The Burning Bridge (The Ranger's Apprentice - Book 2)

the store customer reviews can be all over the spectrum. If you want to put this review in perspective read the last few paragraphs first…or read on!

The Burning Bridge is the second installment in John Flanagans Araluen chronicles centered on the life of Will, orphaned as an infant and apprenticed at fifteen to Halt the Ranger. The setting Araluen is a quasi medieval world loosely based on the British Isles and Northern Europe. For those who started following Will, Horace, Jenny, and Alyss in the Ruins of Gorlan this book is a must read. I purchased the series for my eleven year old son as a Christmas gift. It has been my practice to read nearly everything my children read. With this series it has been a pleasure rather than a chore to do so. In full disclosure I read the entire series before I started writing the reviews.

Morgorath returns leading the forces of darkness and a new group of villains is introduced with the arrival of the Skandians, bad guys with an endearing quality. Halt the Ranger remains in the story line but is supplanted through most of this installment by his previous apprentice Gilan as Wills mentor. The dynamic enhances the storyline and helps set up Gilan as a major character as the series continues. We are also introduced to Evanlyn and the role of young women in the series becomes as prominent as that of the young men. The burning bridge, more than its predecessor, sets the stage for a series that will appeal to both boys and girls in the young adult demographic.

Both my son and I enjoyed this installment more than the first. In fact be forewarned, if you are a fast reader I suggest you purchase several of the successive volumes in advance. The Burning Bridge is a cliff hanger. I had to sneak into my son’s bedroom late at night to get book 3 to quench my curiosity. If you are an adult considering diving into the world of Araluen, go ahead the reading is light but captivating. My twenty two year old daughter picked up the Ruins of Gorlan after I asked her to comment on my review and four days later was halfway through book three.

In summary a good purchase. I recommend this book, primarily for boys, ages ten and up at moderate to better than average reading levels. The story is not just for young boys. Girls will find their share of adventure through the eyes of Alyss and Evanlyn. The main characters can be easily related to by any adolescent. An easy empathy between the reader and the main characters is established early on. The series explorers the meaning of strong character values while serving up a healthy amount of action and adventure without vivid descriptions of blood and gore.

Be prepared to buy more books! In my opinion the story is told over the series, although the individual books have satisfactory individual plots which sometimes culminate with a cliffhanger.

NOT THE REVIEW BUT THE REVIEWER

First let’s put the review you just read in context. I am a father of six in his late forties. I am an avid reader and fan of multiple genres with an admitted propensity towards Fantasy (Tolkien’s influence) and Science Fiction (Mothers influence). That being said among my favorite titles are John Adams (McCullough), Kon-Tiki (Heyerdahl), Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant (Grant), and the Bible (God).

I feel that many book reviews are nothing more than summaries rife with spoiler alerts. I will endeavor not to follow this pattern. You may also find it odd that included among those titles reviewed will be those written and marketed towards for Young adults. The American Library Association defines a young adult (YA) as someone between the ages of twelve and eighteen, a pretty broad range when it comes to reading capability, emotional growth, and appropriate content.

My kids range in age from two to twenty two. I have read almost everything my children have from Goodnight Moon to the Twilight series. I do this because it is my responsibility as a Dad. I also do this because a lot these books are worth reading. Publishers weekly identifies 55% of YA literature consumers as being adults. When I review a YA book I try and include comments from one or more of my kids.

So why am I doing this? After the last bout of Christmas shopping I found my inbox cluttered with the store requests to review products. One afternoon I sat down and before I realized it I had written more than a hundred. Many of these reviews were not all that great; I read the guidelines after I wrote the reviews. What I did learn is that I rather enjoyed the process. One of my passions is reading so I decided to try my hand at a few book reviews. Whether I keep writing them is entirely dependent on the feedback, or lack thereof, the reviews generate.

I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I am a fan of Logan Judy, so when he offered me a copy of his latest book I accepted. I loved this YA dystopian book. This one had a whole new take on dystopian. I found it very relevant and couldn't help thinking of "Brave New World" as I read it. The story is set in a society that is void of morals with a government that thinks they can do a better job raising the children than their own parents. A must read for Ch I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I am a fan of Logan Judy, so when he offered me a copy of his latest book I accepted. I loved this YA dystopian book. This one had a whole new take on dystopian. I found it very relevant and couldn't help thinking of "Brave New World" as I read it. The story is set in a society that is void of morals with a government that thinks they can do a better job raising the children than their own parents. A must read for Christian teens! I give it five stars, and am looking forward to more of this series. Though this clearly is book one, it could be read alone. No swearing. There is a lot of talk of sexual contact, but not in a graphic way, only as a description of societies values. Some violence and bullying. Though geared for teens, I think any adult dystopian fan (like me) would like it.

The second volume of this much loved series is a solid and enriching reading experience. It builds on the depth and emotion submitted for the reader’s approval in book one but adds further action, extra characters, more lessons for the various apprentices to learn and opportunities to put these into place.

The new characters are met by the reader as well as other characters in the story (of course) and consequently, your kindle (as well as your own heart) will light up (or melt) when the young and very, very beautiful (but extremely dirty) Miss Evanlyn Wheeler comes forth out of the depths of loneliness and despair to introduce herself to some potential young heroes in the form of Will, Horace and Gilan. Of course, she is not who she claims to be, but her higher than average intelligence prevents the truth from being revealed immediately, and naturally, it leaves the door open for a bright young mind in her new acquaintance to put two and two together themselves.

We know more about the book’s ultimate baddies as well as their modus operandi. We also know of the ignorance and stupidity of other minor characters in the story, as the novel pans out in a plethora of different directions simultaneously. What Horace wins now may well break Will’s heart, but he is ignorant of the beauty and potential soul mate being guarded for him back home by his mentor Halt.

What goes around, comes around, fellow book lovers.

There is now a map of the story’s universe in the kindle version of book two, which was sadly absent from book one. In my opinion, maps are mandatory in a fantasy series, and to not produce one for the reader’s benefit is a cardinal sin from the publisher. Incidentally, I am reading this on my outstandingly brilliant Kindle Basic from 2012. The one with the page turning buttons on the side and it is a dream of a reading experience in this format. The screen has never been so clear and the clarity of the words on the page is truly breath-taking. I am happy for this model kindle to take me on a Voyage anytime, thank you, Mr the store!

Anyway, back to my review...

This series is evolving into something quite special. It is not exactly action packed but Mr Flanagan is taking things slowly, making sure he gets it all right. The reader is more attached to the book’s central characters than they might realise, even by the half way mark of book two. The potential for love, loss and death are everywhere, especially with a vicious war on the horizon. There are hints of black magic in use by some, but this has not been witnessed at this stage by the reader. That would be the only criticism I could make of the project so far. I like magic in a fantasy tale. But as the story evolves in time with the lives of the young men and women at court, and on the battlefield, anything could happen. So don’t be surprised when it does.

So THE BURNING BRIDGE is another hugely recommended read, and of course it is a no brainer that you will grab it and begin to savour it as soon as you have finished book one.

BFN Greggorio!

Bookworm Speaks!

The Burning Bridge: Ranger’s Apprentice Book 2

by John Flanagan

****

The Story: For years, the Kingdom of Araluen has prospered, with the evil Lord Morgarath safely behind the impassable mountains. But the scheming hand of the dark lord has not been idle…When Will and his friend Horace, an apprentice knight, travel to a neighboring village they discover an unsettling truth. Could it be that Morgarath has finally devised a plan to bring his legions over the mountains? If so, the King’s army is in imminent danger of being crushed. And Will and Horace are the only ones who can save them.

