Books one and two in the Ranger’s Apprentice

by John Flanagan

Review by Wendy Davies

Being in a bookshop I quite often get parents dragging in recalcitrant young men by the ear and asking me to supply a book which will get his head out of the computer game and interested in reading books.
The reply is usually along the lines of “You can take a horse to water…”.
The only thing that will get a person, whether they be young or old, to read is if the book grabs their interest.

This week’s book was written by a parent of the above who realised this and wrote a series of books in short story format which started his son reading again.

Will, the hero, is a 15 year old who has been rejected for training as a Warrior Knight and instead is apprenticed to the Ranger Corps which is a cross between warrior and spy. The training is akin to Special Forces training with emphasis on the use of silent weapons, the longbow and the knife, and the skills of stealth and tracking. The Rangers are sent by the King throughout his kingdom, Araluen, and beyond its borders to act as his eyes and ears.

There are at present six books in the series, which was originally published in Australia, the first four follow Will through his apprenticeship and his early development while five and six are set a few years later when he is a fully qualified Ranger and in charge of his own missions. They build a compelling picture of a young man in a world alive with action. Involved
in wild boar hunts, secret missions and battles, supported by loyal friends and opposed by deadly enemies, just the sort of boy I wanted to be when I was young!
The Ruins of Gorlan & The Burning Bridge are available from The Owl Story Bookshop Lagos priced €9.00