The series has been published in 30 countries, achieving sales of over 4.5 million copies.

Born in Preston, Lancashire, in 1945, Delaney started his career as a teacher, who later authored science fiction and fantasy novels under the pen name J. K. Haderack. After struggling to find success as an author of books for adults, Delaney transitioned to writing children's books under his real name, beginning with the publication of The Spook's Apprentice, in 2004. The book was widely successful, selling over 3 million copies and winning multiple awards. It has been adapted into a play script, the feature film Seventh Son, and a French graphic novel.

The Spook's Apprentice marked the start of his highly acclaimed Spook's series, which eventually encompassed 20 books, along with several other works set in the same universe. After the publication of the series' second book, Delaney retired from teaching to become a full-time writer. Additionally, Delaney published two other series for children: the science fiction and fantasy trilogy Arena 13, and the dark fantasy duology Aberrations.

Delaney died in Manchester in 2022, at the age of 77. His final book, Brother Wulf: Wulf's War, was published posthumously the following year.

Biography

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Early life

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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]

Education and career

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Delaney attended Preston Catholic College and then worked as an apprentice engineer. He took his A-Levels at night school before studying English, history and sociology as a mature student at Lancaster University, at the age of 27.[1]

Following graduation, he studied at St Martin's College to become a teacher.[1] 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 learned and noted down that a priest had once encountered a boggart in the area.[5]

Writing career

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Early works

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Delaney's first works were published under the pen name 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]

The Spook's series

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To fulfil the requirements of the brief, Delaney wrote a novel 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] He also drew on his childhood memories and experiences.[3] In 2004, it was published as The Spook's Apprentice under his real name, becoming the first book of 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, as well as being shortlisted for the Lancashire Book of the Year.[4]

The Spook's series 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] It 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]

Other series

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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.[10] 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.[11]

Inspirations and writing process

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Delaney identified J. R. R. Tolkien and Frank Herbert as his two biggest inspirations.[12] Similar to Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, Delaney used his dreams to help write his stories,[13] and never plotted or planned his stories in advance.[14]

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.[14]

Death

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Delaney, who was living in Manchester, died on 16 August 2022 at the age of 77 after a period of illness.[15] He was working on his final book, Brother Wulf: Wulf's War, right up to his death.[14] It was published posthumously in 2023.[16]

Personal life

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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 his middle name, with Joseph H. Delaney (1932–1999), an American science fiction author of several books and short stories.[17]

Works

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Spook's

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The Wardstone Chronicles

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  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

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

Brother Wulf

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  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)
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  • 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

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

Aberrations

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

Other works

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  • 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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Eccleshare, Julia (2 September 2022). "Joseph Delaney obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b "An interview with Joseph Delaney". Fantasy Book Review. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "The Spook's County". BBC. 16 January 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b Delaney, Joseph (17 July 2018). "My Biography". Joseph Delaney. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  5. ^ "The BiblioFiles: Joseph Delaney" (PDF). Cotsen Children's Library. Princeton University Library. 18 April 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Joseph Delaney". Science Fiction Fantasy Book Reviews. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Joseph Delaney". Penguin. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  8. ^ "The Spook's Apprentice". Penguin Books UK. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  9. ^ "The Spook's Apprentice". Penguin Books UK. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Arena 13". Penguin. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Aberrations". Penguin. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Joseph Delaney on The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch (Book 1)". HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Delaney, Joseph 1945–". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Bayley, Sian. "Joseph Delaney, creator of The Wardstone Chronicles, dies aged 77". The Bookseller. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Spook's author Joseph Delaney dies aged 77". BBC News. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  16. ^ Topping, John (5 October 2023). "Joseph Delaney's final book is launched at Montgomery Academy, Blackpool". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Delaney, Joseph H". SFE: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  18. ^ "The Spook's Tale by Joseph Delaney book review". Fantasy Book Review. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  19. ^ "The Spook's Apprentice – Play Edition". Penguin. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Seventh Son – Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  21. ^ "L'Épouvanteur, Tome 1: L'Apprenti épouvanteur - Livre de Pierre Oertel, Benjamin Bachelier". Booknode (in French). Retrieved 31 January 2024.
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