Escape from Falaise

Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger #5

by John Flanagan

The stakes have never been higher for the Rangers of Araluen in the New York Times bestselling series.

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 realises the treacherous baron won't fight fair.

If Maddie can survive the duel, they still need to escape the heavily guarded chateau and rescue the kidnapped prince they were sent to retrieve. It will take all their ingenuity, courage and determination to triumph this time – and to solve the mystery of who betrayed them.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Action

260 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2021

About the author

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

For mysteries by this same author, see John A. Flanagan.

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 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 a suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.

Reviews

[zuza_zaksiazkowane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhhhh czytałam już tę historię w Zwiadowcach, tylko dużo lepszą 🫠

[Jerecho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't have to like it but the thing is, it's likable. Perhaps it's what you expected but at a certain point it's what you want the story goes. It's like reading a fluid story that you expected what will happen and ended the way you want it to be. And the bonus part is, the author features what I like most - Horace and Halt bantering (makes me smile like the old days).

In life, we are given certain challenges, some will be tough and some will be rough. But it's okay to just do the expected because life is easy when things are simply, not complicated.

JF, you made me smile and reminisce the things what I like with your writings... Thanks 😊

Stay safe and healthy everyone 😉😘

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s just something comforting about John Flanagan now that I think no matter what I’ll always enjoy reading his stories.

[Cassandra Lynn Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

[2022 review] Overall (other than book 1) this is the strongest book in the Royal Ranger series. Am I biased because we get to see the return of some old characters, possibly. The dialogue in this books had me giggling the whole way through and I love how much happened in this part 2 of a book!

[thebooksthief_ Ania ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25⭐️/5
Kolejny cudowny tom! To chyba nigdy mi się nie znudzi 😌
Halt nadal jest jednym z moich ulubionych bohaterów, znajdziecie tutaj mnóstwo emocji ( od śmiechu do wzruszenia). Dowiadujemy się nowych ciekawych faktów na temat bohaterów. Czytając czułam się jakbym była w tym świecie. Zakończenie również bardzo mi się podobało. Mam straszny sentyment do tej serii.
Ps: Ta książka mogłaby być dłuższa :(

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve read a Ranger’s Apprentice book before then you know exactly what to expect with this one. Will is Will. Maddie is Maddie. Halt is Halt. Horace is Horace. And the bad guys are the bad guys. There’s really no nuance here. It’s just painfully by-the-numbers.

I really felt no tension because I never really felt that anyone was in danger. Will and Maddie were constantly in a state of “Ho-Hum” during their imprisonment. They were more bored than worried. So, I felt bored too. It’s hard to get excited about a story when your main characters are locked in a room for 50% of the book.

John Flanagan also does this strange thing where he over-explains things several times to the point where I wonder if he thinks I’m slow. How many times did he explain the Baron’s interrogation methods? It was a lot.

But my biggest problem with this book (and I suppose the Ranger’s Apprentice series as a whole now) is that Maddie has no friends her own age. She’s either just hanging out with Will (her teacher), her parents, or Halt. It’s so weird. There’s nothing wrong with introducing new characters. Halt is supposed to be retired anyway.

So, I felt this duology was a let down after the last one. The previous duology had real stakes and character growth. I wasn’t interested in their mission this time around at all. I really didn’t care if they saved that little twerp prince or not. And there wasn’t anything to be learned other than Gallica sucks and everyone in Gallica is awful.

I give this three stars because Maddie’s duel with the arrogant-what’s his face was pretty good.

[Catharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am obsessed with this series! I'm always excited for a new John Flanagan book because I know it's an amazing read. The characters in this series are like old friends to me, having spent so many years of my life reading through the many years of THEIR lives. I enjoy seeing what they are all up to and can't get enough of their playful banter and jokes!

This book is a 2nd part story to the 4th book in this series. It seems to be Flanagan's new thing in this Royal Ranger series...first book was a stand alone but the 2nd & 3rd were one story and the 4th and now 5th are a second story. It is incredibly annoying how the books are broken up like this. By the time I started this book I had almost completely forgotten what happened in the last one. This lead to me not entirely understanding the story, forcing me to Google a sort of recap to the story more than once. This is why I am only giving this book 4 stars instead of 5...

If John Flanagan stops splitting stories up then each of his books would be a 5 of 5 stars! The series has kept me hooked throughout it and I cannot wait to see what comes up next for our heroes! Another great read!

