The Ruins of Gorlan
2004 • 268 pages
Ratings69
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings69
Average rating3.8
They have always scared him in the past--the Rangers, with their dark cloaksand 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...
----------
**Books in this series**
1. The Ruins of Gorlan
2. [The Burning Bridge][2]
3. [The Icebound Land][3]
4. [Oakleaf Bearers][4]
5. [Sorcerer in the North][5]
6. [The Siege of Macindaw][6]
7. [Erak's Ransom][7]
8. [The Kings of Clonmel][8]
9. [Halt's Peril][9]
10. [The Emperor of Nihon-Ja][10]
11. [The Lost Stories][11]
12. [A New Beginning][12]
[2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL7988536W
[3]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5721971W
[4]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL7988552W
[5]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15166256W
[6]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5721973W
[7]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5721970W
[8]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15416512W
[9]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15367649W
[10]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19815687W
[11]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL18823189W
[12]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17662393W
Featured Series
13 primary books15 released booksRanger's Apprentice is a 15-book series with 13 primary works first released in 2004 with contributions by John Flanagan, Anonymous, and John A. Flanagan.
Reviews with the most likes.
Rated: 3.5/5
An easy to read, fun-filled adventure with likable characters. Fast paced and well written. As it is written for a younger audience, I wasn't impressed with the presentation of the character–as they seem to all be masters already at such a young age, without much effort–and I would have liked more conflict between the characters and especially in the climactic ending, I wish it would have gone on a bit longer than it did.
I'm giving this 2 stars, but let me be clear, it's not because it's not a good book. I can tell that if I had read this when younger, I would have devoured it and absolutely loved the series. It's very good for a fantasy YA, but I think my personal tastes, now that I'm an adult, run in a different direction. There were too many things that felt like plot holes to me (the big bad villain has been exiled in a wasteland for 15 years, yet they talk about how he's hiring lots of mercenaries who will work for anyone who gives them lots of money - where is he getting this money?! He's exiled, alone! etc) and the story was enjoyable but very predictable, and the characters were fairly stereotypical and didn't have much depth. All that said, if you like YA fantasy, or you have younger kids/teenagers who like fantasy, I think this will be a very enjoyable read for you.
Overview: A good adventure and an excellent introduction to epic fantasy for a younger reader. A short cozy read for a more experienced reader
This book was given to me as a gift by some awesome young people, and I'm very grateful as it was a really good fun read. The story follows Will, an orphan boy who has been brought up as a “Castle Ward”. It is time for “The Choosing”, a ceremony in which he will be chosen by a guild for training. Poor Will is too small to be of much use to anyone, he thinks, until he he selected by the local Ranger for training. Adventures ensue...
