The Icebound Land

August 1, 2007
Gr 5-9-This third installment in the series picks up where "The Burning Bridge" (Philomel, 2006) left off. Apprentice Ranger Will and Evanlyn (Princess Cassandra incognito) are being taken by ship to the snowy northern country of the Skandians, a Viking-like group of raiders who plan to sell them as slaves. Will's mentor Halt, frustrated at not being allowed to follow them, stages an incident to get himself thrown out of the Ranger corps so that he can mount a rescue mission. He is joined by Will's friend Horace, and the chapters alternate neatly between Will and Evanlyn's plight in Skandia and Halt and Horace's obstacle-ridden journey to find them. As in the previous titles, the action is well paced and the writing style is engaging. The main characters continue to be believable and to inspire readers' interest and sympathy. A particular strength of this series is that Will has never been the effortless hero. Though talented and intelligent, he makes mistakes and he often needs help from those around himmaking him a very realistic and appealing protagonist. Fans of the series will not be disappointed in this latest installment and will be left eagerly anticipating the next one."Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2007
The third book in the Rangers Apprentice series features a dual story, switching between the rangers apprentice, Will, accompanied by princess Evanlyn, and the ranger, Halt, accompanied by Wills friend Horace, a young knight-in-training. After an unsuccessful attempt to escape from the ship where they are captives, Will and Evanlyn are taken to Skandia and put to work as slaves. Meanwhile, Halt and Horace ride to the rescue, or at least toward the rescue, only to be detained by a series of petty thieves and a nefarious knight. Although both strands of narrative feature journeys, each provides its own challenges for the characters and pleasures for readers. The Halt/Horace strand combines elements of knightly combat with a certain dry wit, and the Will/Evanlyn strand offers a good adventure story with a surprising twist. Throughout the novel, Flanagans deft character portrayals and well-paced story will engage readers, and the ending will leave them clamoring for the next volume.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)