By John Flanagan
What does it mean to earn the Silver Oakleaf of a Ranger? So few men have done so. For Will, a mere boy and apprentice to the most difficult Ranger to please, that symbol of honor has long seemed out of reach. If he is to ever earn it, he must prove himself in ways he never imagined.
Now, in the wake of Araluen's uneasy truce with the raiding Skandians comes word that the Skandian leader, Erak, has been captured by a desert tribe. The Rangers, along with a small party of warriors, 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 on tribe that plays by its own rules, and surprisingly befriended by another. Like a mirage, nothing is as it seems.
Yet one thing is constant: the bravery of the Rangers.
First things first: Yes, I read book 7 before book 5. There is a reason. Before the book starts, Mr. Flanagan explains that Erak's Ransom in fact takes place at a time before the contents of books 5 and 6 take place. He was filling in the gap that he felt he had left. That being said, it is my humble opinion that you should just go ahead and read the books in the order that appears on their covers. I was constantly irked when reading 5 and 6 because there was no mention of events that had supposedly taken place already. And there were some pretty significant events. So, I say read them in order. It took a huge leap of faith for me to read out of order, because that totally goes against my mild case of OCD, but I can see why I was recommended to do so, for the sake of having the story go sequentially, but you can tell the order it was written. Keep the course is what I say.
As for the book itself, it was, as usual delightful. I enjoyed the desert theme, as it was different than all previous books. The characters are very rich, and I just love the Skandians can I say that? I don't know why, there is just this almost innocent Neanderthal-like quality that greatly amuses me and makes me laugh. And of course, we get plenty of Halt, Evanlyn, Horace, and Will. Yay! Gotta love these books. I'll say it again, if you haven't started you need to!
What does it mean to earn the Silver Oakleaf of a Ranger? So few men have done so. For Will, a mere boy and apprentice to the most difficult Ranger to please, that symbol of honor has long seemed out of reach. If he is to ever earn it, he must prove himself in ways he never imagined.
Now, in the wake of Araluen's uneasy truce with the raiding Skandians comes word that the Skandian leader, Erak, has been captured by a desert tribe. The Rangers, along with a small party of warriors, 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 on tribe that plays by its own rules, and surprisingly befriended by another. Like a mirage, nothing is as it seems.
Yet one thing is constant: the bravery of the Rangers.
First things first: Yes, I read book 7 before book 5. There is a reason. Before the book starts, Mr. Flanagan explains that Erak's Ransom in fact takes place at a time before the contents of books 5 and 6 take place. He was filling in the gap that he felt he had left. That being said, it is my humble opinion that you should just go ahead and read the books in the order that appears on their covers. I was constantly irked when reading 5 and 6 because there was no mention of events that had supposedly taken place already. And there were some pretty significant events. So, I say read them in order. It took a huge leap of faith for me to read out of order, because that totally goes against my mild case of OCD, but I can see why I was recommended to do so, for the sake of having the story go sequentially, but you can tell the order it was written. Keep the course is what I say.
As for the book itself, it was, as usual delightful. I enjoyed the desert theme, as it was different than all previous books. The characters are very rich, and I just love the Skandians can I say that? I don't know why, there is just this almost innocent Neanderthal-like quality that greatly amuses me and makes me laugh. And of course, we get plenty of Halt, Evanlyn, Horace, and Will. Yay! Gotta love these books. I'll say it again, if you haven't started you need to!
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