Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Ranger's Apprentice, Book 8: Kings of Clonmel
Fiction
For ages 12 and up
Unabridged audiobook (CD)
Performed/read by: John Keating
Penguin Audio, 2010 ISBN: 978-0142428504
Will Treaty hasn’t been a Ranger for long, but he has had many exciting, terrifying, and extraordinary adventures. The last few months have been very quiet though, and Will is feeling a little restless. Seacliff Fief isn’t a bad place to be stationed, but it is not very interesting either, and Will is eager for a change. He is therefore delighted when he given a new job, and even happier when he sets off with his mentor Halt and his friend Horace to visit Hibernia.
According to Halt, a cult called the Outsiders is taking over the country, and if they don’t hurry, the last of the country’s fiefs, Clonmel, will soon be under the control of the cult’s leader. Halt has seen this particular cult in action before, and he knows how they operate, so he knows what to expect. He also has a particular interest in Clonmel. To the amazement of Will and Horace, Halt tells them that he is actually the rightful king of the fief. When Halt was still a young man, his twin brother, Ferris, sized the throne. Halt was forced to flee his homeland, and he hasn’t seen his brother since the day when Ferris tried to kill him. Though Halt has no fondness for his brother, he is determined to do what he can to save Clonmel and Hibernia from the Outsiders before it is too late.
In this seventh Ranger’s Apprentice title, John Flanagan once again tells a great story that is engaging, full of surprises, and touched with humor in all the right places.
The story of Halt’s troubles with the leader of the Outsiders continues in the next title in this series.
