Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan

Title	Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan
Author	John Flanagan
# of Pages	288
Best for Ages	10-14
# of Clovers
# of Times Read

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This is the first book in an EXTREMLY long series, and it starts it pretty well. In this series, there are 12 books, a sequel series with 5 published books, 2 prequels, and a companion series with 9 books. So as you can see, the author has created a whole world, and it all started with one book, this one. The climax is near the end, when the main character fights some monsters. (Nothing extremely fantastical, but still a tad creepy) There is a good plot, and it was written well. The bad guy doesn’t come in really until the second book, but there is still a decent amount of adventure.

The main character, Will is an orphan. He is a willy boy, with a noble heart, a sense of adventure, and a passion for climbing. Will lives in Redmont Fief, which is one of the 50 fiefs in Araluen. When all orphans turn 15, they can be chosen to join in a trade, like Battle school, or Courier. Will wants to be a knight, and go to Battle school, but a Ranger, a mystical group that guards Araluen, named Halt, choses him to become his apprentice. But it is not easy. Rangers have extremely good skill with their bows and knives, and Will must learn how to use both. But on top of all that, there are rumors of the evil lord, Morgarath, and his minions, the Kalkara, are returning to Araluen. Can Will defeat the Kalkara, even though he is still a apprentice? I recommend you read this book.