The Icebound Land
Encyclopedia
The Icebound Land is the third book in the Ranger's Apprentice
book series
written by Australian author
John Flanagan
.
, where Will and Evanlyn are taken hostage to Skandia as captives of the Skandian Jarl, Erak.
Halt has sworn that he will rescue Will, but is forced to stay by the Ranger Commandant Crowley. He is so desperate to leave that he publicly insults the King who reluctantly banishes him for one year. Because Halt is banished, he is no longer a Ranger, and he sets off for Skandia. First, he travels through Gallica where he meets Horace, who is also determind to find Will. Horace joins him, travels as a freelance knight, defeats many other inadequate freelance knights, and wins horses and armor. Horace's reputation grows and he is captured by the horrible and evil Lord Deparnieux of Castle Montsombre who desires to fight him. Halt, as a result, kills the warlord with a single, well-aimed arrow allowing Horace and him to get on a ship to Skandia.
Meanwhile, Erak believes that Will and Evanlyn (Princess Cassandra) would be treated better than the average slave, and while this is true for Cassandra, it is not the case for Will. Will is forced to be a yard slave and is assigned the worst work, such as jamming a paddle into a frozen well to keep the ice thawed. This is back-breaking, torturous, and freezing work and he suffers terribly. Later on, a so-called "friend" gives him a dangerous drug called warmweed, which has a blissful warming, soothing effect. It also makes the addict blank and lifeless, unable to think, talk, or remember, and always craving for another dose of the drug. After taking it, Will quickly becomes addicted. Erak one day sees this and helps Will and Evanlyn escape to a deserted hunting house with some provisions and a small bundle of warmweed to relieve Will of his addiction, ultimately succeeding.
Halt – Will's teacher and mentor. He has done many things for the Kingdom over his years of service and is regarded as one of the best Rangers of the time. He appears grim and silent, embodying the Ranger stereotype that appears throughout the book, but he does have a caring side.
Horace – Horace was once Will's arch enemy; he always picked on Will because he wanted to be a Knight. Since he went to battle school he has learned many things and has become a close friend of Will's, accompanying him on some missions and attempting to save him when he and the King's Daughter, Cassandra (Evanlyn), were taken captive by the Skandians. Horace also gains the honor and valor of a knight, and is appalled to see anyone's disrespect or lack of chivalry.
Evanlyn – Evanlyn meets Will in The Burning Bridge
. Her real name is Cassandra and is the crown princess of the Kingdom of Araluan but keeps her identity a secret.
Erak – Jarl Erak is the captain of a Skandian raiding ship that captures Will and Evanlyn in the previous book
. Erak takes Will and Evanlyn to a slave camp in Skandia and sells them. He does feel respect for the two young people and insists them being kept together and safe, but Evanlyn is sent to the kitchen and Will is put in the most dangerous job, the yard. To stay alive, Will takes warmweed and gets a dangerous addiction. Erak feels sympathy for him and help Will and Evanlyn escape to the mountains.
Ranger's Apprentice
Ranger's Apprentice is a series of fantasy novels written by Australian author John Flanagan. The first novel in the series, titled The Ruins of Gorlan, was released in Australia on 1 November 2004 and in the United States on 16 June 2005. As of 2011 all eleven books have been released in Australia...
book series
Book series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
written by Australian author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
John Flanagan
John Flanagan (author)
John Flanagan is an Australian fantasy author. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband. Her best known work is the Ranger's Apprentice novel series, which is about a boy named Will who is taken as an apprentice Ranger to the grim and mysterious Halt. They meet up with many new people,...
.
Plot summary
This book continues from The Burning BridgeThe Burning Bridge
The Burning Bridge is the second book of the Ranger's Apprentice series written by Australian author John Flanagan. It was released in Australia on 5 May 2005.-Plot summary:...
, where Will and Evanlyn are taken hostage to Skandia as captives of the Skandian Jarl, Erak.