[Faith Gilliosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Ranger's Apprentice book with all the typical sarcasm and sardonic speech. Resolved The Missing Prince's cliffhanger. As in...they're not hanging off or on the cliffs of a castle anymore. I enjoyed it, although Mr. Flanagan's prose hasn't improved much and there were so many repeat phrases it got...repetitive. But that's pretty typical for his character's. XD We'll see what the next one holds.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need more!! I just finished and I'm already missing them!

[Zaczytana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jak zwykle - kocham, ale za krótkaaaaa.

[Lies]

joo leerling jager Maddy was echt een domme kut want ze ging de hebberige koning uitdagen tot een duel en toen werd ze bijna onthoofd. Zo spannend, heb het in één avond uitgelezen.

[Sana⁷ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, this book was better than the previous one. I actually enjoyed reading it.


I've deeply missed my precious trio (Will, Halt and Horace) and I wanted them to be in the center of action again. And here they were! As always all three had been incredibly funny as well as incredibly badass. And Maddie is a good addition to their trio. I'm really starting to like her (I'm willing to forget her awful character from book 12). My favorite scene from the book is actually a scene with her and her father, where Maddie jumped into Horace's arms when they saw each other again. It was a very touching scene!


The prince had been a big disappointment. I had expected someone charming and brave, but I've got a clumsy coward with no manners. I did not like Giles and I hope that he will never become a king.


On the end I want to write a little about Louis. I can't say that I liked him as a character (I definitely liked him more than Giles), but I felt sorry for him on the end. I do not understand why the hell the rangers had tattled on him. I get that they felt upset that he had set them up, but they also saw how awfully he had been treated by his brother. Did they not felt any sympathy for him, really? Besides, what did they earn from this? They didn't even felt any satisfaction, so why did they do this? Nothing bad had happened to Giles, he had not been tortured or anything. If Louis had been so bad, if he wanted the throne, he would not stop just at keeping him away from his father. He would plot against both his brother and his nephew, but he hadn't harmed any of them. I hoped that the rangers and Horace would somehow save him, but they chose to just leave the country and to never come back. I did not like that.


Okay, let's now move on to book 17!




Ranger's Apprentice Series - my rating:

book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 2: The Burning Bridge: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 3: The Icebound Land: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 4: The Battle of Skandia: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 5: The Sorcerer of the North: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 6: The Siege of Macindaw: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 7: Erak's Ransom: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 8: The Kings of Clonmel: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 9: Halt's Peril: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 11: The Lost Stories: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/4)

Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger:

book 12: The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
book 13: The Red Fox Clan: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5)
book 14: Duel at Araluen: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 15: The Missing Prince: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
book 16: Escape from Falaise: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5)

[Yas · Rating 5 out of 5]

این جلد محبوب‌ترین جلد از مجموعه ۶جلدی رنجر سلطنتی بود برام🥲❤️ چون جمع‌شون جمع بود:))

باید بگم خوندن ۱۸ جلد مجموعه کارآموز رنجر و الان تقريبا رسیدن به پایانش(فقط جلد ۶ رنجر سلطنتی مونده که منتظر ترجمه آلمانی‌اشم) خیلی خیلی دردناکه.
کاملا و تماما باهاشون زندگی کردم. از ۱۵ سالگی‌شون می‌شناسم‌شون. شخصیت‌هاشون، علایق‌شون، مهارت‌هاشون، ترس‌هاشون، غم‌هاشون، شوخی‌هاشون، سیر تغییرشون.
بزرگ شدن‌شون رو دیدم.

هیچی جای شماها رو برام نمی‌گیره :))
هالت، ویل، هوراس، مدلاین، کاساندرا، کراوالی، دانکن، گیلن، و باقی دست‌ اندرکاران دوست‌تون دارم❤️ آرالوئن♡

پ.ن: احتمالا از فروردین از اول بازخوانی کنم ♡_♡

[akwe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Na początku mnie dość nudziło i było takie UGHh, ale potem się rozkręciło. Znowu ten humor i klimat. Nawet fajnie było do tego wrócić.

[Oliwier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Edelweiss and Penguin publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for a review

Like every good ranger's apprentice book, we have :
- funny moments
- a lot of coffee
- halt and seasickness
- horses!!
- an apprentice who's angry bcse their mentor raises 1 eyebrow and they can't do the same thing

I have a soft spot for Ranger's Apprentice and I was very happy to be back with Will, Maddie, Halt and Horace.
The previous book ended with a cliffhanger so I was glad to finally know what happens to our favorite rangers !

