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Brotherband Chronicles #1
The Outcasts
From the author of the global phenomenon Ranger's Apprentice!
They are outcasts. Hal, Stig, and the others - they are the boys the others want no part of. Skandians, as any reader of Ranger's Apprentice could tell you, are known for their size and strength. Not these boys. Yet that doesn't mean they don't have skills. 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. The icy waters make for a treacherous playing field . . . especially when not everyone thinks of it as playing. 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. 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.
Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series.
They are outcasts. Hal, Stig, and the others - they are the boys the others want no part of. Skandians, as any reader of Ranger's Apprentice could tell you, are known for their size and strength. Not these boys. Yet that doesn't mean they don't have skills. 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. The icy waters make for a treacherous playing field . . . especially when not everyone thinks of it as playing. 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. 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.
Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series.
434 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
John Flanagan
81 books8,805 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
For mysteries by this same author, see John A. Flanagan.
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. It wasn't until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency where he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John's assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting.
After writing advertising copy for the next two decades, John teamed with an old friend to develop a television sitcom, Hey Dad!, which went on to air for eight years.
John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series.
He currently lives in a suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.
For mysteries by this same author, see John A. Flanagan.
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. It wasn't until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency where he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John's assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting.
After writing advertising copy for the next two decades, John teamed with an old friend to develop a television sitcom, Hey Dad!, which went on to air for eight years.
John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series.
He currently lives in a suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,587 reviews
March 30, 2012
As 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. However I soon settled into this novel and came to appreciate and enjoy what he had written. 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.
There was a reasonable amount of various nautical terms floated around but nothing too technical. 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. But what really sells his work is the care he applies to his characters.
Each character is no stereotype even though they may at times appear that way. And it would be easy for him to fall into using stereotypes. However he fleshes out each character as a unique and interesting creation in a very humble manner that's incredibly accessible to the reader.
Flanagan'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. 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. He creates likeable characters, just enough details to realistically portray this as a real world and moreover adds warmth and passion to his writing. The characters and world come alive because the writer believes them to be and clearly loves writing for children and young teenagers.
That all said I fully enjoyed this and look forward to seeing if he can develop this series into one equally as interesting as The Ranger's Apprentice. And do I encourage you to read this? Certainly and not only because John Flanagan is an Aussie with a nice down-to-earth manner of writing. I recommend this because I see that he writes books that subscribe to the perfect children's writer manual: they are accessible at ten and equally accessible at 15, 20, 30, 40 and so on. So read them simply to enjoy the storytelling ability and life of the books.
There was a reasonable amount of various nautical terms floated around but nothing too technical. 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. But what really sells his work is the care he applies to his characters.
Each character is no stereotype even though they may at times appear that way. And it would be easy for him to fall into using stereotypes. However he fleshes out each character as a unique and interesting creation in a very humble manner that's incredibly accessible to the reader.
Flanagan'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. 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. He creates likeable characters, just enough details to realistically portray this as a real world and moreover adds warmth and passion to his writing. The characters and world come alive because the writer believes them to be and clearly loves writing for children and young teenagers.
That all said I fully enjoyed this and look forward to seeing if he can develop this series into one equally as interesting as The Ranger's Apprentice. And do I encourage you to read this? Certainly and not only because John Flanagan is an Aussie with a nice down-to-earth manner of writing. I recommend this because I see that he writes books that subscribe to the perfect children's writer manual: they are accessible at ten and equally accessible at 15, 20, 30, 40 and so on. So read them simply to enjoy the storytelling ability and life of the books.
June 20, 2017
HERE BE SPOILERS
Why, oh why, John Flanagan, must you create another wonderful book series and leave us on tenterhooks in a cliffhanger ending?
Ugh, I loved this book. It was very reminiscent of Ranger's Apprentice in the brotherly comradeship, and of course, some of the characters like Erak are recycled. Hal is very much like Will. Both are outcasts and have different talents than most people, but they find their place and turn out to have much talent. This is both good and bad, as I loved Will and Hal makes me feel like I'm reading about him again with all of his epic awesomeness, but this also had a downside in that it seems John Flanagan cannot write about other protagonists with character traits other than Will/Hal.
Alright, so to the actual book. I really liked how the Skandian culture was shown through the boys being competing in brotherbands. They were being taught vital fighting skills and camaraderie at the same time, which to me really exemplifies the Skandian mindset of fighting and friendship, how when a person dies, they die with their sword in hand and all their friends around.
Tursgud made me SO MAD. He was like a worse version of Horace. I loved the other boys though, especially Edvin, Hal, Stefan, and Jesper. I'd be happy to fight alongside or date any of them.
