Customer Reviews

The Kings of Clonmel: Book 8 (Ranger's Apprentice)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The ranger Halt's past has always been a mystery, even to his apprentice Will. But his past is revealed in "Ranger's Apprentice: The Kings of Clonmel," the eighth fantasy novel about the skilled and elusive Rangers and the land of Araluen. John Flanagan's smooth solid writing is in top form here, and he neatly weaves together two fascinating subplots -- one about Halt's past, and the other about a toxic cult.

While Will attends the Gathering, Halt is off investigating a cult that has recently popped up -- the Outsiders, a warm'n'fuzzy religion that uses psychology and hired bandits to fleece believers of all their gold. And though Halt is able to save the village in question, he finds that the Outsiders' next target is the kingdom of Hibernia, his own homeland. Unfortunately, King Ferris is a weak and cowardly king... and he's got a very special connection to Halt.

It doesn't take long for Will, Horace and Halt to find the Outsiders and their charismatic leader Tennyson, who are rapidly converting the Hibernian populace to his false religion. But Tennyson doesn't realize that he's being stealthily sabotaged by the Rangers, who plan to use an ancient Hibernian legend against the con-man prophet and his false god.

John Flanagan seems to be revving up the Ranger's Apprentice series for a whole new arc, this one centering on Tennyson and the insidious gold-leeching cult. "The Kings of Clonmel" is wrapped up tidily at the end, but Flanagan leaves the door open for the next book. But the big draw of this particular book is the revelation of who Halt was before he became a Ranger -- and it comes as a bit of a shock.

Along the way, Flanagan weaves together a complex plot that drips with lots of tautly-written action, political manipulation, clever deceptions, and quite a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor ("You're certainly not going to shave me in tea!"). The first few chapters are a bit on the slow side, but once our heroes head to Hibernia it becomes a brilliant adventure tale... with a subtle message on how easily people are swayed into doing terrible things.

Will and Horace have come a long way from the unsure, naive boys they were at the series' beginning. Will is now a confident, skilled Ranger who is teaching the younger apprentices, and Horace is equally confident and skilled as a heroic young knight. The only flaw is that Alyss is still kind of a pale, 2-D love interest.

On the flipside, Flanagan has you wishing a meteor would fall and squash the devious Tennyson and paranoid, pathetic Ferris. As for Halt... well, he's been a mystery for far too long, and Flanagan finally reveals where he came from, who his family is/was, and the reason he left. And as we're often reminded, he's not as young as he once was.

"The Kings of Clonmel" is a thoroughly entertaining fantasy adventure, which is all tied up in the long-hidden past of the Ranger Halt. And it leaves you eagerly waiting for the next installment.

For the last 7 books, the picture of Will in my head was of a boy--young and fresh faced and ready to ask questions and annoy Halt. Even when he became a full Ranger, I pictured him like that! But in this book, Flanagan uses amazing imagery, an endearing plot, suspense and more to really change the picture in my head. Will is all grown up now, and I couldn't be happier.
This book is extremely creative, in my opinion. The characters are one of a kind, the plot synopsis is clear and original. I love it so much.
I've been an avid reader of young adult books, like Vladimir Tod, Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and this really stands out among them all.

"The Kings of Clonmel" is book 8 in John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series. This is one of the most incredible series I've read in a long time. Flanagan has an uncanny ability to make his characters come alive. So much so that I've found myself wondering what they were up to while I'm driving to and from work. Halt, Will and Horace have traveled to Hibernia to help discredit The Outsiders, a group of people preaching about a false god for their own gains. I don't want to ruin the plot, but one of the best things about this particular book is it delves into the mysterious Halt's past, providing us with more information then ever about where he comes from and who he really is. The battles sequence at the end created vivid images that were awesome, and the plot was intense. Even if you're not a fan of this genre of writing, you will truly love this book in particular and the entire series in general. I would recommend it to anyone!

