BOOK REVIEW: Rangers Apprentice: The Sorcerer In The North (John Flanagan)

Book: The Sorcerer In The North

Author: John Flanagan

Rating: 6.5/10


In book 5 of the Rangers Apprentice series, Will is an Apprentice no longer. Now a fully fledged Ranger he is assigned to the quiet area of Seacliff fief.

A ranger's role is numerous, he must assess the strengths and weakness of the baron and the fief he looks over,act a a law enforcer and remain independent.

And Will isn't too pleased with what he finds. The Baron and his battle master have got lazy. Their knights and men-at-arms are poorly trained and they are too comfortable.


So consequently when a shipload of Skandian raiders turn up they are completely unprepared and out matched.

The long standing treaty between Araluen and Skandia doesn't ban individual raiding but it's thoroughly discouraged by the Oberjarl Erak, a good friend of Will's after abducting him into slavery then having Halt and Will help save his land.

So Will is the only one who can reason with the Skandians and try to  stop the attack.
Fortunately the Skandians realise who it is but they must have supplies to make it through the winter and have little choice but to raid. Will comes to a solution. Throwing the Skandians and banquet and giving them animals from the barons prime stock both saves the villages and teaches the Baron an important lesson.


Then Will receives a message from Halt ,his old master, and Crowley the Ranger corps commander asking him to meet them.

And when he arrives he finds he's being sent undercover as a travelling minstrel.

Strange things are happening in the north, incurable illnesses, strange lights and sounds and rumours of sorcery. And when the area involved is the only thing stopping a Scotti invasion, Will must gather the truth fast.

But the real danger lies not in the dark magic around Grimsdale wood but in the castle itself. Lord Orman is hated and is a suspect to his fathers illness. A nephew called Keren is mainly in power. A friendly fellow who makes Will feel at home.  An added bonus is that his contact is Aylss, One of his closest friends and a member of the diplomatic service.

But when the truth is revealed Will and Orman must flee the castle and seek the dark magician Malakallam's help to heal Orman as he comes down with the same illness. But in doing so Aylss is left behind and is caught.

With Sorcery, betrayal and twists and surprises at almost every page turn this book is yet another brilliant book in a great series.

A thoroughly worthwhile read as is the whole series so far. aimed more at kids/teens it's still a very enjoyable book and If you've never read any of these series you don't know what you've been missing.
I found the story and adventurous as the previous 4 and you can tell it's only going to get better.my slight criticism is that it ends on a cliff hanger which is good. But leaves a little too much not filled in, that being said it's just more to look forward to in the next book.

Hope you found this review helpful,

The Devonian Book Reviewer


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