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The Kings of Clonmel: Book 8 (Ranger's Apprentice #8)

4.28 of 5 stars 4.28 · rating details · 10,297 ratings · 519 reviews

The international bestselling series with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. alone!

Mankind puts its faith in many things?gods, kings, money?anything for protection from the world?s many dangers. 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....more

Hardcover, 358 pages

Published May 18th 2010 by Philomel (first published January 1st 2009)

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Jan 20, 2011 Chichipio rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Actually, it's more of a 2.5 rating.

For the longest time, it felt like nothing was happening. I'm tiring of the formulaic "I'm the best at everything except when it really matters."

In the first few books, the plot was fueled by external actions to which our band of merry men reacted. It didn't matter how swift or appropriate their reactions were, things would still get incredibly dangerous. Now, instead, the plot is often fueled by the main characters' mistakes or chancy failures at the worst ti...more Actually, it's more of a 2.5 rating.

For the longest time, it felt like nothing was happening. I'm tiring of the formulaic "I'm the best at everything except when it really matters."

In the first few books, the plot was fueled by external actions to which our band of merry men reacted. It didn't matter how swift or appropriate their reactions were, things would still get incredibly dangerous. Now, instead, the plot is often fueled by the main characters' mistakes or chancy failures at the worst time possible. For example, Will shoots a thousand arrows, one after the other and hits the mark every time, then when he really needs to take someone out, he fails. Or Horace, the sword master, suddenly decides to lean his sword against a wall and stroll several meters away in the middle of a battle—this actually happened in The Siege of Macindaw—leaving himself wide open to an enemy swordsman. Like this there are another myriad stupid actions that just ruin the heroes' credibility for me.

In this book in particular:
(view spoiler)

If you're writing a character who's supposed to be quite intelligent, then sorry, but you have certain restrictions you have to respect. Either make the bad guy succeed at creating mischief in spite of the good guy's appropriate actions and excellent ideas, i.e. making him just as clever as the good guy—Moriarty is a good example of this—or, if you want to roll with just your standard bad guy, then don't elevate the hero to such high standards of intelligence and skill only to have him being a idiot at the crucial moment.(less)

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Nov 02, 2011 J.Elle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I coded two sentences of this review as a spoiler. I do not agree that what I wrote about was a spoiler since the fact I mentioned was "revealed" within the first fifth of the book. However, a commentor felt that it was a spoiler, so for those of you who agree with this person, I've edited the review.

These continue to be entertaining enough to keep my interest, although I am still adjusting to Will being an adult and a full-fledged Ranger. There are rumors of a fake religious sect rising up and...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, adventure, teen

This was a better outing than the last one for this series, but still not as enjoyable as the earlier work. Halt, Will and Horace are called into the neighboring kingdom of Clonmel to help discredit a cult that has been working to quietly seize power. There are lots of ranger antics from Halt and Will, and feats of strength from Horace. The plot was fairly generic but it showed the characters well. Unfortunately it felt like a forgone conclusion that the characters would win out, by feats even m...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Garrett Young added it · review of another edition

