Customer Reviews

Halt's Peril: Book 09 (Ranger's Apprentice)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Halt has been in countless perilous situations in his life, but he's always come out unscathed. But his winning streak may have come to a permanent end in "Halt's Peril," the ninth book of the Ranger's Apprentice series. John Flanagan's writing drags somewhat in the first half, but the introduction of a deadly threat speeds up the story.

Horace, Halt and Will are still pursuing the evil cult leader Tennyson, who is currently en route to Araluen -- they have to stop him before he gets there, or the Outsider cult might spring up again in their own homeland. Along the way, they have to deal with malevolent pirates, stormy seas, Scotti raiding parties, burned farms, and the Genovesan assassins that Tennyson is traveling with.

But during a battle in a dead forest, Halt is grazed by a crossbow bolt, and within a day he's near-comatose from poison. Now Will must make a desperate journey to fetch an old friend who might be able to save Halt's life -- but the remaining Genovesan is still out hunting for them, and Halt may have only hours to live.

"Halt's Peril" is the darkest Ranger's Apprentice book thus far, mainly because it really does look like Halt is going to die -- and any fantasy fan knows what eventually happens to most mentors once the apprentice has gotten trained. But it's also pretty harrowing to see the young knight and ranger struggling to save him, and doing some pretty desperate stuff along the way.

Biggest problem: the first half of the book goes at a very slow pace. I mean, two whole chapters are devoted to Will hanging around in a tavern and LOOKING for a certain criminal, and it takes another FOUR for the trio to wrangle an answer out of the guy. But Flanagan's prose is still strong enough to compensate, with lots of action, nerve-twisting suspense and bloody fight scenes, as well as some literally haunting scenes tinged with the supernatural (Will sleeping in a haunted barrow-ground).

It's been hinted that Halt is beginning to get a little old for the rough'n'tumble life of a Ranger, but this is the first time we've seen him truly facing death. And though they're a full-fledged knight and ranger, Will and Horace have to take another step forward in their independence -- they not only have to deal with the rotten situation without Halt's help or advice, but they are faced with the possibility of losing him for good.

"Ranger's Apprentice: Halt's Peril" is another solid entry in John Flanagan's action-packed fantasy series -- the first half drags, but things pick up once the assassins come back into the picture.

Will, Halt and Horace have successfully run Tennyson and his religious cult, The Outsiders, out of the southern kingdom of Clonmel --- but that doesn't mean the threat is over. Like all fanatical leaders, Tennyson has simply packed up and moved on to locate a new place to begin his swindling: Will's home kingdom of Araluen. Before they can even dream of catching up with Tennyson, Will, Halt and Horace first have to secure passage across the dangerous waters surrounding Palisade Reef and escape a band of smugglers who are hot on their trail.

Expert shots with a bow and arrow are difficult enough, but imagine shooting on a rocking boat with wind, rain and the impending threat of running into a dangerous reef. For Will and Halt, it's just another day as a Ranger. They have bigger issues to deal with anyway, as Tennyson and the Outsiders have already started rounding up new followers and are slowly starting to infiltrate Araluen. Tennyson also knows that Will, Halt and Horace are right behind him, so he dispatches two deadly Genovesan assassins to rid himself of the Rangers.

Before the Genovesan assassins can fulfill their mission, though, Will and Halt immediately recognize the danger, and a deadly cat-and-mouse game ensues. Deep within a petrified forest, Halt decides on a risky plan that could kill him. With Will lurking in the shadows behind, Halt will be the scapegoat and the live target for the Genovesans. At first, Halt's plan is executed brilliantly. Will manages to sneak up on the assassins while Halt draws their attention. Only after the Rangers fire their arrows do they realize their mistake. Both Will and Halt shoot the same Genovesan, leaving the other assassin the opportunity to fire his weapon --- at Halt.

