Author: John Flanagan
Series: Ranger's Apprentice Series
Number in Series: Book #1
Copyright: 2005; Penguin Group
Genre: Young Reader Fiction: Action / Adventure
Pages: 249
ISBN: 9780142406632
My Rating: 3.5 / 5
Content Rating: PG (for minor swearing and some intense action scenes)
Some background to start off: This story is about a young boy named Will who was orphaned at a young age. When children in the castle wards turn fifteen, they are eligible to be chosen as an apprentice to one of the masters of various crafts. Hoping to be chosen as a knight like his father, small Will voices his opinion when asked for it. However, the Battlemaster says Will is "too small" and he is disqualified. When no one else wishes to claim Will as an apprentice, that is when Halt the mysterious Ranger steps forward. Thus begins an epic journey of adventure, mystery, and growth in the pursuit of stopping one of the most powerful beings in the kingdom: Morgarath.
For some reason this book took me a long time to get through. I think a large part of it is because this book deals a lot with setting: Being the first book in the series, we need to see the world and understand some of its cultures/traditions/etc which takes time. The book didn't pick up until a little over half way through for me... when the action started (with the wild boar hunt).
On a technical side, the book was extremely well written. I can see how this would be a popular book for schools and English classes. However, one of my main complaints is the fact that Flanagan will change POVs without warning. I'm sure his attempts were to make the narration flow smoothly, however it caught me off guard several times. Other times, the POV change is very clear (like when we switch from Will's training as a Ranger to Horace's training at the Battleschool). But throughout the chapters, there would be a POV randomly thrown in (like the Baron's thoughts in the early chapters, when the POV is clearly Will's). This may have also been to give the reader a more omniscient view of the world, but I found it almost confusing at times. So making the POV changes more clear or flow more smoothly would have been nice.
The story started off really slow. However the overall arc and growth of the characters was fun to watch. Especially as Horace and Will both grew in their own ways.
I find there were several morals being taught in this book--all of which I think are beneficial for children to know and understand. Things like bullying is wrong, the importance of friendships, fighting for what is right, and even trusting your heart are all covered in some detail. For example, Halt the Ranger teaches this on p. 173:
"Once you best a man, never gloat. Be generous and find something in his actions to praise. He won't enjoy being bested, but he'll make a good face of it. Show him you appreciate it. Praise can win you a friend. Gloating will only ever make enemies."
After the action started, it was kind of difficult to stop. I will admit, I was able to predict the climax and how it would go down, however I did not predict the twist in the story regarding Halt. I knew there was a twist, but it was not the one I was expecting. It was a pleasant surprised though.
Overall, this book was well written and had a decent story. I would have enjoyed seeing more of the other characters (like Jenny, Alyss, and George), but perhaps that comes later in the series. It moved a little slow in the beginning, but I understand why. I am glad I have read it and I may just read some of the others in the series.
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