The Spiderwick Chronicles
fantasy
Series · fantasy
Ranger's Apprentice
The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan has 11 known books (11 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Ruins of Gorlan (2004).
- Books
- 11 known books (10 novels + 1 collection)
- Published
- 11
- First published
- 2004
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: The Ruins of Gorlan (2004) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Ruins of Gorlan
The Ruins of Gorlan, published in 2004 at 261 pages, launches Ranger's Apprentice with undersized orphan Will Treaty apprenticed to Halt, the taciturn head of Araluen's elite Ranger Corps. John Flanagan originally wrote it as short stories to keep his reluctant-reader son reading, and it grew into a series that has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Ruins of Gorlan - Book 2:
The Burning Bridge
The Burning Bridge, published in 2005 at 278 pages, is the second Ranger's Apprentice novel. Will continues training under Halt alongside Horace and a widening cast of allies, as Flanagan's series builds its coming-of-age story about competence and being underestimated.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Burning Bridge - Book 3:
The Icebound Land
The Icebound Land, the third book in Ranger's Apprentice, was published in 2005 and runs 266 pages. Will and his allies face invading Skandian raiders as the series' escalating threats against the kingdom of Araluen continue to build.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Icebound Land - Book 4:
Oakleaf Bearers
Oakleaf Bearers, the fourth book in Ranger's Apprentice, was published in 2006 and runs 272 pages. Will grows further into his role as a Ranger, fighting alongside Halt and Horace against the sorcerous threats and foreign armies that escalate across the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Oakleaf Bearers - Book 5:
The Sorcerer in the North
The Sorcerer in the North, the fifth Ranger's Apprentice novel, appeared in 2006. John Flanagan continues threading Will's coming-of-age arc through the kingdom of Araluen's fight against internal treachery and outside threats.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Sorcerer in the North - Book 6:
The Siege of Macindaw
The Siege of Macindaw, the sixth book in Ranger's Apprentice, was published in 2007 and runs 336 pages. Will, Halt, and Horace face down a siege as the series' cast of allies continues widening against Araluen's enemies.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Siege of Macindaw - Book 7:
Erak's Ransom
Erak's Ransom, published in 2007, is the seventh Ranger's Apprentice novel, credited to John Flanagan. It continues the series' pattern of pitting Will and the Ranger Corps against Skandian raiders and sorcerous threats to the kingdom.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Erak's Ransom - Book 8:
The Kings of Clonmel
The Kings of Clonmel, published in 2008, is the eighth Ranger's Apprentice novel, credited to John Flanagan. Will's growth from reluctant apprentice into a Ranger in his own right continues as the threats facing Araluen escalate.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Kings of Clonmel - Book 9:
Halt's Peril
Halt's Peril follows The Kings of Clonmel and precedes The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, published in 2009. It's the ninth entry in a series that has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide since John Flanagan launched it as stories for his own reluctant-reader son.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Halt's Peril - Book 10:
The Emperor of Nihon-Ja
The Emperor of Nihon-Ja sits between Halt's Peril and The Lost Stories in Ranger's Apprentice's publication order, arriving in 2010. Will faces a foreign army as the series builds toward its original ten-novel conclusion.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Emperor of Nihon-Ja - Book 11:
The Lost Stories
The Lost Stories, published in 2011, closes out Ranger's Apprentice's original run -- not a single continuous narrative but a collection of side-stories filling in moments from across the whole series, best read as a coda after the ten main novels. Flanagan went on to continue Will's story in the Royal Ranger sub-series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Lost Stories
About the Ranger's Apprentice series
Will Treaty is an undersized orphan passed over for knight training and instead apprenticed, almost as an afterthought, to Halt, the taciturn and formidable head of the Ranger Corps -- the kingdom of Araluen's elite scouts, trackers, and covert protectors. Across ten novels, Will grows from a reluctant apprentice into a Ranger in his own right, fighting alongside Halt, the warrior-in-training Horace, and a widening cast of allies against invading Skandian raiders, sorcerous threats, foreign armies, and internal treachery, all while Flanagan quietly threads in a coming-of-age story about competence, loyalty, and the value of being underestimated.
John Flanagan, an Australian former advertising writer and journalist, originally wrote the first chapters as short stories to encourage his reluctant-reader son to keep reading; The Ruins of Gorlan grew out of that into the launch of a series that has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. The series closes its original run with The Lost Stories (2011), a collection of side-stories filling in moments from across the whole series rather than a single continuous narrative, after which Flanagan moved the story forward into the Royal Ranger sub-series.
Frequently asked questions
How many Ranger's Apprentice books are there?
The main series is 11 books (2004-2011): 10 novels plus The Lost Stories, a linked short-story collection. The story then continues in the separate 7-book Royal Ranger sub-series.
Was The Royal Ranger originally book 12 of Ranger's Apprentice?
Yes -- it was first published in 2013 as the main series' twelfth book, then reclassified in 2018 as book one of a new Royal Ranger sub-series once further sequels were confirmed. This catalogue tracks it under Royal Ranger (royal-ranger.json) rather than duplicating it here.
Is Brotherband Chronicles connected to Ranger's Apprentice?
Yes -- it's set in the same world (the Skandian seafarers who recur throughout Ranger's Apprentice get their own series) with occasional shared characters, but it follows a different cast and can be read independently.
What order should I read the whole Ranger's Apprentice universe in?
Most readers do Ranger's Apprentice (1-11) first, then Royal Ranger, reading Brotherband Chronicles and the Early Years duology whenever they like alongside or after.
If you like the Ranger's Apprentice series
Reading order last verified .