The time has come. Its Choosing Day in the Kingdom of Araluen. The day where the age appropriate children of the abby will be chosen by masters of the different trades, to be the next apprentices. And our main character Will, couldn't be more nervous.
Will, is a fifteen-year-old boy full of curiosity, vibrant energy and maybe a touch of mischief. But Will, is short for a boy of his age. He's not exactly what you would call muscular, but he's always dreamed of going to battle school where he would learn the art of being a Knight of the King.
Will, like all of the other children of the abby is a orphan. Dropped off at the abby when he was just a baby, Will has no memory of his parents. The only thing that Will holds on to, is the simple rumor that his father, was a Warrior of the King.
But when choosing day comes and Will is chosen by the mysterious Ranger Halt to be his apprentice, Will's life changes forever. With their dark cloaks and amazing bow skills, the Rangers are rumored to have practiced magic, due to the fact of their ways of disappearing into the background and their silent maneuvers. Will has always known he had a gift of moving silently and without being seen, but he never imagined he would be chosen to be a Rangers Apprentice. The Rangers, are a elected intelligence group trained in the ways of moving unseen to the enemy and surveillance, discovering things about the enemy and reporting to the higher authority, the enemy, never knowing that
they were there.
But Will's training is cut short when rumors of the return of the Lord Morgarath, ruler of the mountains of rain and night is returning to the kingdom with armed forces of the terribly hideous creatures called the Wargals, worst yet, Moragrath has sent the assassins the Kalkara ahead of him. Lord Morgarath, former Baron of the Castle Gorlan, was exiled after his rebellion against King Duchan, the King of Araluen. Now, Lord Morgarath will stop at nothing to have his revenge.
In a quest to save the Kingdom of Araluen, Ranger Halt, Will, teaming up with Halt's former apprentice Gilan, must track down the Kalkara, and save the kingdom from the clutches of the evil Lord.
The Ruins of Gorlan... let me just say, WOW. I didn't like reading till I was in my teens, so I am still a bit of a picky reader, but the Rangers Apprentice, had me hooked from the first chapter. Flanagan has a easy to read writing style and keeps you on the edge of your seat with his plot twists and character dynamics.
What I liked most about The Ruins of Gorlan was first off, there was no magic. There were creatures, there was action, there were knights, there were bowman, there was excitement, but there was no evil witch and no friendly wizard. It was refreshing to have a a medieval book that was believable.
Another thing I appreciated what Flanagan did in the Rangers Apprentice, he made his characters amazingly likable. I think the best way he did this was through humor. Flanagan's sense of timing and sarcasm was simply witty genius.
Parental Advisory? Hmm, the only thing I had a problem with was a couple of mild swear words, but thankfully its kept to a minimum.
Would I recommend the Rangers Apprentice? Absolutely. If you love a good story, with lovable characters, and edge of your seat action, the Rangers Apprentice is the right book for you.
If your an aspiring writer like myself, I would advise you to especially pay attention to Flanagan's character development and Will's interaction with other characters. Watch how Flanagan conflicts your emotions with the characters dialogue. Its simply brilliant.
I hope you have enjoyed my first review! :)