The Ranger’s Apprentice Book 8: The King of Clonmel was written by John Flanagan. This is a very interesting book that will always keep you on your toes. It goes along with the rest of the books in the series telling the adventures of Halt, his apprentice Will, and normally their great friend Horace.
Similar to the other books written by this author, I feel that he wrote the book for two main reasons. The first reason is that he finds enjoyment in the creative writing process. The second reason i...more The Ranger’s Apprentice Book 8: The King of Clonmel was written by John Flanagan. This is a very interesting book that will always keep you on your toes. It goes along with the rest of the books in the series telling the adventures of Halt, his apprentice Will, and normally their great friend Horace.
Similar to the other books written by this author, I feel that he wrote the book for two main reasons. The first reason is that he finds enjoyment in the creative writing process. The second reason is that he wants to write so that his readers will enjoy his book. The two reasons for writing result in an exciting book to read.
I feel that there is more than one theme in this book. One of the themes of this book is that not everyone is who they claim to be. One example of people not claiming who they say to be is the priest Tennyson. He claimed to be a priest, but he was actually an incognito bandit running a cult called the outsiders. He had proceeded to take control of the surrounding territories by saying that he can talk to their god and overrule the king. Although he seems to be a priest, he has an entire plan to take over a country by using the priest disguise to get the help of the people. Another theme in this book is that determination can get you farther than you expect. An example of determination is that after a troubling situation that seemed impossible for his friend, he decided to stand strong and to be determined. He knew that even though he had no real help in proving that his friend was poisoned, he could persuade the crowds into helping him.
There are many different styles of writing. One method that some authors use is the narrative style. That is the format that John Flannigan used in writing this book. The narrative style is when an author tells the story in chronological order. In this book, the story is a continuation of the previous volumes of this series and builds upon the skills taught to him by his master. First they get there mission, second the journey to the place where there task will be carried out, finally the mission has to be completed
I would recommend this book to be read by almost anyone. It has a little bit of everything in it, but it will always keep you guessing, even when the answers seem obvious. Not only does this book string perfectly into the series, it is its own individual book with its own special events and ending.
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Jan 04, 2013 Jorrele Rivera rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this next book of the Ranger's Apprentice series Will is finally awarded his silver oakleaf emblem and is welcomed into the Ranger ranks and to watch over his own fief. Will became one of the famous rangers just like his mentor Halt and recieved the honorable name of Will Treaty, he got the nickname from his fellow rangers but the meaning of the name is that Will was the only person ever to create a truce and friendship with skandians. After will is conducted into the ranger corps Halt and Cr...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Aaron Martens rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I haven't read book #7 yet, but this one was good. It starts with Halt a senior Ranger watching a sea village who are being visited by the Outsiders a group who claims that their Golden God Alsiass is the god who will protect them from the dark. Halt knows that they are fakes since the Rangers Corps have known about them for years. Next they head to Hibernia to visit Halt's younger brother who tried to kill him when they were kids because he didn't want Halt to get to the throne just because he...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Bryan Springman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4th-quarter

This book is about a king who is weak and indecisive. There is a religious cult trying to bring him down, but he doesn't know it yet. He thinks that they are trying to help hime. But it takes two smart archers (One being his brother) and a knight to tell him. When the leader of the cult is told he is a fraud, he challenges the knight to a fight with two huge men that happen to be one of his followers. All that is left is the fight between the three people.
I did enjoy this book a lot, but it seem...more

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Feb 29, 2012 03davids rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

1. There have been some robbers that have been coming through farmer villages and killing all the people. And there's a man (Tennyson) that claims he's a prophet for a unknown god named Alseiass. And is telling the people if they give him their gold and precious jewels they will be saved. So Will, Halt, and Horace are sent to find who's causing the robberies and see if Tennyson is a true prophet.

2. It’s in the medieval times and they are in a foresty green type of place. It helps show that their...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Christian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 04, 2010 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids-fiction, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Kings of Clonmel (Ranger's Apprentice #8) by John Flanagan is another satisfying read in this successful series. This time the emphasis is on Halt as we learn details of his early life. At the Ranger’s Gathering, after seeing more details of a Gathering for the first time, Will is recruited with Halt & Horace into a Special Task Force for the more difficult tasks. This sets up a very humourous interplay between the three as they work together. While the story emphasis is on Halt, Horace...more

