Fifteen-year-old orphan Will believes his father died a mighty warrior. He hopes to honour his legacy by getting selected for Battleschool training but is too small and is rejected. Instead, he becomes a Ranger's apprentice to the mysterious Halt.
This epic fantasy series is set in a medieval world, where the Rangers are skilled fighters who protect the king and villagers. They value honour, community and courage over all else.
At its heart, Rangers Apprentice is the story of a boy turning into a man, with Will learning to defend his kingdom against seemingly insurmountable odds.
Narrator William Zappa is the perfect storyteller for this world, bringing it to life in a vivid and intense pause-resistant way. His animated, exciting pace makes the listener feel breathless as Will overcomes ever-increasing odds. Zappa uses several accents to give life to each character.
Ranger's Apprentice writer John Flanagan was once a screenwriter who co-created the hit '80s TV series Hey Dad! He originally wrote the short stories which became Ranger's Apprentice to get his son Michael interested in reading.
Ten years later, in 2004, Flanagan published The Ruins of Gorlan – the first book in the original Ranger's Apprentice series. Over 15 million copies have been sold worldwide.
Ranger's Apprentice has won numerous awards, including Aurealis Awards and the Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book. The Australian government has partially funded two Ranger's Apprentice feature films to be made in Australia.
