The Missing Prince

Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger #4

by John Flanagan

International bestselling author John Flanagan returns to world of Ranger's Apprentice in the fourth installment of the Royal Ranger series starring Maddie, Will Treaty's fearless young apprentice.

Will Treaty and his apprentice, Maddie have been urgently summoned to Castle Araluen. When they arrive they learn a
shocking truth: the Prince of Gallica is missing--and the King of Gallica has asked for help. All reports suggest that the young prince has been taken prisoner by the dangerous and powerful Baron Joubert de Lassigny. King Duncan knows that sending troops to Gallica to rescue the prince could start a war, as could openly helping Gallica resolve internal convict. But there's another way to save the prince: the Ranger Corps.

Soon, Will and Maddie are on the road to rescue the missing prince, disguised as father and daughter jongleurs. Maddie will have to use her knifethrowing skills to keep up her disguise, and her ranger's apprentice training to complete the mission. But going undercover is dangerous--and the road presents its own hazards. Can she and Will use all their talents to save the prince, or will the arrogant Baron uncover their plans and put their lives, and their kingdom, at risk?

Internationally bestselling author of the Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband series, John Flanagan returns in the captivating next installment of the Royal Ranger series: The Royal Ranger: The Missing Prince. Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, Brian Jacques's Redwall, and George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones!

Praise for The Missing Prince:

"Flanagan builds suspense with well-practiced skill . . . . Tension increases right up to the last page." --Booklist

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Adventure, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Action

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

For mysteries by this same author, see John A. Flanagan.

John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. It wasn't until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency where he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John's assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting.

After writing advertising copy for the next two decades, John teamed with an old friend to develop a television sitcom, Hey Dad!, which went on to air for eight years.

John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series.

He currently lives in a suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.

Reviews

[Jerecho · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. JF comedic writing was superb (I missed Halt's and Horace's banter). I hope JF write a one continuous book instead of two short to be continued books.

Anyway, it is still a nice read. 😊

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

King Duncan is asked by his neighbor King Philippe to rescue his son: the Prince of Gallica, who he believes is has been taken prisoner by a dangerous foe, Baron Joubert de Lassigny. He decides that a weak King, who owes him a favor is preferable to an unknown, possible threat so he recruits Ranger Will Treaty and his apprentice, Maddie, who poses as jongleurs. Will has musical talent, but Maddie has to be taught to juggle, and, as a Ranger, is a natural as a knife thrower. They make their way in Gallica, entertaining in small towns, turning the tables on some brigands, for the King, eventually making their way to the Baron's court, where they conduct reconnaissance to locate the Prince. I almost knocked off a star for the cliffhanger ending, which really annoyed me.

[Tricia Mingerink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is everything I was hoping for and more! While I have enjoyed all of the Royal Ranger books so far, the last 2 books were mildly disappointing in that Will and Maddie weren't on the mission together (and Will was barely in the books).

This book, instead, is all Will and Maddie being awesome! And, the book is setting up for Horace and Halt to play a part as well!

Warning, this book ends in a cliff hanger. Apparently, this is going to be another two (or more) book arc, which I wasn't expecting. While the cliffhanger threw me for a moment, I was then excited, since it means we will get more Will and Maddie!

[Nickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I don't say this very often about John Flanagan's books, but I felt this one was disappointing. It was wonderful to "see" old friends, and to travel with Will and Maddie across country, but it felt like a bunch of disjoined stories patched together. It took forever to get to the rescue of the prince, and then the book ended, sans rescue.

[Linli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this, but I wish John Flanagan would just write one long book instead of a two-part story. Just a minor quibble; I always look forward to a new RA book.

[Lies]

Dit was weer gaande zeg. Grijze jager meets feminisme, Frankrijk en wederom een opsluiting in een toren.

