The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flannagan

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flannagan. The Ranger's Apprentice, Book 1. 249 pages. Will, an orphaned ward of Baron Arault, wants desperately to join the recruits at the Battleschool and train as a warrior in this medieval world, but instead he is chosen to be the Ranger's apprentice. The Rangers are not held in high regard by Will and his friends, but he gains respect for them as he trains. There is one Ranger per fief in the Kingdom of Araluen, and they are the spies, the silent killers, and the special forces of the kingdom. Morgareth, a rebel lord with an army of inhuman beasties is threatening war, so Will and his master, Halt, need to train fast. We listened to this on our last vacation and then finished up reading it at bedtimes. I've heard great things about the series, and since there are like 14 books, I'm looking forward to listening to them if we go anywhere this year, and to reading them all with the boys. Check our catalog.