The Good: Once again…what makes this text shine is the characters. There are a lot of them in this book, some we are exploring in depth for the first time and they are all distinctive.

The text introduces a lot of characters but we don’t spend an excessive amount of time inside of their heads. Rather the author takes a much better approach and just puts them in a room together (both literally and figuratively) and just lets the various personalities bounce off one another. That is a great way to explore the characters without succumbing to exposition. The character’s develop in realistic ways. They require large amounts of practice in order to attain their skills with their bows and swords. Most fantasies seem to make them experts in a matter of days or with the use of the ever-popular training montage. The attention to detail is really a testament to the author’s dedication to his craft. The world that the author creates breathes very well and creates a ton of atmosphere. The same goes for the characters that are forged in the sentences as well.

Slight Spoilers: The book ends with an intense fight and a cliffhanger. It took a lot of nerve on the part of the author to introduce a cliffhanger at the end of the second book in the series. That is not a lot of time for the audience to become invested in the characters in the series. Granted, the author probably had a contract with the publisher for more than two books to be printed, but still, that is no guarantee that the readers would pick up the third volume. Luckily, the gamble paid off.

The Flaws: The entirety of the Ranger’s Apprentice series sets itself apart from other fantasy series as being among the more ‘realistic’ fantasies, in that it does not involve elves, wizards, or grand prophecies. That being said, this volume in the series does fall victim to cliches of the genre that thankfully the author grew out of as the series progressed.

First of them: The Wargals, the beasts in service to Lord Morgarath. What would fantasy be without an array of subhuman beasts who are stupid but smart enough to become an army, whose only fact is to be the arrow catchers of the hero characters. Wargals are little better than the orcs from Lord of the Rings and to be frank, it cheapens the text.

Which leads into the next thing that cheapens the text. Lord Morgarath. The Lord of Darkness trope is so overdone that it really needs to take a break for a while. He is the stereotypical exiled former ally, that now commands an army of darkness to take over the land. What makes this series so great in later volumes is that it involves quarrels between various nations and factions, all of which have tangible goals, beyond revenge. This increases throughout the run of this series and thankfully, this book is the last one where the old fantasy tropes largely die out.

This may have mentioned in the review for the previous book (Ruins of Gorlan) but at times, Will acts more like a twelve year old than a fifteen year old, and it gets pretty annoying. Considering how short and harsh life was in medieval times, he should be more mature.

Final Verdict: The Burning Bridge is the book where the author truly comes into his own as a fantasy writer and not just repeating the cliches of the genre. It sets off a compelling story arc that carries through the next two books. Things kick into high gear after this!

Four out of Five Stars.

thecultureworm.blogspot.com

This series has surprised me. I started it on a whim, and found the characters and wit and world to be well crafted and interesting. The Burning Bridge continues expanding the world and introduces some new characters and people's.
The action and pacing were smooth. I enjoyed how much growth Horace showed in this book. And the two climaxes ending in fun ways.
The latter half of the middle felt a bit off. Almost like the author extended the scene in order to connect to the conclusion better.
I am looking forward to more of the series.

When Gilan arrived at Halt and Will’s cabin late at night, they knew something was up. Conflict was brewing as Morgarath gathered forces for war against Araluen. The excitement started when Gilan asked Will and Battleschool apprentice Horace to go on an official embassy to Celtica to recruit warriors. When they saw all the towns in Celtica abandoned, they realized the situation was much worse that they thought.
The Burning Bridge, by John Flanagan is a well written and entertaining book. I’ve read the whole Ranger’s Apprentice series multiple times. The rangers continue to amaze me with their unseen movement, archery, and knife skills. The battle scenes and tactics are well thought out, detailed, and unique. The series is interesting, and easy to read, with just the right amount of medieval tongue. The word choice Flanagan uses is original, using words like forester and yeoman to bring you into the medieval time period.
I love the ranger horses, with their cunning intelligence and loyalty to their masters. Most people when they see the shaggy beasts think they can barely run, but Tug (Will’s horse) proved them wrong, eating kilometer after kilometer away with his steady gait. There’s a good amount of humor mixed in; I laughed out loud when Halt threw two different barons into their own moats. Of course there’s lots of action. The scene where Will shot down three Wargals in the space of a few seconds, was a thrilling work of writing.
I would definitely recommend this book to other readers because it’s a page turner with cliffhangers and more.

Finally after defeating the beast-assassins last book, Will, Horace, and Gilan venture off to Celta for a diplomacy mission to find themselves in a dicey spot: all of their inhabitants were driven off homes and forced to the far south seashore of the country! At the time, (in case you guys did not watch the last book) Araluen was in full alert-war preparations and the mere news of a neighboring country going missing was immediately taken as a potential threat and a part of an evil plan.

During their adventure through Celta, they manage to find a sole survivor of a dreadful attack of the Wargals, Evanlyn. Although she claims to be a servant, her vast knowledge and skill along with authority, make the group suspect that she is a person of a high rank.

Gilan, takes off immediately back to Araluen to inform the war council to inform of the folly going on in the friendly land, and there he discovers (SPOILERS!-that Evanlyn is indeed, a princess).

With their faithful mentor ahead with the news, Will, Horace, and Evanlyn continue the slow journey back to their homeland, only to find the truth about the Cletan inhabitants: they were enslaved to build a giant bridge!
Aaaaaaaand guess what happens next? They do as exactly as the title reads: the burn it. Although how they are going to manage such, and other, there will be NO clue, unless... you read this book!

Five stars on this great follow-up after the first book, and I hope you are able to someday share the joy of reading these as well.

This is a very good book with a lot of action and adventure. This is the second book in the series that follows Will on his adventures. There is a lot of fighting especially when the King’s army is fighting the War Gulls in the valley. Another fighting scene is when the King's army ambushes the Skandians. One of my favorite parts was when Will and Evalyn burn the bridge. This part had a lot of suspense because the fire would not start on one side of the bridge and it seems like it never would start. In conclusion this is a very good book (and series) if you like fantasy and action books.

The orchestration of this novel is leaps and bounds beyond the first. It has the quality that I had expected in the first and is pretty much an improvement in every way. The story is more sophisticated and better laid out making the alternating points of view more appropriate. The risk factor is upped and better suited for making this an adventure story. With a quicker pace and more action it held tightly onto my attention leaving in suspense of what was going to happen next. The battles were complex and interesting and the ending was exciting and unexpected. Again I enjoyed the lack of magic and found it unexpectedly refreshing. Occasionally the writing did trip me up and pushed me out of the story world and I was a little surprised he didn’t draw out the Morgarath storyline, but in comparison to everything else these were minor distractions.

For the full review and others visit whymsylikesbooks dot blogspot dot com

[NO SPOILERS]

After a disappointing showdown with some charging Wargals, the ranger's apprentice (Will) begins to doubt his ranger abilities. Unfortunately, this is also a time when his ranger abilities are in the highest demand, as the evil Lord Morgarath is apparently readying another attack on the kingdom. Is Will going to recover his self-esteem in time?

On the plus side for this book, it continues the story of Will, the ranger's apprentice. A good many characters from the last book also make worthwhile appearances and contributions. The chapters are short and the story engaging, so this is definitely a book you can devour in a sitting or two. There is also an interesting ending.

The only negatives for this book are more nitpickings than anything else. First of all, I dislike the title of the book, "The Burning Bridge". I promised no spoilers, but obviously at some point in the novel a bridge is going to be on fire. A title like "The Secret Bridge" would have been more subtle and mysterious.
Secondly, there was a part where the characters were wondering about the purpose of certain people being kidnapped/captured. I figured it out almost immediately, but found it odd that the characters in the story struggled with this riddle.
Finally, the confrontation at the end (you know the one) although certainly unexpected in how it played out, was also very unrealistic. I just didn't see any MOTIVE for one of the characters suddenly deciding to be brave.

