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John Flanagan

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The Ranger's Apprentice, Book 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja: Book Ten Kindle Edition

by John Flanagan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.8 3,648 ratings

Book 10 of 11: Ranger's Apprentice

Editors' pick Best Books Ages 9-12

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The international bestselling series with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. alone!
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 - but one he knows in his heart he must wage. A kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos when the Nihon-Ja emperor, a defender of the common man, is forcibly overthrown, and only Horace, Will, and his Araluen companions can restore the emperor to the throne. Victory lies in the hands of an inexperienced group of fighters, and it's anybody's guess who will make the journey home to Araluen.

Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series.

From the Publisher


	The Ruins of Gorlan	The Burning Bridge	The Icebound Land	The Battle for Skandia	The Sorcerer of the North	The Siege of Macindaw

Customer Reviews	9,870	739	6,004	4,954	5,377	5,393
Price	$9.99	$8.69	$7.99	$8.08	$8.34	$8.09
	Book One of the Ranger's Apprentice series	Book Two of the Ranger's Apprentice series	Book Three of the Ranger's Apprentice series	Book Four of the Ranger's Apprentice series	Book Five of the Ranger's Apprentice series	Book Six of the Ranger's Apprentice series


	Erak's Ransom	The Kings of Clonmel	The Emperor of Nihon-Ja	Halt's Peril	The Lost Stories

Customer Reviews	4,785	489	518	494	476
Price	$9.49	$8.50	$8.89	$8.49	$8.99
	Book Seven of the Ranger's Apprentice series	Book Eight of the Ranger's Apprentice series	Book Nine of the Ranger's Apprentice series	Book Ten of the Ranger's Apprentice series	Book Eleven of the Ranger's Apprentice series


	A New Beginning	The Outcasts

Customer Reviews	5,793	2,984
Price	$11.19	$11.82
	From #1 New York Times bestselling author John Flanagan comes the story that brings the Ranger's Apprentice series full-circle and ushers in a brand new arc starring Maddie, the Royal Ranger!	Full of seafaring adventures and epic battles, Book 1 of The Brotherband Chronicles is sure to thrill readers of Ranger's Apprentice while enticing a whole new generation just now discovering the books.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia hoping to be a writer. It wasn’t until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John’s assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting.

After writing advertising copy for the next two decades, John teamed with an old friend to develop a television sitcom, Hey Dad!, which went on to air for eight years.

John began writing Ranger’s Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series. He currently lives in the suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Normal0falsefalsefalseMicrosoftInternetExplorer41Toscana“Avanti!”The command rang out over the sun-baked earth of the parade ground and the triple files of men stepped out together. At each stride, their iron-nailed sandals hit the ground in perfect unison,setting up a rhythmic thudding that was counterpointed by the irregular jingle of weapons and equipment as they occasionally rubbed or clattered together. Already, their marching feet were raising a faint cloud of dust in their wake.“You’d certainly see them coming from quite a distance,” Halt murmured.Will looked sidelong at him and grinned. “Maybe that’s the idea.” General Sapristi, who had organized this demonstration of Toscan military techniques for them, nodded approvingly.“The young gentleman is correct,” he said. Halt raised an eyebrow. “He may be correct, and he is undoubtedly young. But he’s no gentleman.”Sapristi hesitated. Even after ten days in their company, he was still not completely accustomed to the constant stream of cheerful insults that flowed between these two strange Araluens. It was difficult to know when they were serious and when they were speaking in fun. Some of the things they said to each other would be cause for mayhem and bloodshed between Toscans, whose pride was notoriously stronger than their sense of humor. He looked at the younger Ranger and noticed that he seemed to have taken no offense.“Ah, Signor Halt,” he said uncertainly, “you are making a joke, yes?”“He is making a joke, no,” Will said. “But he likes to think he is making a joke, yes.”Sapristi decided it might be less confusing to get back to the point that the two Rangers had already raised. “In any event,” he said, “we find that the dust raised by our soldiers can often cause enemies to disperse. Very few are willing to face our legions in open battle.”“They certainly can march nicely,” Halt said mildly. Sapristi glanced at him, sensing that the demonstration so far had done little to impress the gray-bearded Araluen. He smiled inwardly. That would change in a few minutes, he thought.“Here’s Selethen,” Will said, and as the other two looked down, they could see the distinctively tall form of the Arridi leader climbing the steps of the reviewing platform to join them. Selethen, representing the Arridi Emrikir, was in Toscana to negotiate a trade and military pact with the Toscan Senate. Over the years, the Toscans and Arridi had clashed intermittently, their countries separated only by the relatively narrow waters of the Constant Sea. Yet each country had items that the other needed. The Arridi had reserves of red gold and iron in their deserts that the Toscans required to finance and equip their large armies. Even more important, Toscans had become inordinately fond of kafay, the rich coffee grown by the Arridi.The desert dwellers, for their part, looked to Toscana for woven cloth—the fine linen and cotton so necessary in the fierce desert heat—and for the excellent grade of olive oil the Toscans produced, which was far superior to their locally grown product. Plus there was a constant need to replenish and bring new breeding stock to their herds of sheep and goats. Animal mortality in the desert was high. In the past, the two nations had fought over such items. But now, wiser heads prevailed, and they had decided that an alliance might be mutually beneficial for trade and for security. The waters of the Constant Sea were infested by corsairs in swift, small galleys. They swooped on merchant ships traveling between the two countries, robbing and sinking them.Some in the region even looked back regretfully to the time when Skandian wolfships used to visit these waters. The Skandians had raided as well, but never in the numbers that were seen these days. And the presence of the Skandian ships had kept the number of local pirates down.Nowadays, the Skandians were more law abiding. Their Oberjarl, Erak, had discovered that it was far more profitable to hire his ships out to other countries that needed to secure their national waters. As a result, the Skandians had become the de facto naval police in manyparts of the world. The Toscans and Arridi, with no significant naval forces of their own, had decided, as part of their agreement, to lease a squadron of wolfships to patrol the waters between their two coastlines.All of which were the reasons why Halt and Will had spent the past ten days in Toscana. The longstanding enmity between the two countries, accompanied by the inevitable suspicion of the other’s intentions, had led both sides to agree to ask a third-party nation to act as arbitrator in the treaty that was being put in place. Araluen was a country trusted by both Arrida and Toscana. In addition, the Araluens had close ties with the Skandian Oberjarl, and it was felt that their intervention would be helpful in forming a relationship with the wild northern seamen. It was logical for Selethen to suggest the inclusion of Halt and Will in the Araluen delegation. He had included Horace in the request as well, but duty had taken Horace elsewhere. The actual wording and conditions of the treaty were not the concern of the two Rangers. They were simply here to escort the chief Araluen negotiator—Alyss Mainwaring, Will’s childhood sweetheart and one of the brighter new members of the Araluen Diplomatic Service.She was presently locked away with the Arridi and Toscan lawyers, thrashing out the fine details of the agreement. Selethen dropped gratefully into a seat beside Will. The three companies of Toscan legionnaires—thirty-three to a company, with an overall commander making up the traditional Toscan century of one hundred men—pivoted through a smart right turn below them, changing from a three-abreast formation to an extended eleven- abreast. In spite of the wider formation their lines were still geometrically perfect— straight as a sword blade, Will thought. He was about to voice the thought, and then he smiled. The simile wouldn’t be accurate so far as Selethen’s curved saber was concerned. “How are the negotiations progressing?” Halt asked. Selethen pursed his lips. “As all such things progress. My chamberlain is asking for a reduction of three-quarters of a percent on the duty to be charged for kafay. Your advocates,” he said, including Sapristiin the conversation, “are holding out for no more than five eighths of a percent. I had to have a break from it all. Sometimes I think they do this because they simply like to argue.”Sapristi nodded. “It’s always the way. We soldiers risk our lives fighting while the lawyers quibble over fractions of a percentage point. And yet they look upon us as lesser beings.”“How’s Alyss managing?” Will asked.Selethen turned an approving look on him. “Your Lady Alyss is proving to be an island of calm and common sense in a sea of dispute. She is very, very patient—although I sense that she has been tempted to whack my chamberlain over the head with his sheaf of papers on several occasions.” He looked down at the three Toscan companies, now reforming into three files.“A destra! Doppio di corsa! ”The order was given by the century commander, who stood in the center of the parade ground. Instantly, the companies turned right, re-formed into three files, then broke into double-time, the thud of their sandals and the jingle of equipment sounding louder and more urgent with the increase in pace. The dust rose higher as well.“General Sapristi,” Selethen asked, indicating the tight formations, “this precision drilling makes for quite a spectacle. But is there any real benefit to gain from it?”“Indeed there is, Wakir. Our fighting methods depend on discipline and cohesion. The men in each century fight as one unit.”“Once a battle begins, my men fight largely as individuals,” Selethen said. His voice indicated that he saw little value in this style of coordinated, almost machinelike maneuvering. “Of course, it’s the commander’s job to bring his forces into the most advantageous position on the field. But after that, I find it’s almost impossible to control them as individuals. Best to let them fight their own way.”“That’s why all this drilling is necessary,” Sapristi replied. “Our men become accustomed to reacting to orders. It becomes instinctive. We teach them a few vital drills, and practice them over and over. It takes years to train an expert warrior. Constant drilling means we can have a legion ready to fight effectively in less than a year.” “But they can’t possibly learn to be expert swordsmen in so short a time,” Will said questioningly.Sapristi shook his head. “They don’t have to. Watch and learn, Ranger Will.”“Alt! ” The command rang out and the three companies crashed to a stop as one.“A cloud of dust and a line of statues,” Will mused. Across the parade ground, a trumpet blared and warriors began to appear from behind the buildings there. They moved quickly to form an extended line of battle—not as disciplined or as rigidly maintained as the century’s formation. They were armed with wooden practice swords—long-bladed swords, Will noticed, and round shields. Roughly one-quarter of them carried recurve bows in addition to their swords.At a command, the “enemy” began to advance across the parade ground. The line undulated as some sections moved faster than others.“Tre rige! ” shouted the century commander. Halt glanced a question at Sapristi.“Form three ranks,” the general translated. “We don’t use the common tongue for field commands. No sense in letting the enemy know what you have in mind.”“None at all,” Halt agreed mildly. Moving smoothly and without any undue haste, the three companies trotted into position, three ranks deep and thirty-three wide. The ranks were separated from one another by about a meter and a half.The enemy force halted their advance some sixty meters from the rigid lines of legionnaires. The wild-looking enemy tribesmen brandished their weapons, and at a shouted command, those among them with bows stepped forward, arrows ready on the string. The observers heard the faintsound of fifty arrows rasping against the bows as they were drawn back to the fullest extent. At the same time, the centurion called his counterorder.“Tartaruga! Pronto! ”Ninety-nine man-high, curved shields came around to the front, with a rattle of equipment.“Tartaruga means ‘tortoise.’ ” Sapristi explained. “Pronto means‘ready.’ ”The enemy commander shouted an order and the archers released a ragged volley. As the first arrow sped away, the Toscan centurion bellowed:“Azione! ”“Action,” translated Sapristi. Instantly, the soldiers reacted. The front rank crouched slightly, so that their shields covered them completely. The second and third ranks stepped close. The second rank raised their shields to head height, interlocking them with those of the front rank. The third rank did likewise. The hundred men of the century were now sheltered by a barricade of shields to the front and a roof of shields overhead. Seconds later, the volley of arrows clattered against them, bouncing off harmlessly.“Just like a tortoise,” Will observed. “Who are the enemy?” “They’re all warriors from neighboring countries and provinces who have elected to join our empire,” Sapristi replied smoothly. Halt regarded him for a moment. “Did they elect to join?” he asked. “Or was the decision made for them?”“Perhaps we helped a little with the decision-making process,” the Toscan general admitted. “In any event they are all skilled and experienced warriors, and we use them as auxiliaries and scouts. They are extremely useful for demonstrations of this kind. Watch now.”The attacking force had stopped at the point from which they had fired the volley of arrows. The general pointed to where a group of orderlies were running onto the field, each one carrying a rough outline of a man cut from light wood. There were at least one hundred of them, Will estimated. He watched curiously as the men placed the upright targets in place, thirty meters from the front rank of the legionnaires.“For the purpose of the demonstration,” Sapristi said, “we’ll assume that the enemy has reached this position in their advance. We don’t use real warriors for this part of the exercise. It’s too costly, and we need our auxiliaries.”The orderlies, many of them glancing nervously at the still ranks of legionnaires, ran from the field once their targets were in position. Will leaned forward eagerly. “What happens now, General?” Sapristi allowed himself a small smile.“Watch and see,” he said. st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }/* Style Definitions */table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;mso-para-margin:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:#0400;mso-fareast-language:#0400;mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004H4XGX8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (April 19, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 19, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4384 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 450 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #65,840 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #158 in Children's Folk Tales & Myths (Kindle Store)
- #241 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Adventure
- #539 in Children's eBooks (Kindle Store)

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4.8 3,648 ratings

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John Flanagan

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John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia hoping to be a writer. It wasn't until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John's assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting. After writing advertising copy for the next two decades, John teamed with an old friend to develop a television sitcom, Hey Dad!, which went on to air for eight years. John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series. He currently lives in the suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.

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Karen Keyte

A Fitting Close to a Phenomenal Series

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2011

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Though still young, Horace Altman has lived a life of daring and adventure. Recognized as one of the most skilled warriors in all of Araluen, Horace's sword has stood fast in the service of his friends, his country and his King. With his best friend the celebrated young Ranger Will Treaty and Will's mentor the legendary Ranger Halt, Horace has travelled most of the known world battling for justice and right.

Horace's latest mission, however, is one of peace and diplomacy. At the behest of Araluen's King Duncan, Horace is in the exotic eastern land of Nihon-Ja studying the sword techniques of the Senshi warriors. As impressed as Horace is with the fighting skills of the Senshi, he is even more impressed with the character of the Nihon-Jan Emperor, Shigeru. A member of the elite Senshi class, Shigeru understands that all of the Nihon-Jan - including the fishermen, farmers and woodcutters - need to have a voice in the nation's government. Long used to absolute deference and obeisance from the lower classes, many of the Senshi oppose the Emperor's egalitarian views. As Horace prepares to leave Nihon-Ja, one of them, the powerful warlord Arisaka, makes his opposition violent.

With Horace studying swordcraft in Nihon-Ja, Halt and Will are currently in Toscana. They are part of a diplomatic delegation led by Will's sweetheart, Alyss. An Araluen Courier, Alyss is there to arbitrate a trade and military pact between Toscana and Arrida. Much to Will's and Halt's delight, their old friend Selethen is also in Toscana, representing the Arridi Emrikir. Theirs is a relatively relaxed party - at least until Crown Princess Cassandra of Araluen shows up.

Cassandra, or Evanlyn as she has always been known to Will, has received an unsettling message from Nihon-Ja. A powerful force of Senshi led by Lord Arisaka has risen against Emperor Shigeru. The Emperor's travelling party, which includes Horace, has disappeared. The Crown Princess is determined to travel to Nihon-Ja and find Horace and she has a Skandian wolfship standing by to that purpose. Will and Halt have been detailed to accompany her. To no one's surprise, both Alyss and Selethen choose to join the Princess's party.

What follows is a most dangerous and daring adventure for Will, Halt and Horace. The entire nation of Nihon-Ja, not to mention the life of its Emperor, rests in the hands of these brave Araluens and their allies. With only a small band of untrained timber workers to serve as soldiers, they must find a way to defeat a formidable army of trained warriors.

If I am being honest, then I must admit that I approached this final volume of The Ranger's Apprentice series with a certain amount of trepidation. I have loved each and every one of the previous nine books and I am genuinely sorry to see this series come to an end. In addition, I am always wary of 'epic final adventures.' So often they fail to live up to what has come before. Happily, that is not the case with The Emperor of Nihon-Ja. This book is as phenomenal as the rest of the series. It's filled with action, strategy and breath-taking scenery. I salute John Flanagan - The Ranger's Apprentice is a tour de force in Young Adult literature and I will miss reading about Halt, Will and all of their friends.

