Very low expectations sometimes turn out to surprise a person, and this was one of those times. You know I'm not a fantasy fan so much, and the first few pages of this book with all the weird words and names nearly tipped me over the edge, but I was determined to finish the Battle of the Books titles this month, and this was second to last on the list. Surprisingly, once the prologue was over, it wasn't really a fantasy book at all until way far into it, and by then I was so totally hooked I didn't even mind. This is really a story of self discovery more than anything by a boy named Will who wanted to be apprenticed to battleschool to become a warrior but who was asked instead to be the apprentice of a Ranger. At first Will was very disappointed, but he begins to find that he actually likes the things the Ranger does, although he's not entirely sure what ALL the things are. Seems like he's always learning something new. He finds a lot of adventure and learns a lot about the art of fighting throughout the story.
I thought this was a story with a lot of excitement and action that had great pacing and suspense. It did have some fantasy as I said, but the fantasy elements definitely were not the overriding factor. At the end of the story I could hardly stop reading, even when it was way past my bedtime! I'd definitely recommend this book as a great choice. There are several books in the series for those of you who are series fans. Available on the Oregon Battle of the Books spinner rack.
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2 comments:
I, too, didn't like this at first but have really gotten into the series. I love that the good characters aren't all good, nor the bad characters entirely evil. Why does this look so much like a fantasy series?
This book was just wonderful. From the first moment I opened the cover, there was action, and a story line that would grab anyone. This book follows the adventures of Will and his master, the Ranger Halt. Will had always wanted to be a Knight, yet when he was not allowed to become an apprentice warrior, the mysterious Ranger Halt takes him as his apprentice. Will must learn all the Ranger's skills soon, as a dark and difficult task is ahead.
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