After the initial scare of being shot, Halt discovers that the Genovesan's arrow barely nicked him, leaving a small flesh wound. Will and Horace are grateful that he is still alive after coming so close to losing their great mentor and leader. Halt is business as usual as the three friends continue their search for Tennyson, but something isn't right. He begins to issue orders that don't make sense, starts calling Will and Horace by different names, and eventually collapses into unconsciousness. To their horror, Will and Horace discover that the arrow was poisoned, and he is slowly dying.

With time running out, Will and Horace are left with few options. Will immediately leaves to find his old friend Malkallam the Sorcerer for a cure. Malkallam is three days away, though, and Halt could be dead by then. Horace is left to care for Halt, but the remaining Genovesan assassin lurks in the distance, and Horace waits for the end to come at any moment.

John Flanagan has always held the Rangers in such high esteem, both in skill and wisdom, it often seems that nothing can ever go wrong. Sure, the Rangers often go to plan B, but they always appear a step ahead of their enemy. Not this time! For the first time, Flanagan really shows the humanity of the Rangers and the brutal reality of the danger they experience on a daily basis. In such instances, you often learn what people are really made of. The strength of the Ranger's Apprentice series is in the strong bond among the characters and their devotion and loyalty to each other. The good news is that there is one final book in the series coming out early next year.

--- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche

I'm a loyal Ranger's Apprentice fan. I devoured books 1-4, then waited for book 5 to come out. Oh, that wait! I ravenously finished book 5. After book 6, the wait time between books started getting shorter and shorter, which made me love the series even more.
But enough of my love! Let's get to the point.
For those unfamiliar to the series, Will is a King's Ranger in the medieval Kingdom of Araluen. Halt's also a Ranger, but he was Will's mentor. I say was not because he's dead, but Will's a Ranger now, not an apprentice (yes, I know the title says Ranger's Apprentice, but...) and he doesn't need Halt anymore. Or does he?
That question is asked when Halt is struck by a deadly poison arrow. Halt is desperately in need of an antidote, and Will journeys to find one.
I loved Book 8 a lot because Horace, the knight, joined Will and Halt's party. This RA book is funnier than the rest, in my opinion. Many chapters end with a joke. I loved how once again, Will tries to manage without Halt, like in Book 7. Plus, there are 2 story arcs to keep you entertained. And here's the part I loved most: one of my favorite characters from a previous book that I thought I would never see again returns!
So, with that said, why 4 stars and not 5?
Like a previous reviewer said, the first 150 pages drag a little. They're just tracking assassins, but it's handled well. I mean, who would think a little scrap of cloth could help you figure out so many things?
The ending is good. It doesn't leave you begging for more, but I found myself wanting to read the tenth and final book, THE EMPEROR OF NIHON-JA already.
I would like to give this a 4.5/5 stars, but I can't, so I'll have to give it a 4 since it doesn't deserve a 5. HALT'S PERIL is one of the best in the Ranger's Apprentice series yet.

"Halt's Peril" is Book 9 in the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. I've read the previous 8 books and absolutely love this series. The characters are believable, the books are well written, and there are a lot of unexpected plot twists. While I enjoyed "Halt's Peril," it just wasn't as good as the previous books. The pace was just slower then the others. I won't ruin the plot, but this continues where Book 8 left off: Halt, Horace and Will are chasing Tennyson, the leader of the cult known as the "Outsiders." As the title suggests, something happens to Halt and the others must see to it that he is saved. A big part of this book involved camping and horse riding scenes. While still a good read, the action is less intense and it takes longer for things to develop. Overall I'd highly recommend the entire series to anyone, just don't expect this one to be as good as the others.

Halt's Peril (2010) is the ninth Fantasy novel in the Ranger's Apprentice series, following The Kings of Clonmel. The initial work in this series is The Ruins of Gorlan.

In the previous volume, Halt impersonated the king and Horace fought in a trial by combat. Tennyson cheated and the Outsider champion almost won. Then Tennyson and his band fled the country.

In this novel, Will Treaty is a full Ranger of Araluen stationed in Redmont fief. He is on an extended mission with Halt and Horace.

