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Ranger's Apprentice #8
The Kings of Clonmel
Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ISBN 0142418579 here.
THE OUTSIDERS!
In the neighboring kingdom of Clonmel, a mysterious cult, The Outsiders, has sprung up, promising defense against lawless marauders in exchange for people's riches. Their sermons attract audiences from miles arounf, but there's a dark side to this seemingly charitable group, prompting Halt, Will, and Horace to investigate. But what the trio uncovers could threaten the safety not only of Clonmel, but their homeland of Araluen as well....
THE OUTSIDERS!
In the neighboring kingdom of Clonmel, a mysterious cult, The Outsiders, has sprung up, promising defense against lawless marauders in exchange for people's riches. Their sermons attract audiences from miles arounf, but there's a dark side to this seemingly charitable group, prompting Halt, Will, and Horace to investigate. But what the trio uncovers could threaten the safety not only of Clonmel, but their homeland of Araluen as well....
387 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
1508 people are currently reading
14601 people want to read
About the author
John Flanagan
111 books9,211 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
For mysteries by this same author, see John A. Flanagan.
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. It wasn't until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency where he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John's assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting.
After writing advertising copy for the next two decades, John teamed with an old friend to develop a television sitcom, Hey Dad!, which went on to air for eight years.
John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series.
He currently lives in a suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.
For mysteries by this same author, see John A. Flanagan.
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. It wasn't until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency where he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John's assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting.
After writing advertising copy for the next two decades, John teamed with an old friend to develop a television sitcom, Hey Dad!, which went on to air for eight years.
John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series.
He currently lives in a suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,755 reviews
December 7, 2010
Everytime I read books from this series I come away thinking the same 4 things:
1- John Flanagan is really not that great of a writer
2- The story line is very predictable with no surprises or unforseen twists
3- I have a hard time believing that a character like a ranger in this book could be so smart one moment and then so dumb the next. (The same thing applies to their abilities. Sometimes they seem like superheroes who could take on a whole army by themselves, and other times they seem like they struggle to take down a single character. Make up your mind Flanagan! Do they have super powers or not!?)
4- For some reason, I really enjoy reading them anyway in spite of numbers 1-3.
And so, I continue to read and even to enjoy this series, although I'm not really sure why.
1- John Flanagan is really not that great of a writer
2- The story line is very predictable with no surprises or unforseen twists
3- I have a hard time believing that a character like a ranger in this book could be so smart one moment and then so dumb the next. (The same thing applies to their abilities. Sometimes they seem like superheroes who could take on a whole army by themselves, and other times they seem like they struggle to take down a single character. Make up your mind Flanagan! Do they have super powers or not!?)
4- For some reason, I really enjoy reading them anyway in spite of numbers 1-3.
And so, I continue to read and even to enjoy this series, although I'm not really sure why.
December 29, 2017
Somehow I'd lost momentum on this series once Will became a full Ranger, and had pretty much decided not to continue. Then on a whim after taking a break for a few years, I decided to give it one more chance, and was rewarded with an adventurous tale full of quiet humor and deeds of both intelligence and valor.
I don't know if it was me or the last couple of books before this one, but I now remember what I found endearing about this series in the first place. Will and Halt are back as a team, and Horace too. I have definite plans to pick up the next book, and I don't think I'll wait so long.
I don't know if it was me or the last couple of books before this one, but I now remember what I found endearing about this series in the first place. Will and Halt are back as a team, and Horace too. I have definite plans to pick up the next book, and I don't think I'll wait so long.
January 20, 2011
Actually, it's more of a 2.5 rating.
For the longest time, it felt like nothing was happening. I'm tiring of the formulaic "I'm the best at everything except when it really matters."
In the first few books, the plot was fueled by external actions to which our band of merry men reacted. It didn't matter how swift or appropriate their reactions were, things would still get incredibly dangerous. Now, instead, the plot is often fueled by the main characters' mistakes or chancy failures at the worst time possible. For example, Will shoots a thousand arrows, one after the other and hits the mark every time, then when he really needs to take someone out, he fails. Or Horace, the sword master, suddenly decides to lean his sword against a wall and stroll several meters away in the middle of a battle—this actually happened in The Siege of Macindaw—leaving himself wide open to an enemy swordsman. Like this there are another myriad stupid actions that just ruin the heroes' credibility for me.