With those nitpickings aside, this is another great installment in this lengthy series, sure to please younger readers, but also makes for light entertainment for veteran fantasy readers.

This is the second book in The Ranger's Apprentice series by Flanagan, there are twelve books planned for this series with a spin-off series planned after that. Ranger's Apprentice, Book 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja just came out in April. This book was a good addition to the series; there is a lot more adventure than in the first book.

Will is sent on a mission with Galen and Horace to go talk to the Celts but when they get there something is terrible wrong. Towns are abandoned and people are missing. The local nobles are not cooperating and Halt is sent to deal with them. The possible war with Mogarath is drawing near.

There is a lot more adventure and excitement in this book than was in the previous book, The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger's Apprentice, Book 1). Will and Horace are forced to show resourcefulness and take on more and more responsibility in hopes of preventing or at least delaying a war with Mogarath. A new and interesting character joins the plot, Evanlyn. Evanlyn is a noblewoman in disguise and is just as smart and resourceful as the boys she ends up traveling with.

I love that despite the serious scenarios in this book, there is a lot of humor laced throughout. Halt is just as dry as ever, with a very sarcastic sense of humor. Evanlyn also has a biting sense of humor. This makes the book more fun to read and probably depicts human nature in an more accurate way...I love that the story doesn't take itself too seriously.

The plot is well done, but again this book feels like only part of a larger book. The book ends on a horrible cliffhanger; that left me kind of irritated. I hate it when authors feel the need to drag the reader into the next book rather than just write a good story so that the reader picks up the next book in the series willingly. So be prepared, if you read this book you will immediately want to read the third.

The worldbuilding is fantastic. Flanagan has created a detailed world that is interesting to read about and very realistic. It is not the most creative world, most readers have probably read about worlds like this before...but it is still well done.

Overall this is a very solid fantasy series. I really enjoy the characters and the sense of humor throughout the book. This book had more adventure than the first, which was nice. I did not enjoy the horrible cliffhanger this book ends with. If you enjoy this series I would also recommend The Last Apprentice (Revenge of the Witch) by Joseph Delaney and Fablehaven by Brandon Mull.

Halt and Will may have managed to off a couple of Kalkara, but the battle is far from over. "The Burning Bridge (The Ranger's Apprentice, Book 2)" picks up where John Flanagan's first fantasy-adventure novel left off, and it has all that book's strengths with none of the weaknesses -- nimble pacing, vivid writing and a suitably monstrous villain, although the ending is a bit abrupt.

King Duncan is preparing for a forthcoming war with Morgarath's forces, and pulls his own armies back to a defensive position. At the same time, Gilan is sent on a diplomatic mission to Celtica, and since the Celts insist on having three people, Will and Horace are sent at the same time. But when they arrive, they find that the Wargals are swarming all over the place, and the native Celts are all missing. The only one left is Evanlyn, the former maid of King Duncan's daughter.

While Halt deals with the piggish Sir Montague, the boys stumble across a tunnel and bridge meant to allow Morgarath's army out into the open without the hindrance of steep cliffs -- and a vast collection of mercenary Skandians (Vikings by any other name) who have been hired to help crush the king's army. And to stop them,. Will may end up in the hands of his worst enemies.

The world John Flanagan conjures up here is pretty recognizably a medieval England-that-never-was, with hints of similarly semi-familiar lands to explore (Celtica, Hibernia, Scotta, Skandia) and vaguely Tolkienian monsters working for the bad guy. And in "The Burning Bridge" the storyline becomes much darker and more intense, as the action expands from Halt and Will to encompass whole armies and countries. In short, it turns from a potential epic to a full-blown epic.

And Flanagan has a knack for fast-moving, detailed prose and lots of suspenseful moments (especially when Horace and Will have infiltrated Morgarath's fortress, full of Celt slaves and Skandian warriors). Flanagan does include some fun comic relief (such as Halt's unique way of dealing with Sir Montague), but the plot overall becomes extremely dark and intense -- lots of skulking, being taken captive by Skandians, and sword-fights with the deadly Morgarath.

The only problem? Well, the whole Morgarath subplot is handled nicely, but frankly I wasn't expecting it to dealt with so quickly. Not bad, just unexpected. And the book leaves us on a cliffhanger that presumably is fixed in the next book.

Will is also an excellent hero in the Lloyd Alexander mold, and while he still has his immature moments he's clearly matured a great deal -- he's more self-sacrificial, stronger, and able to make decisions under pressure. Halt's bond with his new apprentice has become more evident in their time apart, the quirky Galian serves as a good "big brother" figure, and Horace gets to shine with the most important single combat of his life. And the mysterious Evanlyn adds a strong feminine presence to the plot.

"The Burning Bridge" is a great second installment in John Flanagan's solid fantasy series, and it promises to blossom further as the series goes on. Just have the third book on hand.

The Burning Bridge (2006) is the second fantasy novel in the Ranger's Apprentice series, following The Ruins of Gorlan. In the previous volume, Will was rewarded for saving the life of Baron Arald. Then Halt presented him with a ranger medallion and told him about his father's valor and battle skill.

In this novel, Will is a Ranger trainee, apprenticed to Halt. He is small and quick and quickly becoming deadly with his bow and knives.

Halt is a full Ranger, dangerous and feared. He has become used to Will and his incessant questions.

Gilan is Halt's former apprentice. Now he is one of the best at moving undetected through forest and brush. Gilan is the only Ranger who carries a sword, having been trained since the age of ten by a famed swordsmaster.

Horace is Will's friend and an apprentice of the Battlemaster. He has become very good with a sword, seeming to be a natural swordsman.

In this story, Will and Halt track four Wargals and reach them just as they are attacking a human. The man tries to convince the Wargals that he too is doing Morgarath's business, but to no avail. When the Rangers appear, one Wargal slays the man while the others attack the Rangers.

Will fires two shots with his bow and misses both times. Tag saves him from the last Wargal by rearing and brandishing his hooves. The Wargal flinches back in fear and Halt gets him with an arrow. They find detailed plans for Morgarath's invasion of Araluen and take them back to King Duncan.

The Araluen army mobilizes to face the invasion. Gilan is sent on a mission to warn Celtica of the invasion and to request assistance. Will and Horace are chosen to accompany him on the mission. Reaching Celtica, they find the border station unmanned and the nearest town deserted.

Then they encounter two thieves who have been looting the countryside. They learn from them that the Wargals are raiding Celtica. Then they are found by Evanlyn Wheeler -- an Araluen woman who has avoided capture by the Wargals -- and learn more about the situation.

Gilan hurries ahead to warn the king of this unexpected threat, leaving Will in charge. Will, Horace and Evanlyn return to Araluen more slowly and are nearly overtaken by a group of Wargals with Celtic captives. After these creatures pass, Will decides to follow them and learn more about Morgarath's plans.

The Wargals lead them toward the Fissure and cliffs protecting Celtica from invasion. They find more Wargals there with many captured Celtic miners and an almost completed bridge across the Fissure. A tunnel leads into the rock, providing ready access through the cliffs.

This tale causes the three Araluen folk to consider that the plans captured by Halt and Will were a deception. Will sneaks up the tunnel and learns that the invaders are preparing an ambush for the King's troops. They decide to burn the unguarded bridge to upset this part of the plan.

This story is a fast and fun read. The sequel is The Icebound Land. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Flanagan fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of armed conflict, invading armies, and youthful courage.

