Bookworm Speaks!-The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan

Bookworm Speaks!

Ranger’s Apprentice Book 4: The Battle for Skandia

AKA: The Oakleaf Bearers

by John Flanagan

****

The Story: Still far from their homeland after escaping slavery in the icebound land of Skandia, Will and Evanlyn's plans to return to Araluen are spoiled when Evanlyn is taken captive by a Temujai warrior. Though still weakened by the warmweed's toxic effects, Will employs his Ranger training to locate his friend, but an enemy scouting party has him fatally outnumbered. Will is certain death is close at hand, until Halt and Horace make a daring, last-minute rescue. The reunion is cut short, however, when Halt makes a horrifying discovery: Skandia's borders have been breached by the entire Temujai army. And Araluen is next in their sights. If two kingdoms are to be saved, an unlikely union must be made. Will it hold long enough to vanquish a ruthless new enemy? Or will past tensions spell doom for all?

The Good: As stated in earlier reviews, the first two books in the series were very much a stereotypical good vs. evil, sword and sorcery fantasy, but as the series progressed, it becomes much more complicated and deeper story. 

As usual, the world building is absolutely superb. The author’s description of combat doctrines and tactics over a prolonged campaign, are almost right on the money for realism and are more likely than not, based off of real tactics from a past age. 

The Temujai are clearly based on the barbarian hordes of Central Asia such as the Mongols and the Huns. What can also be learned from them is how the Roman Empire and to some extent modern militaries, worked so well, On his own, a Roman Legionnaire was nothing special in the way of single combat, but when a part of a large, cohesive unit, they were almost unstoppable. A disciplined, ordered force will almost always prevail against a chaotic force even if severely outnumbered. There is something to be learned in that even beyond combat. 

A common trope in fantasy and science fiction is one person or a small platoon defeating an entire army of hopelessly incompetent grunts. That doesn’t happen in this book and the Skandians are forced to utilize guerrilla tactics in order to prevail against the tactically superior Temujai. 

That does not mean the acclaimed characters of this series are left out by any means. The Arulaen quartet meant to leave Skandia forever but now they realize their country is in danger from the Temujai if they succeed in conquering Skandia. The two nations have long been enemies but the old adage: enemy of my enemy comes into play and it is interesting to see bitter foes set aside their differences for the common good. 

Will is still weak from his ordeal from the warmweed and he does not recover right away. Again, playing to the realism. All the character’s go through growth when they are so far from home and forced into challenging circumstances. Halt has to come into his own as a strategist after working on his own or among fellow rangers for so long. Horace’s skills are put to the test and Evanlyn struggles with her role as a princess out of her kingdom. Finally the Skandians and Erak have to face an enemy that won’t flee at the sight of their wolfships. Everyone is put to the test. 

No spoilers but going along with the author’s theme of breaking cliches, the expected romantic angle near the end does not play out and the book as well as the series is much better off for it. 

The Flaws: The major flaw in this book is that maybe it focuses too much on the war. What makes this series so stellar is the personal relationships between the characters, which are pushed to the side a great deal in this story. There is still a lot of talking, but it is almost completely related to the major conflict. Even at the beginning with the heartfelt reunion, the next passage moves on to the Temujai. This is not a deal-breaker but for readers who are looking for a deeper exploration into the ties that bind Horace, Evanlyn, Will, and Halt, they will be disappointed. 

Also, as one could expect from a medieval fantasy, this book is a bit on the violent side, considering that its about a war. It’s never particularly gory but it does describe people fighting and dying. Its good that the author never shies away from the realities of warfare but since this is a book aimed at younger readers, this fact could raise some concerned eyebrows. 

Final Verdict: A fascinating look into medieval warfare in a fantastic setting with equally fantastic characters. 

Four out Five Stars

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