Frank Colosimo

Mrs. Cramer
Comp 1 Pd. 3
9 February 2018
Reasons for a Book’s Appeal

What aspects of a book make it most appealing? Is it the characters, the drama, the

action, or simply the author’s way of writing that makes a book so entertaining? In John

Flanagan’s, Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan, it is the way in which the book is

written. The third-person omniscient point of view and chronologic structure enhance the

reader’s understanding of the book because they allow the author to better describe the fictional

world and the relations between characters.

Flanagan begins his book by introducing the young relationships between six of the

characters that live in the fief’s ward. These early relationships are the foundation of the growth

that is portrayed in the first book, and throughout the series. While introducing the characters,

Flanagan goes into detail about the past which Will, the main character, could not possibly have

remembered because he was too young. This look into the past, which takes place within the first

three chapters, foreshadows pivotal events that will unfold throughout the twelve-book series. It

is this use of point of view that allows the series to be so well received and entertaining. Not only

does the use of the third-person omniscient point of view allow for a deeper understanding of the

relationships between characters, it also gives reason for characters’ actions.

As in all things, this book follows the flow of time. In some places there can be stories

run in parallel, or flashbacks, but Flanagan manages these twists well. Early in the book,

Flanagan jumps between the stories of two of the six young ward mates. Flanagan tells the story
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of Will, his training, and the bond that begins to form between Will and his master Halt. Then,

Flanagan changes to following Horace and his time as an apprentice in Battleschool. The

usefulness of knowing both plot lines reaches a climax when Horaces’ bullies from Battleschool

come down to “… teach the sneaker the same lesson” (Vol 1 151). Horace proceeds to defend his

childhood enemy from a vicious beating. Without the context that the third-person omniscient

point of view makes available, the audience would be confused as to why Horace had saved

Will, the antagonist of his childhood. This example for the use of third-person point of view

allows the reader to get a clear view of the development between characters.

Chapter thirty is where the third-person omniscient point of view is used to the greatest

effect for simple action. In this chapter, the reader is captivated by the fight between a

protagonist and the deadly Kalkaras. Albeit, half of this chapter takes place while the main

character is miles away. The chapter begins by taking the perspective of Halt: Will’s master,

fully fledged Ranger, and highly accomplished warrior. He is placed in a two-versus-one

situation with his back literally against a wall. All hope would appear to be lost. However, the

ability of the author to explain to the reader the thoughts of someone other than the main

character makes it undoubtedly clear that the Kalkaras are in for a surprise. The author delves

into Halt’s mind to recount the battle which left Halt injured, hiding, and feeling “… a cold stone

of fear…” Halt had devised a plan to even the odds between himself and his opponents (Vol 1

225). Using the Ranger’s uncanny skill with the longbow he would kill one of the beasts before

it’s brother could do the same to him. Flanagan does an explicit job when breaking down the

instinctive process which Halt goes through when taking a shot. Halt doesn’t think about a shot

that he is about to make. He feels it. He sees each shot one hundred times before he takes it. The

only way that this depth of understanding can be reached is through the use of the third-person
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omniscient point of view. The author’s use of point of view greatly improves the readers

understanding of the relations between characters. However, a more important aspect of the

structure of the story is the chronological structure which the book follows.

The importance of the book following a timely chronologic order can only truly be

appreciated on the scale of the series. Boys grow into men and girls grow into women. Mentors

retire. Dear friends die. Memories are made. Bonds are forged. Just as in life, the childhood

feuds are forgotten. This is most easily recognized in the development between Horace and Will.

As the two boys grow mentally and physically, they also grow in maturity. They go from being

rivals at the ward to friends. From friends to best friends. By the fourth book, Ranger’s

Apprentice: The Battle for Skandia, Horace will have traveled eight months across the continent

to save his friend. This favor is returned in the tenth book, Ranger’s Apprentice: The Emperor of

Nihon-Ja, when Will and other friends from throughout Horace’s life travel across the globe to

rescue him from a faraway land. None of what makes people fall in love with a series would be

possible without the use of a coherent chronologic structure.

There are numerous aspects of a book that can make it memorable. For the Ranger’s

Apprentice series, it is the third-person omniscient point of view and chronological structure

which allows the readers to better understand the characters' relationships and the fictional world

that John Flanagan creates.

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Work Cited

Flanagan, John. Ranger’s Apprentice. 12 vols. New York: Penguin Books, 2004-12.

Print.