-Arthur W. Jordin

The Burning Bridge is the second installment of John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series and it is just as good as the first. Flanagan's ability to create vivid images, intense plot twists, incredible character development and fast, moving dialogue is unparalleled. Will, Halt's ranger's apprentice, is on a mundane quest with two comrades when they discover the evil Morgarath has plotted a surprise attack on the kingdom of Araluen. They must figure out a way to stop the attack from happening and risk their lives while doing so. I don't want to ruin the story for those who haven't read it yet, but let's just say the book is amazing and will leave you desperate to read book 3 to find out what happens. If you're a fan of this genre of writing you will LOVE Flanagan's ability to tell a story!

The continuation of the Ranger's apprentice's story begins with Will, Horace, and Gilan heading off on a diplomatic journey to Celtica after Will has a bad scare. They go in hopes of recruiting the Celtics for the impending fight but once there, the threesome find Celtica deserted and a girl, Evanlyn, abandoned.

So Gilan leaves Will and Horace to protect Evanlyn as they follow behind while he goes on ahead. Taking his horse and heading off at a gallop, Gilan goes to tell the horrible news to the awaiting leaders of Araluen.

Misfortune strikes again and the threesome take an unexpected detour. During this time they discover some information of vital importance to the kingdom and try to slow down the anxious armies of Morgarath before going to tell King Duncan.

I enjoyed this book as well as the first and stick to my review of the first in which I said that it was a good book for girls too. I remained attached to Will throughout this book and found myself growing to like the other characters more too. And when the book ended in a surprising cliffhanger, I was determined to read the next book immediately. Luckily my dad just so happened to have it on his shelf waiting for me to discover its hidden treasures!

The evil warlord, Morgorath, is poised to destroy Araluen. King Duncan is preparing his army. Will and a friend go on a diplomatic mission to request aid from the neighboring kingdom of Celtica. One problem. Celtica is here. But where are the Celts?
Accompany Will on this epic adventure, discovering conspiracies within conspiracies, cogs within wheels, and traitorous plots counteracting bloody schemes. With Horace the knight apprentice by his side, his longbow slung over his shoulder, Will crusades through Araluen, Celtica, and everywhere in between in this past-paced novel that is sure to satisfy readers as the second book in The Ranger's Apprentice series.

VBG

With war threatening the borders of Araluen, apprentice ranger Will is sent on a diplomatic mission to Celtica. With him are Gilan, his master's first apprentice, and his friend Horace, a battle school apprentice. Expecting a routine journey, the three are unprepared for what they find.

The villages of Celtica are deserted, and brigands wander the hills in search of abandoned treasure. The country is also crawling with Wargals, the fighting beasts that are under control of their enemy Morgorath. When a mysterious woman appears at their camp with the news that Morgorath has been abducting villagers, the three boys stumble across a plan that threatens their country and the lives of the people they love.

Like the first book in John Flanagan's series, THE BURNING BRIDGE relies on typical fantasy tropes for its characters and setting. Araluen is clearly England, with Celtica standing in for Wales. There is a Dark Lord who controls fighting beasts, and our heroes are primarily untried boys. Readers who enjoy fantasy will find much that is familiar in this book.

What makes The Ranger's Apprentice unique is the author's attention to strategy and combat techniques. Flanagan's war plans could be easily mapped to show natural obstacles and the movements of armies. The scenes involving combat are so specific, they could be acted out by readers. Even the training sequences are easy to follow and interesting to read, and unlike most fantasy adventures, the apprentices have lots of practice before being thrown into battle.

Another interesting aspect of THE BURNING BRIDGE is the introduction of the Skandian mercenaries, who are clearly based on Norse raiders. The Skandians are crude and brutal, but they are not beasts like the Wargals, or without their honor. They are also one of the book's most unpredictable elements, as they are on no one's side but their own. This ambiguity makes for a much more interesting read than the usual battle between the forces of light and darkness.

Ever since the success of Harry Potter, children's literature has been flooded with fantasy. The Ranger's Apprentice is more in line with Tolkien than Rowling, but its racing plot and likable characters offer fantasy fans a new series to read and love.

--- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

I'm an English major at University of Delaware and I read the book twice before putting it down! (A second read to pass the time while the rest of the books of the series were being shipped, because I already knew by this second book that I was in it for the long haul).

- Features fantastic and lively settings, great for fantasy fans but not too familiar
- well rounded characters like Halt and Will, lot's of character depth and growth
- Perfect coming of age story, quality on par with Harry Potter
- Likewise great build in complexity of the story line, a great story to grow up with, but also a good read for any age young or old
- The story reads itself, you'll never be bored while reading it

Great follow up to book 1, part of a great series, I wish I could forget it and read it first over again. You absolutely won't regret the investment. I recommend reading book 1 and following through with the whole series. One of the things that sets this series apart from other fantasy books is the attention to combat strategy and detail. Each battle is both clever and easy to visualize, the positions of the troops and natural environment could easily be mapped out by the reader, and the solutions are clever and practical. The solutions could even be applied to real life if combat troops still met each other that way on similar terms. 10/10 would recommend for father, son and family alike. Well done, Flanagan!

Flanagan is consistent with the foundations of this story that were set in The Ruins of Gorlan. The characters continue to be full of life, the story full of action and a whole lot of fun.

The writing improved 100% in The Burning Bridge. Not quite so corny (although it still had its moments), there was a lot more focus on the development of characters rather than attempting to just keep and hold the readers attention with slapstick jokes.

Will and Horace grew in leaps and bounds through this story. The final battle scene had me gripping my book and flipping anxiously through the pages wanting to devour it as quickly as possible. While definitely not "Great" literature, this series is a fun, action-filled one that is sure to continue to appeal to young boys for a long time.

Not long after the events of book one, Will and Halt find themselves chasing Wargals who happen to be chasing a man. They arrive just in time to see the Wargals kill a man who claims to be in the service of Morgarath, the Wargals' master. Halt and Will manage to recover Morgarath's battle plans from the dead body. With plans for the battle being prepared, the king decides he requires more soldiers. Will, Horace, and Gilan are sent to a neighboring kingdom for aid, only to discover something strange happening there.

I'm not sure if I liked this one as much as the first book, but it was still incredibly enjoyable. I didn't find it particularly surprising when plot twists were revealed (and to be honest I had figured them out immediately and was a bit frustrated that Halt didn't).

We got a few new characters-Evanlyn is particularly great-and some new relationships. I was glad to see more of Gilan since we'd only gotten a small hint of him in the last book. We also got a nice look at Alys who we didn't know much about anyway. I'd like to see more about the others as well but maybe we will meet them in future books as well (there are eight in total so far).

There wasn't as much character growth as there was in the first book, but we still got more on the life of a ranger (though I would have liked even more). Next should be an interesting change of scenery, but I'm wondering where it will take us.

Well, this had all of the elements needed for a young adult novel - character from the previous book plus a few extra - fighting without too much violence - some characters felt forced into this book though setting up the next book, which the ending of this one most certainly sets up, and rather poorly I believe - I enjoyed the first book quite a lot, but this one felt lacking in completion and more like the set up to another book instead of a concise thought - I am not happy with this book, but it was not horrible, so it is a three star young adult novel

These series are turning out to be really good. I like the flow between the books and the characters in them jump right out of the page. It seems like you are in the fields with them, moving silently wiht the Rangers. Makes you want to jump up and grab a bow and arrow and start learning on how to use it.

Many of the things the boy Will is being taught can really do good for us if something catastrophic were to happen. Many of the things like how to find food; how to stay hidden from your enemy.

Very good series. Can't wait what book 3 has to offer.

