The Tournament at Gorlan: A Review (Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years #1)

Goodreads (Description):

When Halt and Crowley discover that the ambitious Morgarath has been infiltrating the Rangers in order to corrupt the Corps, the young Rangers travel north to find Prince Duncan, seeking a royal warrant to stop Morgarath before it is too late. By weakening the Rangers, the most powerful force in support of the King, Morgarath plans to steal the throne.

Yet when Halt and Crowley arrive in Gorlan, they discover just how close Morgarath’s scheme is to success. Morgarath has a plan to discredit the Prince and alienate him from his father. At the same time, the Baron of Gorlan has been conspiring to win the trust and admiration of the Council of Barons to further his plan. If the young Rangers are to prevent the coup from succeeding, they will have to tread a dangerous path, which leads them to a thrilling climax at the annual tournament at Gorlan, where a series of bitter duels must be fought and won.

This origin story brings readers to a time before Will was an apprentice, and lays the groundwork for the epic battles that will culminate with The Ruins of Gorlan and The Burning Bridge—Books 1 and 2 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series.

My Review:

Can I just say how stupid excited I was when I saw this book laying on one of Barnes and Noble’s display tables?! Dang John Flanagan! Back at it again with the Rangers!!! I had to get it. And so I did. And read it immediately I did.

Ranger’s Apprentice has been a series I have held so very close to my heart for years now. I was also very sad to say goodbye to the series when the 12th book came out. Now, however, I have the early years and the adventures of Halt and Crowley to look forward to!! Just the fact that I don't really have to say goodbye to this world makes me so incredibly happy.

Oh, it was so great to see young Halt and Crowley band together the exiled Rangers together and plot against the evil Morgarath. Their humor and friendship among the Rangers warmed my heart and made them such real, tangible characters. Ah! The jokes they have even when times get hard, they know how to lift each other up and plan how to infiltrate a castle and kidnap someone. It's great.

It was also really cool to see Prince Duncan before his King days. We don't see him all that much in the original series, so it was cool to see how he started to become the great King he will be.

Plus, having read the original series and knowing the impact Morgarath had on the country, I'm very interested to see what happened during Halt’s golden days. We only saw a small part of Morgarath’s destruction in Will’s story, now we’ll finally see the giant underwater mountain of the glacier we've seen.

I give this book a 5 out of 5. Honestly, John Flanagan never lets me down!