Includes stories about: the Rangers; your parents and how you came to be an orphan; how a Ranger's life was saved; and, what happens next for you and your loyal friends.

A new series from bestselling author John Flanagan
Skandians, as any fan of Ranger's Apprentice can tell you, are known for their physical strength. Though Hal, Stig, and the other outcasts may be lacking in that area, they more than make up for it with their intellect and courage--which they'll need every ounce of if they're to compete in the ultimate competition. From tests of strategy to races on treacherous seas, these Skandians will be pitted against some of their country's most promising young warriors. And for some it's more than just a game. It's war.

Will is small for his age, but fast and quick-witted. All his life, he has dreamed of becoming a great knight like the father he never knew, so he is devastated when he is rejected by Castle Redmont's Battleschool. Instead he is apprenticed to Halt, mysterious Ranger whose uncanny ability to move unseen is thought to be the result of black magic.

After years as a ranger's apprentice, Will is now the protector of his first fief. Not long into his service, everything that can go wrong, does: Keren, a renegade knight, has taken over Castle Macindaw - poisoning the royal family in the process - and is holding Will's friend Alyss captive.

Will is going to a place that is unlike anywhere he has ever seen, sent on a mission to rescue the Skandian leader who has been captured by a dangerous desert tribe. Violent sandstorms, warring tribes and danger stalk him at every turn. Can he reach the hostage before time runs out?

When the worlds of Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband cross over, action and adventure are guaranteed King Duncan of Araluen has an urgent mission for Hal and the Heron Brotherband. One assassination attempt on Princess Cassandra was foiled. But the killers won't be satisfied until they have fulfilled their honour-bound duty. The Herons, along with Ranger Gilan, set off for Arrida. There they must track the cult of killers across the desert, and infiltrate the cult's mountain lair to find their leader - and stop him. But the giant assassin isn't the only threat they will face.

When the Heron brotherband become the Skandian duty ship to the Kingdom of Araluen, they're excited at the challenges ahead. Hal, Stig, Thorn and the Herons eagerly set off for the trip. But an enemy from their past returns, causing the Herons to be thrown into a dangerous quest to free captured Araluans from the slave market in Socorro.

When Halt and Crowley discover that the ambitious Morgarath has been infiltrating the Rangers in order to corrupt the corps and, ultimately, steal the throne, they seek a royal warrant to stop him before it is too late. Yet when Halt and Crowley arrive in Gorlan, they discover just how close Morgarath's scheme is to taking root.