The Battle for Skandia (Ranger's Apprentice Series #4) » (Reprint)

John Flanagan lives in Australia.

Still far from their homeland after escaping slavery in the icebound land of Skandia, Will and Evanlyn's plans to return to Araluen are spoiled when Evanlyn is taken captive by a Temujai warrior. Though still weakened by the warmweed's toxic effects, Will employs his Ranger training to locate his friend, but an enemy scouting party has him fatally outnumbered. Will is certain death is close at hand, until Halt and Horace make a daring, last-minute rescue. The reunion is cut short, however, when Halt makes a horrifying discovery: Skandia's borders have been breached by the entire Temujai army. And Araluen is next in their sights. If two kingdoms are to be saved, an unlikely union must be made. Will it hold long enough to vanquish a ruthless new enemy? Or will past tensions spell doom for all?

The battles and drama are nonstop in Book Four of this hugely popular epic.

VOYA

Fans of The Ranger's Apprentice series will again dive right into this fourth adventure. Will and Evanlyn have eluded their Skandian captors and are waiting out the winter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Halt and Horace have managed to bluff their way across the Skandian border. Apprentice and master are finally reunited as each set out to rescue Evanlyn, again captured by invading Temujai warriors. Halt, Will, and Horace need to convince the Skandians that the Temujai are a greater threat than they are, and the enemies need to work together to defeat the invaders or risk seeing all of their lands fall to these fearsome fighters. This installment clips along at a much faster pace than the preceding book. Newcomers to the series would be able to jump in easily, as very little relies on previous volumes. Will and Halt are reunited quickly, and the multiple story lines merge into one action-packed sequence of strategy and battle as the war with the Temujai enfolds. Characters have a bit more depth, and the humorous banter between Halt and Erak adds personality to both, keeping the book from becoming overly grim. Will and Evanlyn seem to grow up enough to realize that their prospective stations in life are a barrier to deepening the relationship they developed during the course of their servitude in Skandia. The resolution ties up many loose ends satisfactorily, although there is room for more books in this series. Reviewer: Arlene Garcia