The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger's Apprentice #1)

Tomorrow is Choosing Day. Will and the other 15-year-old wards of the kingdom of Araluen will each be chosen by a Craftmaster as an apprentice. This choosing will determine the direction of their life. Will has wanted to go to Battleschool and become a knight ever since he can remember, but he's nervous about his prospects of being chosen by the Battlemaster because he is small and wiry and not very knight-like.

            His fears are well founded. On Choosing Day, Horace, a head taller than Will, is chosen for Battleschool, and Will is chosen by the Head of the Rangers.

            Not much is known about the Ranger Corp. The small band of grim men in grey cloaks seem to blend into the environment and move without being seen or heard. They are the scouts for the army, protectors of the kingdom, but they are shadowy and mysterious and make Will feel uneasy.

            But over the months as he works with his Ranger guide, Halt, Will comes to respect and love him. Will learns to sneak without being seen, to shoot a recurve bow with uncanny accuracy, to use a throwing knife, and other arts of fieldcraft.

            And then rumors begin to swirl. The long ago defeated Lord Morgarath, the former Baron of Gorlan, is planning his revenge from the Mountains of Rain and Night, where he is serving his exile. He has enlisted the help of the Wargals, the Skandians, and the last two remaining Kalkara, an ancient beast something between a giant ape and a bear, with a gaze that freezes men in their tracks, to make war on Araluen and take it back.

            How Will helps to slay the Kalkara and save his friends is the stuff of legend. If this epic battle doesn't get your heart racing, I don't know what will! And the denouement that explains Will's origin and parentage is supremely satisfying.

            Will and Halt are very likable characters and their bond is refreshing. Will selflessly sacrifices himself for his friend, Horace, for his Ranger guide, Halt, and even for Baron Arald and Sir Rodney, the knights that have come to defeat the Kalkara. His decision to remain loyal to Halt and to fulfill his destiny as a Ranger when offered an alternative, had me audibly cheering!

            It's been a long time since I finished a book and immediately ordered its sequel. I found it more gripping than Wingfeather, and more quickly engrossing. The descriptions are well-written, and not too long, which can draw attention away from the story. It reminded me of the high fantasy literature of my childhood, by the likes of Lloyd Alexander, Ursula leGuin, Anne McCaffrey, and Robin McKinley.

            The only thing that would make this book any better is for this imaginary land to be MAPPED!! Please, Mr Flanagan, draw us a map for a new edition!

Content Considerations

Horace is bullied and assaulted in Battleschool by a group of three older apprentices, who eventually pay for their crimes.

Horace and Will have a fistfight.

The word “damned” is used twice.

Alyss gives Will a chaste kiss.

A humorous prank is described that may go over some heads. Will released two rabbits into the Scribemaster's study; “'A male and a female rabbit, my lord, if you take my meaning?' he replied. “Most disruptive indeed!'

             'Well, yes,' said the Baron, 'We all know how rabbits are.'”

Violence: A wild boar hunt is described and ends with the boar charging and impaling itself on a spear.

The description of the death of the Kalkaras includes being shot with arrows, speared with a lance, hit with a throwing knife in the eye, struck with a battle axe, and backed into a bonfire. The “reek” of his burning fur is mentioned.

This is obviously not appropriate for super sensitive readers so ignore my age recommendations if you have sensitive readers.