The Ruins of Gorlan

Now that my kids are in their late teens, I feel like my hold on Middle School reads has weakened just a bit. In an attempt to increase my Reader's Advisory (one of the superpowers of library staff), I brought home the first books of several Middle School series from my local library last week before we temporarily closed our doors. I plan to read them while I'm isolating myself during this Covid-19 crisis. 

John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series is one of those series. It's touted as a perfect pick for fans of Lord of the Rings and all things Fantasy. Swords, fantastical beasts and protecting the realm? Count me in!

The book has a touch of dark magic and a distinctly medieval feel as we follow Will, a 15-year-old orphan who is chosen as the apprentice to Halt, a mysterious Ranger. His friends have been apprenticed to other professions (battle school, cook, scribe etc.) but Will has his work cut out for him as he learns what protecting the kingdom entails. The story focuses on Will and Horace (who endures Battle School) but unfortunately little attention is given to the female characters, Alyss and Jenny.

The plot and writing aren't overly complex with much of the first half of the book used for world building and describing Will's life. It has a slower pace than expected and I felt Will and his friends came off more like 11-year-olds with their actions and language than their purported 15-year-olds. The action ratchets up at the end but, for the most part, this is a quieter read that sets up the other ten books in the series. This is a good start to a Fantasy series that gives young readers enough magic, adventure and a main character they can root for to entice them to read the series.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: John Flanagan

Genre: Fantasy, Middle School
Series: #1 in The Ranger's Apprentice series

Type: Hardcover (249 pages)

Publisher: Philomel Books

First Published: January 2004

Opening Lines: "Try to eat something, Will. Tomorrow's a big day, after all."

Book Description from GoodReads: They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . .

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.