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Spook's
''Spook's'', published as ''The Last Apprentice'' series in the U.S., is a dark fantasy series of books written by British author Joseph Delaney and published in the UK by The Bodley Head division of Random House Publishing. The series consists of three arcs, titled ''The Wardstone Chronicles'', ''The Starblade Chronicles'', and ''Brother Wulf''. Plot ''Spook's'' follow Thomas "Tom" Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son who is apprenticed to Gregory to become a Spook - a master fighter of supernatural evil. John Gregory is the Spook for "the County" and gives Tom practical instruction on tackling ghosts, ghasts, witches, boggarts, and all manner of other things that serve "The Dark". Tom soon discovers that most of John Gregory's apprentices have failed for various reasons, including being killed in the process of learning how to be a Spook. As the Chronicles progress the focus expands to other characters such as the assassin Grimalkin and the young witch Alice Deane; overall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Delaney
Joseph Henry Delaney (25 July 1945 – 16 August 2022) was an English author, known for his dark fantasy series ''Spook's''. He started his career as a teacher and wrote science fiction and fantasy novels for adults under the pseudonym J. K. Haderack. Delaney later wrote under his real name, starting with the publication of ''The Spook's Apprentice'', in 2004, the first book in his ''Spook's'' series, which lead to international success. He published 19 books as part of the series, as well as several books which take place in the same universe. In 2014, ''The Spook's Apprentice'', was adapted into a play script and the 2014 feature film '' Seventh Son''. Delaney also published two other series: the science fiction ''Arena 13'' and dark fantasy ''Aberrations''. Life and career Joseph Henry Delaney was born on 25 July 1945 in Preston, Lancashire, the son of a labourer; he was the oldest of four children. Delaney attended Preston Catholic College and then worked as an apprentice e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Spook's Apprentice
''The Spook's Apprentice'' (American title: ''The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch''), written by Joseph Delaney, is the first story in ''The Wardstone Chronicles'' arc of the ''Spook's'' series. The plot centres on a 13-year-old farm boy named Tom who lives in the countryside of the county, loosely based on the English county of Lancashire, where the author resides with his large family. As Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son, he is able to see things others cannot, such as boggarts, ghasts, ghosts and others. Plot Tom Ward has lived his whole life in the County (loosely based on the English county of Lancashire). Because he is the seventh son of a seventh son and thus has the ability to see ghosts and fight other Non-physical entity, supernatural beings, his parents have apprenticed him to the Spook, a cloaked man named John Gregory (because only seventh sons of seventh sons have the aforementioned abilities, all spooks are seventh sons of seventh sons). Tom's mother, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Spook's Battle
''The Spook's Battle'', written by Joseph Delaney, is the fourth story in The Wardstone Chronicles series. It was released in America in March 2008, and is titled ''Attack of the Fiend'', as the fourth book in the ''Spook's'' series. Plot Tom's mother has returned to her own land, Greece. In a special room in the family farmhouse, she has left behind three trunks only to be opened by her youngest son Tom. The Spook sends Tom and Alice to retrieve the trunks, but they arrive to find the farm ransacked, the trunks gone and Tom's brother Jack, his pregnant wife Ellie, and their young daughter Mary all missing, kidnapped and taken to Pendle, a witch controlled area. While Alice goes ahead to Pendle to see if she can learn anything about the missing family, Tom leaves word for his next-oldest brother, James, then goes back to Chipenden where the Spook has just been visited by a Pendle priest, Father Stocks, who tells the Spook that the witches are allying to summon the Fiend (Devil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Spook's Sacrifice
''The Spook's Sacrifice'' is the sixth instalment in the Wardstone Chronicles arc of the ''Spook's'' series by Joseph Delaney. Its release date is 25 August 2009. In the US it is titled ''The Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons''. Plot After being attacked in the middle of the night by a maenad (follower of the Old Goddess known as the Ordeen), Tom visits his family's farm and is asked by his mother to accompany her back to Greece to fight the Ordeen. The Ordeen is unique among the Old Gods in that she can come into the human world without the need of human intervention. Previously, her power was held in check by priests who built monasteries on the cliffs surrounding the plains of Meteora, where she manifests. But with the Fiend loose in the world, the Dark is now better organised; many vaengir (flying lamia witches) have been sent to the Ordeen to counter the power of the few remaining priests. When the Ordeen appears this time, the priests will be overwhelmed and the Orde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seventh Son (film)
''Seventh Son'' is a 2014 American fantasy film directed by Sergei Bodrov and starring Ben Barnes, Jeff Bridges, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harrington, and Julianne Moore. It is loosely based on the 2004 novel ''The Spook's Apprentice'' (titled ''The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch'' in the United States) by Joseph Delaney. The story centers on Thomas Ward, a seventh son of a seventh son, and his adventures as the apprentice of the Spook. After having its release date shifted numerous times, the film was released in France on December 17, 2014, and in Canada and the United States on February 6, 2015, by Universal Pictures. ''Seventh Son'' received generally negative reviews from film critics and it earned $114 million on a $95 million budget. Plot In 1572, the witch Malkin is imprisoned underground by Gregory, the last of the Falcons, a knightly order which defended mankind against supernatural threats. Years later, Gregory works as a "spook" – a roving witch hunter. Malkin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben Barnes (actor)