I like this book. I got this book from Ms.C's libary. Ms.C said that this book is a good book and was one part of a series of books. This book takes place in 1600 in a castle, name Red MOUNT. There is a war beteen good and bad (RED MOUNT vs WARGAL). WILL,JENNEY,HALT, and HORACE are friends at RED MOUNT castle. The story takes off when WILL gets captures by Wargals and go looking for him. This book kelt me interested,glued to the pages . I could relate to this book because i forget to tell all the details of the story to my friends and family. I reccommend this book for anyone who love great stories about friendships that build good relationships.

A great series!
This is just the kind of series to turn kids on to read more
Halt is a hero who becomes young Will's mentor. He teaches Will the skills he needs to survive. All libraries should have this book and kids should be encouraged to read it .

Alright, I admit it. I'm 33 years old and I love this series. It's addictive. I like to read but it's rare that I find a book, never mind a series, that I become addicted to like a drug.

This book takes place relatively soon after the first one. Horace and Will have been apprentices for almost, but not quite a year. There is a lot of trouble brewing on the horizon as the kingdom prepares for what they feel is an inevitable war with Morgorath.

We continue to the growth and maturity of the characters and the introduction of a few new and interesting people. This is yet another page turner in the Ranger's Apprentice series and I look forward to starting book 3 tomorrow.

When Will is sent on a seemingly-simple diplomatic mission with a fellow ranger and his friend Horace, things get complicated. The Celtic people that they were sent to visit have vanished without a trace, homes abandoned. Will and Horace stay behind and decide to follow a group of slaves led by the evil Wargals. What they find could destroy their whole kingdom. Morgarath has treacherous plans that Will must stop immediately. While Horace rushes back to tell his people of the incoming invasion plans, Will must stay behind to make sure Morgarath's bridge is destroyed.

Following Will's adventures in the first book, The Burning Bridge offers even more suspense, excitement, and intrigue. All the characters are back, and relationships are able to develop further. As battle culminates, the story ends in a wrenching cliffhanger that will leave you reaching for the next book.

Just as wonderful as the first, this fantasy will charm readers of all ages.

This book, along with the others in this series, make up one of the best young adult fantasy series I've ever encountered. John Flanagan creates characters that you ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT! (Hear that Suzanne Collins?) This is one of the few series that has actually made me laugh out loud.

* Believable, interesting characters that you care about.
* Interesting story lines that will have you finish a 500 page book in a weekend.
* Great varied locations that enhance each adventure.
* Amazing long-term history with the characters.
* Clean reading for children and young adults

The stories are set in a medieval European world of Flanagan's design. These books are a must read for any LOTR, GOT or WOT fans. Although much simpler reads, the satisfaction is the same.

Great series! Love the main character, Will, who is the Ranger's Apprentice. He shows courage beyond his years and saves the entire kingdom. Along the way he meets a princess, though she is traveling incognito. Love the setting in a time where personal relationships and skill were important for survival. Lots of action that makes this a page turner!

This whole series is absolutely fantastic. I would recommend it for ages 9 & up for level of understanding and interest. The books build on each other with a sort of "to be continued" at the end of each one, so make sure to get all together otherwise you'll be making multiple trips to the store or library. Although you won't find it cheaper anywhere else as the store has the best price.
The books are short and entertaining enough to be great as a vacation read for adults, yet just the right amount of pages to keep a boy happily engaged reading it for hours.
Each story follows the young hero, Will, who learns the values of integrity, hard-work and dedication. The characters throughout each of the stories are believable and thoroughly interesting. This author knows what he's doing! I won't disclose the story itself because the store has the "search inside" that gives you just the right amount of reading to spark an interest.

This is the second page turner from Mr. Flanagan, following on the story of Gorlan's Ruins. I read Gorlan's Ruins and now this book to my third grader at bedtime. Even though the books are written for teens, my son picks up the book and reads it on his own because he can't wait to find out what happens next. And I have to admit, after my son fell asleep I had to read through to the end of the book to find out what happened next. I couldn't put it down. Excellent story and excellent writing, and like Harry Potter, it will be enjoyed by all ages. The only problem I have is, book #3 isn't available in the United States until September of 2007. However, my local library has "The Icebound Land" on its shelves, and I was surprised to find that if one googles "The Oak Leaf Bearers" you will find the book #4 is already available for purchase from Australian websites. I don't know why the release of the remainder of the series is delayed in the United States, but there's no reason for anyone with a credit card to wait.

This is the second book in the series of Ranger's Apprentice. I saw the first book and had to get it for my son. I thought it might be something he would enjoy reading. He wasn't interested so I read it myself and was very impressed. I couldn't wait for the second book to come out, which I have now read along with the entire series including book five. That is my only complaint. Why aren't the other titles out in the United States yet? Number three won't be released until June or July 2007 and Book Four won't come out until September of 2008. They already have them in Austrialla. They even have Book Five out now. This series is so capavating I couldn't wait to get the rest of the books to read. By the way my son finally read the first and second book and is now reading the third book. I had to purchase the last three books online from a bookstore in Austrialla but it was very much worth it. Especially book five: it was rivioting, I couldn't put it done. Now I am awaiting the release of book six in Austrialla so I can purchase that. I think these books are on parr with the Harry Potter Series. I find them much better than the Eragon Series, which I have also read, book two being disapointing for me and I haven't yet been able to finish it since it doesn't hold my attention. They diffenently need to make movies out of these books. My advice is to see if you can locate the remaining books and purchase them. Great Series! Five Stars!

Rangers Apprentice

The Burning Bridge

Will is no longer the young inexperienced boy he used to be. He has become a Ranger and now accepts more responsibilities. One of his biggest is scouting out Wargal battle groups. Will and Halt are searching for Wargals, when they come upon Morgarath's battle plans. They learn that his army will come through the cliffs, and onto the plains. Then Halt sends Will to Celtica with his former apprentice, Gilan, to gather men to fight Morgarath's army. Little do they know that Morgarath wanted them to find the battle plans. What will happen in Celtica? Find out in The Burning Bridge.

After reading the first book of the Ranger's Apprentice series, The Ruins of Gorlan, I knew I had to go on and pick up the second book. John Flanagan did a great job of writing The Ruins of Gorlan with a nice fantasy and adventurous aspect to a medieval setting era, which really adds to the plot of the story! I picked up the first book because of the intriguing cover it had. It showed a mysterious character in a cloak shading half his face. After reading the summary I decided to give this book a try. The first book ended without it needing a second part, or in other words, without a cliff hanger. So, I was surprised when I saw the second book to the series. I figured since the first book was great, I'll go ahead and read the second, Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge. Book one has lived up to its expectations and even surpassed them! So, when I noticed book two, I knew I had to read it, and so I did. The Burning Bridge was great in relation to keeping along the story lines of book one, but yet adding unexpected twists and turns. This book kept me anxious to read whenever I could. It had a bit more action, adventure, and suspense than book one, so it clearly was a great continuum of the Ranger's Apprentice series. Overall, I just couldn't put this book down. The best book I have ever read!

Young apprentice Ranger Will is sent to Celtica along with his friend Horace, a battle school apprentice, and Will's master's first apprentice, Gilan, to ask for an alliance during the upcoming war with Morgorath, the dark lord. What was supposed to be an easy diplomatic mission quickly turns into an unexpected disaster. When the three guys arrive in the first few towns of Celtica, they are met with an unexpected sight. The towns are deserted. Nothing but a few bandits wander the town for left over treasures. Will, Gilan, and Horace, determined to solve this mystery, stumble upon a young girl. She tells them that the townspeople of Celtica are being captured by Morgorath's mind controlled beast, wargals. No one knows why Morgorath would need Celts, but it is very important news and should be reported to the king immediately. Gilan decides to race ahead to tell the king, leaving the three young teens to voyage home themselves. Will discovers a troop of wargals escorting their prisoners, the Celts. Will, always being curious decides to follow them because it could give them fateful information, and Horace and the girl agree. But what they find they are unprepared for. A devastating thing is happening and now the Kingdom lies in their hands!

The Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge book has reminded me somewhat of Harry Potter. An orphaned baby boy left at a door. Well, that happens in both books. Will and Harry didn't have anywhere to go when their parents died so they were left at the front door for someone to take care of them. The "bad guy" in each story is a very evil person who is cast out of civilization. People shiver and become terrified at their name. Lord Morgorath and Lord Voldemort are similar? Well, they both have an unending hatred. These antagonists, at least to me, seem to be in a similar situation being expelled and both wanting to kill someone very eagerly. But not only are these characters similar, but the fantasy feel of the stories are as well. Harry Potter is a lot more fantasy-ish, but Ranger's Apprentice has a lot of fantasy in it as well. Different made-up scary beasts can be found in each story. A lot of make believe things are in the stories, which is something I like since I like fantasies a lot. The Rangers themselves can also be depicted as so called wizards with their long cloaks. It even says in the series that many townspeople accused the Rangers of using dark magic. And we all know there is a lot of magic involved in Harry Potter. I really couldn't relate Ranger's Apprentice to anything but Harry Potter, which actually had some relevant similarities from my point of view.

Now, I could go into a very technical interpretation of a bunch of different literary elements that may be enjoyable to many people in this book. But, there is one element that got up and slapped me in the face, dialogue. I am surprised at how great the dialogue is in this book. The Ruins of Gorlan had great dialogue as well, but when I read the second book, I felt more emerged into the characters position. The dialogue in this book greatly supports the plot and helps build suspense. Every character in the book that has a significant role in the story can have their personality traits easily picked out from just their dialogue. Now, I hope most stories can do that well, and I'm not a person to eagerly annotate everything in a story, but I know good dialogue when I see it. You will be submerged into the characters position, just from reading how the characters speak to each other. You really get a great feel for each character in the book. This is the element that makes me keep coming back to Ranger's Apprentice series. Out of every book I read (not being that many) this book really makes me relate to how the characters feel in each situation, and even when I put the book down it takes awhile for me to realize I am myself and not Will, Halt, or Horace. I am not going to reveal too much, but imagine you did something bad and you were in big trouble. The police were after you and you had a short way of escaping a severe punishment, but it's going to be very close. Now that might not be great example, but if you were escaping on a row boat and you had someone yelling in your ear "pull like hell, if he gets to close range, we're all dead men" (260), then you might be able to understand what I'm saying. John created a great feeling of fright and anxiety in that part of the book I referenced. And if you really want to experience the great effect of the dialogue, you'll just have to read it yourself. I'm positive any fan of fantasy-adventure novels will absolutely love John Flanagan's ability to incorporate the dialogue in such a way that lets you really know a character.

I loved this book so much I recommended it to a couple people (I never recommend any books I read). The first of which were a couple guy friends, my cousin, and my younger brother. I didn't notice that I haven't recommended it to a girl yet. So I guess Ranger's Apprentice is naturally a boy's book. I'm not going to say girls can't read it, but my first instinct was to share it with a couple of my guy friends. That indicates to me that it's more of a guy book than a girl's book or even a mix of each. I know lots of girls like Harry Potter, so if they do they might like Ranger's Apprentice as well. But I say in my opinion that guys would probably like it better than girls, which has a little bit to do with me having a sister. Now that you guys know I am leaning more towards the male gender for this book, you might want to know what age group this book best fits. There are a myriad of young and avid readers in the world and this book isn't a hard read at all. I'd have to recommend this book for 6th graders and up (ages 11 and up). But, if you're in 5th or even 4th grade and you are really up for it, which is great, then definitely check it out. Junior High grades are perfect for these books. High schoolers won't be challenged but it is still a great of a read. I really don't have a limit to how old until this book seems too childish because it really isn't. Anyone from 6th and up can read and enjoy this book. And like I said before, you can be younger than 6th grade to read this book if you are really up for it. So, if you seem interested in this book, then you should, without a doubt, pick it up and read it (you'll probably want to start with The Ruins of Gorlan, the first book of the series). And if anything, you can always stop after the first book and continue once you get older if you are having trouble reading, understanding, or following the book. All in all, 6th grade and up is the perfect audience.

If you are looking for an adventurous, fantasy book, then look no further because this is the book you want. Any 11 year old and older boy will love this book, if fantasy-adventure is what they are looking for. A great storyline with perfect dialogue that intertwines to procure a book that will not let you set it down until you finish. The great part is that the series goes on for about 10 more books, which is enough to keep you stocked the whole summer (and probably into the school year). Don't hesitate to pick up this book, you'll love it. But, if for some reason you don't, you can always return it and wa-la no troubles at all.

This is the second book in the Ranger's Apprentice series, and although I liked the first book a little more, this book was not at all disappointing. Will is continuing his training as a ranger. Like the first book, it is full of action. We get to see Will and his friends grow and mature as each learn their new skills. It is an easy read, and it easily draws you in. Male readers will especially like the war tactics in the story, but I believe anyone, male or female, will enjoy these books, but you must start with the first book to truly appreciate them.[...]

Sometimes you find a book and it just enthralls you and pulls you in, you can't wait for the second installment and you're checking the calendar to see when it's released. I was so glad that I found this series AFTER the second book had been released. As soon as I was finished with the first, which I had borrowed I ran out and bought the second and third!

This was definitely another action packed entry into a series that I will definitely be following to the end! Mr. Flanagan is an author who knows his craft!

Happy Reading =}

This series is cute. A fun, quick read. I want to know what happens to Will and Evanlyn! I missed Halt and Will's banter in this book though. And I don't think I'll see much of it in book 3 either. And I thought the merry band of orphans would stick together but it doesn't look like it. Just Will and Horace. But I'm enjoying it.

The rangers apprentice series has many great books but book two the burning bridge was the best. Book two is about Will a young apprentice ranger and Horace a young warrior. Will is about sixteen years old and is always asking questions. Horace is the same age of Will and is determined to be a knight. Together with a little help from Gilan the ranger they uncover morgrath's plans. I also like this book because the author does a really good job of describing the plot and the carachters devlop during the story. This book deserves a full five stars and I strongly suggest reading this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the writing was competent and the story was fast paced and exciting. There were a few things that bothered me though, like sometimes the characters used language that was a bit too modern and seemed really out of place. Another thing was that the witty banter between the characters seemed a bit contrived at times. For the most part, I found the book to be entertaining, amusing, and fun. If you like fantasy and are looking for a quick read, then I would recommend it.

The second book in a series is often not quite as good as the first, but there is no fear of such happening here. This book is as good as the first, and perhaps even better!

Full review can be found on my blog:

https://redletalis.wordpress.com/2014/03/29/rangers-apprentice-book-2-the-burning-bridge-j-flanagan/

This book was a great continuation. I will try not to spoil this book for those who haven't read it as yet.

The first thing I'd like to express is my admiration of Mr. Flanagan. Not only does he find ways around impossible situations, but he makes the solutions so that they make sense.

Second, his characters are believeable. They are brave, smart, and while they are not prepared for everything that gets thrown their way, they still take on their tasks without complaining, and they show initiative throughout the entire book.

The last thing I'd like to express is how much I liked this story. That can be summarized in one word: Wow!

