Title: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja
Author: John Flanagan
Series: The Ranger’s Apprentice #10
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Easy reading, Medieval fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Random House Australia
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘I don’t want any special privileges.

Horace is missing. Months have passed since he was sent on a military mission to the court of the Emperor of Nihon-Ja but he has failed to return. Evanlyn is worried and, in company with Will and Alyss, she sets out to discover what has become of their old friend.

They find that Horace has become embroiled in Nihon-Jan politics. The arrogant Senshi sect has rebelled against the rightful Emperor and Horace has chosen to stay and lend support to the desposed ruler. Now he and Will must find men willing to face the highly trained Senshi warriors, while Alyss and Evanlyn must overcome their longstanding rivalry to seek aid from a mysterious group of mountain dwellers.

Flanagan manages to do it again – he takes a well-known culture and uses it to build another fascinating world in his The Ranger’s Apprentice seires. This time, it is to the mountainous slopes of Japan and Asia that we are able to visit through such a fantastical lens. I love the vividness of the world which Flanagan has created, and the genuine level of research which he has obviously put into his work.

Horace’s integrity and willingness to stand for what is right, even when it isn’t quite the political thing to do is something that I have always admired about the character. Doing what is right and what will make the most people happy are two distinctly different things, and it can be incredibly difficult to do what you know in your heart is the right thing. Having a character that is so honest and integral is a great way to remind us that taking the easy rode isn’t necessarily the right way to go about things. Likewise, Horace’s simple, open honesty in such a situation brings a lightness and sense of righteousness to the story.

The growing relationships between Will and Alyss, Horace and Evanlyn are explored more fully in The Emperor of Nihon-Ja. As is the rivalry between the two girls. I love the way in which the four are able to work together, and eventually put all of their rivalries and jealousies behind them. The enmity between Evanlyn and Alyss has been building since Oakleaf Bearers, and it was nice to finally have a conclusion to this. Whilst their dislike of one another is understandable, it was also incredibly frustrating – it is immensely irritating to read a series where the two female leads are at odds with one another over a boy. The eventual way in which they are able to put this behind them and build a true, and lasting friendship finally helped to heal these wounds.

Image source: Wikipedia

Title: Halt’s Peril
Author: John Flanagan
Series: The Ranger’s Apprentice #9
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Easy reading, Medieval fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Random House Australia
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Burn the barn when we leave.

Halt, Horace and will are on the trail of Tennyson and his followers. The false prophet of the Outsider cult escaped justice for his crimes in Clonmel, and Halt is determined to stop him before he crosses the border in Araluen. Will has defeated one of Tennyson’s Genovesan assassins in Clonmel but there are two left alive. Are the extraordinary archery skills of Will and Halt enough to save them during a duel with the Genovesans… or is Will’s mentor facing his last battle?

Will’s love and care for Halt shine throughout this next chapter in The Ranger’s Apprentice series. Mostly this is due to, as the title says, Halt’s Peril. However, it is also the first time that they truly work together since Will’s graduation into the ranks of the Rangers. While the dynamic has changed slightly, much of their relationship has remained the same, and it is fun to understand how they have transformed over the years. Especially Will.

Where The Kings of Clonmel was all about pursuing Tennyson and the Outsiders, Halt’s Peril quickly turned into a battle of the archers. The assassins of Genovesan, and the Rangers of Araluen. The different styles and fashions in which these characters conduct themselves is incredibly entertaining, and throughout the novel, it is almost impossible to judge which team will come out on top. However, it is the integrity and care for each other that helps the Rangers come out on top – their relationship causes them to rely on each other and trust in a way that is impossible without the love that they feel for each other.

Although The Ranger’s Apprentice series is starting to feel a little unoriginal at this point, it is still amazing. The character development of Will, Horace and Halt has progressed so organically that they feel all the more real to me. Their lives and the battles that they fight jump off the page as the cast marches through your mind. Flanagan manages to bring alive a world that is so similar to ours, yet different enough that you constantly want to discover what is around the next bend.

