Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan

I suppose, based on the name of this blog, that it was only a matter of time before John Flanagan’s popular franchise of young-adult fantasy novels came to my attention. The series is called Ranger’s Apprentice and chronicles what I like to call, “The Birth of a Ranger”. The first entry is titled The Ruins of Gorlan. It introduces us to the protagonist, Will, the eponymous apprentice of established Ranger of the realm, Halt. Halt takes Will in as his apprentice but only after Will is basically refused as an apprentice by all the other stewards. Will is a ward of the barony, a child without a parent and the book starts off shortly before “The Choosing”, the day in each wards life where they both choose a profession and are likewise chosen as a student by a craftmaster.  In Will’s case, he wants desperately to be a Knight.  Knowing little of his father other than that he died a hero, Will imagines his father must have been a valiant Knight and looks to follow in his footsteps. The Ruins of Gorlan is 300 pages of Will learning that his childhood fantasy is far from the truth.

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