Synopsis:

Will is small for his age, but fast and quick-witted. All his life, he has dreamed of becoming a great knight like the father he never knew, so he is devasted when he is rejected by Castle Redmont's Battleschool. Instead he is apprenticed to Halt, the mysterious Ranger whose uncanny ability to move unseen is thought to be the result of black magic. Reluctantly, Will learns to use a Ranger's secret weapons: a bow and arrouw, a mottled cloak and a stubborn little pny. It may not be the sword and battlehorse he longs for, but when Will and Halt set out on a desperate mission to prevent the assassination of the King, Will finds that a Ranger's weapons are not so useless after all...


My Review:

I think this series of eight books- so far- has a well written story line, and is fraught with danger, peril, and a LOT of humour! I enjoyed them very much and the characters are very real, easy to like and relate to. My brothers cannot put them down. For children who like action, intelligence, medieval ages and a variety of weapons, you can't go past this series!

Age Stamp:





Pros:

This series promotes friendship, loyalty, courage and strength. There is a good sense of what is right and wrong, and the main characters enforce righteousness in whatever adventure they're on. Although the synopsis mentions black magic, there is no real sorcery, witches, or wizards in the book. There is also a great deal of humour in them, and I found myself laughing out loud in some places! From an educational side of view, there is a lot of knowledge to be gained about castles, seige weapons, and people of the period.

Cons:

There is some infrequent mild language in them, mostly 'd*mmit' or 'd*mn', and also taking God's name in vain in a few areas. Since there are a lot of battles fought in the series, there is also some gore and death in the books, but believe them to be tastefully done, and with respect. There is also a hint of romance as the books progress, but again I think it is written with finesse. The books have an awareness of God, but they are not Christian.

Publisher Info, Other Versions, Series Titles & Curriculum:

The books are published in the UK, US and Australia. The Australian publishers are "Random House Australia", and have only just this year done a reprint, with 4 extra chapters in "The Burning Bridge". The old covers (I believe) were not as good. These are (c) 2009, and are not a part of any curriculum.

1. The Ruins of Gorlan
2. The Burning Bridge
3. The Icebound Land
4. Oakleaf Bearers (Published as "The Battle for Skandia" in USA)
5. Sorceror in the North
6. The Seige of Macindaw
7. Erak's Ransom
8. The Kings of Clonmel
9. Halt's Peril - out 2nd Nov! -

My Ratings (10 being how much):

Violence: [#] [#] [#] [#] [#]
Fear Factor: @ @ @ it's a bit scary in places for some creatures.
Romance: <3
Language: [!] [!] [!]
Christian: (no)
Mature Themes: X X
My Rating: * * * * *