Skip to main content

The Tournament at Gorlan

By

The Tournament at Gorlan
By John A. Flanagan
Philomel Books, 2015. Fiction. 384 pgs

In his latest series, a prequel to his Ranger’s Apprentice series, Flanagan takes us back to Halt’s early days as a ranger. Halt has joined Crowley, a loyal Ranger, during a time when Oswald’s kingship is being attacked from within; Baron Morgarath (the enemy that will later cause havoc in The Ruins of Gorlan, first book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series), while pretending to protect the king, is really plotting his overthrow. In his quest to seize the throne, Morgarath is dismissing the Rangers that are loyal to the King and replacing them with his own men. Halt and Crowley, having stood up to Morgarth and becoming branded as traitors, decide to track down the loyal Rangers that have been dismissed to form an army to fight back.

Fans of the Ranger’s Apprentice series will enjoy learning Halt’s back story, which includes details such as the first time he met Pauline, how Crowley became the leader of the Rangers, and how Prince Duncan became a force to reckon with. The book has all the same humor and action of the Flanagan’s other books, and the cliff hanger ending that will have you anxiously awaiting book two. An added bonus is John Keating’s narration on the audiobooks; the only thing better than reading the books yourself is listening to his delightful delivery.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Display: Dino-mite Reads

By
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Hidden Dragon

By
The Hidden Dragon By Melissa Marr New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023. Fiction. 161 pages. Three children, Otter, London, and Sophia, live in a fantasy world with dragons. Otter (short for Ottilie) is the daughter of a ship captain, and she loves the sea and its dragons. London is a stowaway boy, searching for a new life full of adventure. Sophia lives in a thief house with other children, all dedicated to helping each other and trying to make the kingdom better. As trouble begins to brew both on land and at sea, these three heroes realize that maybe it's up to the kids to make things right. Readers experience the book from multiple perspectives, and with a bit of mystery and adventure, this is an amazing fantasy read. With the inspiring message that children truly can make a difference, readers will enjoy how each character fights for what's right, even when it's inconvenient. The ending is resolved a little quickly, but this is a great read for all "hatchlings."
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Enigma Girls

By
  The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma
Post a Comment
Read more