In this book in particular:
If you're writing a character who's supposed to be quite intelligent, then sorry, but you have certain restrictions you have to respect. Either make the bad guy succeed at creating mischief in spite of the good guy's appropriate actions and excellent ideas, i.e. making him just as clever as the good guy—Moriarty is a good example of this—or, if you want to roll with just your standard bad guy, then don't elevate the hero to such high standards of intelligence and skill only to have him being a idiot at the crucial moment.
For the longest time, it felt like nothing was happening. I'm tiring of the formulaic "I'm the best at everything except when it really matters."
In the first few books, the plot was fueled by external actions to which our band of merry men reacted. It didn't matter how swift or appropriate their reactions were, things would still get incredibly dangerous. Now, instead, the plot is often fueled by the main characters' mistakes or chancy failures at the worst time possible. For example, Will shoots a thousand arrows, one after the other and hits the mark every time, then when he really needs to take someone out, he fails. Or Horace, the sword master, suddenly decides to lean his sword against a wall and stroll several meters away in the middle of a battle—this actually happened in The Siege of Macindaw—leaving himself wide open to an enemy swordsman. Like this there are another myriad stupid actions that just ruin the heroes' credibility for me.
In this book in particular:
If you're writing a character who's supposed to be quite intelligent, then sorry, but you have certain restrictions you have to respect. Either make the bad guy succeed at creating mischief in spite of the good guy's appropriate actions and excellent ideas, i.e. making him just as clever as the good guy—Moriarty is a good example of this—or, if you want to roll with just your standard bad guy, then don't elevate the hero to such high standards of intelligence and skill only to have him being a idiot at the crucial moment.
September 24, 2018
This one and book 9 are two of my favorites of the series. The cult aspect of the book might make some people uncomfortable because it plays with truth, but it doesn't bother me because it clearly shows it is a cult and that's how cults work. Distorting truth for their own ends.
Things I love about this book:
- Halt, Horace, and Will all traveling and working together. These books are best when that happens.
- The major plot twists. Like Horace, everyone assumes Halt's claim in the Icebound Land (not going to say what that is due to spoilers) is a lie. BUT that's not exactly the case.
Things I love about this book:
- Halt, Horace, and Will all traveling and working together. These books are best when that happens.
- The major plot twists. Like Horace, everyone assumes Halt's claim in the Icebound Land (not going to say what that is due to spoilers) is a lie. BUT that's not exactly the case.
November 14, 2024
Dużo o Halcie się dowiedziałam i jego rodzinie. Osobiście byłam w szoku wtedy. W ogóle się tego nie spodziewałam.
Co do pojedynku rycerskiego, to spodziewałam się tego, że Horace wygra. Jednak to co się tam zadziało, to już zupełnie inna bajka.
Ogólnie to mega mi się podobało. 70% pochłonęłam w jeden dzień. W prawdzie większość to audiobook, ale i tak się liczy. 😊
Co do pojedynku rycerskiego, to spodziewałam się tego, że Horace wygra. Jednak to co się tam zadziało, to już zupełnie inna bajka.
Ogólnie to mega mi się podobało. 70% pochłonęłam w jeden dzień. W prawdzie większość to audiobook, ale i tak się liczy. 😊
May 6, 2016
That was such a good start to the next arc in the overall series. Definitely loved learning about Halt's background! I think the ending was a bit rushed, but I'm pretty pumped to continue the series again now.
February 14, 2016
The Kings of Clonmel, the book in which Will expresses his love for Halt's hair.
August 28, 2025
I had the best time reading this.
I've had the best time reading this series as a whole, of course, but these last two installments in particular have really pulled on my heartstrings. From the beginning, I didn't expect to fall in love with this series- but here I am over the moon.
This book was essentially the glorified bromance novel of the series, and I was 100% here for it. In this adventure, we follow Will, Horace, and Halt as they venture to the land of Clonmel to track down rumors of a usurping cult. However, the twisted web of lies that they encounter is far more powerful than they could have realized.
Now, I love Will so much. I really do. It was so fun following him on his first solo quest in books 5 and 6. But the truth is, Halt and Horace were the real stars of this book.
From the moment we meet Halt, we're presented with this mysterious, taciturn character, extremely witty and hard to please. As the books progress, we're allowed a greater glimpse of his growing relationship with Will- how he becomes like a father to his apprentice. But The Kings of Clonmel is the first time we're ever permitted a look into Halt's backstory.
Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that it was so refreshing to see Halt open up to his adopted sons (because Horace definitely qualifies for that title too). Readers are able to better understand why Halt is the way that he is while also leaving sufficient room for further exploration and intrigue.
Speaking of our other sweet bean, I was eating up every moment with Horace. The banter between him and Halt especially was top-tier. I was actually crying laughing at one particular scene: I had a giggling fit for the better part of an hour after that. Horace was a boss the entire book, but especially at the end. I'm so excited that he's tagging along for the adventure in book 9. I seriously can't wait to see where these three go next.
I also wanted to touch on the plot. Flanagan is an expert master at constructing compelling stories, but there was a certain amount of creative finesse needed to set up the stakes in this book, and he did it flawlessly. We're able to easily see and understand why the Outsiders are such a big issue and just how they came to power. It was a hard concept done really well and I applaud him for it.
This book had me giggling, gasping in shock, and ultimately glued to every page. I'm so looking forward to the next installment, Halt's Peril. Which is totally not ominous at all. Flanagan better protect Halt or else I'm revoking every good thing I said in this review. (Kidding.Mostly.)
If you haven't already, add The Ranger's Apprentice to your TBR. You won't regret it.
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Icebound Land HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Battle for Skandia HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Sorcerer of the North HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Siege of Macindaw HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: Erak's Ransom HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: Halt's Peril HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja HERE!
I've had the best time reading this series as a whole, of course, but these last two installments in particular have really pulled on my heartstrings. From the beginning, I didn't expect to fall in love with this series- but here I am over the moon.
This book was essentially the glorified bromance novel of the series, and I was 100% here for it. In this adventure, we follow Will, Horace, and Halt as they venture to the land of Clonmel to track down rumors of a usurping cult. However, the twisted web of lies that they encounter is far more powerful than they could have realized.
Now, I love Will so much. I really do. It was so fun following him on his first solo quest in books 5 and 6. But the truth is, Halt and Horace were the real stars of this book.
From the moment we meet Halt, we're presented with this mysterious, taciturn character, extremely witty and hard to please. As the books progress, we're allowed a greater glimpse of his growing relationship with Will- how he becomes like a father to his apprentice. But The Kings of Clonmel is the first time we're ever permitted a look into Halt's backstory.
Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that it was so refreshing to see Halt open up to his adopted sons (because Horace definitely qualifies for that title too). Readers are able to better understand why Halt is the way that he is while also leaving sufficient room for further exploration and intrigue.
Speaking of our other sweet bean, I was eating up every moment with Horace. The banter between him and Halt especially was top-tier. I was actually crying laughing at one particular scene: I had a giggling fit for the better part of an hour after that. Horace was a boss the entire book, but especially at the end. I'm so excited that he's tagging along for the adventure in book 9. I seriously can't wait to see where these three go next.
I also wanted to touch on the plot. Flanagan is an expert master at constructing compelling stories, but there was a certain amount of creative finesse needed to set up the stakes in this book, and he did it flawlessly. We're able to easily see and understand why the Outsiders are such a big issue and just how they came to power. It was a hard concept done really well and I applaud him for it.
This book had me giggling, gasping in shock, and ultimately glued to every page. I'm so looking forward to the next installment, Halt's Peril. Which is totally not ominous at all. Flanagan better protect Halt or else I'm revoking every good thing I said in this review. (Kidding.
If you haven't already, add The Ranger's Apprentice to your TBR. You won't regret it.
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Icebound Land HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Battle for Skandia HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Sorcerer of the North HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Siege of Macindaw HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: Erak's Ransom HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: Halt's Peril HERE!
Read my review of The Ranger's Apprentice: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja HERE!
February 14, 2024
PRZECZYTAŁAM PANIE I PANOWIE!
Kocham tę serię okej, ja nie wyobrażam sobie teraz nie żyć ich życiem XDD wyciąfnełam się mocno.
Crowney jest tak dla mnie bliską, postacią.. naprawdę najlepszą jaką może być. Smutne jest to że nigdy nie poznał kobiety swiejgo życia, ale najbardziej złamało nie serce jak wspomniane było że podkochiwał się w Lady Pauline, która jednak miała się ku sobie z Haltem:( serce mnie boli że tak żartobliwy i przyjemny staruszek nie mógł nigdy mieć nikogo.