Benjamin Thomas Barnes (born 20 August 1981) is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his roles as Prince Caspian in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' film series (2008–2010), Logan Delos in ''Westworld'' (2016–2020), Billy Russo/Jigsaw in the Marvel series ''The Punisher'' (2017–2019), and The Darkling in the Netflix series '' Shadow and Bone'' (2021–). He also played young Dustan Thorn in '' Stardust'' (2007), the titular role in ''Dorian Gray'' (2009), Neil McCormick in ''Killing Bono'' (2011), Alejandro in ''The Big Wedding'' (2013), Tom Ward in '' Seventh Son'' (2014), Samuel Adams in ''Sons of Liberty'' (2015) and Benjamin Greene in ''Gold Digger'' (2019). Barnes released his first single, "11:11", with a music video in September 2021 ahead of the release of his debut extended play, ''Songs For You'', including a music video for "Rise Up" in October. The EP features the songs "11:11", "Rise Up", "Pirate Song", "Not The End", and "Ordinary Day". Early l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chipping, Lancashire
Chipping is a village and civil parish of the borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England, within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,046, falling slightly to 1,043 at the 2011 Census. This Lancashire village has won several best-kept village competitions over the years. The village also won the village section of the Royal Horticultural Society Britain in Bloom competition in 2009 picking up RHS Tourism and Gold achievement awards in the process. History The village is known to be at least 1,000 years old and is mentioned in Domesday. It lies on the south-western edge of the ancient Forest of Bowland abutting the civil parish of Bowland-with-Leagram. Leagram Park, the site of one of the medieval deer parks of the Forest, is a short drive from the village. Despite this, Chipping was not a part of the ancient Forest and its manor did not fall within the powerful Lordship of Bowland. Chipping really ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boggarts
A boggart is a creature in English folklore, either a household spirit or a malevolent '' genius loci'' (that is, a geographically-defined spirit) inhabiting fields, marshes, or other topographical features. Other names of this group include ''bug'', ''bugbear'', ''bugaboo'' or ''bug-a-boo'', ''bogey'', ''bogun'', ''bogeyman'', ''bogle'', etc., presumably all derived from (or related to) Old English '' pūcel'', and related to the Irish ''púca'' and the ''pwca'' or ''bwga'' of Welsh mythology. The household form causes mischief and things to disappear, milk to sour, and dogs to go lame. The boggarts inhabiting marshes or holes in the ground are often attributed more serious evildoing, such as the abduction of children. Background Always malevolent, the household boggart will follow its family wherever they flee. It is said that the boggart crawls into people's beds at night and puts a clammy hand on their faces. Sometimes he strips the bedsheets off them. Sometimes a boggart wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent acting family and appeared on the television series ''Sea Hunt'' (1958–1960) alongside his father, Lloyd Bridges, and brother, Beau Bridges. He received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as an alcoholic singer in the 2009 film ''Crazy Heart''. Other Oscar-nominated roles include ''The Last Picture Show'' (1971), ''Thunderbolt and Lightfoot'' (1974), ''Starman'' (1984), '' The Contender'' (2000), ''True Grit'' (2010), and '' Hell or High Water'' (2016). Bridges has also starred in other roles such as ''The Fabulous Baker Boys'' (1989), ''The Fisher King'' (1991), ''The Big Lebowski'' (1998) and ''Bad Times at the El Royale'' (2018), along with the commercially successful films ''King Kong'' (1976), ''Tron'' (1982), '' I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sergey Bodrov
Sergei Vladimirovich Bodrov ( rus, Серге́й Влади́мирович Бодро́в, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈdrof; born June 28, 1948) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer. In 2003 he was the President of the Jury at the 25th Moscow International Film Festival. Life and career Bodrov was born in Khabarovsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia). In the post-Soviet period he emigrated to the United States. His son, actor Sergei Bodrov, Jr. was killed in an avalanche in the mountains of the North Caucasus on September 20, 2002, while shooting a film titled ''The Messenger''. Bodrov's paternal grandmother was an ethnic Buryat, which influenced his decision to make the movie ''Mongol''. Bodrov currently has an apartment in Los Angeles and a ranch in Arizona. He is married to American film consultant Carolyn Cavallaro. Awards *''Prisoner of the Mountains'' **Nika Award for Best Picture and Best Director. **Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film nomi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legendary Pictures
Legendary Pictures Productions, LLC (doing business as Legendary Entertainment or simply Legendary) is an American film production and mass media company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull in 2000. The company has collaborated with the likes of Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures and Netflix. Since 2016, Legendary has been a subsidiary of the multinational Wanda Group and Apollo. History Thomas Tull founded Legendary Entertainment after raising $500 million from private equity firms. It was one of the first companies of its kind to pair major motion picture production with major Wall Street private equity and hedge fund investors, including ABRY Partners, AIG Direct Investments, Bank of America Capital Investors, Columbia Capital, Falcon Investment Advisors, and M/C Venture Partners. Legendary Pictures, Inc. was incorporated in California in 2000 and in 2005 it signed an agreement with Warner Bros. to co-produce and co-finan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members as of 2021. History During the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, 103 librarians, 90 men and 13 women, responded to a call for a "Convention of Librarians" to be held October 4–6 at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. At the end of the meeting, according to Ed Holley in his essay "ALA at 100", "the register was passed around for all to sign who wished to become charter members," making October 6, 1876, the date of the ALA’s founding. Among the 103 librarians in attendance were Justin Winsor (Boston Public, Harvard), William Frederick Poole (Chicago Public, Newberry), Charles Ammi Cutter (Boston Athenaeum), Melvil Dewey, and Richard Rogers Bowker. Attendees came from as far west as Chicago and from England. The ALA wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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