Eragon by Christopher Paolini

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat forWhen Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands….

Halt's Peril by John Flanagan

The renegade outlaw group known as the Outsiders may have been chased from Clonmel, but not before killing Halt's only brother. Now Rangers Halt and Will, along with the young warrior Horace, are in pursuit. The Outsiders have done an effective job of dividing the kingdom into factions and are looking to overtake Araluen. It will take every bit of skill and cunning for the Rangers to survive. Some may not be so lucky. 

Will has defeated one of Tennyson's Genovesan assassins in Clonmel - but there are two left alive. Are the extraordinary archery skills of Will and Halt enough to save them during a duel with the Genovesans... or is Will's mentor facing his last battle?
The international bestselling Ranger's Apprentice series turns up the tension in John Flanagan's latest epic of battles and bravery.

The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan

Will is at the annual Ranger Gathering but Halt is investigating mysterious happenings in the west. When he does finally return, it's with bad news. Hibernia is in turmoil. A religious cult calling themselves the Outsiders are sowing confusion and sedition, and five of the six Hibernian kingdoms have been undermined. Now the sixth, Clonmel, is in danger. Halt, Will and Horace set out to restore order. Can the secrets of Halt's past help them or will it jeopardize their mission?

Returning back to where he left off with at the end of The Siege at Macindaw, Flanagan give us another solid and exciting Ranger’s Apprentice story. 

Erak's Ransom by John Flanagan

What does it mean to earn the Silver Oakleaf? So few men have done so. For Will, a mere boy, that symbol of honor has long felt out of reach. Now, in the wake of Araluen's uneasy truce with the raiding Skandians comes word that the Skandian leader has been captured by a dangerous desert tribe. The Rangers are sent to free him. But the desert is like nothing these warriors have seen before. Strangers in a strange land, they are brutalized by sandstorms, beaten by the unrelenting heat, tricked by one tribe that plays by its own rules, and surprisingly befriended by another. Like a desert mirage, nothing is as it seems. Yet one thing is constant: the bravery of the Rangers.

In this red-hot adventure, winner of the Australian Book of the Year Award for Older Children, John Flanagan raises the stakes on the series that has already sold millions of copies worldwide.

Note: This book takes place between books 4 & 5.

The Siege of Macindaw by John Flanagan

In this desolate northern fief, trouble is brewing. Will Treaty and his long-time friend, Horace, are retake Fort Macindaw, one of the most impenetrable forts in all of Araluen. Where can Will find the fighting men he needs to overcome the traitorous Sir Keren and his band of criminals, who have taken the castle? Across the border, the fierce Scotti tribesmen are waiting for the signal that Castle Macindaw is in friendly hands, and the way is clear to mount a full-scale attack.Will must recruit a motley crew to rescue Alyss and reclaim Castle Macindaw-before the Scotti can make it their own. 

In the most thrilling plot-line of the series yet, Will & Horace must fight not only against The renegades and Scotti... But against time as well.

The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan

Several years have passed since the apprentice and his master, Will and Halt, first met, and Will is finally a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief t...more Several years have passed since the apprentice and his master, Will and Halt, first met, and Will is finally a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief to look after. The fief seems sleepy boring, even until Lord Syron, master of a castle far in the north, is struck down by a mysterious illness. Joined by his friend Alyss, Will is suddenly thrown headfirst into an extraordinary adventure, investigating fears of sorcery and trying to determine who is loyal to Lord Syron. While searching to discover the truth behind rumors of sorcery in a remote northern fief. As he stands in Grimsdell Forest, with the horrific, ghostly Night Warrior looming over him, Will must ask himself one question: is there a rational explanation . . . or does sorcery really exist? 

As Will battles growing hysteria, traitors, and most of all, time, Alyss is taken hostage, and Will is forced to make a desperate choice between his mission and his friend.

The Battle For Skandia by John Flanagan

Just as spring approaches and Will and Evanlyn can finally escape Skandia, Evanlyn is carried off by mysterious horsemen. Will sets out after them, but one boy against six fierce Temujai warriors is impossible odds - even for a Ranger's apprentice. Halt and Horace arrive just in time. But there is no time to celebrate as Halt realises these Temujai are only the scouts for a massive invasion force. The four Araluens must work together with the Skandians to defeat the invaders - if the Oberjarl will accept their help.

