• The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

  • Book Ten
  • By: John Flanagan
  • Narrated by: John Keating
  • Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (2,526 ratings)

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The Emperor of Nihon-Ja  By  cover art

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

By: John Flanagan
Narrated by: John Keating
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Publisher's summary

The international best-selling series with over five million copies sold in the US alone!

When Horace travels to the exotic land of Nihon-Ja, it isn't long before he finds himself pulled into a battle that is not his - but one he knows in his heart he must wage. A kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos when the Nihon-Ja emperor, a defender of the common man, is forcibly overthrown, and only Horace, Will, and his Araluen companions can restore the emperor to the throne. Victory lies in the hands of an inexperienced group of fighters, and it's anybody's guess who will make the journey home to Araluen.

Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Listen to more in the Ranger's Apprentice series.
©2011 John Flanagan (P)2011 Penguin

What listeners say about The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great character builders for 10-90 yr olds

I have now read most of the series and am closing on the last book. I give big kudos to the author for a serious which older children and young adults will build much good clean character and understanding of military and diplomatic interactions between various groups of people. All with quite a good dose of humor and characters which certainly become beloved as the books go by!

Highly recommended for young readers!

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Easily the best book in the series

After listening to all of the books in the ranger's apprentice series I was skeptical when it came to this book because I knew that it would go somewhere along the lines of ancient Sumarai history in some place along there and I wasn't sure how Will, Holt, Horace and the crew would fit in with this book. to my surprise this was the best book in the series! I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end and there are so many different twist and turns during the book that I truly didn't know what was going to happen. I don't want to spoil anybody's readings but I will say that if you skip this book then you cut the yourself short altogether and I'm so curious as how that book is going to be followed up. absolutely awesome!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Upbeat to the extreme

Everywhere Flanagan’s tales range, there are good people afflicted by rogues. In this book, Flanagan’s Nippon account is similar to Tamora Pierce‘s incorporation of Japan in her female knight sagas. Flanagan gets an “A” for Nihon details, but just a “C” for naivety regarding Gaijin being able to comprehend that opaque land, and a “D” for suggesting ease of entry into a cooperative working arrangement. Totally over-the-top optimistic.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good but not too good

I liked this one a lot but the other books in the series I liked better.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Impossible odds at an impassable mountain fortress

This is one of my favorites in Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series, and it has a very slight overlap with his Brotherband series. Keating's narration is quite good, too.

With Japan being The Land of the Rising Son, Flanagan aptly named his alternate nation Nihon-Ja. Horace is the main character in this account, and his character really shines as a tender-but-indomitable warrior, willing to take on unbeatable odds for friendship, and the right cause.

The gang's all here. Alyss and Evanlyn carry out some heavy-duty heroics together, after they work out their petty insecurities (sigh). Will is everywhere at once, bow in hand and brimming with ideas, flitting from one clever stratagem to another, while his mentor Halto-San pulls all the right strings like a puppet master. We also have the delightfully urbane hawk-nosed Iriddian warrior, Selethen, and the Skandian wolf-ship skipper, Gundar Hardstriker. While I certainly enjoyed seeing the whole gang together, I also loved some new characters, especially the kind emperor Shigeru and the young Kikori timber worker, Mikeru. George, Will's childhood friend from the orphanage, now a scribe / lawyer, plays a key role, too.

Thankfully, Flanagan eased up on the constant references to coffee I've seen in the rest of the series. In Japan, they drink tea, and I have a hunch the author isn't crazy about that.

This one reminded me of Butcher's Codex Alera series, with all the focus on fighting like a Roman century, moving in unison in rehearsed formations, thrusting short swords through moving shield walls. Good series!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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10 out of 5

It was amazing 10 out of 5 superb perfect recommended best thing since sliced bread






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    5 out of 5 stars
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Extremely Enjoyable!

Well written and a wonderful performance! As with every Ranger book so far! A great for any age!

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awesome

The narration was fantastic. as always the book did not disappoint. thank you very much

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great book

love this book and the reader is amazing. highly recommend. one of my all time favorites

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great ending to the series

All my favorite characters were here and Halt’s pride in the men Will and Horace have become is present. Missed Tug! Amazing how the author creates whole cultures of people for the main characters to meet and help.

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