[agata · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3,5-4 gwiazdki??????) JA TEZ JESTEM ZDZIWIONA ale- wow to naprawdę miało vibe dawnych zwiadowców i bawiłam się jak za starych dobrych czasów???? nawet maddie mnie nie irytowała aż tak?? panie flanagan no co pan??? jestem w szoku jedynie ostatnie strony mnie mocno zawiodły bo oczekiwałam innego zakończenia i tez trochę innego rozwiniecia postaci willa???? ale tak to. it. was. GOOD. nie zasypiałam jak na poprzedniej o ja cie

[Joy Jenkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this series but honestly this book didn’t have enough content to merit being part of a two book plot line. Let’s face it, I really didn’t need two chapters about juggling when it didn’t come into play at all in the end.

This book and the next should have been combined into one to make a good fast paced read. Instead I got a wandering plot that was riding on the nostalgia readers feel for this world and characters.

[Sana⁷ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this book definitely did not met my expectations.


I waited for something interesting to happen and only on the very end the action kicked in. Will and Halt came back in this book, but, sadly, even their presence did not save it. The only scene that I actually liked was a small part, a conversation between Will and Maddie about the importance of the last name.

And that's it, really.

The book ended in an interesting way, I wonder how Will and Maddie will save each other (but I have a feeling that a third person will save them - and I even know who). I hope that the next book will be more enjoyable (please) 🙂



Ranger's Apprentice series - my rating:


book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 2: The Burning Bridge: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 3: The Icebound Land: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 4: The Battle of Skandia: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 5: The Sorcerer of the North: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 6: The Siege of Macindaw: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 7: Erak's Ransom: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 8: The Kings of Clonmel: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 9: Halt's Peril: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 11: The Lost Stories: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger:

book 12: The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
book 13: The Red Fox Clan: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5)
book 14: Duel at Araluen: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 15: The Missing Prince: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

[Jennifer Wagemans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wat me net als bij boek 12 in het verkeerde keelgat schoot, was het ontzettende generalistische en negatieve beeld van een heel volk dat duidelijk op een stereotype gebaseerd is. Waarom is bijna heel Gallica (dat duidelijk gebaseerd is op Frankrijk) snobistisch, neerbuigend en achterbaks? Dat heeft voor mij in ieder geval echt geen meerwaarde. Daarnaast vond ik dit deel zeker na het hele gevecht om Araluen een stuk minder spannend en een van de weinige scènes die wel spannend waren (met de Gieren), was totaal overbodig.

Waarom dan toch 3 sterren? Het boek blijft een prettige en makkelijke schrijfstijl houden. Het lezen over Grijze Jagers blijft leuk en ik vond de rol die Will en Maddie hadden in dit boek wel origineel en amusant. Het ingewikkelde politieke concept van de verdwijning houdt ook mijn aandacht vast en natuurlijk ga ik het volgende boek lezen WANT HET EINDIGT WEER IN EEN BELACHELIJKE CLIFFHANGER WHY JOHN WHY?! Ik moet weten waar dit heen gaat!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew the ending was going to be something like that, but WHHHYYYYYY?????? And why can’t I find a release date for book 5 yet?????

Definitely enjoyed it more than the last two since Will’s in the whole book. Lots of times I was grinning like an idiot because it made me happy. I wouldn’t say there’s a lot to the plot, but honestly, don’t we read these books for the characters? And there’s so much lovely character interaction. I love them all so much. Will Treaty is the best. 😍 And Maddie’s grown up a lot too. Halt was only in part of the book, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a good deal more of him and Horace in the next book. Just my guess based on a chapter somewhere in the middle. And when will book 5 come out???????

[Hanbbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaah! Ik heb Maddie echt gemist! En Will natuurlijk ook😅

Dit boek heeft me weer vanaf pagina 1 meegesleurd! Ik heb zoveel vragen over het einde! Wanneer komt het vervolg!!!

Het was leuk om te zien hoe ze telkens de klik maakten van artiest naar jager en omgekeerd. In het begin was ik wel even verward, maar ik denk dat deels kwam doordat het een tijdje geleden is dat ik de vorige boek gelezen heb😅

Al bij al heb ik ontzettend genoten van dit boek en kijk ik uit naar het vervolg ervan. And please laat Halt er wat meer in voorkomen🙏 Zijn humor is geniaal!

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great set-up for the next one. That cliffhanger!
I still enjoy reading these books and it feels so nice to see my favourite characters again.
I can't wait for the fifth book!