The Battle for Skandia is a thrilling book about the "new" frozen lands of Skandia. John Flanagan does a great job of describing the war geared culture of their lands. He goes on to give a few of the "barbarians" friendly and admirable personalities. The reader is fully pulled into the story, willing the characters to stay alive as they flee for their lives. The battles scenes are really amazing, making the reader feel as if they were one of the characters themselves. There is little plot this book, but builds suspense up until the big battle. This book is very serious, but the author cleverly throws in some jokes to dissipate tension. It's a great book, with a great ending.

The end of this book marks a very definite pause in the action of the previous three. It completes the first full story arc, but of course paves the way for the next novels to come.

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

This book continues from The Burning Bridge, where Will and Evanlyn are taken hostage to Skandia as captives of the Skandian Jarl, Erak.

Halt has sworn that he will rescue Will, but is forced to stay by the Ranger Commandant Crowley. He is so desperate to leave that he publicly insults the King who reluctantly banishes him for one year. Because Halt is banished, he is no longer a Ranger, and he sets off for Skandia. First, he travels through Gallica where he meets Horace, who is also determind to find Will. Horace joins him, travels as a freelance knight, defeats many other inadequate freelance knights, and wins horses and armor. Horace's reputation grows and he is captured by the horrible Lord Deparnieux of Castle Montsombre who desires to fight him. Halt, as a result, kills the warlord with a single, well-aimed arrow allowing Horace and him to get on a ship to Skandia.

Meanwhile, Erak believes that Will and Evanlyn (Princess Cassandra) would be treated better than the average slave, and while this is true for Cassandra, it is not the case for Will. Will is forced to be a yard slave and is assigned the worst work, such as jamming a paddle into a frozen well to keep the ice thawed. This is back-breaking, torturous, and freezing work and he suffers terribly. Later on, a so-called "friend" gives him a dangerous drug called warmweed, which has a blissful warming, soothing effect. It also makes the addict blank and lifeless, unable to think, talk, or remember, and always craving for another dose of the drug. After taking it, Will quickly becomes addicted. Erak one day sees this and helps Will and Evanlyn escape to a deserted hunting house with some provisions and a small bundle of warmweed to relieve Will of his addiction, ultimately succeeding.

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan

Halt, and his apprentice Ranger, Will are continuing their training of the ranger method, as Horace, Will's orphanage mate, is training on the battleschool field. The first inklings of an invasion by evil and sadistic Morgarath and his Wargals is becoming apparent. Gilan, a trusted fellow ranger, was the first ranger trained by Halt.He is sent on a mission with Will and Horace to enlist the help of the secretive Celtica nation, a nation known for their mastery of mining, welding and tunnel excavations. When passing through many towns in Celtica, an ominous foreboding is surrounding the towns…they are virtually empty of life and it is evident that they have left their homes in haste. What happened to them? Why does Gilan, Halt and Horace sense that it has something to do with Morgarath?

An adventure story, touched ever-so-slightly by fantasy elements, is filled with battle strategy and maneuvers,strong yet compassionate men, no-good, money loving mercenaries and intelligent and beautiful women. The Wargals, half-men half-bearlike creatures are controlled by Morgarath. Their brute force is unmatched, yet their every move is controlled through the brain-washing effects dictated by Morgarath. Will, Horace, Gilan and Halt combine efforts to aid King Duncan of Araluen in the defeat of Morgarath. Will, Horace, Halt and Gilan , along with newcomer Evanlyn (Cassandra)all contribute to Morgarath's demise, but the story does not end conveniently, as Will and Evanlyn, seemed doomed to a life of slavery with their capture by the Skandias. Will Halt let that happen? I assume we will all find out in the third book of the series.

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Will, an orphan, has always dreamed of attending Battle School, so that he can be a knight and warrior. His dreams are crushed when he is instead chosen to be an apprentice to the Ranger Halt. There are strange stories about rangers, and common people find their company vaguely unsettling. Will, too, thinks that there’s something supernatural about them. 

He soon discovers, however, that Halt is quite human, and that rangers’ skills are something that he, too, is quite capable of mastering. As his training progresses, Will finds that he enjoys being an apprentice ranger. Later, when the Baron offers him a position among the other Battle School trainees, Will refuses – graciously – because he now wants to be a ranger more than anything.

There’s great danger ahead for Will (and his land). Morgarath (the wicked, bad, naughty, evil personage in this particular fantasy series) is once again becoming powerful and wants to take back what she sees as hers. She sends some creatures against Will and his people – the Kulkara  – which they are only just able to defeat. As this is a series, we can probably expect more of the same.But let us hope John Flanagan does not stop the page-turning plot...