Customer Reviews

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

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I eagerly awaited this as it arrived from Abbeys Book in Australia. It took less than a day to devour it. True to the rest of the series, Mr. Flanagan belts out another amazing edition to the Ranger's Apprentice.
This time, Will and friends find themselves in Ireland (Hibernia) chasing after religious wackos. The dialogue between Horace, Will and Halt are hilarious. This is by far the funniest book of the series.
John Flanagan covers the story well, brings out the personalities nicely, and wraps the whole story into a wonderful and enchanting end.
I look forward to book 9!

I bought this as a gift for my son for Xmas & he read it in one day. My son absolutely loves all the Ranger's Apprentice books & can't wait for the next one in the series to be available.

I have now read all 8 of this series and have enjoyed every one - I was much pleased to find that I could get books on Amazon that have not been released in the US.

I only wished that I had read the covers before I read the last four that I got because he went backwards in one book and it wa a little confusing - not enought to keep me from reading every word.

The ranger Halt's past has always been a mystery, even to his apprentice Will. We know he was born in Hibernia, and that's it.

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 background, 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 -- the Sunrise Warrior -- against the con-man prophet and his false god. But they can only do it with Ferris' help.

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 -- while "The Kings of Clonmel" is wrapped up tidily at the end, Flanagan leaves the door open for the next book or two to deal with them further. 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. And it culminates in a brilliant double duel that shows Horace's skill and cleverness.

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 is offered a special new job that draws on his expertise. The only flaw is that Alyss is still kind of a pale, 2-D love interest. And Horace is equally confident and skilled as a young knight who must fight for the fate of an entire kingdom.

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.

I have been reading the Ranger books for sometime now. I must say though this is one of the best. The only thing I would suggest is that you check the local libaries if they have them, Because I brought 5-8 and they came in the libary two days after. Bad luck huh!

"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!

Took a while to get it, but this book is great. Great for kids, great for adults. This series is the next Harry Potter.

When parents can share edge-of-the-seat excitement in a book with their 11 and 14 year old children, you know you have a good story. Such is the case with John Flanagan's new novel, The Kings of Clonmel, 8th in the Ranger's Apprentice series. Building on the background set up in earlier books in the series, friends Will, Halt, and Horace are once again off on a dangerous mission, this time to undermine the efforts of a sinister group on an unknown island. Mixing fun and humor with chilling suspense, Mr. Flanagan once again weaves a tale you won't want to put down!

Any books by this author are great. Fun and exciting to read and with laugh out loud parts.

I loved it. It follows true to the rest of the series. My attention was caught from the first and I hated putting it down. Mr. Flanagan is a genius with words.