Ranger's Apprentice

He had always wanted to be a warrior. The Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways, made him nervous. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now fifteen year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t realize yet is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied . . . .

John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. It wasn’t until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency where he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John’s assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting, thus beginning his career as a writer.

John began writing Ranger’s Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series. The last few years have seen the publication of many fantasies, but few have the appeal of this original story. I’ve got my 6th grade boys and girls waiting in line to read them, but Tim (20) and I really love this series too. In fact, Tim is the one that got me hooked. Dave… Daniel. Seriously. Check these out. I know you’ll like them. The marvelous thing is that since there are due to be at least 9 in the series, and 1-7 are already done and available in Australia, they will start being released here in America at a much quicker pace.

I’m fascinated by the publishing process – how one book can have multiple publishers (J.K. Rowling has over 70), around the world, each with their own cover illustrators. In some cases, publishers in different countries even title the books differently (for instance, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in England, and Sorcerer’s Stone in the US). In Australia, The Battle for Skandia is titled "Oakleaf Bearers".

The Battle for Skandia is available March 18th.