Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

Book Summary and Reviews of The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan

The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan

The Ranger's Apprentice

by John Flanagan

  • Readers' Rating (6):
  • Published:
  • Jun 2005, 256 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

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. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

"Flanagan does nothing to boost his typecast characters, familiar themes or conventional, video-game plot above the general run, but readers with a taste for quickly paced adventure with tidy, predictable resolutions won't be disappointed." - Kirkus.

"The last few years have seen the publication of many fantasies, but few have the appeal of this original story." - Booklist.

This information about The Ranger's Apprentice was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Alex W

Very captivating
I personally love books that focus on fantasy of medieval times so this was a great one for me. I love how Flanagan finds the perfect balance between what could be realistic of the time and what is a little exaggerated to form a better plot. Excellent read.

Joey

Its good ok
This book is very fun, hard to put down, and amazing! I liked reading it and after the first book, I was hooked.
I recommend this book to medieval lovers. As of 3-1-23. I am on the 3ed book it is one of the best series out there.
Please read this book so you're not missing out.

AuntZoDaCor

I loved this series so much
I have read all 12 books in the series and i loved every single one!

Matt Partridge

adventure thriller
When I first pick up this book, I thought it was going to be an OK read. I was proven wrong as I read through the book "Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan", I was never bored even during the little slow points of the story. I know hooked on this series and so far every book after this one have been getting better and better with plots and continuation of mini stories such as relationships, conflicts, treaties, and mental testing on characters. For anyone who likes suspense and adventures stories, this is the book you need to read.

I love how the author builds each character in the book to prepare you for future events that will take place, Especially the Apprentice of the ranger. I really like how the John Flanagan develops this mediocre boy into a stable, confident young man that doesn’t fear danger.

It is a great story for anyone that doesn’t like to read a whole lot because the chapters are short and has great stopping points that you can pick up at any time and know what is going on. The story flows well and it is easy to comprehend the terms throughout the book.

I recommend everyone to read this book of all ages. It is a book you sometimes can’t put it down until it is finished. The best part about this book is that it makes you think of what might happen next.

Stephe

This was an amazing book!!!
I received this book for Christmas this year without really knowing what it was about. I was not at all excited to read this book. My sister read this before me and told me it was amazing. As soon as I started reading this book, I fell in love with it. John Flanagan has such an original way of writing. The rangers in the books are unlike anything I've heard of before. I love the relationship between student and master that is shared between Halt and Will. I recommend this book for any kid who loves adventure, action, and fantasy.

Will

Review
I borrowed this book from my local library as something to do while I went camping with my family. I finished it after only one day. I couldn't put this book down! The characters are very well developed, and there is a lot of twists and turns that I never saw coming. I'd recommend this book to any who enjoy a good read.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Author Information

John Flanagan

John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband adventure series have sold more than eight million copies worldwide. His books are available in more than one hundred countries, are regularly on the New York Times bestseller list, and have had multiple award shortlistings and wins in Australia and overseas. John, a former television and advertising writer, lives with his wife in a Sydney beachside suburb.

More Author Information

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

More Recommendations

Readers Also Browsed . . .

more fantasy, sci-fi, speculative, alt. history...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Small Rain
    Small Rain
    by Garth Greenwell
    At the beginning of Garth Greenwell's novel Small Rain, the protagonist, an unnamed poet in his ...
  • Book Jacket: Daughters of Shandong
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Daughters of Shandong is the debut novel of Eve J. Chung, a human rights lawyer living in New York. ...
  • Book Jacket: The Women
    The Women
    by Kristin Hannah
    Kristin Hannah's latest historical epic, The Women, is a story of how a war shaped a generation ...
  • Book Jacket: The Wide Wide Sea
    The Wide Wide Sea
    by Hampton Sides
    By 1775, 48-year-old Captain James Cook had completed two highly successful voyages of discovery and...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Who Said...

Poetry is like fish: if it's fresh, it's good; if it's stale, it's bad; and if you're not certain, try it on the ...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.