Ranger’s Apprentice Books in Order: How to read John Flanagan’s series?

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Ranger’s Apprentice is a fantasy adventure series written by Australian author John Flanagan (the author of The Brotherband Chronicles series) and published between 2004 and 2011.

The story follows the adventures of Will, an orphan who is taken as an apprentice Ranger, as he strives to keep the Kingdom of Araluen safe from invaders, traitors, and threats. In his adventures, Will is joined on his adventures by his mentor Halt, and his best friend Horace. The universe of the Ranger’s Apprentice expands to a prequel series and a spin-off.

How to read the Ranger’s Apprentice Series in Order?

This is the reading order for the main Ranger’s Apprentice book series. There’s also a prequel series (see below) and the Brotherband spin-off. At the end of this article, you’ll find the Chronological Order for all the series.

For now, this is the Ranger’s Apprentice publication order:

1. The Ruins of Gorlan – 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing.
2. The Burning Bridge – On a special mission for the rangers, Will and his friend Horace, an apprentice knight, travel to a neighboring village and discover the unsettling truth: All the villagers have either been slain or captured. but why? Could it be that the evil lord Morgarath has finally devised a plan to bring his legions over the supposedly insurmountable pass?
3. The Icebound Land – Kidnapped after the fierce battle with Lord Morgarath, Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as captives aboard a fearsome wolfship. Halt has sworn to rescue Will, and he will do anything to keep his promise–even defy his King.

4. The Battle for Skandia – Still far from home after escaping slavery in the icebound land of Skandia, young Will and Evanlyn’s plans to return to Araluen are spoiled when Evanlyn is taken captive. Though still weak, Will employs his Ranger training to locate his friend but soon finds himself fatally outnumbered.
5. The Sorcerer in the North – Several years have passed since the apprentice and his master, Will and Halt, first met, and Will is finally a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief to look after. The fief seems sleepy, until Lord Syron, master of a castle far in the north, is struck down by a mysterious illness. Joined by his friend Alyss, Will is suddenly thrown headfirst into an extraordinary adventure.
6. The Siege of Macindaw – The kingdom is in danger. Renegade knight Sir Keren has succeeded in overtaking Castle Macindaw and is now conspiring with the Scotti. The fate of Araluen rests in the hands of two young adventurers: the Ranger Will and his warrior friend, Horace.

7. Erak’s Ransom – In the wake of Araluen’s uneasy truce with the raiding Skandians comes word that the Skandian leader has been captured by a dangerous desert tribe. The Rangers – and Will – are sent to free him. But the desert is like nothing these warriors have seen before.
8. The Kings of Clonmel – When a cult springs up in neighboring Clonmel, promising to quell the recent attacks by lawless marauders, people flock from all over to offer gold in exchange for protection. But Halt knows they have a less than charitable agenda. Secrets will be unveiled and battles fought to the death as Will and Horace help Halt in ridding the land of a dangerous enemy.
9. Halt’s Peril – The renegade outlaw group known as the Outsiders has journeyed from kingdom to kingdom, conning the innocent out of their few valuables. Will and Halt are ambushed by the cult’s deadly assassins when Halt is pierced by a poisoned arrow. Now, Will must travel day and night in search of the one person with the power to cure Halt.

10. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja – When Horace travels to the exotic land of Nihon- Ja, it isn’t long before he finds himself pulled into a battle that is not his. A kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos when the Nihon-Ja emperor is forcibly overthrown, and only Horace, Will, and his Araluen companions can restore the emperor to the throne.
11. The Lost Stories – A collection of short stories dealing with the fate or the origin of some of the most popular characters and storylines from Ranger’s Apprentice.
12. The Royal Ranger – Will is facing a tragic battle that has left him grim and alone. To add to his problems, the time has come to take on an apprentice of his own, and it’s the last person he ever would have expected. Fighting his personal demons, Will has to win the trust and respect of his difficult new companion-a task that at times seems almost impossible…

