Rangers Apprentice and The Icebound Land

Some six months previous, the, 'Young Ranger Will,' as he was known among the people of Redmont Fief, had been captured by Skandian Raiders during the battle with Morgarath and his Wargals. After that, he was towed to Skandia and assigned to life as a yard slave. Even the toughest of warriors rarely survive. So, right now, things don't look to good for Will.

In the meantime, back at Castle Araluen is Halt, who is a mentor to Will. He is determined to rescue Will, no matter what. When he asks King Duncan to let him go, the king refuses and says he needs Halt for other tasks. Disappointed and somewhat angry, Halt storms off to a local tavern and intentionally gets caught talking treason. Then, with a great amount of sadness, King Duncan banishes one of his most beloved friends and trusted advisers from The Kingdom of Araluen.

Halt begins his journey north, to the frozen lands of Skandia. He is met by the warrior apprentice Horace who goes with Halt to help rescue Will. When they finally reach Skandia, they have a serious problem. The Temujai, who are raiders from the south, have decided to attack the Skandians. The two rangers and the warrior are trapped. They assemble a group of archers from the skandian slaves and drive away the Temujai.

As a thank you gift, Erak, the leader of the Skandians, signs a treaty with Araluen and gives the Araluens a ride back home on his boat, Wolfwind. Then, to top it all off, he asks that Halt be pardoned. The King agrees and Halt is no longer banished. The Skandians and Araluens have a big party to celebrate. Halt is reinstated to the Ranger Corps, Horace becomes a full knight and an Ensign in the Royal Guard, and Will is offered a place in the royal scouts. Surprisingly, Will declines and decides to continue his training as a Ranger.

Many people were surprised at this turn of events but all they could say was, "He's a Ranger. And people like us can never understand Rangers. There's always a part of them they keep to themselves."


However, this book does have a few redeeming qualities. It teaches how strong the bond can be between a mentor/teacher and a student. Mr. Flanagan talks also about devotion and courage. In addition to that (I'm NOT being preachy) he is saying to stand up for what is right, even if it is difficult. An example of this is when Will protected Cassandra from the Skandians.

I absolutely HATED this book. It was WAY WAY WAY to predictable. You knew what was going to happen a chapter before it did. The only reason that I would recommend this to someone is because the series is good and in order to understand it you (unfortunately) have to read this one too. I would give this book a C or a C-.