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Oct 18, 2010 Nofil Siddiqi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The eighth book in the series of Ranger’s Apprentice, Kings of Clonmel has been a thumb up book for me, with its suspense and thrill and skirmish found in every book. Written by bestselling author, John Flanagan, this book carries on the story from the 6th, not the 7th book. The 7th was between the 4th and 5th book. The main character Will treaty is a Ranger soldier of the Araluen Kingdom, Halt (his former mentor) is also a ranger, and Horace is Will’s best friend who is a prestigious knight.
Th...more The eighth book in the series of Ranger’s Apprentice, Kings of Clonmel has been a thumb up book for me, with its suspense and thrill and skirmish found in every book. Written by bestselling author, John Flanagan, this book carries on the story from the 6th, not the 7th book. The 7th was between the 4th and 5th book. The main character Will treaty is a Ranger soldier of the Araluen Kingdom, Halt (his former mentor) is also a ranger, and Horace is Will’s best friend who is a prestigious knight.
The story kicks off at the Ranger’s Gathering where Will is informed of a special task Halt is on. Will is also recruited with Halt and Horace to a Special Task Force for some of the more difficult tasks. Will is eager to go along with this task and join Halt and Horace.
Will and his friends are sent off to a far away land known as Hibernia, where Halt was actually born. Halt informs them of his relationship to this kingdom. When he was younger, Halt was destined to be the next king. However, his brother Ferris cheated him out of it and tricked him, causing Halt to be sent away to a faraway place and be rumored dead. However now he’s back and things are worse in his land.
Hibernia’s king (Halt’s brother Ferris) is very unfaithful to his people. Nobody likes him as he does nothing (like George Bush). Some people are starting to take advantage of this. A new religion had recently formed by a man named Tennyson. The religion revolves around the Golden God Alseiass, who brings only happiness through gold offerings. These “offerings” have drained the people in many villages, causing bad things to happen. This tactic of Tennyson has united many people under his corrupt rule and he plans to overthrow the king and take rule.
Halt and his friends are sent to stop this threat from spreading to their kingdom. They devise plans to stop raids and convince the king for help. Seeing as Halt was Ferris’s twin brother, they disabled Ferris and let Halt announce the end of Tennyson’s stay here. They claim that Horace is the legendary Sunrise warrior that has come to end this other belief. Horace is sent to duel two giants bodyguards of Tennyson. Though he defeats the first, he gets drugged before the second match. When he is at his last breath and dying against the second opponent, Will shoots an arrow at the giant and calls out treachery on Tennyson. Tennyson runs away, not before killing Ferris and leaving the kingdom in ruins.
Halt realizes he is next in line to rule, but he doesn’t wish to. He appoints his nephew and the kingdom flourishes. Halt and his friends set off to find Tennyson and bring him to justice.
John Flanagan has done a great job sticking to the roots of the characters. By keeping them the same as we’ve grown to love. He has managed to develop the characters more throughout the series. You can see in this story how old Halt has gotten now that his former apprentice is equal in rank to him. Horace has developed from a mere apprentice knight to a legendary warrior, and Will has a girlfriend. It is amazing how good Flanagan is at writing to be able to carry this series on for already 10 books. He has won bestsellers for a majority of these books.

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Jun 09, 2010 Lithography101 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A rogue band of outlaws has been terrorizing five of the six regions of Hibernia, burning villages, killing farmers, and spreading mistrust for the ruling royalty. Then, by posing as a religious cult, they pretend to scare off these roving marauders (their own members in disguise) to gain the people's trust in their pretend god. Their charismatic leader, Tennyson, is a silver-tongued orator and his influence and reputation is spreading quickly. In order for his religious followers to 'protect' a...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Mark Soone rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well Flanagan has done it again! After 8 books the series remains as fresh and exciting as it has been since book one. I have only encounterd a small handfull of FANTASY series that can maintain this type of energy over such a sustained series.

A new twist as the characters continue to evolve. We see Halt return to his homeland, whereby we see not only a new side to his persona but alot of depth and substance as well. Halt has risen to epic proportions for me, and as a leader in Fantasy literatur...more

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Sep 13, 2009 Greyson Harness rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone and everyone

Note: This review does contain some small spoilers, nothing you won't learn within 200 pages.

So far, this is a great book. It explores a little bit of Halt's past, something that I have always wanted to know, and revisits some old places and people you haven't seen the first two books. It also tells you for the first time about the Ranger Gathering, a quite humorous event, and about the Ranger initiation ceremony. So far, there is no book better in the series.

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May 17, 2012 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the eighth book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. There are ten books total in the series. If you have enjoyed the previous books in this series, then you will enjoy this one as well.

When Will arrives at the yearly Ranger’s Gathering he finds that Halt is missing. Halt is in the west investigating a mysterious religious cult called the Outsiders that is affecting the stability of the kingdom of Clonmel. Will and Horace are asked to go and assist Halt in dealing with the threat.

This book...more This is the eighth book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. There are ten books total in the series. If you have enjoyed the previous books in this series, then you will enjoy this one as well.

When Will arrives at the yearly Ranger’s Gathering he finds that Halt is missing. Halt is in the west investigating a mysterious religious cult called the Outsiders that is affecting the stability of the kingdom of Clonmel. Will and Horace are asked to go and assist Halt in dealing with the threat.

This book was very much like all the previous books in this series. It was a solid and well done fantasy with humorous banter between the characters. Will, Halt, and Horace are fun to read about.

The plot is very much like other plots in this series. This is a problem in a kingdom that needs to be dealt with; our trio goes and deals with it. Along the way there are some twists and turns that put them in tough situations and they need to use their wits and talents to figure out a solution.