13. The Red Fox Clan – After passing her third-year assessment as a ranger’s apprentice, Maddie is called home to Castle Araluen. Forced to keep her ranger training a secret, Maddie feels trapped by the monotony of castle life and longs to find a way out. But there are whisperings of a new threat to the kingdom. The mysterious Red Fox Clan has threatened Castle Araluen.
14. Duel at Araluen – King Duncan and Princess Cassandra are trapped in the south tower of Castle Araluen and under near-constant attack from the Red Fox Clan. Sir Horace and Ranger Commandant Gilan are holed up in an old hill fort, surrounded by the enemy. And Ranger’s apprentice Maddie is the only one who can save them all.
15. The Missing Prince – Will Treaty and his apprentice, Maddie have been urgently summoned to Castle Araluen. When they arrive they learn a shocking truth: the Prince of Gallica is missing–and the King of Gallica has asked for help. All reports suggest that the young prince has been taken prisoner by the dangerous and powerful Baron Joubert de Lassigny. King Duncan knows that sending troops to Gallica to rescue the prince could start a war, as could openly help Gallica resolve internal convicts. But there’s another way to save the prince: the Ranger Corps.

16. Escape from Falaise – Will and Maddie are imprisoned at Chateau des Falaises. Baron Lassigny is scheming to recruit them as spies for hire, but Maddie raises the stakes when she challenges Lassigny’s garrison commander to a duel on horseback. Will is horrified – especially when he realizes the treacherous baron won’t fight fair.
17. Arazan’s Wolves – Will and Maddie are sent to neighboring kingdom Celtica to investigate reports of terrifying direwolves – an ancient species thought to be extinct. What they discover is even more of a threat – a sorceress who has enslaved direwolves and Wargals to her will and is building an army of creatures both living and supernatural.

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Ranger’s Apprentice: The Early Years in Order

As you may have guessed with the help of a title like this one, “The Early Years” is a prequel to the Ranger’s Apprentice series. More precisely, the series follows Halt and Crowley and is preceded by the short story “The Hibernian” in the book The Lost Stories, but is definitively set before ‘The Ruins of Gorlan‘.

1. The Tournament at Gorlan – When Halt and Crowley discover that the ambitious Morgarath has been infiltrating the Rangers in order to corrupt the Corps, the young Rangers travel north to find Prince Duncan, seeking a royal warrant to stop Morgarath before it is too late. By weakening the Rangers, the most powerful force in support of the King, Morgarath plans to steal the throne.
2. The Battle at Hackham Heath – When the former Baron Morgarath escaped to avoid punishment for treason, an uneasy peace fell on Araluen. But Morgarath, now in hiding, is already planning his next move, recruiting an army of savage, overpowering beasts known as Wargals. Newly crowned King Duncan knows he must assemble his troops for battle.

Ranger’s Apprentice Books in Chronological Order:

Every short stories are in “The Lost Stories“.

1. “The Hibernian” (short story)
2. The Tournament at Gorlan
3. The Battle at Hackham Heath
4. “Death of a Hero” (short story)
5. The Ruins of Gorlan
6. The Burning Bridge
7. The Icebound Land
8. “The Inkwell and the Dagger” (short story)
9. The Battle for Skandia
10. Erak’s Ransom
11. The Sorcerer in the North
12. The Siege of Macindaw
13. The Kings of Clonmel
14. Halt’s Peril
15. The Outcasts (Brotherband)
16. The Invaders (Brotherband)
17. The Hunters (Brotherband)
18. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja
19. “The Roamers” (short story)
20. “Purple Prose” (short story)
21. “Dinner for Five” (short story)
22. “The Bridal Dance” (short story)
23. “The Wolf” (short story)
24. “And About Time, Too…” (short story)
25. The Slaves of Socorro (Brotherband)
26. Scorpion Mountain (Brotherband)
27. The Ghostfaces (Brotherband)
28. The Caldera
29. The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning
30. “The Beast from Another Time” (short story)
31. The Red Fox Clan
32. Duel at Araluen
33. Return of the Temujai
34. The stern chase
35. The Missing Prince
36. Escape from Falaise
37. Arazan’s Wolves
38. The Lost Stories: Forward & Afterward

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