Halt has sworn that he will rescue Will, but is forced to stay by the Ranger Commandant Crowley. He is so desperate to leave that he publicly insults the King who reluctantly banishes him for one year. Because Halt is banished, he is no longer a Ranger, and he sets off for Skandia. First, he travels through Gallica where he meets Horace, who is also determind to find Will. Horace joins him, travels as a freelance knight, defeats many other inadequate freelance knights, and wins horses and armor. Horace's reputation grows and he is captured by the horrible and evil Lord Deparnieux of Castle Montsombre who desires to fight him. Halt, as a result, kills the warlord with a single, well-aimed arrow allowing Horace and him to get on a ship to Skandia.
Meanwhile, Erak believes that Will and Evanlyn (Princess Cassandra) would be treated better than the average slave, and while this is true for Cassandra, it is not the case for Will. Will is forced to be a yard slave and is assigned the worst work, such as jamming a paddle into a frozen well to keep the ice thawed. This is back-breaking, torturous, and freezing work and he suffers terribly. Later on, a so-called "friend" gives him a dangerous drug called warmweed, which has a blissful warming, soothing effect. It also makes the addict blank and lifeless, unable to think, talk, or remember, and always craving for another dose of the drug. After taking it, Will quickly becomes addicted. Erak one day sees this and helps Will and Evanlyn escape to a deserted hunting house with some provisions and a small bundle of warmweed to relieve Will of his addiction, ultimately succeeding.
Characters
Will Treaty – the protagonist of the series. He is a young apprentice ranger who is under Halt's guidance. He has learned much over the years and is very accomplished in all facets of the ranger skills. He has been part of numerous wars and conflicts. He recently escaped from Skandia and managed to successfully overcome a warmweed addiction. He was originally conscious of his small height and thin, wiry frame (because he wanted to be a knight before becoming Halt's apprentice) but has come to be proud of them as they suit his Ranger profession.Halt – Will's teacher and mentor. He has done many things for the Kingdom over his years of service and is regarded as one of the best Rangers of the time. He appears grim and silent, embodying the Ranger stereotype that appears throughout the book, but he does have a caring side.
Horace – Horace was once Will's arch enemy; he always picked on Will because he wanted to be a Knight. Since he went to battle school he has learned many things and has become a close friend of Will's, accompanying him on some missions and attempting to save him when he and the King's Daughter, Cassandra (Evanlyn), were taken captive by the Skandians. Horace also gains the honor and valor of a knight, and is appalled to see anyone's disrespect or lack of chivalry.
Evanlyn – Evanlyn meets Will in The Burning Bridge
The Burning Bridge
The Burning Bridge is the second book of the Ranger's Apprentice series written by Australian author John Flanagan. It was released in Australia on 5 May 2005.-Plot summary:...
. Her real name is Cassandra and is the crown princess of the Kingdom of Araluan but keeps her identity a secret.
Erak – Jarl Erak is the captain of a Skandian raiding ship that captures Will and Evanlyn in the previous book
The Burning Bridge
The Burning Bridge is the second book of the Ranger's Apprentice series written by Australian author John Flanagan. It was released in Australia on 5 May 2005.-Plot summary:...
. Erak takes Will and Evanlyn to a slave camp in Skandia and sells them. He does feel respect for the two young people and insists them being kept together and safe, but Evanlyn is sent to the kitchen and Will is put in the most dangerous job, the yard. To stay alive, Will takes warmweed and gets a dangerous addiction. Erak feels sympathy for him and help Will and Evanlyn escape to the mountains.
Critical reception
The Icebound Land was well received by reviewers. One review praised the fact that although Will is talented, he is not afraid to ask others for help when needed. The same reviewer also praised how, "the action is well paced and the writing style is engaging." On another review for the audiobook version, the vivid imagery was noted on how it provides great detail for the battle scenes. The review also praised the speaker John Keating, makes the production entertaining, and the cliffhanging conclusion is sure to have fantasy fans hoping for another installment.External links
- The Icebound Land at Random House AustraliaRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
- The Icebound Land at Penguin Group (USA)
- The Icebound Land at Random House UK
- The Icebound Land at Random House NZRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...