Rangers Apprentice Series

Did you know that Erak’s Ransom was announced as the winner of the Australian Bookseller’s Association Book of the Year for Older Readers?  Did you know there’s a movie in the works?  Did you know that there is a great website devoted to the Rangers Apprentice series?  Why don't you check it out and try your hand at the Rangers Apprentice Archery Game?  Or have a go at the quiz or crossword.  Or find out when the next book is due out.  Check the website out here!

Have you read all of the books? 

Ranger's Apprentice 1: The Ruins of Gorlan
Will is small for his age, but agile and energetic. All his life, he has longed to be a warrior and to follow in the footsteps of the father he never knew, so he is devastated when he is rejected as an apprentice to Castle Redmont's Battleschool. He's no happier when he's assigned instead to the Ranger Corps, the Kingdom's secret service, as the Rangers are a mysterious group whose uncanny ability to move about unseen is thought by many to be the result of black magic. Will begins training under the dour and enigmatic Halt, and reluctantly learns all the fieldcraft and archery he will need to become a fully-fledged Ranger. But Will soon finds himself needing all his new-found skills as he and Halt set off on a desperate mission to prevent the assassination of the King.

Ranger's Apprentice 2: The Burning Bridge
As the Kingdom of Araluen prepares for war against Morgarath, Will and Horace accompany Gilan on a mission to Celtica. But Celtica's villages and mines are silent. It is only when the three find an exhausted and starving girl called Evanlyn that they learn why: Morgarath has sent his foul creatures to enslave the Celts. As Gilan rides swiftly back to Araluen to report this news to the King, Will and Horace discover the true purpose behind Morgarath's actions. The Kingdom is sure to be defeated in a surprise three-sided attack - unless the two friends can somehow intervene.

Ranger's Apprentice 3: The Icebound Land
Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as the captives of the fearsome Skandian wolfship captain, Erak. Halt has sworn to rescue Will, and he will do anything to keep his promise - even defy his King. Expelled from the Rangers, Halt is joined by Horace as he travels through Gallica towards Skandia. On their way, they are constantly challenged by freelance knights - otherwise known as thieving thugs. But Horace knows a thing or two about combat, and he soon begins to attract the attention of knights and warlords for miles around with his uncanny skill. But will they be in time to rescue Will from a life of slavery?

Ranger's Apprentice 4: Oakleaf Bearers
Just as spring approaches and Will and Evanlyn can finally escape Skandia, Evanlyn is carried off by mysterious horsemen. Will sets out after them, but one boy against six fierce Temujai warriors is impossible odds - even for a Ranger's apprentice. Halt and Horace arrive just in time to rescue them, and the four are overjoyed to be reunited. But there is no time to celebrate as Halt realises that the Temujai they discovered are only the scouts for a massive invasion force. The Skandians don't have a chance, unless they accept the help of their sworn enemies from Araluen.

Ranger's Apprentice 5: Sorcerer in the North
Five years have passed since the Skandians and the Araluans made their treaty, and Will has finally become a Ranger, with his own fief to look after. He soon learns that even sleepy little island fiefs have problems to keep him on his toes.
Then he and his old friend Alyss are thrown into a terrifying new adventure, investigating the truth behind rumours of sorcery in a remote northern fief. As he stands in Grimsdell Forest, hearing eerie voices and seeing the horrific figure of the Night Warrior looming in the fog, Will must ask himself one question: is there a rational explanation ... or does sorcery really exist?

Ranger's Apprentice 6: The Siege of Macindaw
In a desolate northern fief, where can Will find the fighting men he needs to overcome the traitorous Sir Keren and his band of criminals? Across the border, the fierce Scotti tribesmen are waiting for the signal that Castle Macindaw is in friendly hands, and the way is clear to mount a full-scale attack. Time is running out. Will's courage and ingenuity - and the arrival of an old friend - may be the only things that stand in their way.

Ranger's Apprentice 7: Erak's Ransom
When Erak, the Skandian Oberjarl, is taken hostage during a raid on the desert lands to the south of the Constant Sea, his second-in-command, Svengal, is sent to bring back a ransom for Erak's release.  Halt and Will must go with Svengal to deliver the ransom and secure Erak's freedom, but a royal presence is needed too. The Princess Cassandra - or Evanlyn, as Will knows her - persuades her father to let her go with them. Horace and the Ranger Gilan round out the group to make sure that Evanlyn is well protected. But will violent sandstorms, warring tribes and danger at every turn keep them from reaching Erak in time?  The seventh book takes us back to the final year of Will's apprenticeship, before the events related in Books 5 and 6.