Although, now that I think about it, that was one thing I didn't like. There was this random character Lotte, who seemed to just be put in for a distracting romantic interest for Hal. She was just there, and Hal didn't even think about her the same way that Will did Alyss. Perhaps she'll have a bigger role in later books, instead of a Mary Sue-esque pretty girl?
I SO saw the whole conflict with Zavac coming; it was hard not to, but that's how John Flanagan intended it. Because the book was in omniscient pov, the reader sees Zavac's murder of the traders and how he intends to steal the Andomal (so brilliantly named 'thing'). But when the Herons were slated to guard the Andomal, I was like 'OH NO' because, obviously, Zavac was going to make a reappearance and try to steal it. I anticipated some serious stuff going down, but Hal was all like, "Imma go leave my incredibly important post to check if my boat's okay because a guy who was the FIRST MATE FOR THE OBERJARL OBVIOUSLY CAN'T TIE MAH BOAT WELL ENOUGH AND OBVIOUSLY NOTHING'S GONNA HAPPEN TO THE ANDOMAL BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SAFE FOR 300 YEARS HURR DURR DURR." I was literally screaming 'what the heck Hal how can you be so utterly moronic?' And then Zavac shows up and swipes the Andomal while the Herons are zonked out on the ground. Nice job guys. And then Erak throws his weight around and everyone's going to be a pariah so they decide to leave on a mission where they'll probably die. UGH CLIFFHANGERS. But seriously, John Flanagan did a great job of tying that together and making all suspenseful and whatever.
Wow, this intelligent review has degenerated into me ranting psychotically. FIVE STARS; CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT.
Why, oh why, John Flanagan, must you create another wonderful book series and leave us on tenterhooks in a cliffhanger ending?
Ugh, I loved this book. It was very reminiscent of Ranger's Apprentice in the brotherly comradeship, and of course, some of the characters like Erak are recycled. Hal is very much like Will. Both are outcasts and have different talents than most people, but they find their place and turn out to have much talent. This is both good and bad, as I loved Will and Hal makes me feel like I'm reading about him again with all of his epic awesomeness, but this also had a downside in that it seems John Flanagan cannot write about other protagonists with character traits other than Will/Hal.
Alright, so to the actual book. I really liked how the Skandian culture was shown through the boys being competing in brotherbands. They were being taught vital fighting skills and camaraderie at the same time, which to me really exemplifies the Skandian mindset of fighting and friendship, how when a person dies, they die with their sword in hand and all their friends around.
Tursgud made me SO MAD. He was like a worse version of Horace. I loved the other boys though, especially Edvin, Hal, Stefan, and Jesper. I'd be happy to fight alongside or date any of them.
Although, now that I think about it, that was one thing I didn't like. There was this random character Lotte, who seemed to just be put in for a distracting romantic interest for Hal. She was just there, and Hal didn't even think about her the same way that Will did Alyss. Perhaps she'll have a bigger role in later books, instead of a Mary Sue-esque pretty girl?
I SO saw the whole conflict with Zavac coming; it was hard not to, but that's how John Flanagan intended it. Because the book was in omniscient pov, the reader sees Zavac's murder of the traders and how he intends to steal the Andomal (so brilliantly named 'thing'). But when the Herons were slated to guard the Andomal, I was like 'OH NO' because, obviously, Zavac was going to make a reappearance and try to steal it. I anticipated some serious stuff going down, but Hal was all like, "Imma go leave my incredibly important post to check if my boat's okay because a guy who was the FIRST MATE FOR THE OBERJARL OBVIOUSLY CAN'T TIE MAH BOAT WELL ENOUGH AND OBVIOUSLY NOTHING'S GONNA HAPPEN TO THE ANDOMAL BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SAFE FOR 300 YEARS HURR DURR DURR." I was literally screaming 'what the heck Hal how can you be so utterly moronic?' And then Zavac shows up and swipes the Andomal while the Herons are zonked out on the ground. Nice job guys. And then Erak throws his weight around and everyone's going to be a pariah so they decide to leave on a mission where they'll probably die. UGH CLIFFHANGERS. But seriously, John Flanagan did a great job of tying that together and making all suspenseful and whatever.
Wow, this intelligent review has degenerated into me ranting psychotically. FIVE STARS; CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT.
July 3, 2016
I really enjoyed the Ranger’s Apprentice series and when I noticed that Flanagan had written a spin off series based on the Skandians I thought that I might give it a read. I have been so disappointed in spin offs before that I wasn’t expecting much.
I just finished The Outcasts, which is the first book of the Brotherband Chronicles, and I have to admit I was really pleased. The story revolves around a group of outcast teen boys and how they cope and compete in the Skandian society. If you’ve ever been chosen last for a basketball game or teased because you weren’t as strong or as fast as the other kids, you’ll love this book. It’s full of great humor and edge of your seat excitement. The only problem I had with the book was how short the chapters were. I found myself saying, okay just one more chapter and then I’ll put it down. That won’t take long. Found myself reading way late into the night just to see what would happen next.
