★★★★☆ The Ruins of Gorlan, by John Flanagan
Excellent young adult adventure series
The Ruins of Gorlan
John Flanagan
Excellent young adult adventure series
I listened to The Ruins of Gorlan, the first book in John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series, in December 2009, or at least that's when I bought the audiobook. I went on to listen to all the books in the series, as well as the related Royal Ranger and Brotherband Chronicles. I don't think I've listened to everything Flanagan has written -- he's still alive and still writing -- but probably I've heard most of what he wrote in the fictional world in which Ranger's Apprentice is set before 2016.
The Ranger's Apprentice series is centered on Will Treaty and his friends. If I remember correctly, he begins as just plain Will, he wins the surname "Treaty" later in the series. Will is an orphan with no prospects. He's a familiar type -- a kid who can't stay out of trouble -- always climbing the castle walls and sneaking into places where he's not supposed to go. His three best friends are all gifted in other ways. He is selected to become an apprentice to the famous ranger Halt. The teacher-student relationship between Will and Halt is one of the constants through the series, and one of its most appealing aspects. Will eventually becomes as famous as Halt, or even more famous.
One of the unusual things about this fantasy series is the almost complete absence of magic and the supernatural. This is important because it means there are no cheat codes -- whatever wonders Will and Halt and their friends perform they must do through skill and intelligence. This is not to say that there are no witches and wizards, but what there are accomplish their apparent magic through mundane means. This first book, The Ruins of Gorlan, is the exception. There is a real feel of magic here, and some things happens that are difficult to explain without it.
I suspect that Flanagan made a deliberate choice to eschew magic, but not until after he had written The Ruins of Gorlan.
At any rate, it's an excellent young adult series with a cast of admirable characters, exciting action plots, and lots of cleverness and battle and spycraft. Lots of fun.