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Not sure if you still exist, but Wardstone Chronicles/Last Apprentice (books) fans, this one's for you.

So, this is a theory that I've been thinking about for a while, and I'd like to hear what you folks think.

The topic of when the books take place has long been one that troubles me. The background of witch trials screams 16th/17th century, but the continued prevalence of what seems to be the Catholic Church in fantasy Lancashire makes that unlikely Equally, it can't be much earlier as the existence of potatoes as a common food item shows that it takes place after the European discovery of the Americas. You must admit, it is strange.

However, I suggest that, rather than the past, the books take place in the future. A distant, post-apocalyptic future to be specific. Not only does this take care of certain historical inconsistencies in the series, but it also explains a few things. For one thing the fact that ice ages seem to be common knowledge, and the notion of the Segantii as a sophisticated precursor civilisation, the real Segantii were a Celtic tribe of no known great advancement.

And, the biggest bit of evidence, to quote 'then the ice came again, and when it retreated, even the shapes of the hills and the names of the towns in the valleys were changed'. Or to put it another way, after an ice age, and we know that the events of the books take place after Golgoth's last outing, the shapes of the hills, including Pendle Hill, which currently is far too steep to climb as easily as the characters in the books are able to*, and the names of towns, like Chippenden or as we call it Chipping, changed.

Now, granted, this idea cuts both ways, the events of the books could also occur in the distant past, a forgotten past. However, the existence of the Greek gods as Old Gods, and knowledge of Greek myth, would dispute this, as, indeed, does the presence of potatoes.

Finally, the clincher, throughout all his life Joseph Delaney was always unwilling to confirm that the books take place in the 1700s, as is often believed. Now, it may be that he considered the events of his books to take place in a fantasy timeline entirely separate to our own, but - again - the 'then the ice came again...' seems to tie the books firmly to the world we know.

*proof of how steep Pendle Hill is, based on my recent trip there

#Wardstone Chronicles #last apprentice #spooks #thomas jason ward #Lancashire #alice dean #john gregory #mam #pendle #fan theory #overthinking #book theory #book thoughts #joseph delaney

Patrick Arrasmith

From the Last Apprentice book illustration.

#witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #sorcerer #wizard #patrick arrasmith #Last apprentice

Rereading The Spook's Mistake, and am kind of wondering how long The Fiend was impersonating Mr. Gilbert?

When I first read it, I assumed he'd only started impersonating him on the day he gave the Spook and Tom the fake letters, but the more I think about it, I wonder if he might have been the Fiend for the whole time.

When we first meet him, he references his son and daughter who help him out sometimes, the daughter we later find out is Morwenna, and the son could refer to any number of abhumans or even Loki. Of course it may be that Mr. Gilbert and the Fiend just happen to have very similar families, but that seems like a bit of a coincidence. Also, when he gives Tom a lift to the mill, it is noted that the food Mr. Gilbert prepared is undercooked, which in retrospect seems like foreshadowing that he isn't used to cooking, and isn't really human.