I’m very much looking forward to reading the second book of the series.
January 6, 2015
I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy this book.
This is a young adult book, I understand, but I couldn't help but feel insulted by the writing. It was all function and nothing else, and worse than that it had so many repetitions and explanations of gestures that it made me think John Flanagan thought his readers would be idiots who didn't understand that when a character nodded it meant they agreed with something. Everything is told, nothing shown. I was TOLD that someone was angry or confused or happy, I was hardly ever shown it. And when it did occur, it happened with "in anger" or "in frustration" after it, so consistently redundant that I actually flinched every time it appeared, which was maybe fifteen plus times on a single page. The writing was awkward and contrived; I can't even count the number of times I saw the phrase, "as a result, . . . "
The plot just a competition between boys. I was waiting for the plot to pick up into some romping adventure but it just sat there at a competition.
The characters were flat, especially the boys in Hal's brotherband. One of them was a thief. Everything about him, every character trait had to do with the fact he was a thief. He run really fast, because he's a thief, I guess that would be a helpful trait if you were a thief (literally it was explained like that in the book). It's mentioned he's a thief almost every time his name comes up in paragraph. Or the "I'm short-sighted, not stupid" appeared in the dialogue at least two times. These characters had pretty much one defining feature and it was all they were throughout the entire novel. Not to mention the random love interest present in maybe two pages tops. I had forgotten about her until near the end she randomly kissed Hal. It's as if she was an afterthought, "oh yeah I need a girl character, she should probably just be a love interest but I don't want to deal with her so she'll appear just two times and it'll just be defending her from the antagonist and then a kiss for the hero."
Exposition made up half the dialogue, all awkward and sounding out-of-character. I'm not actually sure what was in-character though, to be honest, everything was so stilted and cliche and written in one voice, all the characters could be the same if not for their defining feature.
Sorry, I'm being really mean. It's my opinion only.
This is a young adult book, I understand, but I couldn't help but feel insulted by the writing. It was all function and nothing else, and worse than that it had so many repetitions and explanations of gestures that it made me think John Flanagan thought his readers would be idiots who didn't understand that when a character nodded it meant they agreed with something. Everything is told, nothing shown. I was TOLD that someone was angry or confused or happy, I was hardly ever shown it. And when it did occur, it happened with "in anger" or "in frustration" after it, so consistently redundant that I actually flinched every time it appeared, which was maybe fifteen plus times on a single page. The writing was awkward and contrived; I can't even count the number of times I saw the phrase, "as a result, . . . "
The plot just a competition between boys. I was waiting for the plot to pick up into some romping adventure but it just sat there at a competition.
The characters were flat, especially the boys in Hal's brotherband. One of them was a thief. Everything about him, every character trait had to do with the fact he was a thief. He run really fast, because he's a thief, I guess that would be a helpful trait if you were a thief (literally it was explained like that in the book). It's mentioned he's a thief almost every time his name comes up in paragraph. Or the "I'm short-sighted, not stupid" appeared in the dialogue at least two times. These characters had pretty much one defining feature and it was all they were throughout the entire novel. Not to mention the random love interest present in maybe two pages tops. I had forgotten about her until near the end she randomly kissed Hal. It's as if she was an afterthought, "oh yeah I need a girl character, she should probably just be a love interest but I don't want to deal with her so she'll appear just two times and it'll just be defending her from the antagonist and then a kiss for the hero."
Exposition made up half the dialogue, all awkward and sounding out-of-character. I'm not actually sure what was in-character though, to be honest, everything was so stilted and cliche and written in one voice, all the characters could be the same if not for their defining feature.
Sorry, I'm being really mean. It's my opinion only.
December 28, 2019
"What a brotherband!" he declared. "A thief, a touchy first mate, a shortsighted bear, a joker, two twins who can't tell each other apart, a bookworm and a skirl who doesn't know the right shape of a ship's sail" He beamed at all of them, and he added, "I can't think of better qualities in a wolfship's crew"
sinbad + how to train your dragon - dragons
4.5 STARS
this book THIS BOOK
13 year old me is so happy 20 year old me read this book
i'm so young again
and i love it
i comic-ed/illustrated a scene from this book because i loved it, you can check it out here
sinbad + how to train your dragon - dragons
4.5 STARS
this book THIS BOOK
13 year old me is so happy 20 year old me read this book
i'm so young again
and i love it
i comic-ed/illustrated a scene from this book because i loved it, you can check it out here
November 10, 2011
HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP!
