A New Beginning, originally titled The Royal Ranger, was the twelfth and final novel in the Ranger's Apprentice series. In 2018, it was renamed and became the first book in the sequel series, The Royal Ranger.
Blurb
John Flanagan makes a spectacular return to the world of Ranger's Apprentice - but what has happened since you last saw Will and his friends might shock you!
Will took an oath when he joined the Ranger Corps. Does it mean nothing to him now?
After a senseless tragedy destroys his life, Will is obsessed with punishing those responsible - even if it means leaving the Ranger Corps. His worried friends must find a way to stop him taking such a dark path.
It is Halt who suggests the solution: Will must take an apprentice. The candidate Halt has in mind will surprise everyone - and it will be a request Will cannot refuse.
Training a rebellious, unwilling apprentice is hard enough. But when a routine mission uncovers a shocking web of crime, Will must decide where his priorities lie - finishing his quest for revenge, or saving innocent lives?
The final book of the Ranger's Apprentice series raises the stakes higher than ever. Is Will on his last mission for the Ranger Corps?
Plot Overview
Will Treaty tried to cope with the death of Alyss Mainwaring, who died in a fire set by Jory Ruhl when she went back inside a burning building to save a young child. However, Will's friends began to notice that his once cheerful personality had grown grim and uninviting. Gilan called on Halt, Pauline, Cassandra, and Horace to discuss how to deal with Will. Halt suggested that Will take on an apprentice to take his mind off revenge.
Meanwhile, Princess Madelyn, the daughter of Horace and Cassandra, was upset with her restrained royal life. Against the will of her parents, Maddie sneaked out at night to go hunting. Cassandra and Horace confronted Maddie and grounded her for two weeks. Halt suggested that Maddie be the one taken on by Will, which would make Maddie the first female Ranger's apprentice in history. Through the course of her apprenticeship, Maddie discovered that she had been disinherited as a princess of Araluen, a desperate last resort by her parents to get her under control. Will proceeded to train Maddie, and as he focused on her, his quest for revenge was slowly forgotten. When Gilan suggested Will take Maddie on a mission, Will accepted without reluctance.
Gilan assigned Will and Maddie to investigate the death of fellow Ranger Liam. Will and Maddie soon discovered a plot by an illicit slave ring who kidnapped children. The criminals first send a storyteller to villages and frighten the children with a story about the "Stealer in the Night," who takes children who aren't quiet about the Stealer. Will learned that the Stealer in the Night was actually Jory Ruhl, but he managed to set aside his revenge to save the kidnapped children. Will and Maddie went to the slavers' camp, where Will distracted the criminals while Maddie freed the slaves. Unfortunately, while Maddie was successful in freeing the children, Will was captured and was to be burned at the stake. Maddie saved Will, but was injured when a javelin caught her in her leg. Will managed to kill Ruhl and treat Maddie's wounds, though she would be left with a permanent limp.
Maddie was awarded her bronze oakleaf, and Cassandra offered her reinstatement as a princess. However, Maddie declined, saying she wished to complete her apprenticeship instead. Cassandra was stunned and Horace told her that Rangers had always been different. When Cassandra asked what she should do, Horace replied, "Say yes."
Gallery
Notable Characters
- For a full list of characters, see Category:A New Beginning Characters.
Trivia
- John Flanagan stated in an interview that the final book of the series will tell the story of Will's first apprentice being the first female ranger.
- In a letter sent to a fan, John Flanagan also stated that the book takes place 16 years after And About Time Too...
- A follow up to The Royal Ranger called The Red Fox Clan, released on August 23, 2018.
- In 2018 it was renamed A New Beginning and it became the first book in the Ranger's Apprentice sequel series, Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger.
| Books in the Ranger's Apprentice Series | |
|---|---|
 The Ruins of Gorlan  The Burning Bridge  The Icebound Land  Oakleaf Bearers (The Battle for Skandia)  The Sorcerer in the North  The Siege of Macindaw  Erak's Ransom  The Kings of Clonmel  Halt's Peril  The Emperor of Nihon-Ja  The Lost Stories  A New Beginning | |