Halt's Peril: Book 09 [Hardcover]

Halt has been in countless perilous situations in his life, but he's always come out unscathed. But his winning streak may have come to a permanent end in "Halt's Peril," the ninth book of the Ranger's Apprentice series. John Flanagan's writing drags somewhat in the first half, but the introduction of a deadly threat speeds up the story.

Horace, Halt and Will are still pursuing the evil cult leader Tennyson, who is currently en route to Araluen -- they have to stop him before he gets there, or the Outsider cult might spring up again in their own homeland. Along the way, they have to deal with malevolent pirates, stormy seas, Scotti raiding parties, burned farms, and the Genovesan assassins that Tennyson is traveling with.

But during a battle in a dead forest, Halt is grazed by a crossbow bolt, and within a day he's near-comatose from poison. Now Will must make a desperate journey to fetch an old friend who might be able to save Halt's life -- but the remaining Genovesan is still out hunting for them, and Halt may have only hours to live.

"Halt's Peril" is the darkest Ranger's Apprentice book thus far, mainly because it really does look like Halt is going to die -- and any fantasy fan knows what eventually happens to most mentors once the apprentice has gotten trained. But it's also pretty harrowing to see the young knight and ranger struggling to save him, and doing some pretty desperate stuff along the way.

Biggest problem: the first half of the book goes at a very slow pace. I mean, two whole chapters are devoted to Will hanging around in a tavern and LOOKING for a certain criminal, and it takes another FOUR for the trio to wrangle an answer out of the guy. But Flanagan's prose is still strong enough to compensate, with lots of action, nerve-twisting suspense and bloody fight scenes, as well as some literally haunting scenes tinged with the supernatural (Will sleeping in a haunted barrow-ground).

It's been hinted that Halt is beginning to get a little old for the rough'n'tumble life of a Ranger, but this is the first time we've seen him truly facing death. And though they're a full-fledged knight and ranger, Will and Horace have to take another step forward in their independence -- they not only have to deal with the rotten situation without Halt's help or advice, but they are faced with the possibility of losing him for good.

"Ranger's Apprentice: Halt's Peril" is another solid entry in John Flanagan's action-packed fantasy series -- the first half drags, but things pick up once the assassins come back into the picture.

Will, Halt and Horace have successfully run Tennyson and his religious cult, The Outsiders, out of the southern kingdom of Clonmel --- but that doesn't mean the threat is over. Like all fanatical leaders, Tennyson has simply packed up and moved on to locate a new place to begin his swindling: Will's home kingdom of Araluen. Before they can even dream of catching up with Tennyson, Will, Halt and Horace first have to secure passage across the dangerous waters surrounding Palisade Reef and escape a band of smugglers who are hot on their trail.

Expert shots with a bow and arrow are difficult enough, but imagine shooting on a rocking boat with wind, rain and the impending threat of running into a dangerous reef. For Will and Halt, it's just another day as a Ranger. They have bigger issues to deal with anyway, as Tennyson and the Outsiders have already started rounding up new followers and are slowly starting to infiltrate Araluen. Tennyson also knows that Will, Halt and Horace are right behind him, so he dispatches two deadly Genovesan assassins to rid himself of the Rangers.

Before the Genovesan assassins can fulfill their mission, though, Will and Halt immediately recognize the danger, and a deadly cat-and-mouse game ensues. Deep within a petrified forest, Halt decides on a risky plan that could kill him. With Will lurking in the shadows behind, Halt will be the scapegoat and the live target for the Genovesans. At first, Halt's plan is executed brilliantly. Will manages to sneak up on the assassins while Halt draws their attention. Only after the Rangers fire their arrows do they realize their mistake. Both Will and Halt shoot the same Genovesan, leaving the other assassin the opportunity to fire his weapon --- at Halt.

After the initial scare of being shot, Halt discovers that the Genovesan's arrow barely nicked him, leaving a small flesh wound. Will and Horace are grateful that he is still alive after coming so close to losing their great mentor and leader. Halt is business as usual as the three friends continue their search for Tennyson, but something isn't right. He begins to issue orders that don't make sense, starts calling Will and Horace by different names, and eventually collapses into unconsciousness. To their horror, Will and Horace discover that the arrow was poisoned, and he is slowly dying.

With time running out, Will and Horace are left with few options. Will immediately leaves to find his old friend Malkallam the Sorcerer for a cure. Malkallam is three days away, though, and Halt could be dead by then. Horace is left to care for Halt, but the remaining Genovesan assassin lurks in the distance, and Horace waits for the end to come at any moment.

John Flanagan has always held the Rangers in such high esteem, both in skill and wisdom, it often seems that nothing can ever go wrong. Sure, the Rangers often go to plan B, but they always appear a step ahead of their enemy. Not this time! For the first time, Flanagan really shows the humanity of the Rangers and the brutal reality of the danger they experience on a daily basis. In such instances, you often learn what people are really made of. The strength of the Ranger's Apprentice series is in the strong bond among the characters and their devotion and loyalty to each other. The good news is that there is one final book in the series coming out early next year.

--- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche

Out of the entire series, only Halt's Peril is 14.99. The rest are either 7.99 or 10.99, and I am not sure why this one was so expensive. Also, there were a lot of strange spelling errors peppered throughout the book, a bad sign for the Kindle editor since the print edition is not like this. Still, it is a great book.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 54 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars