Erak's Ransom: Book Seven

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars | 4,856 ratings

Price: 21.66

Last update: 08-26-2024


About this item

What does it mean to earn the silver oakleaf? So few men have done so. For Will, a mere boy, that symbol of honor has long felt out of reach. Now, 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 are sent to free him.

But the desert is like nothing these warriors have seen before. Strangers in a strange land, they are brutalized by sandstorms, beaten by the unrelenting heat, tricked by one tribe that plays by its own rules, and surprisingly befriended by another. Like a desert mirage, nothing is as it seems. Yet one thing is constant: the bravery of the Rangers.

In this red-hot adventure, winner of the Australian Book of the Year Award for Older Children, John Flanagan raises the stakes on the series that has already sold millions of books worldwide.

Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The 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.


Top reviews from the United States

andy battler
5.0 out of 5 stars Great series for my 10 year old
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024
Another great story in a long series of very good stories. My son looks forward to these books every night.
Karen Keyte
5.0 out of 5 stars Desert Rangers
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2011
Note: Although Erak's Ransom is officially the seventh book in The Ranger's Apprentice series, the events it chronicles take place shortly before those in book five.

Nearly five years after first becoming Halt's apprentice, Will is just a few weeks away from passing his final evaluation and becoming a full-fledged Ranger in his own right. He's faced kalkaras, wargals, Skandians and the Temujai with barely an eyelash batted, but privately Will worries that he is not ready to face the day-to-day challenges of life as a Ranger without Halt standing by his side. For his own part, Halt recognizes that his life has been fundamentally changed by the experience of mentoring Will. Once a man who valued peace and solitude, Halt is somewhat surprised to realize he will miss Will's lively, inquisitive presence in his life. In preparation for the day when Will will leave the small cabin in the woods by Castle Redmont, Halt finally proposed to his longtime love, Lady Pauline, and the two are feted in a wedding celebration the likes of which the denizens of Castle Redmont have rarely seen.

Into this joyous celebration stumbles Svengal, proud captain and former first mate to Erak, Oberjarl of the Skandians. Svengal informs his Araluen friends that Erak, bored with his role as a glorified tax collector, decided to make one last raid. Unfortunately, Erak's surprise attack on an Arridi coastal town was no surprise at all. Convinced that a fellow Skandian set him up to be captured by the forces of the desert nation, Erak sent Svengal to seek aid from his Araluen allies. Now it is up to Halt, Will, Horace and Evanlyn to sail to Arrida and negotiate for the Skandian Oberjarl's release.

With each successive book in The Ranger's Apprentice series, I am amazed anew by John Flanagan's skillful story-telling and lively prose. These books are a pure delight. They pull the reader wholly into Will's adventures and reveal the wonders of the world he inhabits. By this point, Will, Halt and Horace feel like old and trusted friends and I love reading about their adventures.
Nathan Turner
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2023
Very good series.
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Easy Reading Entertainment
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2015
For what this book is and the audience it is written for, I would say it is a Four-Star Book. It's like a Louis L'Amour kind of book in a "alternate history" genre. They are simple and comfortable to read and relatively predictable. However, I think it is a bit ambitious to compare them to anything by Tolkien, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert Jordan or George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones. If you are expecting this level of Story-Telling and Violence, you will be sadly disappointed.These are simply written books that I regard as Entertaining Brain Candy. They are an Easy Read and way to spend a little time without complex plots or Loads of Story Lines. And they don't have any of the Cruelty and Darkness of The Game of Thrones Books or TV Shows which makes them good for Younger Readers. Though I find the use of Modern Measurements, Words and Phrases a little Jarring at times, this does not lessen the enjoyment of reading them and I am getting used to it or I am Subconsciously ignoring it. I don't know if I will re-read them or not, but they have been easy reading entertainment. I have recommended them to Advanced Pre-Teen Readers and Teens alike, as well as a few Adults who I felt would Appreciate them.
Patricia WALKER
5.0 out of 5 stars Back to Basics
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2010
In book 7 of the Ranger's Apprentice series - Erak's Ransom - Flanagan goes back in time to when Will was still an apprentice. It fills in the gap created by books 5 and 6, when Will appears, without explanation, as a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief. Books 1 -4 chronicle Will's growth from an unknown orphan to the apprentice of the most famous Ranger in Araluen history. The books are action-based as Will learns many skills and has a very high bar set for him. He seems more than capable of meeting that challenge. Then in books 5 and 6 he appears without explanation as a full-fledged Ranger. Book 7 goes back to Will's last major adventure as an apprentice with Halt and includes many of the main characters that have been in the preceding books.

Erak's Ransom chronicles how Will's relationship with the characters and his own attitude changes from that of an apprentice to that of an independent Ranger. His language, actions, and attitudes mature in this book, and the reader gets to see that growth unfold. Teens and young adults will recognize some of the anxiety that Will is experiencing during this growth process.

Will and friends have to travel to an unknown country to ransom their friend Erak. They are forced to deal with foreigners that they know little about. When Will is separated from Halt, he receives help from the last place he ever thought he would find it. It changes his pre-conceived notions about how people will react and he learns that if he deals honestly with people he can gain their respect and help. Deceit is a major theme in this book. Will's romantic relationships begin to take shape and gives a better understanding of what happens in Books 5 and 6.

Chronologically, this should have been book #5 - then the next books would have made a lot more sense.
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2022
One of my reviews was about the missing five years!!! Thanks for filling thst hole! Very well written and lots if action!!
erin heywood
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing series
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2022
My sons have been reading since before kindergarten, they LOVE this series. Every time I went to the grocery store, they ALWAYS would sneak in the next book they could find. I didnt mind them getting the books, so much better then video games. My youngest is in the army and wasnt allowed to take any books, my eldest cleaned his brothers room and found the stash of books in his closet bookshelf. So what did he do, he gets on moms Amazon acct and finds the books missing in the series and put them in my wish list acct.. so I got them. So this is how much they LIVE this series from ages 4&5 to now 23&24 and still reading them
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2022
I liked the part where the king hates forms and will goes crazy WHEN 20 WORD when duck dodge food pineapple mango fruit simple smoothie raft cooking pot 20 word yet? ok Good ☺???? bye

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