The Sorcerer of the North: Book Five

Will has finally completed his Ranger training, and is now assigned to a Baron. But as soon as he gets there, problems arise. Skandians have landed on the shore and are coming to raid the castle. Will manages to avoid confrontation, but then Alyss, a childhood friend, arrives to tell him that he has been assigned to a new mission. There have been reports of sorcery in the north. Will will have to travel undercover as a musician to find out if any of these reports are true. But a mysterious illness has struck the Lord there. The Lords son acts odd, and there have also been reports of ghost in the forest. This book, THE SORCERER OF THE NORTH is the fifth book in The Ranger's Apprentice series. It's highly addictive. Once I started reading, it was impossible to put down.

I bought this for my sons. They have done nothing but complain they cant get the rest of the series fast enough. Buying this for them was a great idea since the one that reads the slowest read it in about 3 days and normally a book that thick would take weeks. They really enjoyed the book. Now I have to find the next books in the series... sigh a mothers work is never done... :)

While not quite as suspenseful as the first few books, Sorcerer of the North still kept my children begging for another chapter each time I'd try to close the book. The main characters are growing up and it is interesting to see how their relationships grow and/or change over time. Flanagan still manages to mesmerize us with his slightly preternatural world that symbolizes ours but does not exactly reflect it. Though he left the horrifying wargals and Kalkara far behind in book 2, he causes us to fear the dark once again as he describes in terrifying detail Will's encounter with the Night Warrior in Grimsdell Wood. The ending is once again a classic cliff hanger that will make Book 6 a must-read for all Ranger's Apprentice fans!

Another in the series by John Flanagan that shows us the now grown up ranger doing only what rangers can do. Will's cunning, bravery, and whit shine along with other characters we have met before. Of course, we are left with a cliffhanger and this makes us wish we lived in Australia since the USA publisher does not deem fit to release the entire series in a timely fashion.

It's been 4 years since Will and Halt helped the Skandians. Four years of growing up into a young man. Will is now a full Ranger, no longer an apprentice. He's being assigned his first mission alone, which takes him to a faraway fief in the kingdom. Along the way he finds a new companion, a sheep dog badly injured on the side of the road. Upon arriving at the castle he discovers the training and precautions are quite lax and things need a Ranger's touch. And he's to meet the Skandians once again. His mission is then moved to play the part of a jongleur. He must trek to the kingdom's boundaries, there are rumors of an age old sorcerer causing havoc and slowing killing a king with sickness. Will meets an old childhood friend, who was an orphan like himself, working as a courier now. Alyss has grownup tall and beautiful. Will there be romance between the old friends, or will the shadow of the Princess hold the Ranger back? Things take a turn for the worse, the king's son has now become ill. Will must seek out the sorcerer for help to heal the prince. Deceit becomes apparent with the poisoning of the prince. In his trek to find the sorcerer Will discovers not everything is as he's heard. Back at home Halt is growing concerned for the young Ranger and Courier and dispatches the best knight in the kingdom. Horace is on his way to help his friends. This book like the others is a page turner. However, as other reviewers have mentioned it's a bit of half a book. To me, it's like your favorite TV show. They end it on a cliff hanger and you are forced to wait for the next episode. I don't feel this is a bad thing, it keeps the reader eager for the next book. I just wish they came out closer to each other. This is recommend to adults and teens alike, these are excellent books and a superb series.