The Ruins of Gorlan Book Review

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

Author: John Flanagan

Published: November 1, 2004

Publisher: Random House

Genre: YA Fantasy

Requested by: Kevin (kevintqng)

Posted by:

Blurb:

Will is small for his age, but agile and energetic. All his life, he has longed to be a warrior and to follow in the footsteps oft he father he never knew, so he is devastated when he is rejected as an apprentice to Castle Redmont's Battelschool. He's no happier when he's assigned instead to the Rangers Corps, the Kingdom's secret service, as the Rangers are a mysterious group whose uncanny ability to move about unseen is thought by many to be result of black magic.

Will begins training under the dour and enigmatic Halt, and reluctantly learns all the fieldcraft and archery he will need to become a full fledged-Ranger. But Will soon finds himself needing all his new-found skills as he and Halt set off on a desperate mission to prevent the assassination of the King.

The Ruins of Gorlan is an entertaining and exciting quest, the first in a new series about Will and his friends from Castle Redmont.

Lisamentary:

Well, I've had this request on shelf for awhile and have finally chosen to read it now. And I have to say, this book surprised me in more ways than one. First off, this book had much less action scenes than I was expecting. However, that didn't really take away from the book! This really says a lot because when I read fantasy, I'm usually looking for something with an extra kick.

When you read this book, you just know from the word choice that John Flanagan is by no means American. He's actually Australian! So, sometimes the wording is a little unusual, but that's ok because he has this formal, kind of old story-telling voice that's super reminiscent of Graceling. I love that because you just know you're in a fantasy world instead of the real one. 

The language used to tell this book was beautiful. It was extremely well-written; Flanagan wrote in such a way that made all the words come to life, whether it'd be a scenery description or a battle scene. 

Because there are 12 books in this series, The Ruins of Gorlan was in the most part to introduce everything that's going to happen, so it was kind of slow. There was some action here and there, but it kind of ends unfinished to be continued in the next few books. However, thank the lord that this book doesn't leave me at a cliffhanger because I'd be mighty mad. Overall, it was well-paced so even if they're just describing training, you surprisingly don't get bored.

Character-wise, I really loved Horace and Halt, especially. Oh, Horace! I felt so bad for him when he was getting bullied; it broke my heart!! I just wanted someone to catch those bullies and save Horace. He was getting so sad and helpless. It hurt so bad. So, when Horace finally got his revenge, I was like SUCK IT, FOOLS!!! Have taste of your own medicine!! And Halt was really cool here too! It makes you love Halt so much more. I can't wait to see them in the next book.

Special honors goes out to the Baron because he has such a kind heart. He reminds my of those happy giants whom everyone is scared of but is actually really sweet and funny. Also, I hope to see more of Jenny in the next book because she seems like fun character. 

Talking about all these characters, I loved how it was in third-person omniscient because I got to see things from many different point of views! Variety is the spice of life and it's so refreshing to get to hear from a new person every once in awhile. 

I'd definitely recommend this book for someone looking for a good fantasy novel. It's a fast read--only took me two hours! Also, it has a little bit of everything in here. I can't wait to read the next book; I just have to find some time. 

So, thank you, Kevin, for recommending me this book. Hope all of you will like this book as much as I have. 

Enjoy!!!

Rating:

Story: 9 

Characters: 9

Enjoyment: 9

Overall: