Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #238449 in Books
• Published on: 2006
• Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews

A rebound from the last title!
After a little letdown in the "Sorcerer of the North," I was glad to see that this title returned to the same level of excitement and unpredictability of many of the earlier books in the series. It continues the story of the aforementioned title in describing how Will uses his intelligence and available resources at hand to capture the castle of Macindaw. With the help of his friends I was pleasantly surprised by the believable and creative plan that Will puts together to accomplish his mission. This title is also noteworthy in that Holt is barely in the story and plays no part in Will's triumph. Though I missed Holt's presence, it really showed how Will has developed into a full and excellent Ranger in every respect. For those who may find these last two titles a bit of a letdown, fear not! The next title after this one, "Erak's Ransom" is as good as any in the entire series. (Note: The books in the series come out much earlier in the author's native Australia than they do in the U.S. for some reason. Down under, Book 9 of the series is due to come out in November.)

A Talky-But-Fun Book for Teens
I've read all of the "Ranger's Apprentice" book up to this one, and after struggling through "The Sorcerer in the North", which was good, but had a lot of dialogue and not a lot of action, I wasn't sure what "The Siege of Macindaw" would be like. Would it be swashbuckling like "The Ruins of Gorlan" or a little darker like "The Burning Bridge"? As the series went on I noticed that the action began to slow down and the characters began to talk more than act. I mean constant dialogue from chapter to chapter with very few action sequences to break it. And, not to mention, most of the dialogue was rather pointless and did not benefit the plot at all. However, I liked the humor - especially some of the banter between Horace and Will (even that got tedious after a while) - and the character development. There were no loose ends at the end of the story, and there was a strong plot to help it along. The very few action sequences were very well executed, and overall it was a very good addition to the "Ranger's Apprentice" series.

Snowy "Siege"
When we last saw Will Treaty, he was in a seemingly hopeless situation -- the knight Keren and his treacherous sidekick Buttle had taken over MacIndaw Castle, the heir has been chased off, and Alyss was a prisoner.

"The Siege of Macindaw" picks up immediately after that, and thankfully John Flanagan steers the story off in a much warmer, more hopeful direction. While the middle part of the sixth Ranger's Apprentice book is on the slow side, the gentle humor, elaborate strategies and action-packed climax keep it intricate and interesting.

Will is delighted when he hears news of a young warrior with a free-for-hire shield in the area -- it's Horace, meaning that he now has a somewhat better chance of victory. As a brigade of Scotti warriors approach, meaning that a chunk of Araluen will be lost, Will also acquires other allies: Malcolm the "sorcerer" and his followers, and a band of stranded Skandians who are all too happy to be hired.

So Will and his allies set out to capture the Scotti warriors, and somehow must find out what their battle plans are. But Malcolm's illusions and deceptions won't be enough to stop the soldiers of Macindaw -- it will take plenty of strategy and combat to infiltrate the castle. And when Will finally finds Keren, he will find someone dear to him suddenly turned against him.

"The Siege of Macindaw" is a rather slow-moving book at times -- the entire middle section is a stretch of careful strategic planning, with the occasional spurt of bloody, knife-swiping action. Fortunately, it's also very intricate and well-mapped out, and it's become clear once and for all that Will is no longer just an apprentice -- he and Horace are a strong, confident Ranger and warrior.

While things seem hopeless at the beginning, Flanagan devotes much of the plot to building up advantages for our heroes -- smoke-and-mirrors demons and monsters, a band of hardy Skandians, and their own prowess. And the last third of the novel suddenly blossoms into an emotionally intense, action-packed story that pits Horace, Will and their little band against Keren.

Flanagan also has thoroughly solid, atmospheric writing that brings to mind snow, big eerie illusions and a ghastly scene where Malcolm terrifies the Scotti with the image of a reality-bending demon. While the story is devoted to stopping Keren, he inserts some pleasant exchanges that keep the characters connected, such discussing a proper name for Will's dog, or a fun little limerick challenge ("What rhymes with Macindaw?").

But the most important focus here is Will and Horace, now confident young men who still bicker, care about each other, and fight the Scotti with wild abandon. And Will's obvious feelings for Alyss finally come out into the open, while Horace is hinted to have some feelings for another absent girl. And Flanagan's careful writing also leads to some very intricate villains -- though a bad guy, Keren is plagued by guilt and doubt; and the Scotti leader is a guy you end up feeling sorry for.

The sixth Ranger's Apprentice book "The Siege of Macindaw" nicely finishes off the story started in the previous book, and cements the maturity of an apprentice that is now a full Ranger. A good solid fantasy story.