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The Burning Bridge (officially Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge) is the second book in the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. It was released May 5, 2005.

Blurb

For years, the Kingdom of Araluen has prospered, with the evil lord Morgarath safely behind the impassable mountains. For years, its people have felt secure. But the scheming hand of the dark lord has not been idle. . . . When Will and his friend Horace, an apprentice knight, travel to a neighboring village they discover the unsettling truth. Could it be that Morgarath has finally devised a plan to bring his legions over the supposedly insurmountable pass? If so, the king's army is in imminent danger of being crushed. And Will and Horace are the only ones who can save them.[1]

Plot Overview

After tracking down a group of Wargals, Halt and Will recovered a set of Morgarath's battle plans.

A week after, Will and Horace accompanied Gilan on a mission to Celtica to invoke the mutual defense treaty between Celtica and Araluen. However, they soon discovered that all celtic settlements had been abandoned. Gilan theorised that Morgarath had devised a plan to cross the Celtic Fissure. If true, and King Duncan wasn't warned, Araluen would be destroyed.

Meanwhile, Halt accompanied Alyss on a diplomatic mission to Cobram Keep. Sir Montague dismissed Alyss, insulting her, Baron Arald, and Lady Pauline. After Halt threw him into the moat, he agreed to lend the promised troops.

While traveling, Will, Horace, and Gilan came across a girl named Evanlyn, who claimed to be a maid to a lady of the Araluen court but was actually Princess Cassandra. Gilan left to warn King Duncan, while the other three investigated the wargals. They discovered a bridge being built across the fissure for Morgarath's war forces, revealing the captured plans as fake. Unable to warn the Araluen army, the trio decided to burn the bridge. Although successful, Will and Cassandra were captured by Skandians.

Horace met up with the Araluen army; Halt was sent to lead the cavalry and archer units through the fens. Successful, they were able to deal serious damage to Morgarath's army. Soon after, Morgarath called for a truce and challenged Halt to a duel, but Duncan forbid it. Unexpectedly, Horace challenged Morgarath to single combat. To the shock of everyone, Horace won, killing Morgarath.

The Wargals became harmless as Morgarath's mind domination was broken. Halt searched for Will and Cassandra, but was unable to reach them in time, forced to watch the Skandians escape with the two as captives.

Gallery

Notable Characters

For a full list of characters, see Category:The Burning Bridge Characters.

In Other Languages

Title Comparisons
Language Title Meaning Language Title Meaning
Chinese 燃燒的巨橋 The Burning Bridge Croatian Most u plamenu A Bridge on Fire
Czech Hořící most Burning Bridge Danish Den Brændende Bro The Burning Bridge
Dutch De Brandende Brug The Burning Bridge French Le chant des Wargals The Wargals' Song
German Die brennende Brücke The Burning Bridge Hungarian A ​lángoló híd The Flaming Bridge
Indonesian Jembatan yang Terbakar The Burning Bridge Italian Un ponte in fiamme A Burning Bridge
Japanese 炎橋 Flaming Bridge Korean 워갈의 노래
불타는 다리
Wargal's Song
Burning Bridge
Lithuanian Degantis tiltas Burning Bridge Norwegian Den brennende broen The Burning Bridge
Persian پل آتشین - جنگاوران جوان کتاب دوم Fire Bridge Polish Płonący most Burning Bridge
Portuguese A Ponte Em Chamas The Burning Bridge Russian Горящий мост Burning Bridge
Slovak Horiaci most Burning Bridge Spanish El puente en llamas The Burning Bridge
Swedish Det övergivna landet The Abandoned Land Turkish Yanan Köprü Burning Bridge
Vietnamese Cây cầu cháy rụi Burning Bridge
  • In Korea, The Burning Bridge is split into two books.
  • No Greek, Romanian, or Thai translations were made past The Ruins of Gorlan.

References

  1. The Burning Bridge, back cover
  • In early editions of The Burning Bridge, the subplot with Halt and Alyss is missing.
Books in the Ranger's Apprentice Series
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