THIS BOOK WAS SO AWESOME!
i cannot believe he ended like that!!!!
no john flanagan! u must not do this to us!!!!!!!!!
nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
how long must i wait for the next?! how long?! how long must i suffer?!
ok so anyway, i am calm now.
so to any who was just thinking about reading this book, let me give you a basic run-down of what to expect. the book opens to a scene where erak and his crew r raiding some village. it is ridiculously easy, which makes it funny, but by some bad luck, mikkel (the main character's father), gets hit by a spear and dies. his last words were to make his best friend thorn promise he would look after his son. however, later on the sail back, thorn loses his right hand and has this period of drunken-ness before finally coming back to his senses 6 years later and helping hal (main character) become a man. because hal is half araluen and doesn't have the usually skandian body build, he is constantly teases and bullied and life is pretty hard. the book is basically about his time in brotherband training where hal becomes a really really good leader and where he matures and becomes more and more respected by his peers.
if u r thinking about reading this book, DO IT!!!! I SWEAR TO GOD U WILL NEVER EVER REGRET IT!
:)
happy reading!!!!!
THIS BOOK WAS SO AWESOME!
i cannot believe he ended like that!!!!
no john flanagan! u must not do this to us!!!!!!!!!
nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
how long must i wait for the next?! how long?! how long must i suffer?!
ok so anyway, i am calm now.
so to any who was just thinking about reading this book, let me give you a basic run-down of what to expect. the book opens to a scene where erak and his crew r raiding some village. it is ridiculously easy, which makes it funny, but by some bad luck, mikkel (the main character's father), gets hit by a spear and dies. his last words were to make his best friend thorn promise he would look after his son. however, later on the sail back, thorn loses his right hand and has this period of drunken-ness before finally coming back to his senses 6 years later and helping hal (main character) become a man. because hal is half araluen and doesn't have the usually skandian body build, he is constantly teases and bullied and life is pretty hard. the book is basically about his time in brotherband training where hal becomes a really really good leader and where he matures and becomes more and more respected by his peers.
if u r thinking about reading this book, DO IT!!!! I SWEAR TO GOD U WILL NEVER EVER REGRET IT!
:)
happy reading!!!!!
March 23, 2020
Jediný důvod, proč Bratrstvo nedostalo pět z pěti je ten, že Flanagan až moc recykluje Hraničářova učně. Ale naštěstí pro něj tu zůstává ta úžasná morální cesta a myšlenka. Jste outsider? Cítíte se tak? Ale to přece neznamená, že je to špatně. Děláte chyby? Uvědomujete si to? Dobře.
Miluju to.
Miluju to.
March 26, 2016
Part of my Caudill, Bluestem, Monarch challenge.
Thank goodness that's over. Usually I put books down within a few chapters of reading them if I don't like them. Unfortunately, I am reading this one for work and I had to slog my way through the entire thing screaming at Flanagan the whole way for his obnoxious writing style.
The main plot was actually decent if you can handle the fact that this was clearly a fictionalized group of people similar our Saxons. (Though it turns out our Saxons didn't actually have horned helmets as we like to envision them in...). With tighter writing, this would have been a phenomenal book. Sadly, instead of keeping this to one book or maybe two, Flanagan has decided to make it a series. And as a series, it's too much.
Summary for potential BookTalks: Hal's father dies on a Skandian raid. He asks his best friend to look out for his son. Fast forward fifteen years (three chapters into the book of course...) and we see this kid is a bit of an outsider. He's built differently from most Skandians, mostly because his mother is Araluen. Thin and spry, Hal is very smart though not so good at physical feats of strength. So when it comes time for the Brotherband Training, he ends up with the rest of the people who don't fit into the tribe. Brotherband training, for those who don't know, is a passage of training for all the Skandian young men where they prove they are no longer boys but men.
On top of this, there are also pirates! Everyone loves pirates EXCEPT FOR WHEN THEIR SOLE PURPOSE TO SET UP ANOTHER BOOK! Really Flanagan? They came out of nowhere it seemed! We're all looking to see what's happening with Hal and suddenly BAM pirates!
The thing that bothered me the most though was how he had to tell us everything even to the point of repeating it to us. An example:
One of the twins has been elbowing Ingvar in the ribs to keep him quiet. This is the following dialogue:
" 'Cut it out! That hurts! Who is that, anyway?' He knew it was one of the twins, but he didn't know which one.
Wulf saw the annoyed light in Invar's eyes and thought quickly. 'It's Ulf.'
'I'll settle with you later then,' Ingvar promised." (Flanagan, p 169-70)
At the end of the chapter, Hal notices that Ingvar keeps watching the twins.
"Hal sighed in frustration. 'He's got something on his mind. I know it. I just wish I knew what it was.'
That evening, they found out." (Flanagan, pg 182).
