Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Ranger's Apprentice


The series that I am going to write about now is called Ranger’s Apprentice. The author, John Flanagan wrote a handful of short stories for his son to encourage him to read more, and since then has decided to combine those short stories into one of the best book series I have ever read. The series comprises of 11 books so far, and with only 1 left to be published he has begun writing a spin off series based in the same universe.
If there is one thing I liked most about this series, it would be John Flanagan’s amazing ability to create a picture in your mind as you read. Apart from that, there’s always the countless amount of characters that you just can’t help but like. It’s been difficult to choose my favourites, and I have settled on the three I know best. Will, Princess Cassandra and Malcolm.
Will Treaty is the main character in Ranger’s Apprentice. He is an orphan boy that is taken on as an apprentice to Halt – One of the mysterious rangers. As he grows older throughout the books he becomes so much more likeable. He has morals, and thinks like a teenager should. In this series there are subtle romantic sub plots, which add to the main plot. This is one of the things I have found to be so likeable – that there are things that I can relate to, things that are almost like real life. Apart from Will, my favourite character is Princess Cassandra (Otherwise known as Evanlyn.)

Evanlyn is the princess, and has an amazing sense of ironic humor. She is introduced to the series in the second book, and the third book is pretty much centered on her and Will. Evelyn, despite being a princess of the realm acts rather childishly, which just adds to her ever changing character. She is strong, intelligent and rather adaptable to her surroundings, allowing her to overcome even the most challenging of problems. These are just some of the many reasons for why she is my favourite character.

My third favourite character is Malcolm. He is introduced as a sorcerer later in the series, and ever since I met him I have loved his personality. If anything, he reminds me of a more sensible version of Albus Dumbledore.

The third book in the series is most definitely one of my favourites. It is set around Evanlyn and Will in Skandia, a barren land that they find themselves stuck in as slaves, and what was worse was that it was winter –so everything was frozen. When they finally manage to escape Will is out of his mind due to a drug that aids against the cold. And so they spend the rest of winter hauled up in an unused hunter’s cabin for the winter. I like this book so much because it is so different from the rest. It shows the damage that drugs can do to a person, but it also shows how you can overcome it. This book teaches people to be brave, and to overcome their fears.

 The Rangers Apprentice is an outstanding series, and I am extremely lucky to have grown up with such inspiration.

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