Image source: The Book Reading Gals

Title: The Roamers
Author: John Flanagan
Series: The Ranger’s Apprentice #7.5
In: The Lost Stories (John Flanagan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Easy reading, Medieval fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Short Story
Publisher: Random House Australia
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘There are always people waiting to take advantage of the fact that we’re absent.

Ebony, Will’s dog, is captured and taken by a group of people known as Roamers. Together, Will and Alyss set out to find and rescue her.

Erak’s Ransom showed Will’s dedication to his horse, and The Roamers provided a great reminder of this – in the extent to which Will will go to rescue his dog. It is the ultimate display of affection between a man and his dog, the proverbial best friend – for both of them. Ebony is incredibly loyal and obedient (something that I still struggle to achieve with my dogs), and Will will do anything to protect her and keep her out of harm’s way.

There is a long tradition of gypsy folk (of whichever type and nationality) being suspicious of outsiders, and involved in a lot of different illegal actions, including theft. Flanagan uses this to build his story. After all, it makes a kind of warped sense, they steal to live, and are suspicious because of the results of this, which leads to more stealing and illegal activities. The Roamers are a reminder that the ostracised often turn to this, and that although there might be some good reasons for their actions, some in the group are just truly horrible human beings. Yet, when Will could punish and take revenge on such people, he decides not to, rather, he just prefers to shift them away from his home and the people under his protection.

With two dogs of my own (one of whom is going to be quite a big boy), the idea of dog fighting rings, and the theft that supplies them is one that often concerns me. I liked that it was incorporated into this story. It drives home the horrors and inhumanity of this illegal ring. Something that is more horrible than the simple act of theft.

Image source: Wikipedia

Title: The Kings of Clonmel
Author: John Flanagan
Series: The Ranger’s Apprentice #8
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Easy reading, Medieval fantasy
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Random House Australia
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Then, on the far bank, the ground rose again to create the natural defensive position where Redmont stood – massive, solid and beginning to glow red in the late afternoon sun.

Will is at the annual Ranger Gathering but Halt is investigating mysterious happenings in the west. When he does finally return, it’s with bad news. Hibernia is in turmoil. A false religious cult calling themselves the Outsiders are sowing confusion and sedition, and five of the six Hibernian kingdoms have been undermined. Now the sixth, Clonmel, is in danger. Halt, Will and Horace set out to restore order. Can the secrets of Halt’s past help them in their mission?

One Ranger can stop a riot, but this time two Rangers may not be enough…

It was really enjoyable to delve into Halt’s history and his past. He is the perfect enigmatic mentor for Will (and even Horace), so his history and what led him to become the mysterious hero that we love and know has fascinated me since the inklings of it in Oakleaf Bearers. The presence of his twin brother, and the reminder that no matter how many genes two people have in common, they can still become completely different characters. Halt’s steadfastness and admirable sense of self are severely juxtaposed by his brother’s entire persona – a great reminder that it is our choices that create us, not our parentage.

The Kings of Clonmel is the beginning of another great story arc in The Ranger’s Apprentice series. The presence of the Outsiders, and more specifically, Tennyson lead to an even more sinister storyline for Halt throughout Halt’s Peril. However, it is the idea of cults, mass hysteria and the ease with which people can believe a lie that really pulls you in. Although we all like to believe that there is absolutely no way in which we could be taken in by such baloney, even Will and Horace admit to how alluring such a group is. It is a great reminder that we are all susceptible to mass opinion and can be fooled when the circumstances are right.

I loved Will’s new assignment in this story – his removal from Redmont in The Sorcerer in the North and The Siege of Macindaw just didn’t seem quite right to me. Especially after he falls for Alyss, so his return to his home and the masterful juggling of the Ranger Corps to allow for this left me feeling incredibly happy and grateful for Flanagan’s ability to manipulate his characters. Aside from the pursuit of The Outsiders in Halt’s Peril, it is Will’s new role based at Redmont that makes me keen to open the pages of the next Ranger’s Apprentice book.

Image source: Goodreads