Morgarath, the exiled lord of the bleak, barren Mountains of Rain and Night, has been waiting for fifteen years in his dark realm, carefully planning his revenge against the Kingdom of Araluen. His former fief, known as Gorlan, was long ago brought to ruin as a result of his unsuccessful rebellion against King Duncan. Now he silently plots to rebel again, rallying creatures known as Wargals to his side. Wargals have little will of their own, and are easy to control, therefore being suitable as soldiers in Morgarath’s army. Now, after the fifteen years, Morgarath prepares to unleash his power and attempt to take the Kingdom once more.
In Araluen, in the fief Redmont, a special day has come for Will, called Choosing Day, where he becomes an apprentice to a craftmaster. Although Will's first choice was Battleschool, he becomes apprenticed to Halt of the Rangers. Rangers are the intelligence group of the country and specialize in long range weapons and the art of staying unseen. Will is trained in these skills as he prepares for the annual Ranger meeting called the Gathering where his skills will be tested. At the Gathering the Rangers receive a report that the Kalkara, vicious creatures under the control of Morgarath, have killed important Araluen figures..... That is all I will allow this description to say, so that you will read the book yourself.
The Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan is a wonderful book. The series follows the adventures of the young Ranger's Apprentice, Will. Those who love medieval fantasy will certainly love this book. The various scenes are mixed with wit, action, and interesting characters. I thought that Horace was especially interesting, as he turned from Will's childhood bully into his friend. The story can be a bit slow at times, but overall it's a very fun story. You can tell that the author had no intention of making it into a series by the way it is written. The story wraps up nicely. The characters are very engaging and are ringed with bits of humor.
All in all I would give it 4. 5 stars out of 5
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