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bummer that this is another split plot book like The Red Fox Clan and Duel at Araluen. I know middle grade books aren't generally really long, not usually reaching 400 pages, but c'mon. This is a pain in the butt!! It's literally half the plot. It's not even a real structured story. Wait for the next book to come out before picking up this one. I liked the book but it's not a whole book.

[Sally906 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m giving this 3 stars because of the ending - a huge climax and then TO BE CONTINUED!

What the......

Mr Flanagan - you give me the next part and I will upgrade your star rating!

I am very, VERY, annoyed.

So - next book soon - or it stays as 3 stars!

[julia:) · Rating 2 out of 5]

zdecydowanie najgorsza ze wszystkich :( zero humoru typowego dla poprzednich części, także fabuła mocno odbiega i nie jest interesująca. mocno się zawiodłam 💔

[Kerianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Znowu wątek który się ciągnie na dwie książki, jak do połowy nie wydarzyło się nic spektakularnego, tylko ciągle trwały naciągane przygotowania do wielkiej misji, to już wiedziałam, że nie skończy się to w tej książce. Niby na początku serii Flanagan zrobił to samo, pewnie niejednokrotnie. „Płonący most” jest taki cienki, bo prawdopodobnie nie przewidział, że nie zmieści się w jednej książce i kontynuował wątek w drugiej. Teraz zdaje się, że robi to celowo, żeby rozciągać akcje na dwie książki. Nie umiem jeszcze ocenić czy to dobrze czy źle, ma to swoje plusy, ale zalatuje biznesem.
Z dobrych rzeczy - wreszcie zaczynam zauważać coś, co Flanagan robi od samego początku, czyli do znudzenia powtarza nawyki zwiadowców, opisuje ich taktykę, jakieś małe zasady, coś co się ciągle i ciągle powtarza. A robi to po to, żeby w pewnym sensie „wyszkolić” czytelnika i wyrobić w nim takie nawyki jak w zwiadowcach, żeby czuł że sam się skrada w tym lesie i musi pilnować tylu istotnych szczegółow. Chodzi między innymi o to, że jak Will i Maddie któryś raz z kolei ustawiają do pionu jakichś złodziejaszków to czytelnik już wie, że każą im zostawić buty ubrania i broń, poślą ich do diabła lub przywiążą do drzewa. Wie, że zrobią tak, żeby uniemożliwić im szybkie wrócenie do grabienia we wsi. Czytelnik już wie, że podczas skradania najpierw Will robi pare kroków i staje nieruchomo, a potem Maddie omija go robiąc to samo, co daje poruszanie się trochę na taki suwak, po to, by nikt nie zaskoczył ich od tylu. Da się poznać przyczynowo skutkowe działanie tej dwójki i nie tylko ich, bo u Horace’a, Gilana, Halta i Cassandry również. Mam wrażenie, że z kazda książką Flanagan zamiast rozwijać swój styl to w nim trochę dziecinnieje. Bohaterowie są już dawno dorośli i jedyne, na co sobie pozwala to na więcej śmierci i tylko odrobine więcej brutalizmu, w innych kwestiach mam wrażenie, że jego świat i postacie nie dojrzewają a zawsze zostają na tym samym poziomie. I dla mnie pomysł z rybaltem i jego córka jest zbyt podobny do poprzedniej misji Willa i Maddie, niby sprawdzone ale jednak już trochę przereklamowane. Duży plus za kobiety w jego serii. To nie jest chamskie wpychanie do gardła feminizmu i girl power, tylko systematyczne i pracochłonne wypychanie dziewczyn na pozycje, które zajmują. Nie są lepsze od facetow, są równie dobre, oczywiście mogą być lepsze, ale Flanagan zdaje się to skutecznie godzić. 4 gwiazdki za to co zawsze - za humor, sentyment i szczegółowe tłumaczenie wszystkiego, nawet największych oczywistości - Flanagan chyba panicznie boi się, że to, o czym pisze będzie odebrane inaczej niż sobie zamyślił, co może być jego minusem, ale z drugiej strony to plus, bo wydaje się bardzo przejmować swoim czytelnikiem i tym, by wszystko dobrze rozumiał.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay!!! This was great! I actually think this is one of my more favorites of his most recent books, more than The Red Fox Clan or Duel at Araluen, which are also a two part storyline.
We were pulled into the story quickly this time with the bandits (I am always wondering why the bandits are only jerks but I guess it makes it funnier) trying to attack the farmer dude (bad move XD). I'm used to the fact that everyone is getting older in this series now so it didn't make me as sad at least. I really do like Maddie and Will is cool obviously.
This is only part a of the rescue of this Giles guy, so stay tuned for part b! I can't wait until he releases the next book. As a warning, it did drop as a major cliffhanger so I'm a bit impatient over here.