I really liked this one. The first part is not as exciting, but it gets a lot better in the end. Even though some other people thought the flipping back and forth between characters was horrible, I thought it was the best way to tell the story. If it was just all Will or Halt you wouldn't know what the other characters were doing. I like this one a lot, not my number one in the series, but one of the top three.

Halt, Will and Horace leave Araluen for the island of Hibernia in this, the 8th adventure in The Ranger's Apprentice series.

In accordance with Araluen's growing prominence in world affairs, King Duncan has charged Ranger Commander Crowley with creating a Special Task Group for situations that require more than the 'one riot, one Ranger' approach. Halt and his former apprentice Will have been selected to oversee this new creation. Will's best friend Horace, one of the most skilled and accomplished warriors in the land, will also serve in the specialized force. And it seems like the Task Group has sprung to life at just the right time. Trouble is brewing on the neighboring island of Hibernia and it's the kind of trouble that could pose a serious threat to Araluen peace and prosperity.

Years ago when Halt and Crowley were young men, they faced off against a religious cult known as the Outsiders. These seemingly harmless worshippers promised the protection of their benevolent - and heretofore unheard of - god to communities threatened by murderous bandits. They merely required offerings of gold to strengthen their god's power. Unbeknownst to the villagers, the Outsiders and the bandits were in league with one another. Once they judged that a village had been stripped bare, they would steal away into the night - taking the golden offerings with them.

Now it seems that the Outsiders are back and they are stronger than ever. As their following has grown, so has their ambition. They haven't given up their hunger for gold, of course, but gold alone is no longer enough to satisfy Tennyson, the charismatic Outsider leader. Already five of the six Hibernian kingdoms are under his control. The sixth, the Kingdom of Clonmel, is poised to fall. But Halt, Will and Horace have a plan to defeat Tennyson and expose him as a fraud. All of them are determined to see this charlatan caught, but Halt has a secret, powerful reason of his own for saving Clonmel.

Once again, Mr. Flanagan delivers a stirring adventure sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats. If you haven't read any of the previous books in the series, you could certainly pick this one up and enjoy it on its own. But do yourself a favor. Start at the beginning. You're going to want to once you read this and that way you'll have the whole rich history of this series before you start this one.

The Kings of Clonmel offers action packed adventure and many secrets of the past. This book changes the theme of the Rangers apprentice series as it talks about the characters history and other elements not mentioned in the previous book. I would recommend this to teens and young adults as they usually reach for the action packed books with a little bit of a mystery element to it. I enjoyed this book a lot.

i bought this book about a month after it came out at barnes & nobles and by the reviews it didnt seem to be as good as the previous books but when i read it... i found out that it was actually better then half of the other books i can not wait till halts peril comes out i plan to own all the series :)

Ok if people dont like this book they are plain crazy I am a girl of 12 and I have been reading preety much since I could talk! But this series....It just blew me away! I am a huge harry potter fan to but when I read the first word on that page...I knew I would never forget that book!

This is a great book man just like the rest of the series so if you liked the rest of the series you'll like this one. pretty much Halt is out hunting a religious group called the outsiders who warn people by saying bad things will happen if you don't give them money for their religion and bad things do happen. That's what halt was out to stop them and find out whats really going on. and not to tell you what happens or anything but Crowley un-assigned will from sea cliff and recruited him to a new special ops team of rangers that he just created.
and not go give anything away but...
Halt has a brother!
overall i thought this was a great book and a wonderful addition to the Ranger's Apprentice series i hope you like it too. =)

According to my son, this book maintained the same energy and style as the first books. Book 7 had him worried that things were slowing down. He read using every available moment and consumed this book with more enthusiasm than ever. John Flanagan has my respect as he is able to write books in such a way to create enthusiastic young readers in a time when video games draw kids in. My son is now 15, but he has been reading this series throughout his younger years and goes back to the Ranger's Apprentice Books when he can't find something new to read.

My 10 year old son is starting to read these as well.

For any parent looking to buy a book for their kids, especially kids who love action, mixed with humor and epic story lines, John Flanagan delivers it with the Ranger's Apprentice Series!