Mike Jeffries

Mike Jeffries
The Last Apprentice: Slither
Joseph Delaney
Fantasy/Adventure
Just Right
179


1)  The Last Apprentice series is usually about a boy named Tom, who is a seventh son of a seventh son, and is in training to become the county's next spook. The spook is the person that rids the county of the dark. The dark usually consists of Witches, Ghosts, Ghasts, Boggarts, and other evil creatures. But in this story, the plot and narration is about another creature in another land. The creature is called a Haizda, and he goes by the name of Slither. Slither takes the shape of a tall man, but with a red face, sharp claws, and a tail. Slither, and all other Haizdas have the ability to shrink in size, and grow bigger in size, and their main diet is the blood of people and other creatures. In the beginning of the story, Slither comes across a farmer who he has known for a long time. Slither has an interest in the man because he wants to kill and suck the blood out of the farmers three children. Nessa, Susan, and Bryony. One day the farmer is trying to put his bull back into its pen, but the bull gets spooked, and charges right into the man and impales him with his horn. Slither, who lives in the forest a few miles away from the farm, smells the blood, and runs over to see what happened. He sees the farmer and knows that he only has minutes to live. The farmer, in his lasts minutes, makes a bargain with Slither. The bargain is that Slither must get the farmers youngest daughters, Susan and Bryony, to their cousins house safely and unharmed, and in return, Slither gets to keep the farmers oldest daughter, Nessa, to himself. Slither accepts the bargain, and when a Haizda makes a promise they must keep it until it is fulfilled. So far in the book, Slither and the three daughters have been on a hard journey with cold and snowy conditions to get Susan, and Bryony to their cousins house. But in order to get them there safely, Slither must take all three of them through Valkarky. Valkarky is the city of the Haizdas, and anybody  in that city who isn't a Haizda, is a slave, or the next meal. So will Slither be able to get the three daughters out of the city alive.

2) It has been really interesting reading a book in a series that has completely new characters in it, and a whole new setting in it. Delaney does a very good job of keeping you interested in a brand new plot, when you are so use to another plot that you have been reading about for ten books. His awesome use of detail and cliffhangers at the end of every chapter makes the book a gripping page-turner. After reading ten books in a series with the same author, I thought that I would get tired of reading the series, but Delaney keeps me interested and never seizes to amaze me.

3) So far in the book, I think the biggest theme is illusion of power. Throughout the book, you think that Slither is the most powerful, and whatever he says goes. But on a few occasions, Nessa has been able to manipulate Slithers actions and has been able to persuade him into doing things for the benefit of all of their lives. So far, you never really know which one has complete control over the other. I can't wait to read the rest of the book and see if this remains an important and big theme, or if a new theme comes along and turns out to be bigger and more important than the theme of illusion of power.

4) My favorite character in the book so far is Slither. In the beginning of the book, you think of him as a ruthless monster. But as the story goes along, you see him show care for the three daughters, and you see him show trust to keep up his end of the bargain with the dead father. Most importantly, you see him be brave enough to fight himself. In any moment in the book so far, he could have killed all three of the girls, and sucked the blood out of them, but he hasn't. I think we will see him become a real person, with true feelings and emotion throughout the rest of the book, and not just a blood-sucking, rampaging monster.

5) I really don't have a least favorite character in the book, but if I had to go with someone than it would be Susan. She is the middle sister, and she has whined and complained a lot throughout the journey. It is very scary to have your father die and then have some scary monster bring you on a dangerous journey and try to get you to your cousins house on the other side of the land, but look at what Tom Ward went though. I know he isn't part of this book, and I know Susan has never heard of him her whole life, but he had to the leave his family when he was 10 years old and go fight of the dark with a scary looking man who he has never seen before in his life, and face the chance of death on multiply occasions. I just think Susan should be a little bit more brave, and I think she will become more brave throughout the rest of the book.

6) I have no idea how the book is going to end, but I do hope that one of the characters of the normal plot reveals themselves to Slither, and the rest of the girls, and I have a strong feeling that either Slither, Nessa, Susan, and Bryony will have a great impact on he main plot, and I hope they will be able to somehow team up with Tom and his friends and take down the Fiend and the rest of his forces and be able to live in a world without chaos, and live in a world with peace.