Halt is Will's mentor and commander of the Special Task Group. While Will is now a full Ranger, he still considers Halt as his mentor.

Horace is a knight of the court of Araluen and company commander of the Royal Guard. He is also a prodigal with a sword. He has known Will and Halt since early childhood. He is also accompanying Halt in the pursuit of Tennyson.

In this story, Will is asking questions in Port Cael, a smuggling town in Clonmel. He is looking for the ship that took Tennyson and his cadre out of the kingdom. An innkeeper sends him to the Black O'Malley at the Heron tavern by the docks.

The tavern keeper at the Heron is reluctant to give Will information on O'Malley, but half a gold piece and Will's saxe knife persuades him to answer the questions. When O'Malley arrives, the tavern keeper signals the Ranger.

Will offers O'Malley another gold coin for the location where Tennyson and his cadre were offloaded. The smuggler takes the coin, but refuses to divulge the location. Will angrily leaves the tavern and O'Malley sends two men after him for the rest of the gold. Will's arrows convince them to return empty handed.

When Halt and Horace arrive, Will reports this encounter to Halt. The next night, all three wait outside the tavern for O'Malley's arrival. After a minute or so, Halt enters the Heron with Will and Horace behind him and confronts the smuggler.

At first, O'Malley figures Halt is just another source of gold coins, but soon loses patience with the Ranger. He sets his two crewmen on him, but then Halt looses Horace on them. Horace quickly lays out both men on the floor unconscious.

Then Halt grabs O'Malley by his collar and hauls him across the table. He places his razor-sharp saxe knife against the smuggler's throat and asks about the location of Tennyson. This time O'Malley refuses to answer on the grounds that Halt needs him alive.

Halt points out that no one else in the tavern would care if Halt cut his throat. Then he asks the customers if any knows where O'Malley had dropped off Tennyson and one responds in the affirmative. Now O'Malley provides the information and even offers to take him there.

Naturally, Halt is not foolish enough to step on O'Malley's ship. He goes down the coast to the next harbor and hires a more honest captain to take them to Craiskill River. On the way, O'Malley and his crew appear and learn not to tangle with Araluen Rangers.

At Craiskill River, they follow the path inland. At a fork in the path, they head south toward Araluen. They find signs that Tennyson and this cadre have taken the path, including two bodies in a burned farm.

Later, they find the tracks of a Scotti war party coming out of a side path. The war band is between them and Tennyson, but soon turns aside. Halt leads Will and Horace after the war party.

This tale finally takes Halt, Will and Horace to Tennyson. By then, the cadre has brought in many more followers. Tennyson is preaching about the benevolent god Alseiass and turning the followers against their King.

Halt tricks Tennyson and separates him from his followers. The next installment in this series is The Emperor of Nihon-ja.

Highly recommended for Flanagan fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of armed combat, religious scams, and smart rangers. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

My son is 13 and loves the Rangers Apprentice books. He reads them so fast I can't keep them coming fast enough. Great teen reading. He thinks each book gets better which is sometimes hard with a series. Thanks.

We were looking for something clean and good to read. This book is even more than that. It teaches great morals and is a lot of fun. My son has had a hard time wanting to read any books. But this is a series that he looks forward to reading and can't wait for the next. The whole family loves it and another son was dressed up as a ranger for Halloween. We love it.

This book is excellent. Go ahead and buy it, but for the people who have finished this book...... Book 10 is out! In Australia...... But don't worry, search: Ranger's apprentice book 10 on amazon and there you go! Scroll down and there it is but it won't look like america version that will be Number 1# on the list. Don't be fooled!

Enjoyed this one as much as I did the other 8 stories in the series. Good story line. Very entertaining. Plenty of action. I just bought my Kindle so I canceled my order for the hardback and bought the Kindle version just for the novelty. I won't buy any more kindle books that are priced higher than the hardback again.

The book arrived in a timely manner and in very good condition. We are very happy and would order from this vendor again.