Joseph Delaney | |
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 Delaney in 2008 | |
| Born | Joseph Henry Delaney (1945-07-25)25 July 1945 Preston, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 16 August 2022(2022-08-16) (aged 77) Manchester, England |
| Pen name | J. K. Haderack |
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| Years active | 1996–2022 |
| Notable works | The Spook's Apprentice (2004) |
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| Children | 3 |
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Joseph Henry Delaney (25 July 1945 – 16 August 2022) was an English author. He was best known for his children'sdark fantasy series,Spook's, inspired by thefolklore,history andgeography ofLancashire. The series has been published in 30 countries, achieving sales of over 4.5 million copies.
Born inPreston, Lancashire, in 1945, Delaney started his career as a teacher, who later authoredscience fiction andfantasy novels under the pen nameJ. 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 ofThe 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 filmSeventh Son, and a French graphic novel.
The Spook's Apprentice marked the start of his highly acclaimedSpook'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 trilogyArena 13, and the dark fantasy duologyAberrations.
Delaney died inManchester in 2022, at the age of 77. His final book,Brother Wulf: Wulf's War, was published posthumously the following year.
Joseph Henry Delaney was born on 25 July 1945 inPreston, 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]
Delaney attendedPreston Catholic College and then worked as an apprentice engineer. He took hisA-Levels at night school before studying English, history and sociology as a mature student atLancaster University, at the age of 27.[1]
Following graduation, he studied atSt Martin's College to become a teacher.[1] He later became an English teacher atBlackpool Sixth Form College, where he started the Media and Film Studies Department.[3]
In the 1980s Delaney completed anOpen University degree in an effort to become a computer programmer.[4] In 1983, he moved to the village ofStalmine, where he learned and noted down that a priest had once encountered aboggart in the area.[5]
Delaney's first works were published under the pen name J. K. Haderack,[6] a reference to theKwisatz Haderach fromFrank Herbert'sDune universe.[2] After struggling to find success publishingscience fiction andfantasy books for adults, his agent encouraged him to try writing for a younger audience to meet the brief of a children's publisher.[1]
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 thefolklore,history andgeography ofLancashire.[1] He also drew on his childhood memories and experiences.[3] In 2004, it was published asThe Spook's Apprentice under his real name, becoming the first book of hisdark fantasySpook'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 theLancashire Book of the Year.[4]
TheSpook'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]
Delaney authored two additional series for children. From 2015 to 2017, he published the science fiction and fantasy trilogyArena 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 duologyAberrations, 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]
Delaney identifiedJ. R. R. Tolkien and Frank Herbert as his two biggest inspirations.[12] Similar toBram Stoker, author ofDracula, 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]
Delaney, who was living inManchester, 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]
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, withJoseph H. Delaney (1932–1999), an American science fiction author of several books and short stories.[17]
In 2014, Stephen Delaney, the son of Joseph Delaney, collaborated with his father to publishThe Spook's Apprentice – Play Edition, an adaptation ofThe Spook's Apprentice into a 160-page play script.[19]
In the same year, a film adaptation ofThe Spook's Apprentice was released byLegendary Pictures, directed bySergey Bodrov, and entitledSeventh 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), andAntje Traue was Bony Lizzie.[20]
In 2023, a Frenchgraphic novel adaptation of the book, titledL'Épouvanteur, Tome 1: L'Apprenti épouvanteur, was released. It was written by Pierre Oertel and illustrated by Benjamin Bachelor.[21]
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