The Burning Bridge

The Ranger’s Apprentice, a middle grade fantasy series written by Australian author John Flanagan, comprises 12 main books published between 2004 and 2011; The Burning Bridge is its second installment. Flanagan was initially inspired to write by his 12-year-old son, Michael. The earlier books in the Ranger’s Apprentice series were short stories that Flanagan wrote to encourage his son to read. He then published those stories as his first novel in 2004.

The series follows Will, a young Ranger apprentice, as he faces dangers and travels across the territories of Araluen with his friends and allies. Flanagan has also written a spin-off series, The Ranger’s Apprentice: The Royal Ranger, which started in 2013 and includes seven books to date. The story revolves around Will, now an adult, as he takes on an apprentice of his own, the young Princess Madelyn. A third series set in the same world, Brotherband (2011-2022), follows the adventures of Hal, a young Skandian boy. Finally, the Ranger’s Apprentice universe also includes prequel novels and short stories, including The Tournament of Gorlan (2015) and The Battle of Hackam Heath (2016).

The Burning Bridge picks up after the events of The Ruins of Gorlan (2004), the first book in the series.