Totalnie nie spodziewałam się że ma tak bogate pochodzenie (nie będę mówić kto bo to będzie spojler) raczej myślałam że tak z biednej wioski XD
Horace nic a nic się nie zmienił, jest dalej tak głupiutki że nie wiem jak on do tej pory żył XDD, niby włada super mieczem ale do myślenia to on za bardzo nie garnie, ALE na koniec tego wszytskiego trochę się o niego serio bałam..
Zajebiście wgl oni wszyscy są mądrzy, ten leci gdzieś tu, potem tu się dzieje takie bum a potem nagle na koniec nie wiem co robić i co myśleć. Jedna scena wgl jak ten gościu kipnął ( nie będe mówić kto) mega kojarzy mi się z takim filmem XDDD nie umiem sobie tylko przypomnieć do końca jaki..
Noi co, czytajcie, nie poddawajcie się albo bądźcie jak ja i wracajcie do tej powieści bo ona jest tak lekka że idealna wręcz na odmóżdzenie jak ukryta prawda podczas choroby✌️
Kocham tę serię okej, ja nie wyobrażam sobie teraz nie żyć ich życiem XDD wyciąfnełam się mocno.
Crowney jest tak dla mnie bliską, postacią.. naprawdę najlepszą jaką może być. Smutne jest to że nigdy nie poznał kobiety swiejgo życia, ale najbardziej złamało nie serce jak wspomniane było że podkochiwał się w Lady Pauline, która jednak miała się ku sobie z Haltem:( serce mnie boli że tak żartobliwy i przyjemny staruszek nie mógł nigdy mieć nikogo.
Totalnie nie spodziewałam się że ma tak bogate pochodzenie (nie będę mówić kto bo to będzie spojler) raczej myślałam że tak z biednej wioski XD
Horace nic a nic się nie zmienił, jest dalej tak głupiutki że nie wiem jak on do tej pory żył XDD, niby włada super mieczem ale do myślenia to on za bardzo nie garnie, ALE na koniec tego wszytskiego trochę się o niego serio bałam..
Zajebiście wgl oni wszyscy są mądrzy, ten leci gdzieś tu, potem tu się dzieje takie bum a potem nagle na koniec nie wiem co robić i co myśleć. Jedna scena wgl jak ten gościu kipnął ( nie będe mówić kto) mega kojarzy mi się z takim filmem XDDD nie umiem sobie tylko przypomnieć do końca jaki..
Noi co, czytajcie, nie poddawajcie się albo bądźcie jak ja i wracajcie do tej powieści bo ona jest tak lekka że idealna wręcz na odmóżdzenie jak ukryta prawda podczas choroby✌️
April 20, 2016
The Kings of Clonmel wasn't my favourite book of the series, but I still, obviously, really enjoyed it. It certainly had me engaged, but I'll admit that the second half lacked the urgency and addictive quality the first half had. The first half just threw mind-blowing plot twists at me again and again, and I was a little overwhelmed - in a good way - with all the new information, especially about Halt's history.
I also really loved seeing more of Halt and Horace together. They have such an adorable and hilarious relationship, and I loved seeing that blossom. Also Horace just really grew as a character in this book. He has matured so much!
Overall,this was another fantastic sequel but I don't expect any less of John Flanagan now. I look forward to Halt's Peril and seeing more of Clonmel.
I also really loved seeing more of Halt and Horace together. They have such an adorable and hilarious relationship, and I loved seeing that blossom. Also Horace just really grew as a character in this book. He has matured so much!
Overall,this was another fantastic sequel but I don't expect any less of John Flanagan now. I look forward to Halt's Peril and seeing more of Clonmel.
June 2, 2020
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
GoodReads ate the last review I wrote of The Kings of Clonmel, so here we try again.
It has been ages since I last read a book from the Ranger's Apprentice series, but I am trying to go and finish some series (finally), so here I was with The Kings of Clonmel. Especially how this fit into the timeline I would not be able to tell since it was such a long time ago I read part seven.
It was however the same kind of story I would have expected. I'm always a bit wary when the main characters seem to be the only ones to deal with any kind of problems, as is certainly the case here. I just decided to not let it bother me too much, and I much enjoyed reading it. It clearly is the set up of some things spanning multiple books and I am curious to see where this is going.
