The Ruins of Gorlan
John Flanagan
Summary:
The
Ruins of Gorlan is
the first book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. The book starts by
introducing the major enemy, Morgarath, who was exiled by King Duncan 15 years
ago. Morgarath has been carefully plotting his revenge against King Duncan and
the kingdom, Araluen. His army is comprised of the evil creatures, wargals.
In
Arulen, Will begins his training to become a ranger with his mentor, Halt. Halt
is a serious person, and his teachings with Will reflect that. During a lesson,
Halt takes Will to visit Old Bob, the equestrian of the fief, and Bob
introduces Will to his horse, Tug. Tug is a strong and fast horse who reflects
Will’s eagerness to learn.
Meanwhile,
Horace, a member of Battleschool, is training to become a member of the army.
However, his life is incredibly depressing because he is constantly being
bullied and harassed by his classmates. One day, Horace is selected to join a
boar hunt with Will and Halt. Once the group spots the bull, it charges at
Horace and Will, but they both miss their kill shots. Halt must step in to save
them both; however, he creates a friendship Horace and Will.
Shortly
after the boar fight, Halt and Will go to the Ranger’s gathering, and discover
that the Kalkara, Morgrath’s minions, have enter Araluen. Halt and Will meet up
with the King of Araluen and track down the Kalkara. However, once the group
encounters the Kalkara, Halt and the King are injured leaving Will to finish
off the beast. After he kills the creature, the King awards him a medal of
honor, and he returns a hero. However, Morgrath and the wargals are still
coming, so Araluen prepares for war.
Good
Aspects:
This
book is a fantastical adventure story about a teenage boy and his friends. It
is a relatively easy read, yet intriguing. There are 12 books in the series,
and each one is critical to the advancement of Will’s journey. The relationship
development among Horace, Will, and Halt is well-established. At the beginning
of the novel, Will and Horace argue a lot and do not get along, but after the
boar hunt, they become friends and even go out of their way to help each other.
Bad
Aspects:
The
villains in The Ranger’s Apprentice are incredibly difficult to keep
track of. They have many different names, and they each have unique roles in
relation to the major villain, Morgrath. In addition, many of the characters
introduced at the beginning of the novel, do not interact with Will much after.
However, when they do converse with Will, it is important to remember many of
their details, which is hard because there are so many people.
Conclusion:
The
Ranger’s Apprentice immerses
the reader in the fantastical imagination of John Flanagan. It does a good job
of demonstrating character development, but it is relatively hard to keep track
of the plot. However, I would recommend this book to anybody interested in the
Fantasy/Adventure genre.
~
Ezra
Good review! I like that you included what you didn't like along with what you did like. I've seen this book before, but I've never read it. I feel like the fact that there are twelve books in the series can be a little intimidating, but the plot sounds pretty interesting so if I ever have extra time on my hands I might try to commit to reading the whole series.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! This was one of my favorite books to read as a child, I thought the adventures were a lot of fun to read about. I never finished the whole series, only the first part, but your blog post has me reconsidering my prior thoughts. I might want to finish this series, thank you for reminding me of this series!
ReplyDeleteNice review Ezra! I like how you put what you liked and didn't like about the book, and you did a great job summarizing the plot. This sounds like such an interesting series and may be one that I'll start reading in the future! Once again, great job!
ReplyDeleteI used to read the Ranger's Apprentice series a lot during my middle school days, so I was happy to see a review of this book on the blog. I agree that after reading all 12 books, it's difficult to remember each villain's name and what they did. You did a good job summarizing the plot of the first book. I personally think that the first 4 books are the best in the Ranger's Apprentice series. This series is very good, and I think I'll reread it sometime.
ReplyDeleteI have read this series multiple times, over and over again, and each book is better than the last. I do agree that the names are hard to keep track of, but if you read the books in a row, then you kind of get a grip on who is who and what they are like. Overall, good review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review Ezra. I actually read like half of the series back in middle school and it was one of my favorite books back then. I can't remember any of the villains names, but if I reread then I'll probably remember. I think that you did a great job with this book review and I might check the series out later.
ReplyDelete