The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan

This is the tenth and final book in the Rangers Apprentice series. To give a little background, The Rangers Apprentice takes place in a world of battle and adventure. In map form, the Rangers Apprentice world is a medieval Europe look-alike. This set of books tells about Will, his mentor Halt, and his other friends as they work to bring peace to their home country Araluen and restore order to the world around them. Will and Halt are a part of an elite force of frightingly accurate archers: the Kings Rangers.

In this book, Will, Halt, and Alyss (an ambassador for Arulen) were sent on a simple diplomatic mission to help negotiate a treaty between the countries of Arrida and Toscana. Meanwhile, their friend Horace was sent on his own mission to the far-away country of Nihon-Ja to learn the graceful sword techniques of the people there. As they were getting ready to leave, Will and his friends get the alarming news, delivered by Evanlyn (more commonly known as Princess Cassandra), that Horace had gone missing. The warlord, Arisaka, made open rebellion against the Emperor of Nihon-Ja, trying to take Emperorship for himself. The Emperor was forced to flee to avoid being killed. Horace, being the heroic guy that he is, decided to follow the Emperor and help him out of this mess.

Will and the others, including their Arridian friend Selethen, (who was a representative from Arrida in the treaty negotiations) set out immediately to find Horace. It will be difficult, and they will face many challenges trying to get there. Once they do, they need to find where Horace and the Emperor are hiding, without getting the attention of Arisaka's men (Arisaka doesn’t take kindly to visitors). Once they finally find them, they find out that all they have as an army to stand against Arisaka is about two-hundred simple woodcutters who have no combat experience. Will and Horace must now find a way to train these humble villagers to fight against warriors who have been training in the art of war their whole lives. Faced with this near impossible task, Will and his friends know they have a long way to go before they are going back home.

I really liked the way John Flanagan wrote this book, especially with the way he created the characters. To me, one requirement of a great author is their ability to make the characters so real that I think about them even when I’m not reading the book. Flanagan did a great job with this; he gave each character their own unique personality, even some of the horses!

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me turning page after page and I never got bored. Some parts are very funny and clever, while others are intense and suspenseful. One other thing I really liked about this book is how John Flanagan ended the series. I have read plenty of books that cut off suddenly, or that take too long to end, but this book was ended just right. If you want to read a book that is a fantasy action-packed adventure that also keeps you constantly wondering what happens next, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja is the story for you.