I can't wait for the book to come out so my friends can read and we can discuss because I have a lot of things to say, but I don't want to spoil them (the shears!!! I need to talk about that)

[agata · Rating 3 out of 5]

ja jestem prosty człowiek- mam dużo halta to i dam cztery gwiazdki (albo i nie)

[Aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐
Nie jest to moja ulubiona książka z serii, ale jak najbardziej była dobra. Cieszę się, że ponownie mogłam powrócić do tego świata i bohaterów. Po prostu czytajcie Zwiadowców.

[Nico di Angelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Kacper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jak dla mnie najgorsza część ze wszystkich. Ta część wydaję się taka trochę bezpłciowa i dziecinna i wszystko idzie na oklepanych schematach, nic nowego. Ogólnie te starsze części były lepsze i miały lepszą fabułę (trzy gwiazdki z sentymentu)

[Karolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Książka mi się podobała, choć nie była wcale najlepszą z serii. Cieszę się, że Halt i Horacy powrócili w dawnym duecie.

[Michella (BoekenMiesje) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️

[Evine Zetterström · Rating 4 out of 5]

And we're back in my rose-tinted glasses once more with a content sigh.

In the Royal Ranger series, I'd say this is the second strongest book after the first one (or book 12 if you will). Escape from Falaise is exactly that typical Ranger's Apprentice book you want in your life. There's some good old banter, a good range of emotions going through the characters, and the stakes take place in a smaller environment rather than spread out in different places.

I'm incredibly biased with my rating because the moment Horace took on the role of a pompous and insulted knight, screaming at those poor soldiers for all to hear, I just knew it was a 4 star rating. That followed with Halt's "hair routine" was just gold. For me, that's what really makes this series. The fun moments when characters get to express themselves and their emotions while also connecting with others.

The war and fight scenes can get overdone if you don't have character depth in between, and I'm glad we got that here. Really felt like the good old days, so to speak.

Also, Halt dressing up as an old beggar, getting to know the soldiers, and then shouting and running out of the castle after setting fire to the stable was iconic. I swear, Halt is such a treasure, even now in his "retirement." I'll never get enough of him, I don't care if it's considered fan-service. I want more.

I still wish Will got to show some nuance in his personality, but that's no news from me. Maddie is starting to get more morally grey in every book, which suits me just fine. It'll be a true Ranger of her yet.

All in all, really good improvement from the last books. Hope the next one will be just as good.

[Karynn Heckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot better than the last. I did feel like the threats were better written out and thought through. Though I still am noticing a lack of character development. I think I keep reading this series because there is something familiar and comforting about John Flanagan’s stories.

I honestly like RA better than RR simply because we saw Will grow and change through all the books. He was changing in each story and strengthening relationships. Maddie hasn’t changed much after the first book or two, she’s stayed consistently her and all the threats and challenges seem to be external.

I’m giving it four stars mainly because it’s more like a 3.5 but since I rated the last a 3, I’m rounding it up. It wasn’t a bad book, and certainly more solid than others, it just wasn’t as great as it could have been if we added some eternal struggles.

[Aleksandra Jagielska · Rating 4 out of 5]

mam ogromny sentyment do twórczości flanagana, jest w niej cos co wzbudza w czytelniku komfort
historia, klasycznie bardzo wciągająca, dostarcza nam maaasy emocji
po prostu wspaniała rozrywka
moje inner child czuje się zaspokojone
halt as always 🔛🔝

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what to think. I did like the missing prince a bit more.

[bookolożka · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 🌟

[Sarah Tong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was essentially a repeat of Icebound Land. Nonetheless, it was also good enough. I don’t think Horace has come close to losing a 1-on-1 duel since he was drugged in Kings of Clonmel or when he fought Morgarath in the Burning Bridge.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s on the shorter end of these books and doesn’t feel as in depth as some of the other books, but I still really enjoyed it. It made me laugh and audibly react in other ways multiple times, and these books just make me happy. Lots of Will and Maddie and Halt and Horace. I love these characters so much.

[Hanbbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deze serie blijft me keer op keer amuseren. Ik hou van de karakters, de humor, het avontuur en de moeilijk heden dat hun telkens wordt voorgeschoteld en hoe ze deze dan uitlokken.

Telkens wanneer ik een boek uit deze serie lees heb ik de drang om nog eens van in het begin te beginnen en lekker in deze fantastische wereld te verdwijnen.

Will, Maddie en Halt zijn werkelijk geweldig, zowel elk apart als te samen. De dynamiek tussen hun is ook echt fijn. Heb echt genoten van dit boek.

[Ria_Karou · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4