First of all, that's an awful transition into any chapter. That's the type of transition middle schoolers write in their papers when they're learning how to write. By adulthood, I would hope they know how to write more skillful transitions.
The cream of this whole exchange comes when Ingvar finally looks for the twins.
"Invar peered at him. blinking rapidly. 'One of you kept hitting me in the ribs this morning. Remember? And I said "Who's doing that" and whoever it was said, "It's Ulf.'
Wulf suddenly grinned as understanding dawned. He'd elbowed Ingvar in the ribs when Gort was questioning him. And then he'd claimed to be his brother. Now, sensing that Ingvar was looking for retribution, he congratulated himself on his quick thinking." (Flanagan, 184)
Seriously? SERIOUSLY? He just summed it up for us twice on that page? How stupid does he think his readers are going to be unable to A) pick up on the fact that Ingvar was going to go after Ulf and B) forget what happened one chapter ago?
And this is pretty much the entire book. We're told something is going to happen. We're told it's about to happen. And then we're reminded of what caused it to happen.
Now I realize as an adult, I have better reading skills than most middle schoolers do. However, middle schoolers don't need this much hand holding. He breaks sentences with definitions of words because apparently people can't pick up on context clues. He tells the reader everything because apparently the reader is too dumb to understand that when someone nods, they clearly agree.
Sadly, I will be recommending this book to 10 to 12 year old boys because they'll like the adventure aspect of it. I just wish I didn't have to because I hate seeing people read something so idiotically written.
Thank goodness that's over. Usually I put books down within a few chapters of reading them if I don't like them. Unfortunately, I am reading this one for work and I had to slog my way through the entire thing screaming at Flanagan the whole way for his obnoxious writing style.
The main plot was actually decent if you can handle the fact that this was clearly a fictionalized group of people similar our Saxons. (Though it turns out our Saxons didn't actually have horned helmets as we like to envision them in...). With tighter writing, this would have been a phenomenal book. Sadly, instead of keeping this to one book or maybe two, Flanagan has decided to make it a series. And as a series, it's too much.
Summary for potential BookTalks: Hal's father dies on a Skandian raid. He asks his best friend to look out for his son. Fast forward fifteen years (three chapters into the book of course...) and we see this kid is a bit of an outsider. He's built differently from most Skandians, mostly because his mother is Araluen. Thin and spry, Hal is very smart though not so good at physical feats of strength. So when it comes time for the Brotherband Training, he ends up with the rest of the people who don't fit into the tribe. Brotherband training, for those who don't know, is a passage of training for all the Skandian young men where they prove they are no longer boys but men.
On top of this, there are also pirates! Everyone loves pirates EXCEPT FOR WHEN THEIR SOLE PURPOSE TO SET UP ANOTHER BOOK! Really Flanagan? They came out of nowhere it seemed! We're all looking to see what's happening with Hal and suddenly BAM pirates!
The thing that bothered me the most though was how he had to tell us everything even to the point of repeating it to us. An example:
One of the twins has been elbowing Ingvar in the ribs to keep him quiet. This is the following dialogue:
" 'Cut it out! That hurts! Who is that, anyway?' He knew it was one of the twins, but he didn't know which one.
Wulf saw the annoyed light in Invar's eyes and thought quickly. 'It's Ulf.'
'I'll settle with you later then,' Ingvar promised." (Flanagan, p 169-70)
At the end of the chapter, Hal notices that Ingvar keeps watching the twins.
"Hal sighed in frustration. 'He's got something on his mind. I know it. I just wish I knew what it was.'
That evening, they found out." (Flanagan, pg 182).
First of all, that's an awful transition into any chapter. That's the type of transition middle schoolers write in their papers when they're learning how to write. By adulthood, I would hope they know how to write more skillful transitions.
The cream of this whole exchange comes when Ingvar finally looks for the twins.
"Invar peered at him. blinking rapidly. 'One of you kept hitting me in the ribs this morning. Remember? And I said "Who's doing that" and whoever it was said, "It's Ulf.'
Wulf suddenly grinned as understanding dawned. He'd elbowed Ingvar in the ribs when Gort was questioning him. And then he'd claimed to be his brother. Now, sensing that Ingvar was looking for retribution, he congratulated himself on his quick thinking." (Flanagan, 184)
Seriously? SERIOUSLY? He just summed it up for us twice on that page? How stupid does he think his readers are going to be unable to A) pick up on the fact that Ingvar was going to go after Ulf and B) forget what happened one chapter ago?
And this is pretty much the entire book. We're told something is going to happen. We're told it's about to happen. And then we're reminded of what caused it to happen.
Now I realize as an adult, I have better reading skills than most middle schoolers do. However, middle schoolers don't need this much hand holding. He breaks sentences with definitions of words because apparently people can't pick up on context clues. He tells the reader everything because apparently the reader is too dumb to understand that when someone nods, they clearly agree.