Will who is an apprentice to the Ranger, Halt of Redmont Fief sets out on a journey with another ranger named Gilan and his friend, Horace, who is an apprentice warrior. They go on a special mission that has to do with the upcoming war against the evil lord, Morgarath. They find a girl who calls herself Evanlyn and the Will, Horace, and Evanlyn get separated from Gilan. They follow a group of wargals which are horrible beasts that Morgarath uses for his army. They find out that Morgarath is building a bridge and while Will tries to burn it down, he and Evanlyn get caught. Soon after that the war begins. Read Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan and then the action packed sequel, Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge. They are both great books and I think you will like them a lot!

I bought this book off Kindle awhile after I had read the first one. Since I'm a Christian, the language in Burning Bridge bothered me. However, the plot and pretty much evr'ything else is great. My favorite part of the book is when Gilan teaches the double knife defense to Will and Horace, which is where the title comes from. That was hilarious! But later on...
SPOILER ALERT!

Horace (is that the name?) kills Morgorath, MORGORATH! THE villain of book 1! And he's just a teen! That, I think, isn't believable. I nearly cried over the ending (so sad!) but since the series is ten books, I know he'll get rescued eventually. If you havn't read the book, I would reccomend The Burning Bridge (just watch out for the swear words). Enjoy the book if you read it, and even if you don't, read, read, read!!!
Ian J. Williamson

I couldn't just stop at The Ruins of Gorlan. I will read the entire series. I like the author's acknowledgement that ordinary young people can rise to the occasion and be brave and heroic. In this story Will and Horace must travel on a special mission to the neighboring villages of the kindgom to assess the fate of the villagers. They face constant danger. New characters are introduced that add interesting twists and dimensions to the storyline. In the end, Will is taken prisoner by a viking clan, and Halt has vowed to find him.

I loved this book very much. If you are a fan of Tolkien, this is the book for you. It was very well written with wonderful characters. The only reason I'm giving it four stars is because it had about 8 bad words in it. I was very disappointed with the language but still loved the book. They really need to make a movie of these books, just without the language.

This book is one of the best books I've ever read. I read non-stop for at least an hour or two. This book is so addicting!!!!!!! If you like books like the Lord of the rings, you will love this book too. Everyone should get this book. If you don't want to pay money, just get it from a library because there is no reason you shouldn't read this book!!!!! I guarantee you will love this book!!!!

This action-packed story includes many things. The star character, Will puts himself in many dangerous places, and sometimes gets held hostage. I can't wait to read the next book. Sometimes I am at school and I stay in at recess to finish reading a very exciting chapter.

I brought it to school one day and some of my friends wanted to read the beginning and so they did, and a few days later a few of them were almost done with the first book! And then I went and got the next book in the series they all wanted to read it too! No one can put one of these books down while they're reading one of the many amazing chapters.

I must be the only one to be bored by this series. I bought this book on the pleadings of my 14 year old brother, who is enthralled by the series, and urged me to give them a go. And they are okay - to a point.

Although the military portions of this book are pretty good, the politics largely wasn't. The relationship between the baronies and the king is undefined. Why, for example, is the head of the diplomatic corp stationed in a minor barony, and not at the capital where she can advise the king?

Because of a severe shortage of men (there are only 50 rangers) when sending a foreign relations mission to a neighboring country to ask them to honor their treaty commitment and commit themselves to war with a common enemy, apparently the best people to send are a ranger, an apprentice ranger, and an apprentice warrior, only one of whom is of noble birth. At the same time, a diplomat (an apprentice again)is being dispatched to deal with a minor nobleman within the barony, and is escorted by a full-grown ranger. Somehow this just seems backwards to me. I would expect the foreign mission to be attended by at least one diplomat, and if there is such a pressing need for Rangers, why waste waste one on such an unimportant little sidetrip?

The book (this second one more than the first) abounds with this kind of inconsistency, and the premise for the third seems even more fraught with stupidity than this one. The king's daughter is missing and he can't spare one man to go look for her! Please! Admittedly I have only read the teaser at the end of book two so far, so I don't know if Flannigan has some reasonable excuse for this, but based on the evidence so far, I highly doubt it.

This second installment of The Ranger's Apprentice continuous the deep characterization of the first book, but one minus was that there were too many characters introduced in this second book. Perhaps the added characters will be fleshed out more in the next book. Nevertheless, wonderful page Turner.

In the sequel to The Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan and the second book in the Ranger's Apprentice series, Will and Horace join Gilan in a mission to warn Celtica of the impending war. Things are not as they should be in Celtica and the group must split up. Gilan rides ahead to warn the King's army while Will and Horace follow with a girl who is not who she appears to be. Will, Horace and the girl encounter a group of wargals causing them to change their plans. With action at every turn Flanagan entices the reader to turn the page. This book will make the readers of this series want more. Readers will want to read The Ruins of Gorlan prior to The Burning Bridge. Readers will also want to make sure they have the third installment in The Ranger's Apprentice series, The Icebound Land on hand after finishing The Burning Bridge.

In the Burning Bridge, our hero, Will and his friend Howard, are sent on a mission with Halts old apprentice, to Celtica, on the way they realize that there are other things that take a priority on there mission. Like warning the king that he is going to be ambushed from behind.
This book flows vary well from the one previous, it does a good job of keeping up former tensions, and, it leads very nicely to the next book.
I recommend reading this book, it is good light reading.

John A. Flanagan has done it again! This book was (as yoy can probabally tell from the title) AWESOME! I think the first book was a bit more exciting and intense than this one,but still,I think this book was great. I really liked the way Will and Evalyn(did I spell her name wrong?) startt to build up a friendship. I thought Will would like one of his ward mates though. Oh well, we'll see in the next book. Speaking of the next book, what a big cliff hanger! I can't wait for the next book!

The follow on to book one was more action packed and exciting than ever. I thought the conflicts were well crafted and their resolution satisfying, except for the last one. Now I'm going to have to buy the next book to see what happens to Will and Evelyn. Great story!

I think this book was a very good book with many advetures, turnes and twistes. This book is the kind of book for someone who loves adventure. The first book is alot better than this one but that is only my opinion. This book is about Will a orphan who has been apprenticed to a ranger Halt. King Duncan is fighting with the rangers and nights are fighting lord Morgrath and his Wargals. I am not giving away the ending but i would appreciate if u went to my site [...] .

Wil is progressing nicley with his training in this continuation of the fantastic Ranger's Apprentice fantasy series. In this book the war that had started to unfold between Araulen and Morgarath reaches its peak with many stunning twists and an engaging plot. I Aplaud mr. Flanagan for keeping the spark of his series alive with this great read.

Cameron S.

My 9 year old son gives it 4 four stars. I read it too and would've given 3.5 so I'm rounding up. For being a targeted to 10-13 year olds, its fairly entertaining. I've seen negative reviews that knock it for not following traditional social structure and norms of other fantasy books, but I think that is way over-analyzing a kids book.

It's been a year since I read the first 5 books of this series, so I don't remember all the specifics, but what I can say is that the quality of writing holds through from 1-5. They are all suspenceful, exciting and simply wonderful. Of course I do archery and swordfighting and so on, so when I picked up the first book I instantly turned into a Ranger's apprentice junkie.
What I love is that even though it's written for teens/kids, it definately is appealing to adults as well. It is a very smooth, quick paced read and very hard to put down.

Hope it helps.

I thought this book was excellant and I reccamend it to the readers of the famed lord of the ring series. As far as I could tell the only drawback was that the characters had pretty dull personalities. There was really no variety. Also, the author refered to the characters as the tall young man, or the inquisitive ranger.I mean, they have names. I found that unnecesarry and dull. Still, with an interesting plot, and truely amazing achievements, this book makes for an excellent read.

