Joseph Delaney Books in Order
Joseph Delaney has written 33 books, published between 1997 and 2023. The first book is Mercer's Whore (As:J.K. Haderack) (1997) and the newest is Wulf's War (2023). Publication order is the reading order below.
Joseph Delaney also publishes as J. K. Haderack.
- Books
- 33
- Published
- 1997–2023
- Pages on record
- 7,300 in 22 of 33 books
- Reading time
- 122–183 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 7,300 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 22 of 33 titles with a page count on record.
Joseph Delaney was an English author of dark fantasy for children, and the Spook's books, listed also as the Last Apprentice or Wardstone Chronicles, are the work he is known for. The Spook's Apprentice (2004) began that series, which draws on the folklore, history and landscape of Lancashire and has sold more than 4.5 million copies across 30 countries. Delaney taught before publishing, and his earliest fiction appeared under the pen name J.K. Haderack, starting with Mercer's Whore (1997). 33 catalogued titles end with Wulf's War (2023). Delaney lived from 1945 to 2022.
How many Joseph Delaney books are there?
Joseph Delaney has 33 books, released between 1997 and 2023. They include 6 series and 2 titles listed outside any series.
Joseph Delaney Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 33 Joseph Delaney books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Mercer's Whore (As:J.K. Haderack)1997 · 400 pages · confirmed 2/419974002/4
- 2The Spook's Apprentice / Revenge of the WitchLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #12004 · 160 pages · confirmed 2/420041602/4
- 32005–2/4
- 4The Spook's Secret / Night of the Soul StealerLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #32007 · 480 pages · confirmed 2/420074802/4
- 5The Spook's Battle / Attack of the FiendLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #42007 · 528 pages · confirmed 2/420075282/4
- 6The Spook's Mistake / Wrath of the BloodeyeLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #52008 · 496 pages · confirmed 2/420084962/4
- 7The Spook's Sacrifice / Clash of the DemonsLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #62008 · confirmed 2/42008–2/4
- 820091762/4
- 920092722/4
- 10The Spook's Bestiary: The Guide to Creatures of the DarkSpook’s Stories #32010 · 222 pages · confirmed 2/420102222/4
- 11The Spook's Nightmare / Rise of the HuntressLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #72010 · confirmed 2/42010–2/4
- 122011–2/4
- 13The Spook's Destiny / Rage of the FallenLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #92011 · confirmed 2/42011–2/4
- 14I Am Grimalkin / Grimalkin, the Witch AssassinLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #102011 · 448 pages · confirmed 2/420114482/4
- 152011–2/4
- 16The Spook's Blood / Lure of the DeadLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #122012 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/420123202/4
- 1720123352/4
- 18The Ghost Prison2013 · 92 pages · confirmed 2/42013922/4
- 19I Am Alice / Spook's: AliceLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #142013 · 464 pages · confirmed 2/420134642/4
- 20The Spook’s Revenge / Fury of the Seventh SonLast Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #152013 · confirmed 2/42013–2/4
- 2120143522/4
- 222014–2/4
- 232015–2/4
- 2420163942/4
- 2520163522/4
- 2620173192/4
- 2720172742/4
- 2820183202/4
- 2920192882/4
- 3020202882/4
- 3120213202/4
- 322022–2/4
- 332023–2/4
Joseph Delaney characters in order
The character linked below has its own reading-order page.
Joseph Delaney books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles in order
15 books- 1. The Spook's Apprentice / Revenge of the Witch
- 2. The Spook's Curse / Curse of the Bane
- 3. The Spook's Secret / Night of the Soul Stealer
- 4. The Spook's Battle / Attack of the Fiend
- 5. The Spook's Mistake / Wrath of the Bloodeye
- 6. The Spook's Sacrifice / Clash of the Demons
- 7. The Spook's Nightmare / Rise of the Huntress
- 8. Grimalkin's Tale
- 9. The Spook's Destiny / Rage of the Fallen
- 10. I Am Grimalkin / Grimalkin, the Witch Assassin
- 11. Alice and the Brain Guzzler
- 12. The Spook's Blood / Lure of the Dead
- and 3 more in the table above
Spook’s Stories in order
4 booksSpook's Apprentice: Brother Wulf in order
4 books- 1. Brother Wulf
- 2. Wulf's Bane
- 3. The Last Spook
- 4. Wulf's War
Starblade Chronicles in order
3 booksArena 13 Trilogy in order
3 books- 1. Arena 13
- 2. The Prey
- 3. The Warrior
Aberrations in order
2 booksStandalone books
2 books2 Joseph Delaney titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Joseph Delaney books in order?
You only need to read Joseph Delaney books in order within each series: the books listed here span 6 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Joseph Delaney
Start with The Spook's Apprentice / Revenge of the Witch (2004), the first Wardstone Chronicles/Last Apprentice book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Mercer's Whore (As:J.K. Haderack) (1997).
What is the newest Joseph Delaney book?
Wulf's War (2023) is the newest Joseph Delaney book released so far.
Is there a new Joseph Delaney book coming?
No next Joseph Delaney book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Joseph Delaney at a glance
- Paused
- No new Joseph Delaney title has appeared for 3 years. The last was published in 2023.
- Release pace
- Joseph Delaney books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 7,300 pages across the 22 of 33 books with a recorded length, a median of 320 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Joseph Delaney books, 20 of 33, were published in the 2010s.
What the Joseph Delaney books are about
23 of the 33 Joseph Delaney books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: horror is tagged on 15 of 23. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Horror 15 of 23 books
- Children's fiction 14 of 23 books
- Supernatural 13 of 23 books
- Witches 12 of 23 books
- Apprentices 9 of 23 books
- Paranormal fiction 8 of 23 books
- Monsters 4 of 23 books
- Thomas Ward (Fictitious character) 4 of 23 books
- Magic 3 of 23 books
- Young adult fiction 3 of 23 books