Sadly, I will be recommending this book to 10 to 12 year old boys because they'll like the adventure aspect of it. I just wish I didn't have to because I hate seeing people read something so idiotically written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2012
Another brilliant adventure from the author of the Ranger's Apprentice series, for boys 9-14 (and anyone else who loves historical action-adventure... I thought it was great!). The scene setting in the initial chapters may be the only challenge for reluctant readers, but from chapter five the action begins when the boys are divided into brotherbands who must compete for the ultimate championship. Each challenge is bigger than the last, and among the unevenly matched teams we desperately hold out for the underdogs.
It's also a brilliant character story; amid the rivalry and action we see the best boys struggle against their weaknesses, learning what it means to work together toward a common goal. Leaders emerge, the good contrasted against the bad, and friendships are formed, challenged and formed again. Every character is unique, and it's plain their individual stories will likely develop further in the books to come.
In describing how the boys face each challenge Flanagan includes a good amount of tactical information, but rather than slowing the story it only makes you appreciate it more. Instead of just reading about it, we understand how they go about it: we feel Hal's skill in guiding his boat, we live the tactics of the tug-of-war, we experience the thrill (and the risk) of their plan for the night raid. We get so involved that we want to push the runners over the line by adding our voices to the shouts of the team. And because victories and defeats follow so closely on each other we can't rest for a moment.
The ending is a brilliant set up for another adventure and will have readers impatient for more. Lucky for me book 2 came out last week! www.GoodReadingGuide.com
**Forgot to mention that if you like this book you'll probably also like A Stranger to Command which is for a slightly older readership, and one of my all time favourites.
October 9, 2018
I love this dear first book of the Brotherband Chronicles. It’s a coming of age book, but also a book written with an adult audience in mind as well, as many of the side and supporting characters are adults whose outlooks we get a glimpse into with Flanagan’s omniscient style of writing.
Owning your own personal responsibility despite current circumstances or challenges yet to come is the central theme of the book. Creatively, John Flanagan teaches the lesson parallel in the lives of a young half-Araluen Skandian boy named Hal and a former Skandian champion now feeling useless without his arm named Thorn. As Hal begins Brotherband training with the other Skandian boys, the training preparing them to become independent men, he’s suddenly thrust the role as skirl (captain) of his Brotherband—seven other boys, mostly misfits like him. He also learns more and more that Thorn’s advice is worth listening to and he’s not the old drunk that he is known as.
I can’t help but think of this book as a mix of the How to train your Dragon movies (not the books), with Hal being a less dorky and quieter Hiccup but with the same tinkering and clever mindset, and the Ranger’s Apprentice series only with more sidekicks and on ships. So of course, I just had to love this book. My last read was my third through this story, and while I haven’t enjoyed the later books recently of the series, I will always love this one.
Owning your own personal responsibility despite current circumstances or challenges yet to come is the central theme of the book. Creatively, John Flanagan teaches the lesson parallel in the lives of a young half-Araluen Skandian boy named Hal and a former Skandian champion now feeling useless without his arm named Thorn. As Hal begins Brotherband training with the other Skandian boys, the training preparing them to become independent men, he’s suddenly thrust the role as skirl (captain) of his Brotherband—seven other boys, mostly misfits like him. He also learns more and more that Thorn’s advice is worth listening to and he’s not the old drunk that he is known as.
I can’t help but think of this book as a mix of the How to train your Dragon movies (not the books), with Hal being a less dorky and quieter Hiccup but with the same tinkering and clever mindset, and the Ranger’s Apprentice series only with more sidekicks and on ships. So of course, I just had to love this book. My last read was my third through this story, and while I haven’t enjoyed the later books recently of the series, I will always love this one.
September 10, 2022
This is the first book in the spin off series from the Rangers Apprentice series, and once again Flanagan does not disappoint. He writes fantastic characters with ethics and no need for gratuitous violence, swearing or sex, making it perfect for middle grade readers.
These remind me of "old school" stories where there is a more definitive line between good and evil ; and the good guys always win... or are at least rewarded somehow.
Great reading.
These remind me of "old school" stories where there is a more definitive line between good and evil ; and the good guys always win... or are at least rewarded somehow.
Great reading.
January 24, 2022
Yeah, nieuwe fijne serie om te lezen! Geen idee waarom ik hier jaren terug nooit aan begonnen ben als Grijze Jager liefhebber.
Goed en spannend verhaal weer. Sommige personages waren al bekend uit de GJ serie, leuk om ze in hun eigen wereld te zien. Hopelijk binnenkort deel 2!
Goed en spannend verhaal weer. Sommige personages waren al bekend uit de GJ serie, leuk om ze in hun eigen wereld te zien. Hopelijk binnenkort deel 2!
September 4, 2021
After just a little struggle of getting into this book, it hooked me in until I could hardly put it down! Being a huge fan of The Ranger's Apprentice series, I was very excited for this companion series. It did not let me down. John Flanagan's ability of writing fantastic humor has me laughing out loud throughout all of his books!
Hal and his group have a special place in my heart and I loved everything they went through in this book. Even though they're small in number, their ingenuity always keeps them on the winning side. I can't wait to start the second book in this already amazing series!!
Hal and his group have a special place in my heart and I loved everything they went through in this book. Even though they're small in number, their ingenuity always keeps them on the winning side. I can't wait to start the second book in this already amazing series!!
March 27, 2017
Have I reviewed the Ranger’s Apprentice series? No?! Wait! What? Seriously! I can’t believe that I haven’t reviewed Ranger’s Apprentice. I really really need to review that series. It is like the best series ever! But, I am not reviewing that series right now. I am reviewing the first book in the Brotherband Chronicles, The Outcasts.
I really enjoyed this book. It was super good and intriguing. Hal was a great main character, but do you know who I liked even more? Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Thorn! Thorn was absolutely awesome! He was so cool! I felt bad for him at the beginning, especially because of the first chapter (or was it the prologue?). But, yes, I really liked Thorn. And, to be honest, I liked all of the Herons. Hal, Stig, Stefan, Ingvar, Edvin, Jesper were all awesome! I don’t know who I liked the best though, but for parts of the story I liked Stig the least. His temper tantrums were kind of annoying. I also liked the Wolves brotherband. They were pretty cool too.
The cover was very cool. From what I saw online, there are a bunch of different covers, but I like the cover above the best. I would give it…3 stars.
As for the book, I would definitely give it 4 stars. It isn’t Ranger’s Apprentice, but it was great! I would definitely recommend to all those who liked adventures! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Title: The Outcasts
Author: John Flanagan
Author’s Website: http://www.worldofjohnflanagan.com/
Reading Resolution: #25
This review is written in my own opinions and words.
I really enjoyed this book. It was super good and intriguing. Hal was a great main character, but do you know who I liked even more? Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Thorn! Thorn was absolutely awesome! He was so cool! I felt bad for him at the beginning, especially because of the first chapter (or was it the prologue?). But, yes, I really liked Thorn. And, to be honest, I liked all of the Herons. Hal, Stig, Stefan, Ingvar, Edvin, Jesper were all awesome! I don’t know who I liked the best though, but for parts of the story I liked Stig the least. His temper tantrums were kind of annoying. I also liked the Wolves brotherband. They were pretty cool too.
The cover was very cool. From what I saw online, there are a bunch of different covers, but I like the cover above the best. I would give it…3 stars.
As for the book, I would definitely give it 4 stars. It isn’t Ranger’s Apprentice, but it was great! I would definitely recommend to all those who liked adventures! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Title: The Outcasts
Author: John Flanagan
Author’s Website: http://www.worldofjohnflanagan.com/
Reading Resolution: #25
This review is written in my own opinions and words.
December 29, 2011
Hal, an outcast mentored by an outcast, befriend by outcasts, is a well-written character in the midst of a somehwat expected plot. Yet, for all the familiarity of the plot, and even some of the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Flanagan has a way of taking some familiar characters and giving them a new look and a new way of dealing with tough situations.
At first, it seems that Hal is up against his entire society, but we find that he has unexpected allies, and his wits serve him well through expected and unexpected trials.The friendships that he builds, and the relationship with his mentor make this an unusually heart-warming book, and spur the adventure forward.
If you enjoy fantasy action adventure with a little bit of alternative history (the Skandians are really Vikings in fantasy disguise), you'll enjoy The Outcasts, as well as John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series. My family and I have read them all, and we are all looking forward to the next book in the Brotherband Chronicles.
Flanagan has a way of taking some familiar characters and giving them a new look and a new way of dealing with tough situations.
At first, it seems that Hal is up against his entire society, but we find that he has unexpected allies, and his wits serve him well through expected and unexpected trials.The friendships that he builds, and the relationship with his mentor make this an unusually heart-warming book, and spur the adventure forward.
If you enjoy fantasy action adventure with a little bit of alternative history (the Skandians are really Vikings in fantasy disguise), you'll enjoy The Outcasts, as well as John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series. My family and I have read them all, and we are all looking forward to the next book in the Brotherband Chronicles.
August 11, 2018
Such a joy to read!
Hal is a great lead character. The creation of his brotherband is a compelling story about how they receive rigorous training to become cunning, skilled warriors, and compete with other local brotherbands. Hal grows convincingly into his natural role as an inspiring, fair but firm leader, and learns that leaders also make mistakes, that can have far reaching consequences.
