Book Jacket – The Ruins of Gorlan (#1)
They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied.
You can read an excerpt here.
Book Jacket – The Burning Bridge (#2)
Bracing for a final clash with the evil warlord Morgarath, the Rangers rally the kingdom’s allies, and Will is chosen, along with his friend Horace, as special envoys to nearby Celtica. But the simple mission soon takes an unsettling turn – the Celticans have disappeared, their town abandoned. The scheming hand of Morgarath, it seems, has been far from idle. He has found a way to bring his legions over the once impassible eastern mountains and is planning to ambush the king’s army in a rout. Now with help many miles away, Will and Horace are the only ones standing in the way of the dark lord’s plans.They have shown great skill and courage in their training, but how will they fare in the face of true evil?
You can read an excerpt here.
Book Jacket – The Icebound Land (#3)
Kidnapped after the fierce battle with Lord Morgarath, Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as captives aboard a fearsome wolfship. Halt has sworn to rescue Will, and he will do anything to keep his promise?even defy his King.
Expelled from the Rangers he has served so loyally, Halt is joined by Will?s friend Horace as he travels toward Skandia. On their way, they are challenged constantly by freelance knights?but Horace knows a thing or two about combat. Soon he begins to attract the attention of knights and warlords for miles around with his uncanny skill. Even so, will they be in time to rescue Will from a horrific life of slavery?
You can read an excerpt here.
(And there are five more, to date: The Battle for Skandia, The Siege of Macindaw, Erak’s Ransom, Kings of Clonmel, Halt’s Peril)
Review:
I walked by this series one day in Borders and thought, that looks like young Aragorn, the series. And that is pretty much exactly what it is – Ranger’s Apprentice is a light and entertaining traditional action fantasy series. It actually reminds me of the old Saturday afternoon action TV shows, where there’s lots of fun fighting and the good guys always win in the end.
I was a tad nervous as I picked up the first book in this series, fearing the worst sins that can beset a traditional fantasy series – i.e. too cheesy, too cliché, and lots of unnecessary capitalization (Light! Truth!). Happily, on all counts my fears were unfounded. That’s not to say that this series is revolutionary, or breathtakingly original, because it’s not – Ranger’s Apprentice is a traditional stew of fantasy paradigms, but it is also a clean, competent, compulsively readable action series, utterly enjoyable in that it knows exactly what it is and does it well.
Inevitably the next question is: yes, but it is “good”? I sort of equate that question with someone asking me if an action movie is good – yes, Die Hard is a very good action movie, but it’s still an action movie. It’s not Lawrence of Arabia. Similarly this series is a pleasing combination of the classics (i.e. we have the Archer/woodsman, the Knight, the Princess, the Mentor, and requisite Evil Lord), and it’s well executed and entertaining, but to compare it to J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis is just silly. This series it what it is – simple, fun, and yes, a tad predictable, but it manages to never feel tired or cliche. I grant you that these books are not the literary equivalent of a well rounded meal, but don’t we all like to treat ourselves to Doritos or Oreos now and then?
In terms of pure plot, there’s a lot of fun to be had here – plenty of heart thumping battles and life threatening situations, and lots of interesting details in the archery techniques and different sword moves and knife defenses. Our heroes face deadly beasts and all different kinds of armies, they infiltrate deep behind enemy lines, are taken hostage, are forced to become slaves, and face down magicians and traitors. The pace is sure and nicely maintained, and there are several smart cliffhangers built into the ends of various installments. These pages literally fly by.
On the character side, things are pretty light. Flanagan has built in some nice moments of adolescence, including problems with bullying and social status, and plenty of mistakes and moments of doubt, which keep the characters eminently sympathetic and likable. Flanagan might be working from a foundation of archetypes, but he does so in a pleasing way. I did get a little frustrated at times with how certain things were glossed over, such that even when the plot takes steps towards dire consequences – enslavement, drug addiction – nothing ever really scars our heroes, there’s never any real sense of an emotional toll. I mean, yes, these are books for younger readers, but a little self doubt after battling an addiction, and perhaps a few consequences would have been nice. Everyone rebounds from everything just a little too easily.
I was also a tad disappointed by how little the female characters get to do, overall, in this series – they’re all perfectly likable and plucky, but they are always secondary in some way or another. They get cool moments, but I would have liked to see more of them – though that speaks well for how much I liked them.
So while there are no surprises in this series – you know who is going to win, who is going to end up pairing off, and you’re never really worried that the heroes are going to die – these are breezy, entertaining books; a nice, engrossing fantasy series that hearkens back to traditional action serials. If you’re a fantasy fan looking for a fun, easy read, this series is a good one.
Byrt grade: A-/B+
As Levar Burton used to say – you don’t have to take my word for it…
Although created for the preteen and teen audience, many adults will likely enjoy Flanagan’s rough and ready fantasy world with parallels to England, Scandinavia and Europe of the Middle Ages. Plenty of battles keep short attention spans entertained as the young characters begin discovering the weight of their social positions now that they are growing up. It’s not an easy thing to come to terms with as each of them must follow the different paths of Ranger, Knight and potential ruler.
Many elements of The Ruins of Gorlan are typical fantasy fare. Readers know before they open the book that they will encounter a feudal world threatened by an evil warlord. There is a typical cast of fantasy characters, with the threat of malign magical creatures. The plot centers on a battle between good and evil. It is possible that the reason why fantasy remains a popular genre is because there is a certain comfort in its repetitiveness.
I agree with the main Bookyurt review, with the added recommendation that you get these books from the library two at a time, because the odd numbered novels cut off the action at rather unsatisfying points in the action.
Nice review. It is accurate and enlightening, thanks!