There is one additional thing in this book that makes things a bit more interesting. In this story we learn a lot about Halt’s history, where he comes from, and who his family is. It was fun to learn about Halt’s past and get some more background on him. Although I found the background as to why Halt left his family to be a bit unrealistic when you consider who Halt is and how he normally acts.

I was a bit disappointed that none of the girls feature in this story. I have enjoyed having Alyss or Cassandra as part of the story. I also thought that there really wasn’t as much character development in this book as in previous books. Will is grown and seems a bit stagnant. Horace was more witty than in previous books but outside of that he was the same old Horace. Even Halt seems a bit tired throughout the story.

This book is the first half of a story that will be continued into book 9. As with previous books, this is a well written but not super creative story.

Overall another solid addition to this series. It was great to learn about Halt’s past. The witty banter between the characters is highly entertaining. I didn’t think there was as much character development as in previous books. In general this is a solid traditional adventure fantasy that should appeal to a middle grade and older audience.(less)

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Apr 02, 2012 Liam Kent rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed the plot of this book because you get to know more about Halt's old life and Will, Horace and Halt go on a little mini adventure together. The characters in this book were very good because they all have different personalities and skills that make them cool. In this book it shined light on Halt's twin brother and how much alike they were similar and different and what Halt would be like if certain events happened in his past.

The writing style of this book was good because it wa...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-male-author-challenge, 2013-paranormal-fantasy-challenge

The following review contains the notes that I made while reading. Sometimes I thought there was a mistake when the wasn't.

A very good start once again. Usual John Flanagan.

I'm not sure how I few about these Ranger to Horse talks.

Why did Will bring the water to the cook? I know he's trying to be under cover, but was the interaction really necessary?

"'We should fish for some trout in the streams around here...' [ Halt said]...'I never said I was sporting...I said I catch fish'" He said no such t...more

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Mar 15, 2012 05RileyM rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Kings of Clonmel
By: Jonathon Flanagan

The Kings of Clonmel is the eighth book in the Rangers Apprentice series. It takes place in the kingdom of Clonmel south of Kingdom Araulen. The Plot of the story is that an infamous cult named The Outsiders has taken up control of five of six separate kingdoms in the country of Hibernia. Will, Horace, and Halt have taken up the task of making sure they don't take control of Clonmel the last free standing kingdom in Hibernia. The theme of the book is don'...more The Kings of Clonmel
By: Jonathon Flanagan

The Kings of Clonmel is the eighth book in the Rangers Apprentice series. It takes place in the kingdom of Clonmel south of Kingdom Araulen. The Plot of the story is that an infamous cult named The Outsiders has taken up control of five of six separate kingdoms in the country of Hibernia. Will, Horace, and Halt have taken up the task of making sure they don't take control of Clonmel the last free standing kingdom in Hibernia. The theme of the book is don't trust something until you fully understand it.

The Theme in The Kings of Clonmel is that you shouldn't believe or trust in something until you fully understanding what it is. See the problem is that the Outsiders hire thugs to attack villages and then they show up, start praying to their god and mysteriously all the attacks stop. If the villagers would take the time to try to understand this group they wouldn't fall for the tricks that they play; if they payed attention they would notice that the raiders didn't start attacking until the outsiders had arrived in Hibernia. The Outsiders pray on the farmers tendency for superstition when they get a little rattled, one attack maybe a couple raids and the farmers are willing to believe in anything. the best way to fight superstition is with more superstition. The setting in The Kings of Clonmel is in the kingdom of Clonmel on the island country of Hibernia. The mountainous country side is where most of the story takes place, mostly in the towns of Craikennis and Mountshannon. a major battle takes place in the hills out side of Craikennis. but the most important event takes place in the courtyard of King Ferris's castle

Will is a member of the secretive rangers corp, he was recently the apprentice of Halt. Will is the main character in all the rangers apprentice books; he is the rangers apprentice and Halt was his teacher and the rest of the characters though important are secondary main characters. a Horace is Will's good friend since Will saved him from a charging wild boar. Horace used to be enemies with Will but now there Best Friends. Horace is a knight of kingdom Araulen and an amazing swordsman. Halt is a senior in the rangers corps and is probably the most skilled of all the rangers. Gilan was Halt's apprentice before Will and is one of Halt's best friends. Halt and Will have a special bond though, Will was an orphan but Will's father died saving Halt from death by a group of wargals. Will's mother died in child berth and asked Halt to take Will to the orphanage known as the castle ward. Halt watched will through out his childhood and when Will became his apprentice it was more like Halt was Will's father than a teacher. So now Will and Halt are more like family than mentor and student.

The story starts with Halt exploring a rumor of the outsiders in a village on the coast of Araulen. It then cuts to Will at the rangers gathering where he finds out about an invitation to be a member of a task force that consists of him, Halt, and Horace. Will quickly accepts and heads for castle redmont to be reunited with Halt. When he gets there he finds out quickly what their first assignment is and he, Halt, and Horace set out on their long journey to Hibernia. On the way Will and Horace find out that Halt is actually the identical twin of King Ferris of Clonmel; and that Halt is actually the rightful king of Clonmel but left because Ferris kept trying to kill him. When they reach Hibernia they travel along time until they stop at the town of Craikennis. at Craikennis they learn that Tennyson and his cult have set up their headquarters in Mountshannon. Will splits off from the group to go look at a supposed massacre at Duffy's Ford. Halt and Horace head for Mountshannon to learn more about how many followers Tennyson has and how much of a grasp they have over the population. Halt and Horace find out from Will that there is going to be an attack on Craikennis and they decide to use this to their advantage; Halt knew of the myth of the Sunrise Warrior and how he comes to Hibernia in its times of need. Halt dresses up Horace as the Sunrise Warrior and they defeat the raiders with the help of the Craikennens they spread the myth that the Sunrise Warrior has come and defeated 200 Men with his bare hands. Will is pretending to be one of Tennyson's followers to try and find out as much about the Outsiders as he can. Meanwhile Halt and Horace try to convince King Ferris that he needs to stand up to these outsiders. He doesn't agree so Halt knocks him out and dresses up as the king, naturally being his identical twin nobody would notice the difference. Halt goes out and challenges Tennyson's Two massive bodyguards Kileen and Gerrard two single combat to the death with the Sunrise Warrior (Horace), Halt did these by phrasing his challenge by saying that if your god is true he will deliver your bodyguards from the hands of Horace. But after Horace kills the first bodyguard he gets drugged by one of Tennyson's assassins. Will improvises by pretending to get some of the drugged water and then he captures the assassin and takes him onto the fighting arena and tries to make him drink some of the water and the man refuses so Will challenges him to single combat to see who is telling the truth.

I really liked this book, the story was deep it wasn't a generic story line and it had plenty of action. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy or medieval times books. this book has a fantasy feel to it but it is realistic enough, it doesn't have magic or sorcery; I like this it is a fantasy that isn't like way out there it feels like it could have really happened in the medieval times. I don't like the way out there magic monsters and super powers fantasy, but i really like this book and the whole rangers apprentice series.
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May 04, 2012 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A new religious cult has sprung up called the Outsiders. This group of bandits go around reeking havoc on a city or town, and then blaming it on gods. They say if the people from the town give them the gold to build shrines for these gods, they will stop attacking. If the people from the town comply, they stop their attacks, saying the gods have stopped attacking. Then one day, they will disappear with all the gold they have "used to build shrines." Will, Halt, and Horace are sent to investigate...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy, fantasy

I have over an extended period of time read several of these books and I find them (on the whole anyway) excellent. I think that older readers (read adult) may well enjoy these as well as YA readers. I know I have.

I gifted the first 3 of these to my pastor's family as I know his daughter loves to read, he loves to read, his wife loves to read and I assume that their young son will be infected with this wonderful and enjoyable trait. Some will say these are more a "boy's" read or a "male" read bu...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Raymond Hu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like this book very much because it was an interesting turn of events different from the rest of the series. In this book , halt the ranger who i didn't expect, use to be a prince that gave up his right to be a king in Clonmel in order to be a ranger who is now teaching Will. I was surprised by this because its was Will who i expected in this book to have some grand turn like killing kings or overturning corrupt rulers as the name of this book might have hinted. The journey they go through as...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Scott M rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is about two young adventurers and their leader. Together they are the task group. Tennyson, the false prophet, is sending waves of the 'Outsiders' to destroy the people's lives. He presents himself then as prophet of Alseiss. "Who can save us?" "Alseiss!" He's really tricking these people to get their money. Can the three local heroes stop the false prophet and save the innocent family's lives?