GoodReads ate the last review I wrote of The Kings of Clonmel, so here we try again.
It has been ages since I last read a book from the Ranger's Apprentice series, but I am trying to go and finish some series (finally), so here I was with The Kings of Clonmel. Especially how this fit into the timeline I would not be able to tell since it was such a long time ago I read part seven.
It was however the same kind of story I would have expected. I'm always a bit wary when the main characters seem to be the only ones to deal with any kind of problems, as is certainly the case here. I just decided to not let it bother me too much, and I much enjoyed reading it. It clearly is the set up of some things spanning multiple books and I am curious to see where this is going.
January 20, 2024
Mówiłam, że Halt to moja ulubiona postać? Cudownie się czytało, naprawdę!!! Kocham Zwiadowców!!!!!
July 29, 2022
Now we’re back after the time skip again, so Will is a true ranger. He goes to a ranger’s gathering and Halt has some bad news. Time for another adventure. It features some background information about Halt but overall it’s just another light adventure that doesn’t feel like it reaches the heights of the previous books.
August 8, 2025
I'm generally pretty stingy with 5-stars and, if I'm prefectly honest, it's probably more of a 4.5-stars but, ya know what, eff it. Reading this book just made me happy.
It picks up after Will's been a Ranger for a few years, and he's actually helping some wide-eyed apprentices at the Gathering, while Halt is off investigating rumors of a cult.
The first 100 pages or so sets up the general story line and brings our characters all together - and I had a huge grin on my face for most of the time because of the joy of slipping back into this world with these characters and their easy camaraderie.
Once everything gets set-up we find Will, Halt, and Horace together again for an adventure - and finding out more about Halt's past. (I was spoiled about one part - - but luckily the story didn't hinge on that reveal and it was mostly a plot set-up piece more than anything.)
Anyway, one thing that I've missed in some of the recent books is that Will and Halt were separated for most of the story, and I really enjoyed seeing these three together again.
The story itself was a good one, containing a good bit of suspense and action and some darkness. (I could see some parents being a bit disturbed by some of the descriptions of some of the things that happen, though I didn't think they were overdone, personally.) It's still a younger book so the plot's not really twisty or anything, it's more the characters and the way things come together which really makes this series work for me.
It picks up after Will's been a Ranger for a few years, and he's actually helping some wide-eyed apprentices at the Gathering, while Halt is off investigating rumors of a cult.
The first 100 pages or so sets up the general story line and brings our characters all together - and I had a huge grin on my face for most of the time because of the joy of slipping back into this world with these characters and their easy camaraderie.
Once everything gets set-up we find Will, Halt, and Horace together again for an adventure - and finding out more about Halt's past. (I was spoiled about one part - - but luckily the story didn't hinge on that reveal and it was mostly a plot set-up piece more than anything.)
Anyway, one thing that I've missed in some of the recent books is that Will and Halt were separated for most of the story, and I really enjoyed seeing these three together again.
The story itself was a good one, containing a good bit of suspense and action and some darkness. (I could see some parents being a bit disturbed by some of the descriptions of some of the things that happen, though I didn't think they were overdone, personally.) It's still a younger book so the plot's not really twisty or anything, it's more the characters and the way things come together which really makes this series work for me.
February 23, 2016
Quite good.
December 11, 2022
BOZE TA CZESC BYLA TAK DOBRA KOCHAM TRIO HORACE HALT I WILL NO KOCHAAAAAAM
December 1, 2023
5 🌟
I tym razem autor nie zawodzi. Mam wrazenie, że ta część dużo zyskuje, dzięki bliższemu poznaniu historii Halta, jego przeszłości, koneksji rodzinny. To wszystko bardzo ciekawie się czytało, zwłaszcza, że fabuła była ściśle z tym powiązana. Mega rozpracowany wątek sekty i tego, jak wpływa na życie ludzi, opis jej struktury i celów. Trio w składzie: Will, Halt i Horace to istny przejaw geniuszu. Każdy dokłada coś do drużyny, bez czego nie byłaby ona kompletna. Teksty jak zawsze to złoto, autor wie, co robi, by zarówno bawić jak i trzymać w napięciu, bo zwroty akcji były i to dość spore. Końcowe rozdziały były definitywnie najciekawsze i jestem ciekawa dalszej części tej historii z sektą!
