The Ruins of Gorlan, a fantasy book by John Flanagan is a coming of age adventure story for Will, the orphan in the Ward nobody wants. When his dream of becoming a knight and going to Battleschool is rejected, he is crestfallen and yearns for a Craftmaster to study under. Though not exactly the way he’d hoped for, Will’s prayers are answered when Halt, a grim and mysterious member of the even more mysterious circle of Rangers, takes him on as an apprentice. What Will doesn’t know about the recent changes in his life is that they have just exposed him to a world of adventures beyond his very imagination, including facing the terrifying Kalkara and playing his role in the brewing battle between Araluen and the ever-so-feared dark lord Morgarath. …show more content…
I’ve read this and many of John Flanagan’s other books before, and I somehow still can’t get enough of his storytelling. Every time I pick up one of his books, I am roped in yet again to his stories. Out of his many books, this particular one is my favorite. The fantastic world-building and characters are two main factors that I thought made this a wonderful book.
In the beginning of most book seriesㅡespecially high-fantasy ones such as thisㅡthe world-building is at best iffy and sometimes interferes with the pacing of the story. The author has to figure out how to walk the fine line between explaining too much and slowing down the plot or explaining too little and leaving the reader in confusion. I think Flanagan has found a good balance. I never once felt lost in the considerably large pool of names and creatures, and could still name to you the fiefs of Araluen and the appearances of the