Tournament at Gorlan
Book - 2015
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SPL_Kids
Jun 22, 2016
The "Tournament at Gorlan" is the first installment in a new series, “Ranger’s Apprentice: The Early Years”, a set of prequel stories which are set a generation earlier than the original Ranger’s Apprentice books - a time before Halt became an experienced Ranger and before Will was an apprentice.
The Tournament at Gorlan finds the Kingdom of Araluen’s most powerful knight, the ambitious Baron Morgarath, scheming to steal the throne. To do so, he has been disbanding the Rangers (the most powerful force supporting the King) in order to weaken their considerable influence in the kingdom. The Baron has replaced them with a number of dishonest bandits who have been raiding the countryside.
Halt and Crowley, two young Rangers, meet, become friends, and travel north to Prince Duncan, hoping that a royal warrant will stop Morgarath before it is too late. On the way they recruit any of the former Rangers who will help their cause. However, Morgarath’s plans are much more advanced that they had suspected. In fact, Prince Duncan and his father, King Oswald, have been imprisoned by the treacherous Morgarath, who has somehow won the trust and admiration of the influential Council of Barons.
The action builds towards the climax of the book, the annual tournament at Gorlan, in which Morgarath, Prince Duncan and many others meet to fight in a series of decisive duels.
With the open-ended conclusion to this book, as well as the fast-paced action, intrigue, suspense, skillful characterization and touches of humor, readers will eagerly anticipate the next title in the series.
The Tournament of Gorlan successfully retains the flavor and spirit of the original Ranger’s Apprentice books, introduces various characters and sets the groundwork for John Flanagan’s later, well-loved tales.
** Recommended for ages 11 years and up.
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Add a CommentWould love to have the physical books available at the library.
I read the Ranger's Apprentice Series, and though I liked them and this book, this book does have some special elements (especially if you love Halt and his personality). I love Will and Halt as characters so much. They easily make my top ten or top five. Though Halt was in most of the Ranger's Apprentice books, Will was still the center. I generally find Halt pretty funny, so I was glad John Flanagan made a few books starring Halt.
I literally laughed my head off (in a good way) while I was reading this book. Halt's character just brings joy to my heart. He is less gruff and slightly more innocent (but still sarcastic as ever). Because of Halt, I might have even enjoyed this more than the original Ranger's Apprentice series! (I know, I know, it's hard to believe...) Anyways, this book was the best! To sum it all up, if you are a fan of Ranger's Apprentice or any medieval times/martial arts/magic/sorcery type books, you would absolutely love this!
TETHERED their horses?
This book is pretty good, and I rate it 5-star.
YES I DID.
I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED THIS IS THE BOOK IVE WAITED FOR MY ALL MY MOMENTS SINCE I HEARD THIS WAS A BOOK.
I BET YOU THOUGHT I WAS GONNA SAY ALL MY LIFE WERENT YOU? WERE YOU THINKING THAT? YES. YES YOU WERE
John Flanagan's Ranger Apprentice books have been enjoyed by countless readers. His new book, "The Tournament at Gorlan", is the first title in a new series entitled "Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years". The series is a set of prequel stories set a generation earlier than the original books - a time before Halt became an experienced Ranger and before Will was an apprentice.
Please see the "Summary" section for a full review, which appeared in the Stratford Gazette in May 2016.
This was my 18th John Flanagan book and regretfully I cannot say that I enjoyed it as much as the previous 17. If you are a fan of his books, it will be acceptable to excellent. My son, who has read the ‘Ranger’s Apprentice Series’ at least 3 times thought it was excellent. I do however look forward the rest of the prequel series. Senior Doctor-at-Bass! D. A.
Fans of Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series will love finding out what Halt was like when he was young. An excellent start to this prequel series with all the elements that made the original series so entertaining. Lots of witty banter, clever escapes, and sword fighting action!
All those moms and dads out there take note - John Flanagan’s books are to young readers today what the following books were to our grandparents and parents of yesteryear: Eric Knight’s - ‘Lassie Come Home’ (1940), Jim Kjelgaard’s – ‘Big Red’ (1945) and ‘Fire Hunter’ (1951), Wilson Rawls’ - ‘Where The Red Fern Grows’ (1961), and Betsy Byars - ‘My Dog My Hero’ (2000). Flanagan’s books are ideal to get young boys and girls 8 to 13 years of age - reading.
I cannot imagine how many emails and letters John Flanagan received from his fans to give us more of: Will, Halt, Horace, Alyss, and the rest of the cast from The Ranger’s Apprentice series. The Tournament at Gorlan - Ranger’s Apprentice – The Early Years may omit some of our favourite characters, but Halt, Crowley and Morgrath are there and this book does not disappoint. Rated five stars plus by Doctor-at-Bass-Fishing! Taylor A.