I tym razem autor nie zawodzi. Mam wrazenie, że ta część dużo zyskuje, dzięki bliższemu poznaniu historii Halta, jego przeszłości, koneksji rodzinny. To wszystko bardzo ciekawie się czytało, zwłaszcza, że fabuła była ściśle z tym powiązana. Mega rozpracowany wątek sekty i tego, jak wpływa na życie ludzi, opis jej struktury i celów. Trio w składzie: Will, Halt i Horace to istny przejaw geniuszu. Każdy dokłada coś do drużyny, bez czego nie byłaby ona kompletna. Teksty jak zawsze to złoto, autor wie, co robi, by zarówno bawić jak i trzymać w napięciu, bo zwroty akcji były i to dość spore. Końcowe rozdziały były definitywnie najciekawsze i jestem ciekawa dalszej części tej historii z sektą!
March 27, 2022
Był pewien moment w którym to zwiadowcy okazali pewien brak profesjonalizmu, który się im przypisuje, jednakże potem naprawili swój błąd w dosyć spektakularny i godny podziwu sposób, toteż jestem w stanie przymknąć oko na ową chwilę niedoskonałości we własnym fachu.
June 20, 2016
سه ستاره دادم به خاطر مجموعه اش... ولی داستان این کتابش رو دوست نداشتم! خیلی سردستی بود... مخصوصا بعد از شاهکار جلد قبلی.
+ هالت شاهزاده باشه؟ کام آن!
+ هالت شاهزاده باشه؟ کام آن!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2022
Tahle série by byla moje guilty pleasure, kdybych něco takového měla mít.
Prostě a jednoduše mě to baví a nechce se mi hledat nedostatky.
Další užitý poslech :)
4/5*
Prostě a jednoduše mě to baví a nechce se mi hledat nedostatky.
Další užitý poslech :)
4/5*
November 29, 2011
This was a better outing than the last one for this series, but still not as enjoyable as the earlier work. Halt, Will and Horace are called into the neighboring kingdom of Clonmel to help discredit a cult that has been working to quietly seize power. There are lots of ranger antics from Halt and Will, and feats of strength from Horace. The plot was fairly generic but it showed the characters well. Unfortunately it felt like a forgone conclusion that the characters would win out, by feats even more fantastic than ever before. It's starting to make the stories feel superficial. As usual there was some nicely done humor to liven things up. [return][return]CAUTION MAJOR SPOILER. My biggest problem with the setup for this story was that Halt is supposedly from Clonmel, which they use to make it okay for the team to infiltrate a neighboring country. That's rough but workable, then they make Halt twins with the king. Not so believable, but I'll swallow that. But to top it off, he is actually the real king, who fled when his brother kept trying to kill him. That I can't buy. Nothing about Halt's character indicates he would abandon his people and leave without a fight. Especially since we know Halt as a dutiful and honor bound person. I can't imagine someone raised to be king would just walk away from it like it was nothing just because he didn't want to hurt his parents or his brother. At one point they mention that people know Halt is not native to Araulen. I certainly don't remember anything like that. It's possible I just missed or forgot that, but it still felt like a major reach to make the plot work for the author and thus I kept saying ya right whenever this element entered the story. If you can get over that, it's still an enjoyable adventure for the gang.
February 10, 2016
I always enjoy the exploits of Will and Horace, and it was good to learn about Halt's mysterious background. However, the plot was very predictable. Alternate history adventure. Discredit a vicious religious cult before they take control of Hibernia. Watch out for those nasty foreign assassins, Genovesans from Toscana.
January 31, 2017
I think this is one of my favorite Ranger's books I've read so far!!
