The fantasy adventure that launched the international bestselling series, with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. alone!
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. . . .
Here is the fantasy adventure that launched the Ranger's Apprentice series, an epic story of heroes and villains that has become an international phenomenon. Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire series.
Publisher: Philomel Books
ISBN-13: 9780399244544
ISBN-10: 0399244549
Published on 6/16/2005
Binding: Hardcover
Number of pages: 256
Book Reviews (69)
A.R
Ranger's Apprentice :THE Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
The Ruins of Gorlan is a part fantasy and medieval times book. The story is about 4 main characters named Halt, Will, Gilan, and Horace trying to hunt the Kalkara. Rumors are that the Kalkara may have killed the general of Redmont Castle’s army. The author did a very good job of developing the characters. I felt like the characters were real and I could meet them. The action and story developed at a very good pace. The setting is in medieval times which makes it the best because it all fits together. The story line, weapons and the setting all fit together. I recommend you to be 10 or up to read this book. If you like fantasy, action or Medieval times I know you will like this book.
Perfectly assembled into a masterpiece from tidbits of stories written for his son, Mr.Flanagan has crafted a story that has the right amount of action, humor, and romance, that will be worth staying up all night reading. The story follows the path of a young boy named Will and his other orphaned friends, who must choose their path of life on Choosing Day. Will like his friend Horace wants to enter Battleschool or Horseschool is denied because of his tiny stature. Later on, however, Will climbs a possible 4-story tower to see what the mysterious Ranger Halt had written about him. In the process, Will is accepted to be trained as Ranger under Halt. Throughout the story, we follow Will's training, the hardships that follow and how he becomes acquainted with his "enemy" Horace. Finally, the story ends with an epic battle with Good v.s the evil Morgarath which continues in Book 2 of the series. 5/5 stars this book is a must-read. Happy Readings! bean_boy
BEST BOOK EVER!!
This has become my favorite series of ALL time! Summary:
At the age of 15, you are chosen for your craft; it's time for Will and the other wards to be chosen for their training. Whatever they are chosen for, they are taught to master that skill which will become their future job. Each of the mentors of each craft from Redmont Fief stand before the 15-year-old wards, including Will.
Each of these wards know what they want to be chosen for, and everyone but Will has skill in that area. Will, like most other boys, including Horace, wants to be chosen for Battleschool. However, he isn't necessarily strong or heavily built like Horace. In fact, he's much more skinny and weak than he would like to be and had been teased by Horace himself for this same reason.
Beading with sweat, Will watches as each of the wards is gradually chosen. So far, everyone is accepted into the craft that they had dreamed of. When it's Will's turn, he is broken when he isn't accepted into Battleschool. After all, he is an orphan but had heard that his father was a hero and he wanted to be just like him. Of course he had wanted to be in Battleschool!
The mysterious Ranger Halt took interest the boy - the Rangers slipped around unseen and mysterious. Some of the villagers believed that they practiced dark magic. Halt accepted him as an apprentice, taking him to his cabin in the woods. Will was nervous, and still slightly disappointed that he wasn't accepted into Battleschool.
But as he begins to be trained in the ways of a Ranger, he realizes that Rangers are not what they seem. Yes - they are trained in camouflage and unseen movement. Yes - they are trained to move as silently as possible. Yes - they are trained in archery so well that they can't miss the bullseye. Yes - they were camouflage cloaks that help them to blend into the environment. Yes - they even learn tracking skills in the wild.
And yes... they also help protect the kingdom.
As Will is going through his first year of training, a war is beginning to form between a former Baron, Morgarath. He was exiled into the mountains years ago and now has risen an army to retake Araluen for himself. One type of creatures in his army, the Kalkara, has made their way into the valley. Now, it is Will and Halt's mission to eliminate them...
By the end of his first year in Apprentice training, Will, the Ranger's Apprentice, turns down the offer from the King himself after seeing such skill in battle to join Battleschool. He realizes that being a Ranger has meant more to him than even being just like his father, was. He could be hero without being a Knight.
Ranger51
This book is AMAZING!!!!
It's my favorite series of all time and is the only one that has combined almost everything I love! (Besides ballet, but you can't really find a stealthy-camouflage-amazing-at-archery book series about a ballerina, can you??? :P)
I'm halfway through Book 9 (plz, no spoilers!) and am in 8th grade and absolutely love this!! I shared it with my 7th grade cousin and it has become her favorite series of all time, too!!
Please, read!!!
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