After a long six years of Ranger training, Will is ready for his first solo assignment. He and his close friend, Alyss, must investigate a series of mysterious circumstances in the north of Araluen.

The Ranger's Apprentice books are a lot of fun, and this one is no exception. It's fast-paced, readable and entertaining, and the characters are great role models for youngsters. Will and his friends are very good at what they do, but they're not wunderkinds. Flanagan makes it clear that their success is the result of years of hard work and training, and the book's structure invites the reader to guess along with Will as he unravels each new mystery.

That's not to say that Flanagan preaches at his audience. There's still plenty of action and adventure herein, served up with a side of humor. (I suspect that the humor will appeal more to the younger set than to adult readers. I know I'd have chortled myself silly over it when I was seven or eight, but now? Not so much). There are fight scenes, tricky dealings and a couple of daring rescues. It's fun. If you're looking for a lighter read, you could do much worse than this Australian series.

THE SORCERER OF THE NORTH is somewhat divorced from the previous four books, so I think you could probably use it as an entry point for the series as a whole. Be prepared for a cliffhanger, though!

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

read 1x. ( )

Time has passed since the apprentice and his master, Will and Halt, led the Araluens to victory against invaders, and Will is now a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief to look after. The fief seems sleepy— boring, even—until the king is poisoned. Joined by his friend Alyss, Will is thrown headfirst into an extraordinary adventure propelled by fears of sorcery, and must determine who is trustworthy to the king and who is trying to take his throne.Will and Alyss must battle growing hysteria, traitors, and most of all, time. The king is fading, but when Alyss is taken hostage, Will is forced to make a desperate choice between loyalty to his mission and loyalty to his friend.

Great adventures, lots of peril and an ending that makes you go "GAHHHHH!" - that pretty much sums the book up. ( )

Oh, drat....it's a cliff hanger and the 6th book doesn't come out in the US until fall 2009!! I might just have to take a trip to Australia to buy the books. I just can't wait!!

Will and Alyss team up in an attempt to determine what is really happening in the far northern fief led by Lord Syron. Alyss is taken hostage while Will struggels to help Lord Syron and his fief.

Excellent reads for girls and guys. Action, adventure, light romance. Falnagan has the magic formula. ( )

Another fantastic book in the Ranger's Apprentice series. This book is a bit more of a cliffhanger than usual, but I'm willing to wait for the next installment. The characters are delightful and really make the books. The plot is interesting though fairly predictably from an adult perspective. Young adults with a few less books under their belt probably will not notice. Overall, another great book in what is one of many favorite fantasy series, right up their with Tamora Pierce. ( )

It's nice to see that with the original plot wrapped up, a new plot is rising in it's place, although the cliff-hanger endings in this series are becoming a bit frustrating. ( )

This is another great book in the series. If you are jumping in and reading this as the first book then you will be ok as this story starts a new story arc to the series. In this book WIll has graduated and been sent on his first official mission to the north of the country where strange rumors are circulating about a sorcerer. Will is paired with Alyss as they investigate the rumors and unravel the truth they find things are not what they seem in the far north. Can they unravel the mystery in time to save the Baron?

This is well written and believable. Perhaps a little slower to get to the action compared to the previous few novels in the series but this book is starting a fresh and is set about 4 years after the previous book. The characters are well developed, with the returning cast being familiar and fun. New and re-introduced characters such as Dog and Alyss are fantastic. Both have joined my favorites list. The story line is easy to follow with marvelous humor woven through out and a great twist towards the end. ( )

I consider this and The Siege of Macindaw to be a single book in two volumes. I read it after Erak's Ransom (chronologically rather than in order of publication) which was a good reading experience. It picks up nicely from the end of Erak's Ransom in terms of characterization, amazing when you consider the amount of time spent between writing the two for the author! This book deals with Will's early days as a graduated Ranger -- and it's lovely to see how well developed he is! ( )