The Ranger’s Apprentice Series
by John Flanagan

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.

John Flanagan has created an impressive fantasy world on par with the Hobbit, Percy Jackson, and Harry Potter. He slips his readers into Castle Redmont with incredible ease and introduces them to Will, a 15-year-old orphan who hopes to become accepted to be a warrior. The readers feel Will’s heartbreak when he isn’t selected for fighter training, but he is offered the chance to become a Ranger. One of Flanagan’s strengths as a writer is that he gives you what you’re looking for in a story. He’s straightforward and takes his time developing the world and the characters.

Flanagan began writing the series for his son who was a reluctant reader. The inspiration for the series comes from many sources. The Rangers in the series are based on two groups of people, the Texas Rangers and the US Army Rangers of World War II. The mythical world of the story is based on England, Europe, and Scandinavia because Flanagan was inspired by “English and European culture and history.” The books first came out in Australia but have been available in the United States for some time. The Ranger’s Apprentice series now numbering twelve books and two prequels in total also has a newer companion series called “The Brotherband Chronicles” with six books thus far.

This is a great series to read whatever your age. Flanagan tells a timeless story, and he tells it well.

Ranger’s Apprentice:

• The Ruins Of Gorlan
• The Burning Bridge
• The Icebound Land
• The Battle for Skandia
• The Sorcerer Of The North
• The Seige of Macindaw
• Erak’s Ransom
• The Kings Of Clonmel
• Halt’s Peril
• The Emperor of Nihon-ja
• The Lost Stories
• The Royal Ranger

Ranger’s Apprentice the Early Years:

• The Battle of Hackham Heath
• The Tournament at Gorlan

The Brotherband Chronicles:

• The Outcasts
• The Invaders
• The Hunters
• Slaves of Socorro
• Scorpion Mountain
• The Ghostfaces