I can tell the next book will be good.

Content:
Language--Holy cow, one use of dam*
Sexy Stuff/Romance--Maddie sees two people staring into each other's eyes for a split second XD
Violence--Scuffle with some bandits (at least two groups), a few arrows being shot, one guy is stabbed in the chest, two people knocked senseless.

[Thamvov · Rating 3 out of 5]

3. A "To Be Continued" again with a book of 200 pg feels forced. Some chapters (like the juggling, that did not come into play later) were unnecessary, and leaving them out and combining it with the next book could have made a fast-paced read. The premise of going to a foreign country just to keep a weak ruler in place seems a bit flimsy. The banter in this one is good though, and the nostalgia and travel-chapters keep me going.

[ola ✌✌ · Rating 3 out of 5]

takie 3,5. całkiem fajna, dużo lepsza od dwóch poprzednich tomów

[Lizzy Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

really cute as per usual! funny and very easy to read through

grr hate cliffhangers though now i have to wait

[Cheyanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

For its cliffhanger ending

[Wiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel bad dissing Ranger's Apprentice. It is and will continue to be one of my favorite series of all time, and I take it as a bit of an affront when other people say anything negative about it. So you can imagine how conflicted I feel, getting ready to say something negative about this latest book.

Why don't I start with the positives? It was engaging the whole way through. I was alternately amused and excited, and sometimes both at the same time. I loved seeing Will and Maddie again, especially since Will pretty much wasn't there in The Red Fox Clan and Duel at Araluen.

And yet, the whole thing felt kind of... rambly. It was just travel. There was no looming threat over the entire book, no climax it was building up to, just a series of encounters. Each encounter was exciting to read about, don't get me wrong, but it didn't feel like a cohesive plot. And then, just as we reached the end of the book and there's finally the climax that I suppose it was building up to the whole time... it ends on a cliffhanger. I'm not opposed to cliffhangers in concept, but in this case, it just felt like this whole book was leading up to the conflict that won't happen until the next one, and it was kind of annoying.

Maybe John Flanagan is just running out of fresh, unique ideas. After all, this is the 25th book in the Ranger's Apprentice universe. It wouldn't be surprising. But we've seen Will going undercover as a jongleur before (The Sorcerer of the North), and we've seen Maddie going undercover as Will's daughter before (The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning), and we've seen long travel montages before (The Icebound Land), and we've seen people being held hostage in castles before (The Siege of Macindaw). There just aren't that many more new ideas at this point, and it's feeling maybe a little repetitive.

But! I still enjoyed reading this book. It still made me laugh out loud at least twice. It still made my heart pound and me not want to put it down. And I still think it was a good book. Just not quite as good as the previous books in the series.

EDIT: The more I think about this book, the more unsatisfied I get. I've reread The Sorcerer of the North since I read The Missing Prince, and wow are they similar. The Missing Prince is practically the same book, only in a different place, with the addition of Maddie, the swap of Halt for Horace, and the removal of an underlying mystery that ties the whole thing together and makes it feel like a cohesive book rather than a series of encounters. I'm severely disappointed. I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like it so bad. But now, upon further thought, I'm finding myself needing to bump my review down to three stars. I'm sorry, Will and Maddie. It's not your fault.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Wat kan mij zijn pijn schelen?' snauwde Maddie. 'Ik vind het een fijne pijl.'

Dit is... een kort boek. 285 bladzijdes maar, da's even dik als de allereerste twee verhalen. Ik verschoot er toch effe van.

