The Ruins of Gorlan

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flannagan is the first book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. This story follows a young boy named Will, who wants more than anything to be a knight. Instead, he is forced to apprentice with a mysterious Ranger named Halt. Throughout his training with Halt, Will comes to realize what it truly means to be a Ranger, and how important they are to the safety of the kingdom. I can see why these books are so popular, because Will is a great protagonist. He’s inquisitive, kind, and always tries to do the right thing… even standing up for himself and others against bullies.

My only complaint with this book is that it does not feel like a complete story. The book starts out with a villain scene, but Will never encounters him in this book. I understand that this is setting up the “big bad” of the entire series, but I still would have liked to see some small confrontation between the two.

I would recommend this book for readers of all ages. It’s a short, easy to read and has a great message. Like the song goes “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you find, you get what you need”.