Ranger's Apprentice: The Icebound Land (Rangers Apprentice) [Import] [Paperback]

John Flanagan (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Corgi Yearling Books (February 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440867401
• ISBN-13: 978-0440867401
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,587,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia hoping to be a writer. It wasn't until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John's assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting. After writing advertising copy for the next two decades, John teamed with an old friend to develop a television sitcom, Hey Dad!, which went on to air for eight years. John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series. He currently lives in the suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great first half of a tale., June 27, 2007

By 

D @ Paradise Lake (Woodinville, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice, Book 3) (Hardcover)

I haven't read the United States version of this book, having purchased the australian edition over a year ago. "The Icebound Land" is the first half of the tale of Will and Evalyn's adventures in Skandia, while Halt and Horace set off to rescue them. As a book, it does not quite stand alone, and you really need to read book #4 "The Oakleaf Bearers" to read the conclusion of the tale. Book #4 is a five star book. You can order the Oakleaf Bearer from the online Australian bookstores - they cost about $15 each. Books #5 (the Sorcerer in the North) and #6 (The Siege of Macindaw) are also a single story with the same issue - book #5 doesn't quite stand by itself, and then book #6 completes the story. I found the vocabulary in the Australian editions to be more advanced than the Scholastic versions available in the United States - I don't know if Flanagan is using a more mature vocabulary in the later volumes, or if the U.S. editor is making the stories easier to read for their targetted audience because, as I said, I haven't read the U.S. versions to compare. Ranger's Apprentice is a great series - the books will not let you down.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From word one to the cliffhanger, it is a great read, September 13, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice, Book 3) (Hardcover)

Australian author Flanagan originally wrote this series to encourage his twelve-year-old son to love reading. The Ruins of Gorlan is Book One, and The Burning Bridge is Book Two. The setting is vaguely medieval Europe, with interesting details of battle, weapons, and character.

Rangers are a branch of service to the King of Araluen, skilled at woodcraft and longbow, and many people think they have a command of magic. Halt is a skilled Ranger, one of the best. He can disappear into a tree (or give that impression) and can fire a fatal arrow in seconds, even through the eye slit in a knight's visor. His apprentice, Will, and the young girl Evanlyn have escaped unscathed from a terrible battle, only to be caught by a raiding party of Skandians led by Jarl Erak. Halt is not allowed to go after them, so he arranges for the King to banish him for treasonous comments made in public, and he and the young knight Horace set off to Gallica, to find Will.

The chapters alternate between the stories of Will and Evanlyn as prisoners with the Skandians, and Horace and Halt on their trip through Gallica. Halt is old and very wise. He is able to teach the young knight Horace a thing or two about strategy and honor on their travels. Will is able to help Evanlyn during the short sojourn on the island of Skorghijl, waiting out the winter storms with the raiding party, and also keep up his spirits and fitness. But when they return to Jarl Erak's home of Hallasholm, Evanlyn is made a house slave, and Will becomes a yard slave, toiling in terrible cold until he becomes addicted to warmweed, and forgets who he is. Jarl Erak respects Will's bravery and skill, and hates to see him addicted and treated so poorly. He decides to help Will and Evanlyn try to escape.

This adventurous series is designed with cliffhangers at the end. You will definitely want to read the coming books. Book Four is coming out in March of 2008 - I can hardly wait.

Armchair Interviews says: Wonderful young adult book for all to enjoy.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An awkward speed hump..., March 21, 2008

By 

Summer Paulus "FL" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice, Book 3) (Paperback)

I love the Ranger's Apprentice series. It stands right up there with other fantastic fantasy favorites like The Symphony of Ages and The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme by Elizabeth Haydon, The Icewind Dale by R.A.Salvator, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien and Dragonlance: Chronicles by Weis and Hickman. But with John Flanaghan's newiest installment in the Ranger's Apprentice series, The Icebound Land falls short of what we were expecting. Sure, this book does nicely as a sequel, but I felt Flanagan could had done a tad-bit more, such as Will being a drugged-slave. But overall, this book was a great read!
We have Halt and Horace traveling into the country-side, right into danger. Stupid men who claim themselves as gallant knights by beating up helpless travelers with mest-up amour and poor weapons to earn a living challenge the two left-and-right, holding up there search again and again for the lost ranger, Will. All the while Will and Evalyn are fighting to stay alive against the Skandians and the cold of winter.
I truly enjoyed this book. Halt's raw humor and Horace's jokes kept me laughing, while Will being drugged by Warm-Weed kept me feeling dread for the beloved character. If you enjoyed the first two books of John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series, The Ruins of Gorland and The Burning Bridge, your guaranteed to like reading The Icebound Land. I'm already looking forward to reading The Battle for Skandia. Can't wait! Keep sending these Australian Treasures over John!