Certainly some element of cliche exists in his work and he is no world-builder like Tolkien but what he does well is balance out the elements to create a story perfect for his target audience. However he fleshes out each character as a unique and interesting creation in a very humble manner that's incredibly accessible to the reader.įlanagan's world is never kept too distant from the reader, his down to earth writing allowing reader's the chance to fall in love with what they read.

And it would be easy for him to fall into using stereotypes. But what really sells his work is the care he applies to his characters.Įach character is no stereotype even though they may at times appear that way. Flanagan does do an excellent job of helping the reader experience this almost historical world (after all his fantasy world is based on past civilisations) through the finer details without overloading them with information. There was a reasonable amount of various nautical terms floated around but nothing too technical. Of course while his work is aimed predominantly at older children and younger teens it can be enjoyed by various age levels in my opinion. However I soon settled into this novel and came to appreciate and enjoy what he had written. Martin’s Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series.Īs a fan of John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series I was not sure what to expect with the first in his The Outcasts series. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. Full of seafaring adventures and epic battles, Book 1 of The Brotherband Chronicles is sure to thrill readers of Ranger's Apprentice while enticing a whole new generation just now discovering the books.

John Flanagan, author of the international phenomenon Ranger's Apprentice, creates a new cast of characters to populate his world of Skandians and Araluens, a world millions of young readers around the world have come to know and admire. especially when not everyone thinks of it as playing. The icy waters make for a treacherous playing field. And courage - which they will need every ounce of to do battle at sea against the other bands, the Wolves and the Sharks, in the ultimate race. Yet that doesn't mean they don't have skills. Skandians, as any reader of Ranger's Apprentice could tell you, are known for their size and strength. Hal, Stig, and the others - they are the boys the others want no part of.

From the author of the global phenomenon Ranger's Apprentice!

The Outcasts by John Flanagan