The Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flannagan

Title: Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan
Author: John Flannagan
Published Date: 16 June 2005
Genre: Teen, Adventure
Personal Rating: 4.2/5
Money's Worth: At first it doesn't sound very interesting but by the middle of the book, it keeps you at the edge of your seat.

When I first saw it in a bookstore, I thought it was a book solely for guys, then through a program in school, where we get the books at a discount, I decided in a fit of recklessness, to buy it.

Imagine my surprise when I actually got hooked on it. The story starts off with five children, 3 boys and 2 girls who have come of age. In the fief where they live, once the orphans come of age, they are dividede into different crafts.

Will is a scrawny young boy and dreams of entering Battleschool as he was old his father was an amazing warrior. But being of slight build has put a wedge in his dreams. He was rejected from Battleschool and Horseschool. Then, amongst the Masters assembled, Halt the ranger steps forward and gives a letter to the lord.

That night, Will tries to gain access to the office where the letter is stored and gets caught by Halt. Will is then accepted by Halt to become a Ranger's apprentice. He studies hard and is an apt learner.

Then one day, Halt says that there will be a Ranger's meeting as an ancient evil is rising. Along the way there are some problems in the plan and Halt and Will have to go off and start first while they wait for backup. In the terrain where they're traveling, there live 2 monsters that the evil has created and Halt takes them on while he tells Will to stay back.

In the end the back up does come, but not before Halt is gravely injured. Will is initiated into the Ranger's core without a formal testing because he actually managed to kill one of the monsters.

My summary may not seem much, but it truly is a good book.