The Siege of Macindaw (Ranger's Apprentice Series #6)

Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

THE SIEGE OF MACINDAW, the sixth installment in John Flanagan's best-selling RANGER'S APPRENTICE series, picks up right where THE SORCERER OF THE NORTH left off, with Alyss imprisoned in Macindaw castle at the mercy of Keren the usurper.

Will is soon united with enemy-turned-best-friend Horace, deep in Malcolm the Healer's mysterious forest. Much as it pains the two to be so close to Macindaw and yet so helpless, the two know that they do not stand a chance against Keren and his soldiers. Worst of all, Will has no idea what the traitor Keren might be up to.

The unexpected arrival of a small Skandian force, led by Gundar Hardstriker, is the ultimate blessing. While the Skandians find themselves stranded in Araluen quite by accident, Will greets them heartily and quickly turns them into his own small army, led by none other than Horace, the Oakleaf Knight.

With intelligence covertly provided by Alyss, Will and Horace learn of Keren's plans to turn Macindaw over to the Scotti tribes of Picta. All the odds are against them, but Will and Horace are not about to give up. The ranger and warrior complement each other perfectly, and the two hope that Will's agility and wit paired with Horace's strength and fighting experience will be enough to overcome Keren's forces and the fast-approaching Scotti army. Trying to take Macindaw with only thirty men is a daunting task, a feat never before achieved in Araluen history.

In other words, the perfect challenge.

It is easy to see why RANGER'S APPRENTICE has such a following with the preteen crowd. THE SIEGE OF MACINDAW is a fantasy adventure with strong characters and a fast-paced plot. Flanagan's characters have heart and his heroes are almost too virtuous to be true. While an adult audience might dismiss Will and Horace as one-dimensional, their shining courage and unwavering sense of morality will appeal to younger readers.

Araluen is an epic fantasy world reminiscent of Tamora Pierce's Tortall with a pinch of C. S. Lewis' Narnia thrown in for good measure.

11 out of 15 people found this review helpful.

Exciting But Not the Best in The Series

I have read and loved all the Ranger's Apprentice Series by Flanagan. This one I found a little disappointing. I am not saying I did not like by any means, but it was slow in the beginning and middle. It is the sequel to The Sorcerer of the North which I thought was a little better book.

I like Will, Horace, Alyss quite a lot, but to be honest I miss Halt. He was in the middle of The Sorcerer of the North and only in the ending of this book. When Halt is in the books, they are electric with his wit, charm, ingenious ways of solving problems and persuading people to do things that turn out to be the right choices. Will just doesn't have Halt's flare. When Will was Halt's apprentice, the story flowed with excitment and creativity. In books five and six I personally missed it.

The plot is a clever one, but just not an exciting one until the ending. Will is smart and Halt taught him well in many ways, but Will just seems to bumble into finding a solution to a the problem, whereas, Halt would have had a plan already made.

The other characters such as Malcolm, Trobar, Orman, and the Skandians were rather dull. It is hard to imagine the Skandians as dull, but maybe Flanagan has used them to many times in his books to be effective. Sir Keren was just not evil enough for me and Buttle's character was too cliched. The one new character I enjoyed the most was Orman's secretary, Xander, who I at least found refreshing.

I hope in Book 7 that I will see more of Halt whose character keeps the story moving faster and makes the story more exciting and clever. Since the books are called Ranger's Apprentice, I would like to see the master teach the apprentice some more.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

fantabulous!! : )

can't wait for book series 7

in this book a knight named keren takes over a castle and takes

in this book a knight named keren takes over a castle and takes alyss prisoner so will horace and scandian friends fight to take back the castle and take back alyss. i liked all the action and the funny things that happen when they are fighting for the castle, like when buttle gets knocked out and the gross details. i didnt like the stupid romance between will and alyss. i think this book would be great for teens and others who love action and medivil war.

I bet

I bet 1/2 of every one dosnt know what a siege is

Kids only

Stop

If isee he person ppst a nother blank or swear word they are getting reported

Good

Book

Good book

Good book

Siege of Macindaw: Ranger's Apprentice #6

Another excellent book! Ranger's Apprentice is a phenomenal series. It never disappoints me! I can hardly wait to get started on book #7.

Nick to Gilan

Calm down, i despise cussing, but arent rangers supposed to keep their cool?(keep calm)

Great!

Great read!

Epic

Epic book, if you dont like it..... go f*** yourself.

Ugh

He keeps spelling horace wrong. He spells it horage!

Fuc* allyou

Rdrxxfddpppygxdgccxsgfgfafpagcqgfzhsaopdjsk bosjv xjsjaaahskdhhdjkxhhxoizbkdihvqhixvjgfgfgdhagdoadbzkhsushvdadkdjddjagjdafagjadaldafgaghgkklpytbkyogkyypppppp¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿lmk¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿@@@@@@@@#####$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$*&*&*&*$hi*

Fine...

Im a huge fan of rangers apprentice and this one was the worst in the series. Not bad. Not bad at all. Just not the best in the series.

Will Treaty

I would like it if i could please engage somene in rpg fashion via nook to act as rangers much how warriors fans act as cats via nook
By the way love the book :)

Alessandra

Please, as I said in book 5: NO CUSSING!!!! You are setting a bad example! Respect the people reading your reviews and they will respect you! Please keep the peace. Thank you.

Clever

Good series

GREAT!

Very good! I enjoyed it all. Everything fit together like a puzzle.