Review: The Ranger's Apprentice (Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan) by John Flanagan

So, I read books most nights to reset my brain to sleep. Nothing else seems to work. But there's a lot of dreary ill-conceived, badly written books out there. And a lot of cool books in the young adult section. So, I'm going to review some books which will also serve as notes for future reference, when our boys graduate from Famous Five and want something more action packed.

Here's the first: The Rangers Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan.

In short: I enjoyed this. There is basically no narrative tension beyond a few pages. Almost everything is resolved quickly and in the best, most honorable way. It's an easy book to read which doesn't require a lot from the reader. The world is accessible and interesting, feeling more like a historical novel in places than fantasy.

The main character (Will) is the normal misfit of the fantasy type genre, with the absent parent motif from much children's literature also well and truly present. He is part of a group of friends whose ways part as they are chosen for different apprenticeships. Their careers are traced loosely throughout the book as it follows Will's development into a ranger, and the significance of the rangers are explored in the context of the world. There's training, conflict, heroism, quest, self-discovery and all in the shadow of strong, benevolent parent type figures, who act as we all wish parents acted with just the right mix of allowing potential and independence to flourish, and yet are there to recognise the development and protect as required.

It's a nice world. There should be unicorns. But it does nurture and explore honour, noble heartedness, endurance and other things which are easily overlooked and ignored in young adult fiction. In real  life these things feel much less heroic and are much harder to choose, and there are not handy parental figure looking over your shoulder congratulating you when you actually manage to do them. But in our dreams they are. And, as a Christian, this isn't too far from the knowledge that God knows our silent, hard choices and is pleased, and that that matters deeply and eternally. So, I don't think it's a useless thing to have the kind of dreamwish that this book generates. I kind of like it. It's only one half of the story, but it's an important half that is often overlooked in a genre that seems to enjoy rolling in the mud for its own sake.