A brand new series from the writer of the thrilling, international, bestselling series The Ranger's Apprentice
John Flanagan is the award-winning author of The Ranger's Apprentice series. He lives in the beachside Sydney suburb of Manly.
"As with the other stories it's about adversity, it's about friendship and above all else it's a story where the characters learn to utilise their own sets of skills to aid the group as a whole buoying up the others weaknesses with their own strengths. Add to this John's usual style of fast pace with spartanesque prose and a wonderfully simplified explanation about sailing (which to be honest made a lot more sense than a lot of the stuff in adult books) and it was a title that really spoke to fantasy side as the characters within took the reader on a whole new adventure which has a Young Adult David Gemmell type of feel." Tatty's Treasure Chest 20111103
Gr 6 Up-Hal Mikkelson, 16, is appointed "skirl," or leader of his brotherband, eight seafaring Skandian boys left unchosen by their athletic and popular peers. Disadvantaged by Ingvar's impaired vision, Ulf and Wulf's constant bickering, Stefan's clowning, Jesper's thievery, and Stig's hot-headed impulses, the outcasts become Herons, after the wolfship Hal helped build and later purchased. Encamped to train and compete against much stronger 10-men teams, the Shark and Wolf brotherbands, the outnumbered Herons are bullied by childhood nemesis Tursgud, leader of the Sharks. Action scenes are plentiful as Hal enlists the hidden strengths of each team member to outsmart opponents in tactical competitions. Meanwhile, an unsavory pirate, Zavac, loiters in town, plotting to steal Hallasholm's Andomal, a precious piece of amber. When Erak the Oberjarl, a major character from the "The Ranger's Apprentice" series, entrusts the victorious Herons to sentry duty at the Andomal shrine, it is not surprising that Zavac makes his move. Hal's shame in failing to protect the town's treasure compels him to set sail after Zavac in an ending that is an obvious setup for another installment. Hal's mentor is Thorn, a one-armed, recovering alcoholic with a once-glorious past who promised his mortally wounded friend, Mikkel, that he would look after Hal and his mother. Well developed and vocabulary rich, with endearing new characters and a rousing adventure that assures new episodes, this book will delight Flanagan fans.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
"As with the other stories it's about adversity, it's about friendship and above all else it's a story where the characters learn to utilise their own sets of skills to aid the group as a whole buoying up the others weaknesses with their own strengths. Add to this John's usual style of fast pace with spartanesque prose and a wonderfully simplified explanation about sailing (which to be honest made a lot more sense than a lot of the stuff in adult books) and it was a title that really spoke to fantasy side as the characters within took the reader on a whole new adventure which has a Young Adult David Gemmell type of feel." Tatty's Treasure Chest 20111103
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