I loved this book for its never- ending action and very clear story- line. Throughout the bo...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Scott M rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Nov 08, 2011 Melodee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK--this book opens up with a band of outlaws attacking a family's farm. They not only murder the men, but the women as well and leave 2 small children to run off in order to spread the tale to create fear. Because of the more violent turn, I wanted to make some of my friends aware of it so they can judge if they want their boys to read this series.

Granted, the entire series is about one battle and fight after another, but those were just that. Battles. To protect the innocents. When the innoce...more

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Jan 19, 2011 Sarah Maddaford rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arlington, audio, fantasy, mythology-misc, political, young-adult, need-to-read-something-else-first

For me, the fact that the book starts off with a massacre of most of a village places it firmly in Young Adult or Teen rather than Juvenile. There's still no sex and only minimal language though. Some parents may also be disturbed by the fact that the main characters obviously don't follow any kind of religion and are disdainful of the idea of a god (even a false one). Several statements made in this book about religion really appealed to me, especially "A god who promises only good things wants...more

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Jan 08, 2013 E.L. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: new-to-me-for-2013

By this, the eighth book in the series, the writing is starting to get a little formulaic, the characters a little static. It's still an intriguing plot (though with one gaping hole in logic - if the villages only come under attack after the Outsiders arrive, wouldn't at least SOME of the villages throw them out, instead of converting?), with some unexpected twists.

I avoided this series for ages, thinking it a takeoff on the Rangers in Lord of the Rings. When I finally got over my prejudices and...more

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May 16, 2012 C rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoy these books They take a while to warm up, for me (hence 4 vs. 5 stars), but once they get going, they're terrific. Halt, Horace & Will - it can't get better than those three! I love the characters and their growth over the series, Will & Horace's attitude, the gradual peeling back of Halt's oniony layers. ;)

The books are sometimes a bit stiff in areas, but banter between the characters or a "growth" moment comes along and breaks it back up again.

(view spoiler)...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Although i love this series and i couldn't just stop reading in the middle of it, i found this book to be a very long run on. It didn't have the same suspense that the others had... They go to help another Kingdom against a cult that they have been dealing with for years. It has just made an appearance again since it has been underground for a while...plotting I'm sure. Horace is getting older and he isn't so naive. He can take Halt's teasing and can even tease him back. Halt hasn't changed much...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, children, fantasy-and-sci-fi, young-adult

Thank goodness for Horace! He makes me laugh so much in this series, especially in this book. In this volume of the series, there is a Gathering at the beginning where Will not only has to take care of a new group of Ranger apprentices, but also is offered a new job. He will be part of a task force that includes himself, Halt and Horace and gets to have his home base at Castle Redmond. This is great for him, not only because it is where he grew up and trained with Halt, but also because of his b...more

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May 24, 2010 kelley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

I am a huge fan of John Flanagan and this well written series. The stories in this series follow the adventures of Will Treaty from the time he is a young boy, through his adventures as a Ranger's apprentice, and as a fully fledged Ranger with a fief of his own to protect. The Kings of Clonmel is the 8th book in the series. Will is given a new assignment along with his mentor Halt and best friend Horace to represent the kingdom of Araluen abroad. As with all the other volumes the three comrades...more

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Ranger's Apprentice: The Kings of Clonmel (#8)	1	3	Oct 03, 2011 03:43pm

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About John Flanagan

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

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 where he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with Joh...more

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Books by John Flanagan

The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice, #2)

The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice, #1)

The Battle for Skandia (Ranger's Apprentice, #4)

The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice, #3)

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

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Quotes from The Kings of Clonmel: ...

“I'll be getting you for this,' Halt had told him as he dabbed the diguisting mixture on the worst of the cuts. 'That soot is filthy. I'll probably come down with half a dozen infections.'
Probably,' Horace had replied, distracted by his task. 'But we'll only need you for today.'
Which was not a very comforting thought for Halt.” — 109 people liked it

“So I'm an ace?' Will grinned. 'I'm flattered Halt, flattered. I had no idea you regarded me so highly.'
Halt gave him a long-suffering look. 'I might have been more accurate to say a joker.'
Whatever you say.” — 94 people liked it

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The Kings of Clonmel: Book 8 (Ranger's Apprentice #8)

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