Book Review: Ranger's Apprentice, The Ruins of Gorlan

Ranger’s Apprentice
The Ruins of Gorlan
by: John Flanagan

Genre: Fantasy

Where I got it: It was recommended by a friend of mine who has already read this book.

One sentence summary: Will is an orphan who grows up to be a ranger’s apprentice; while his master (Halt) teaches him the ways of a ranger, Will confronts with one of the most horrid creatures known in Gorlan- the Kalkara, who is trying to kill all of the superior positions in the Castle of Araluen.

First sentence: Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, former Baron of Gorlan in the Kingdom of Araluen, looked out over his bleak, rainswept domain and, for perhaps the thousandth time, cursed.

First chapter review: Will is nervous because the next day is Choosing Day, where the Craftsmen decide how you are going to spend the rest of your life. Will describes what all of his friends want to be: Horace to Battle School, Alyss to Diplomatic Service, George to Scribe School, and Jenny to cooking school. Will wanted to apply to Battle School, but as Horace pointed it out, Will is too short and wasn’t strong enough. You can clearly see that Horace and Will don’t get along; but later on in the book, Will saves life, which forms a much stronger bond between them.

Verdict: I thought that this was a great book because I like reading books about fantasy, mystery, and fiction. I liked the way the author described the every detail in every scene of the book, and how he describes the relationships with the other characters; how their personality changes with every interaction they make with other characters in the novel.

Cover comments: Shows a person (most likely Will) wearing a blue hood and he has a bow and about four arrows on his back. I also see a castle in the background. This makes me think that this person is going to an archer like Robin Hood, and as for the castle, it makes me think that the setting of the book would be around the medieval times.