The Ranger's Apprentice Collection (3 Books): The Ruins of Gorlan, the Burning Bridge, and the Icebound Land

The books are extremely well written. An exciting story which holds one's interest. The attention to detail and the atmosphere created by the author are excellent.

This is the first three books in a box set; excellent value rather than buying them separately. My son loves these books and reads and re-reads them - and demands the latest ones as they come out in hardback for birthdays and Christmases. He started reading them at age 11, and they were one of the things he put on his list of books we had to buy when we were looking to purchase some for his junior school library.

After reading reviews on Amazon I bought this collection for my 14 yr old son for Christmas and ten days later he's almost completed all three books. I've never known him to be so involved in a book and at last something drew him away from the XBox. More please!!!

I bought the series in Kindle version, and also have started to buy it as paperback as my children wanted to share them with school friends. I bought it because I read a recommendation about it in the Children books Forum and the books were mainly rated 4 and 5 stars. I was expecting a good read but this is in fact a superb series that has everything in it, all the virtues we still value : courage, honesty, loyalty, chilvalry, generosity, friendship etc... And it is as good for boys or girls. Yes, the hero is a young boy but there is plenty of girl power in it. The heroines are as present as Will (the Ranger's Apprentice) and what I have really liked is that there is a good balance between the two genders. The boys are not macho and the girls have nothing to prove, they know they are as good as the guys. They work as a team when needs be, so boys can rescue girls and girls can rescue boys, therefore, a refreshing read. I read the books back to back and I felt quite at loss as what to read next, as it would be a hard act to follow for any story after that (but I am glad I eventuallyfound The Dark is Rising Sequence: "Over Sea, Under Stone"; The "Dark Is Rising"; "Greenwitch"; The "Grey King"; "Silver O" (Puffin Books)The Ranger's Apprentice appeals to a wide range of readers. Obviously, I am young at heart, but I do read a loot of books for Young Adults, as my youngest are 11 and 8, and have good reading skills.I did not want to write a summary of the books here as I saw others have done it before. I can honestly that I doubt that anyone who will buy these books will be disappointed.

Imagine if the Rangers from "Lord of the Rings" took apprentices -- what kind of life would that be?John Flanagan does a decent job answering the question in the first three books of the Ranger's Apprentice series, compiled in "The Ranger's Apprentice Collection." It's a solid trio of fantasy books with plenty of weapons, monsters, a medieval backdrop with some very familiar cultures, and a teenage hero who risks it all for his land.Hoping to be selected for Battleschool, Will is shocked when he's chosen as an apprentice for the Ranger, Halt. His new life is out in the woods, doing chores and learning unglamorous lessons, but slowly he realizes the importance of the Ranger's skills. And at the same time, his fellow orphan Horace is being tormented at Battleschool by a gang of bullies.Unfortunately, the kingdom is in new trouble -- the evil baron Morgarath is starting to send his monstrous Wurgals out once more, and there are even rumors that the ghastly Kalkara are also abroad. When it seems that the king himself may be Morgarath's target, Will and Halt are sent on a mission to stop the Kalkara -- except that the target isn't who they expect."The Burning Bridge" takes Will, Gilan and Horace out into the land of Celtica, only to find that the Wargals are swarming all over the place, and the Celts are missing. Even worse, the boys stumble across a tunnel and bridge meant to allow Morgarath's army out into the open -- and a vast collection of mercenary Skandians who have been hired to help crush the king's army. And to stop them,. Will may end up in the hands of his worst enemies.And "The Ice Bound Land" sees Will and and a girl calling herself Evanlyn captured by the Skandians, and forced into a life of slavery -- and unfortunately the harsh life and a local drug threaten to destroy Will. Meanwhile, Halt is determined to save his apprentice even if he has to defy the other Rangers, so he sets out across the vaguely European continent with knight-in-training Horace.The world John Flanagan conjures up here is pretty recognizably a medieval England-that-never-was, with hints of similarly semi-familiar lands to explore (Gallica, Temujai, Celtica, Skandia) and some nicely familiar weapons Except he also adds in some fantasy monsters, a complex backhistory to Araluen, and the elite woodland-warriors known as the Rangers.The first half of "The Ruins of Gorlan" is a fairly slow experience, mostly made up of Will and Horace finding out what their new lives are all about (knife study, ponies, stew and tracking exercises). But then the plot speeds up into a darker, bloodier affair -- and by "Burning Bridge" it's expanded into a true epic with sabotage, clashing armies and a climactic duel.And Flanagan has a knack for fast-moving, detailed prose and lots of suspenseful moments (such as the cat-and-mouse game with the Kalkara, or the infiltration of Morgarath's fortress). While there's a twist at the end of "Burning Bridge" that not many fantasy stories have, he keeps the more personal quests going right through the end of the third book. Unfortunately, it still leaves us on a cliffhanger that presumably is fixed in the fourth book.Will is also an excellent hero in the Lloyd Alexander mold -- he dreams of being a valiant knight, but as he matures, he begins to see that the Rangers have a special value to the kingdom. And Flanagan is unafraid to put his poor hero through the wringer, especially when he's reduced to a drug-riddled wreck. Halt is quite the reverse -- quirky, taciturn and incredibly tough and deadly. And over the course of these books, he forms a sort of father-son relationship with Will and Horace.The first three books in the "Ranger's Apprentice Collection" start off slow, but rapidly blossom into a solid, epic fantasy series full of kidnappings, monstrous enemies, and all-too-human characters. Definitely a good read... but have the fourth on hand.

When my son (35) was about 14-15, he found these books. He so enjoyed them that I read them too so I could see what he was reading and we could talk about the story. We both enjoyed every book in the series and now we are starting his son on the series. I know my grandson will enjoy the books as much as I and my son have.

For all considering if they should buy this book, the answer is a definite yes!This book is awesome from the very start! The humour in the book is beautiful and I am in love with Halt’s sarcasm.Will is a perfect main character filled with questions and overwhelming curiosity about everything and anything.Action packed and hard to put down.Highly recommend!

They love it

My son loves them. Just bought books 4 - 6

My 11 year old daughter loves the series.