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Steven M. Brown

This an awesome read and would have been a great ending to the series.

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2017

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Flanagan might have produced his best book of the series with this one. I enjoyed it from start to finish as he brings the familiar elements that he created in the world into yet another strange but familiar land. While Will remains the main focus Horace really shines in this book as his character is pushed to the forefront on his own for the first time. Cassandra and Alyss also have great arcs and Halt continues to be awesome. The antagonist feels a little flat but with all the danger, action, and tricky situations our heroes are put in it is hard to put down.

I say the following to those who are buying the series one book at a time. Book 11 is a collection of short stories that reveals some of the past and shines a light on the near future for our characters but book 10 could have ended it just as well. Book 12 is set about two decades after this book and while it is an end to the series with Will getting an Apprentice it is a tonal change of sort and will leave many infuriated as well as entertained.

2 people found this helpful

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Keith A. Lewis

Fantastic End to a Magnificent Series

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2011

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I am heartbroken that I have no more Ranger's Apprentice books to devour! I took a chance this year and shared the beginning of this series with my students (4th grade). We listened to the audio versions of books one and two and they absolutely loved them, almost unanimously. It sparked a fire in over half of my students to FINALLY start reading for enjoyment and I know that it had a great deal to do with Will, Horace, Halt, and company. Book 10 was amazing, I finished it in less than a day, even making my students sit and read silently while I charged through the last 140 pages! I hadn't planned on finishing it until after school, but I couldn't put it down! From the very beginning, I have been amazed at Flanagan's vivid characters, scenes, and plots and the last installment was no different. Once again, I was completely drawn into the story like I was actually there! I completely detested Arisaka (he made me so mad!) and the Senshin who followed him. Shukin and the Emperor were admirable and Flanagan made them easy to empathize with. There were quite a few spots that brought tears to my eyes (without giving anything away... Shukin!). Also, Alyss and Evanlyn's experience was an unexpected addition that really helped develop their characters and storyline. In the end, I am left with a few questions that I can fondly ponder forever which, to me, is the mark of a great book/series. I don't think I've ever hoped for someone to change their mind about ending a series as much as I do this one but, even if this truly is the end, I know I will read the series for a third, fourth, possibly even a fifth time and the higher-level students who come through my class will ALWAYS be encouraged to take a stroll through Araluen, Celtica, Skandia, Hibernia and, of course, Nihon-Ja!

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Amazon Customer

A wonderful adventure for young boys.

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2016

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I have been reading this series along with my 12 year old grandson. I read a lot of the books that he does to help encourage him to read. He loves this series. I also have enjoyed following the journey of the young ranger apprentice through his life. I think these books are some of the most well written on the market. This author tells a great tale of goodness, kindness, bravery and perserverence. He peppers it with life lessons all wrapped up in a series of adventures that appeal to young and old alike. And he takes you around an ancient world and offers a bit of a history of cultural differences as well. This series should be a must read for young boys. I highly recommend it.

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jaseena

Marvellous

Reviewed in India on May 30, 2021

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Another wonderful book by John Flanagan. Must read for all RA fans. Keeps the intrest of the reader till the end. Deserves the 5 stars it gets.

Stuart Currie

Amazing

Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2018

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The climax of the rangers apprentos series. Creates great images in the readers mind. The Ninho-Jan are very similar to the Japanese civilization

Karen

Excellent read. Thoroughly enjoyed it

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

Excellent read. Thoroughly enjoyed it, very adventurous with plenty going on throughout which fulfils the Ranger series expectations. It includes many of the characters that Will and Halt have formed close friendships with over the years, hence you know you are in for a thrilling read ahead. It does not disappoint .

dmcl59

Très bien

Reviewed in France on January 26, 2013

Verified Purchase

Dans la lignée des autres livres de la série.
Très surprenant, les personnages secondaires sont mis à l'honneur.

Très bien.

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