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i could not believe how good this book was!!!my favorite part was when Will and Evenlyn burned morgaraths bridge!!!!!! it was awesome!Oh and when the wargals were surrounding will and was shooting arrows at the wargals!!!!OK.I wont spoil the rest. butt you need to read this!!!!!!!! OK. OK. i am going to review the next book when i finish it. when i do just look for the review title "how awesome this book is".

This book actually surprised me in how good it was. The first one was definitely good, but I didn't think that Flanagan would find it possible to write one as good as the first. Great book and a very nice follow up to the first. I definitely recommend this book to everyone who likes Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or a combination of the two! Come here for awesome prices on this book and all the others: [...]

My 9 year old son gives it 4 four stars. I read it too and would've given 3.5 so I'm rounding up. For being a targeted to 10-13 year olds, its fairly entertaining. I've seen negative reviews that knock it for not following traditional social structure and norms of other fantasy books, but I think that is way over-analyzing a kids book.

It's been a year since I read the first 5 books of this series, so I don't remember all the specifics, but what I can say is that the quality of writing holds through from 1-5. They are all suspenceful, exciting and simply wonderful. Of course I do archery and swordfighting and so on, so when I picked up the first book I instantly turned into a Ranger's apprentice junkie.
What I love is that even though it's written for teens/kids, it definately is appealing to adults as well. It is a very smooth, quick paced read and very hard to put down.

Hope it helps.

I thought this book was excellant and I reccamend it to the readers of the famed lord of the ring series. As far as I could tell the only drawback was that the characters had pretty dull personalities. There was really no variety. Also, the author refered to the characters as the tall young man, or the inquisitive ranger.I mean, they have names. I found that unnecesarry and dull. Still, with an interesting plot, and truely amazing achievements, this book makes for an excellent read.

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i could not believe how good this book was!!!my favorite part was when Will and Evenlyn burned morgaraths bridge!!!!!! it was awesome!Oh and when the wargals were surrounding will and was shooting arrows at the wargals!!!!OK.I wont spoil the rest. butt you need to read this!!!!!!!! OK. OK. i am going to review the next book when i finish it. when i do just look for the review title "how awesome this book is".

This book actually surprised me in how good it was. The first one was definitely good, but I didn't think that Flanagan would find it possible to write one as good as the first. Great book and a very nice follow up to the first. I definitely recommend this book to everyone who likes Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or a combination of the two! Come here for awesome prices on this book and all the others: [...]

Three Rangers, a Knight in the making, and a princess in disguise traveling to save their kingdom. Epic battle sequences, deep magic, interesting and well developed characters, and a cliff-hanger that leaves you wanting to read the next book.

this is the best series ive ever read. well excel maybe the new series by Flanagan "Brotherband Chronicles". but you need to read these first if you read those. the toughest book to read in this series is #3("The Icebound Land"). if you get past that(and its still really good) The series is amazing. ive read it 5 times.

This series not just this book is the best series that I have ever read. john flanagan is my favorite author of all time and I will love this series forever. thank you john flanagan for creating this AMAZING series.

I have been reading this series to my four children at bed time. It has captivated their attention as well as mine. We catch ourselves reading up to seven chapters some evenings. John Flannagan does a superior job holding our attention, plunging us into the story to the point that we don't want to put the book down. This is the second book in the series. It is well written. It puts my children on the edge of their beds, and I am captivated as well. Mr. Flannagan, is fantastic with character development. You feel as if you know Halt, Will, Horace, Baron Arald and Sir Rodney on a personal level. My children often reflect on qualities they share with the characters. The story line heightens with intrigue in every chapter. This is a must read series for young readers that have enjoyed the likes of Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia.

This book is one of my favorite books of all time. I think that the end is a perfect way to lead into the next book and the almost tangible sadness as a virtual father was separated from his 'son'.I believe that all books written by John Flanagan in the future will be ones that I enjoy and should be read by all people.

When I speak on this book, I will speak for the entire series. I read the first book about a year and a half ago, and the events in it are still dancing around in my mind. In a good way. This was the perfect storyline I'd been waiting for. An orphaned boy who never met his parents gets chosen to become a Ranger. When I say Ranger, I mean the man who gets espionage-like info for the kingdom, and learns to move around unseen, not Walker, Texas Ranger. This series will be a great read for kids, and really anyone who likes fantasy stories.

Thanks for listening.

This book is the second book in the series and has more adventure and suspense than the first. Will and Horace find that life as a Ranger and a Knight holds responsibility and danger they didn't expect. The wargals were cool and dangerous! I can't wait to read the next book!

My son and I loved this book for the same reason we loved The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger's Apprentice, Book 1). The varied and well-drawn characters, the humor and the excitement gave us happy hours together. What a wonderful way to connect with my son!

Yea i'm actually 15 but i thought this book was better than the harry potter series. the trilogy has potential if the author can use it. I LUV CLIFF HANGERS like at the end of the book....just makes you wonder what will happen...will Will and Cassandra escape together, or possibly even fall for each other....or will they adopt and learn techniques of the Skandians....thats what i hope.

IF that happens Will would be super awesome.

This book starts to get good when Gilan, Will and Horace discover Evanlyn at their campsite. Will and Evanlyn get captured at the end of the book. There is some action in this book but not as much as book four. The best part is when Will and Evanlyn burn the bridge.

I was so pleased that this sequel was as good as the first book! I would recomend having the third book handy though because (like any good writter, however anoying it might be) he leaves you hanging as to what happens. I would HIGHLY recomend this book!

Ranger's Apprentice the burning bridge was the best book I ever read besides the first one and the Holy Bible itself. Before you read this book you should read the first book. Its like the book just pulls you into it, and makes you eager to read more and more of it. You feel the emotions of what the characters go through. They should make a moive of the series like Lord of the Rings. If you don't like to read books this one will make you start liking them.

It wasn't as engaging as Ruins of Gorlan, but it was still a tightly written story with plenty of action. All of the main characters made appearances and a few new ones were introduced. The ending will keep readers anxiously waiting for the next book. Overall, a good read.

This book was incredible. So much action and events happen in the one book. Some times, when authors try to cram lots of stuff in one book, it comes out okay. BUT, this book is the exception. This book makes you think about it all day! You can't get it off your mind. This is one of the best books, I've ever read.

this book was one i didn't exspect too much from. i was just reading it to pass time till i found another to my liking. i was pleasently supriced and couldn't wait to finish it,because i knew there was more to come.

Coming of age, gaining the courage to do what is right, and fighting the wrongs of the world. All great lessons for ourselves and our children. Wrapped up in a great and inspiring story. What more could you ask for?

Unfortunately our family had to abandon listening to the audio series because of the use of inappropriate language. My family avoids the use of foul language. Having this material in books targeted at this age range is needless.

THE END STUNK!!! Will and Cassandra(the princess!) got kidnaped, Halt is sitting on Abelard out in the water crying and yelling; "I'll find you Will, where ever they take you I'll find you!!!" ARRGGHH!!!!!! Ahem. Otherwise it was FANTASTIC!!!

I loved this book so much! I liked how Princess Cassandra took her maids name! This book was super interesting! I also liked Cassandra's tale, and i really liked how Will and Horace believed her! This book was awesome!

this is the best series ive ever read. well excel maybe the new series by Flanagan "Brotherband Chronicles". but you need to read these first if you read those. the toughest book to read in this series is #3("The Icebound Land"). if you get past that(and its still really good) The series is amazing. ive read it 5 times.