Het is het eerste deel in een verhaal dat weer over twee delen gespreid is. Alleen denk ik, aan dit boek te zien, dat het eigenlijk wat korter had gekund. Er is nogal veel voorspel, het duurt lang voor er echt gang in het verhaal komt. In de eerste helft gebeurt er redelijk weinig: voornamelijk wat grappen, nog wat meer herhalende info over Jagers, introductie en dergelijke meer, en een paar elementen die voor een onderhuidse spanning zorgen. Maar het begint pas echt interessant te worden meer naar het einde van het verhaal - en dan is het al gedaan.

Die onderhuidse spanning hangt vooral samen met Gallica, waar dit verhaal zich grotendeels afspeelt. De Fransen zullen niet gelukkig zijn met dit verhaal, want hun evenknieën worden niet echt positief afgeschilderd - of dan toch degenen die wat hoger op de ladder staan. Een hoop gekonkel, intriges en vuile streken, daar draait 't 'm om. Al bij al weer interessant.
Over Frans gesproken: in de korte inhoud staat een fout, 'Failaises', en dat moet 'Falaises' zijn. Het Frans gaat achteruit... Van een fail gesproken...

Volgens mij is dit een van de weinige verhalenreeksen waar echt nauwelijks iets van romances inkomen. Een hele opluchting, bij tijd en wijle, want dat mag ook zeker eens. De personages staan op zichzelf sterk genoeg, met name Will en Maddie natuurlijk. Ik vind ze nog steeds toffe personages, er mogen wat dat betreft gerust nog wat meer verhalen volgen.

De vertaling is van Wybrand Scheffer, die De Grijze Jager al langer voor zijn rekening neemt. In het begin schort er een beetje aan de redactie - een paar typfouten die zijn blijven staan - en ook verderop staan er nog een of twee, dat stoort een beetje. Maar verder is het weer knap gedaan: consistentie met verwijzingen naar dingen die vroeger in de reeks werden vermeld, namen, een paar goeie woordgrappen.

De Vermiste Prins is nu niet meteen het meest inspirerende verhaal uit de reeks, zeker omdat het op een paar momenten ook aan andere avonturen uit de reeks doet denken, met name aan Boek 5 - De Magiër van Macindaw. En omdat het nog niet echt heel spannend is. Maar ik leef op goeie hoop, ik ben benieuwd naar Boek 16. Benieuwd waar John Flanagan nog mee op de proppen komt!

7,5/10

[The Forest Clown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it more underwhelming than some of the other Ranger's Apprentice books, but then again, that could've just been my state of mind. The books are great and this was also good, but I'm sad that it ended with a cliffhanger. These people aren't worth so much effort and time. The only reason you're helping them is to keep a weak king on the throne so that they can't attack Araluen. At first I thought this was going to be a prince who was kidnapped or something and they went to save him and it would've been so cool to have a girl, one of a group that was considered ever so inferior at the time, rescue such a valorous prince. Now, I'm reading it and realizing they're helping cowards. It was a good portrayal of the dilemmas that can come up for kings and the actions that have to be taken.

That review summarized? Good but a bit underwhelming.

[JVT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will and Maddie are tasked with the rescue of a prince.
I think the book was a bit boring, and it had a lack of violence and / or death.
In the contrary to the siege of Macindaw, or The Oakleaf bearers, there wasn't a lot of battle nor violence, which was disappointing to my peaceful persona.
Nevertheless, the interactions between Will and Maddie were entertaining and made up for the lack of fights, thus the 3/5.

[Alison (Lady Coffin) S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nooooo! Not a CLIFFHANGER, ugh!

So good as most of his books are, but I SO DISLIKE being left in the MIDDLE of the ADVENTURE.
And now I have to wait 9 months to see what happens. Ahhh! Well, at least I did not read it when it first came out and would have had an even longer wait.

Can hardly wait to see what Will and Maddy will do when we get to rejoin them for part 2.

[Jildou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the quality I am used to from John Flanagan.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weer een heerlijk Grijze Jager boek met humor en een goed plot. Vanaf de helft in ongeveer een stuk uitlezen dus dat zegt wel wat :)