August 4, 2022
Took longer to read due to summer camps and vacations, but it was definitely one of our favorites. Really moved Horace up on my list of favorite characters. Nervous for book 9 though 🫣
December 24, 2024
مرتبه: ۲
پر سورپرایزترین جلد⚡️هالت که بود؟...😏
پر سورپرایزترین جلد⚡️هالت که بود؟...😏
October 10, 2023
OCENA: 4,5 ⭐️ Tytuł książki GENIALNIE koresponduje z treścią. 🌝
July 26, 2017
I'm realizing, I've grown increasingly disappointed with this series. Granted, this book was a lot better in terms of … being problematic in its depiction of really existing people … but still. I feel like the author is by now milking a dead cow. Nothing really changes. I basically skim read through the fight scenes because there is no tension left. Nobody really thinks Halt, Will, or Wallace will get seriously hurt let alone killed. Nothing really bad or permanent ever happens to any of the main characters and if it does like with Will's drug addiction and enslavement … it's just brushed off and never mentioned again except in a joky manner. I know what you will say (the one person who actually reads these), this series is aimed at middle schoolers and I'm a thirty year old woman being nostalgic … and you would be right. I'm not really expecting the author to kill of a bunch of his beloved characters in a series aimed at middle schoolers. But even under these circumstances you can create stakes of some kind. Unfortunately, nothing ever seems difficult or impossible. We never really fear for the characters, not even on an emotional level. Also, it feels like the characters have just stopped developing. So, Will and Horace are now grown up and … nothing changes anymore. They are amazingly brilliant, young men and the perfection of their sex and their occupation. Great! Amazing! … and now?
Anyway, to the story of this book. A dangerous cult has been slowly but surely taking over power in a neighbouring country, and because our heros have incredible foresight, they decide to deal with those evil cultist before they reach Araluen. Also, we get a bit of a backstory for Halt thrown into the mix just to make it seem more … emotional I guess. For everyone who has read any of the previous books, it's quite clear the only time Halt ever gets emotional is when it comes to Will … so … there isn't really a lot of emotionality going on in this one either.
The evil cult thing was actually quite fun and interesting … if I had a feeling the heros would have just struggled a tiny little bit at any point but unless they are outright drugged out of their minds nothing could possibly stop these three. Three against eighty? Piece of cake, I tell you, a piece of cake!
Also, on a side note, I'm growing increasingly annoyed with the lack of decent female characters in this series. Lady Pauline and Alyss only exist to make Halt and Will look sexier in their weird tree-man-living-in-the-woods-ness. They don't seem to have any agenda of their own (besides getting the guy and keeping the guy, obviously) even if we are constantly told how amazingly brilliant they both are. I wonder if it was an accident when the author created Cassandra, a character with her own mind, her own goals, and an actual agenda … but obviously even she has to have the hots for Will. But since that's not gonna happen, I wonder if he is going to pair her of with Horace. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Horace a great deal … but he and Cassandra just make no sense together … on the other hand, neither do Pauline and Halt so maybe that works. (I'll exclude Alyss and Will here because they make at least the tiniest bit of sense even if we see absolutely no interactions of significance between them since book five and six and Alyss has since been downgraded to the 'girlfriend' position).
Anyway, I'm getting bored … I need some stakes, I need some real emotions … but I don't think this series is going to give it to me
Anyway, to the story of this book. A dangerous cult has been slowly but surely taking over power in a neighbouring country, and because our heros have incredible foresight, they decide to deal with those evil cultist before they reach Araluen. Also, we get a bit of a backstory for Halt thrown into the mix just to make it seem more … emotional I guess. For everyone who has read any of the previous books, it's quite clear the only time Halt ever gets emotional is when it comes to Will … so … there isn't really a lot of emotionality going on in this one either.
The evil cult thing was actually quite fun and interesting … if I had a feeling the heros would have just struggled a tiny little bit at any point but unless they are outright drugged out of their minds nothing could possibly stop these three. Three against eighty? Piece of cake, I tell you, a piece of cake!
Also, on a side note, I'm growing increasingly annoyed with the lack of decent female characters in this series. Lady Pauline and Alyss only exist to make Halt and Will look sexier in their weird tree-man-living-in-the-woods-ness. They don't seem to have any agenda of their own (besides getting the guy and keeping the guy, obviously) even if we are constantly told how amazingly brilliant they both are. I wonder if it was an accident when the author created Cassandra, a character with her own mind, her own goals, and an actual agenda … but obviously even she has to have the hots for Will. But since that's not gonna happen, I wonder if he is going to pair her of with Horace. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Horace a great deal … but he and Cassandra just make no sense together … on the other hand, neither do Pauline and Halt so maybe that works. (I'll exclude Alyss and Will here because they make at least the tiniest bit of sense even if we see absolutely no interactions of significance between them since book five and six and Alyss has since been downgraded to the 'girlfriend' position).
Anyway, I'm getting bored … I need some stakes, I need some real emotions … but I don't think this series is going to give it to me
August 26, 2022
kocham halta ♡♡♡
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