The Burning Bridge

When the three travellers reach Celtica, they find the towns empty and the people gone. Gilan rides back to warn the king, leaving Will and Horace to go on alone. They meet Evanlyn, a girl who has escaped from the Wargals and who is clearly hiding something about who she is. Together they discover that the missing Celts have been forced to build an enormous bridge across a deep gorge, a secret route that would let Morgarath's army strike the kingdom from behind.

Will must use everything Halt has taught him, from stealth to quick thinking, to stop the plan, while the armies of Araluen gather for the decisive battle. Horace grows from a clumsy trainee into a brave and capable knight, and his moment of courage on the battlefield is one of the highlights of the series. John Flanagan writes clear, energetic action, and the friendship between Will and Horace gives the story real warmth. There are battle scenes and some dangerous moments, but nothing graphic.

Exciting and satisfying, with a cliffhanger ending that leads straight into The Icebound Land. Fans of the first book will enjoy seeing the world grow larger and the stakes rise, and many young readers race through the rest of the series afterwards. About 304 pages in the Puffin paperback.