John Flanagan (1) (1944–)

The book is fine. My issue really is the order it was written and published in. I enjoy apprentice Ranger Will as much as the next person, but having already read full fledged Ranger Will in the last two books, this felt like a step back that I didn’t want to take. I was perfectly happy knowing that Will completed his training and became a Ranger, without needing this added intermission.

As for the writing, while it flows as easy as always and is crystal clear, the plot is a little hard to fathom. Why was Gilan even there? They didn’t need two and three quarters Rangers, it was extra. Same for Horace, lovable though he is. I get that it was a form of getting the gang back together, but it didn’t feel earned. Also, the whole Araluens going to save the Oberjarl from the Arridi only to find him kidnapped by the Tualaghi was a bit too contrived for me, as was Will surviving the desert.

I’m not sure I buy that one Ranger sent to rescue Erak wouldn’t have been sufficient, no matter the amount of dialogue spent on attempting to establish that fact. But perhaps that’s due to the reputation and achievements of said Rangers being too good to be true for so long? Like, if you’re going to write super spies capable of pulling plans out of thin air that suffice to stop armies, at least three times that I can easily think of, those same spies should be able to get one Oberjarl out of a bind.

I think I would’ve preferred reading about the Ranger tests Will went through that were mentioned in the previous two books, all things considered.… (plus d'informations)

This one’s tough for me, as far as ratings go. It has some of my most and least favorite moments in the entire RA series, so take my star rating with a grain of salt. I don’t have much to add, the writing is stellar as always and the new characters feel just as real and developed as the familiar ones. I don’t know, I’m feeling a little lukewarm on the whole for this one.

I will say that this book has one of my most favorite but also the least believable strategies of all the RA series, with the overturned cart shtick. I used to think it was the height of cleverness, now I think it’s the height of improbability.… (plus d'informations)

This book is the perfect conclusion to the foursome that start out this series. It’s up there with The Burning Bridge in my ranking. I love to see Horace and Will working together as friends and the development that their relationship goes through.

Also, the battle techniques discussed here and played out in the story are the first that I can remember reading, understanding clearly, and seeing the specific strategic approaches of each side clash against each other. While I have since read many more battle scenes and enjoyed various different approaches, the ones in this book were the first to spark my interest in battle and war strategizing and plot points carried through events of war. It’s a major element of high fantasy and one that I’m grateful I was able to appreciate even in my middle grade reading as a youngster.

The joy when Erak becomes Oberjarl and the relief Halt is pardoned also still hit just as hard too, the emotional beats in this book are simply great. And it’s funny! I laughed out loud several times at Halt’s antics, which is the best compliment to comedic writing through dialogue that I can think of.

Anyway, this is probably my favorite book in the series.… (plus d'informations)