Cirrus@Austlit

'John Flanagan gets spooky in the latest adventure in the New York Times bestselling Ranger's Apprentice The Royal Ranger series!

'Will and Maddie are sent to neighbouring kingdom Celtica to investigate reports of terrifying direwolves – an ancient species thought to be extinct. What they discover is even more of a threat – a sorceress who has enslaved direwolves and Wargals to her will and is building an army of creatures both living and supernatural.'  (Publication summary)

'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.'(Publication summary)

'In a battle of Skandians vs Temujai, the brotherband are facing their most formidable enemy yet.

'The Heron brotherband are home in Skandia – but their usually peaceful country is in danger. The Temujai have never given up on their ambition to claim Skandia for their own. The ruthless warriors from the Eastern Steppes waited a number of years after the Skandians thwarted them last time - with the help of the legendary Rangers of Araluen - but now they're on the move.

'Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half-brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.

'With their countries on the brink of war, Damen and his master Prince Laurent exchange the intrigues of the palace for the sweeping might of the battlefield as they travel to the border to avert a lethal plot.

'Leading a band of loyal men against desperate odds, Damen must fight together with Laurent to overcome machinations, ambushes and betrayals. With the future of both their nations at stake, a single misstep could be fatal.

'Despite himself, Damen is increasingly drawn to the dangerous, charismatic Laurent. But even as the fledgling trust between the two men deepens, their enemies are poised to deal them a final devastating blow . . .'

Source: Publishing blurb.

'Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.

'Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomises the worst of the decadent court at Vere. But in the lethal web of Veretian politics, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen is caught up in a dangerous play for the throne, he is forced to form an alliance with Laurent to survive and save his country.

'For Damen, there is just one rule: he must never reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else . . .'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'King Duncan and Princess Cassandra are trapped high in the south tower of Castle Araluen.

'In the north, Sir Horace and Ranger Commandant Gilan are besieged in an old hill fort, as they wait for the Red Fox Clan's next attack.

'Ranger's apprentice Maddie must find the Heron brotherband and convince them to join her, so she can give her father the help he needs to break out from the hill fort and ride to confront the traitor.

'Will they reach Castle Araluen in time? And when the battles have been fought and the dust has settled, who will rule the Kingdom of Araluen?'  (Publication summary)

'When you're a Ranger who happens to be royalty, stopping treason isn't just part of the job - it's personal. Most of the time, Maddie is an apprentice Ranger, learning archery, knife throwing, unseen movement and combat skills under the guidance of the legendary Will Treaty. For one month each year, though, she must return home and resume her identity as Princess Madelyn. Forced to keep her Ranger training a secret, Maddie finds castle life dull. But when she discovers clues to a devastating plot against the crown, she realises her family - and the peace they've worked so hard to achieve - could be in terrible danger. To save everyone at Castle Araluen, and her father's forces who are trapped by an enemy army in the north, Maddie must find out the truth. Who is the man in the red fox mask?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When the former Baron Morgarath escaped to avoid punishment for treason, an uneasy peace fell on Araluen. But the Rangers know Morgarath will be planning his next move, and there are rumours he has recruited an army of savage, inhuman creatures. Newly crowned King Duncan must prepare for war.

'Halt prepares for a seemingly impossible task – climbing the deadly cliffs of the Mountains of Rain and Night and venturing deep into enemy territory to spy on Morgarath. Meanwhile, Crowley must ensure the Queen's safety as she undertakes her own perilous journey for the sake of her unborn child.

'Morgarath's Wargals seem unstoppable against Duncan's depleted army. The winner of this war could be decided by one wrong move. At the Battle of Hackham Heath, the fate of a Kingdom will be decided.

'The origin story of how Halt came to be Araluen's most famous Ranger – and how war will decide the future of the next generation – will thrill Ranger's Apprentice fans and new readers alike.' (Publication summary)