Bookworm Speaks!- Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories Review

Bookworm Speaks!

Ranger’s Apprentice Book 11

The Lost Stories

by John Flanagan 

****

The Story: Inspired by his millions of fans worldwide, many of whom wrote him emails and letters questioning the fate or the origin of some of the most popular characters and storylines from Ranger’s Apprentice, John Flanagan decided to reward his loyal readers with a collection of stories answering these questions. In Book 11 of the Ranger's Apprentice epic, fans will see never-before-published stories featuring all their favorite characters, from Will to Halt, from Horace to Alyss. More than a companion book, THE LOST STORIES is, ultimately, a new entry in the series—and a tribute from author to reader.

The Good: What is great about these stories is that the author is responding so positively to his fans in writing this book. The relationship between creator and fandom can sometimes be contentious, but this book shows that the author really did care about answering his fans lingering questions about the series. 

What makes Ranger’s Apprentice such a beloved series is the terrific array of characters to love. There are so many character’s in this series that it is a great shame that more time can’t be devoted to all of them. This is what this book does, it gives more background characters such as Gilan, Jenny, and even Alyss, a little chance in the spotlight. The way this is accomplished really showcases the author’s skill with his writing. 

The series as a whole was fun because the story was able to balance things such as comedy, action, and drama in a way that felt organic. While the text is not one whole story, each one presents a different tone with each story. Every character and every story gets a unique tone that makes each one memorable and the way the author can switch gears so neatly greatly explains the popularity of the series. 

One story in particular, Purple Prose, stands out. The story tells of Will trying to right a speech for a wedding but he makes it far too flowery and dense. Most likely a way to poke fun at the author’s own line of work. 

The Flaws: The main flaw with this book is the book itself. Ranger’s Apprentice stories are full-fledged novels not short stories. The short stories are not bad by any means, but some readers may feel that they do not really work in that they are too short in order to tell a fully fledged story. Short stories in general could be viewed this way.

While this book may indeed be interesting and fills in some gaps left behind by previous books in the series, it is not really required reading for casual readers and definitely not the way to start the series for new readers. It just isn’t the same when compared to the full novels of the rest of the series. 

One thing that has been consistently been odd about the Ranger’s Apprentice series is the way Ranger’s seem to have a telepathic relationship with their horses. In the first book, it was merely implied and Will was simply reading Tug’s expressions, but near the end of the series, like this book, it is pretty much psychic communication. While considering the fact that Bookworm reads science fiction, telepathy does not have much of a place in a setting like Ranger’s Apprentice. 

Final Verdict: While the Emperor of Nihon-Ja was the final classic adventure of the characters we have grown to know and love, this book is also a good send off for the series. Showing us another side of the characters, filling in the gaps between books, showing us some unseen adventures, and showcasing the characters doing ‘normal’ things in between escapades. As the summary says: A tribute for author to reader that works really well and great final bow for a wonderful series that-

Wait…What?

Oh…right.

Still one more to go…

Ugh…

Four out of Five Stars 

thecultureworm.blogspot.com