Hal’s relationship with Thorn, his dad’s best mate, is moving at times and a welcome addition to the story.
The Skandian world resembles the Viking era, however, some of the language and attitudes seem very modern. I can’t imagine they spoke of things being 3-dimensional way back then, just to name an example. There were more things like this.
This is the first book of a series so it ends on a cliffhanger, but it is still a satisfying, open ending if you’d prefer to not venture on to book 2.
I will though!
Hal is a great lead character. The creation of his brotherband is a compelling story about how they receive rigorous training to become cunning, skilled warriors, and compete with other local brotherbands. Hal grows convincingly into his natural role as an inspiring, fair but firm leader, and learns that leaders also make mistakes, that can have far reaching consequences.
Hal’s relationship with Thorn, his dad’s best mate, is moving at times and a welcome addition to the story.
The Skandian world resembles the Viking era, however, some of the language and attitudes seem very modern. I can’t imagine they spoke of things being 3-dimensional way back then, just to name an example. There were more things like this.
This is the first book of a series so it ends on a cliffhanger, but it is still a satisfying, open ending if you’d prefer to not venture on to book 2.
I will though!
March 7, 2024
_چه برادری! یک دزد، یک سکاندار تندخو، یک خرس با بینایی کم، یک دلقک، دوقلوهایی که نمیتونن خودشون رو از هم تشخیص بدن، یک کرم کتاب و یک فرمانده که بادبانهای جدید اختراع میکنه. من نمیتونم خدمه بهتری رو برای کشتی گرگ تصور کنم.
"Was für eine Bruderschaft!«, verkündete Erak. »Ein Dieb, ein jähzorniger Steuermann, ein kurzsichtiger Bär, ein Spaßvogel, Zwillinge, die sich selbst nicht auseinanderhalten können, ein Bücherwurm und ein Skirl, der neue Segel erfindet. Ich kann mir keine bessere Mannschaft eines Wolfsschiffs vorstellen.«
این مجموعه اطلاعات کشتی و قایقرانی خیلی زیادی داره. صفحات اول، بخشهای کشتی و اصطلاحات مخصوصش رو توضیح داده.
هال از همه جهت زیادی خوبه:)
هال یه پسر اسکاندین��یی_آرالوئنی هست یعنی پدرش اسکاندینایی و مادرش آرالوئنی بوده. قشنگ اون مهربونی و هوش آرالوئنی در این پسر دیده میشه🥹❤️ هال یک مغز متفکر هست و از وسایل خونه تا قایق و ابزار جنگیاش رو خودش طراحی میکنه و میسازه. و همچنین یک رهبر شایسته است؛ زمانی که از ۱۶ سالگی پسران اسکاندینایی باید دسته برادران تشکیل بدن و برای جنگجو شدن تمرین کنن.
بنظرم هال ترکیبی از هالت و ویله♡
و رابطه هال و استیگ، مثل ویل و هوراس هست:)
از دیگر کارکترهای قابل توجه ثورن هست♡
۳۰ص آخر ذوقمو کور کرد اما خب نوید ماجرای جالبتری رو داد😁 و البته که مجبورم کرد جلدهای بعدی رو هم بخونم⚡️
ولی این بچهها لیاقت بهترینها رو دارن اریک! چون بهترینن! و خودت اینو میدونی، نامرد😂
در آخر به دوستداران یانگ ادالت و کتابهای ماجراجویی پیشنهادش میکنم 🌱
پ.ن:من اینو نخونده بودم نمیدونستم هال و ثورن و بقیه کیان:( برای کسانی که مجموعه رنجر سلطنتی رو میخوان بخونن، پیشنهاد میکنم حداقل این جلد اول برادرباند رو بخونن چون این کارکترها توی جلد سوم مجموعه رنجر سلطنتی حضور دارن و لازمه بدونین اون زمان کی به کیه:))
"Was für eine Bruderschaft!«, verkündete Erak. »Ein Dieb, ein jähzorniger Steuermann, ein kurzsichtiger Bär, ein Spaßvogel, Zwillinge, die sich selbst nicht auseinanderhalten können, ein Bücherwurm und ein Skirl, der neue Segel erfindet. Ich kann mir keine bessere Mannschaft eines Wolfsschiffs vorstellen.«
این مجموعه اطلاعات کشتی و قایقرانی خیلی زیادی داره. صفحات اول، بخشهای کشتی و اصطلاحات مخصوصش رو توضیح داده.
هال از همه جهت زیادی خوبه:)
هال یه پسر اسکاندین��یی_آرالوئنی هست یعنی پدرش اسکاندینایی و مادرش آرالوئنی بوده. قشنگ اون مهربونی و هوش آرالوئنی در این پسر دیده میشه🥹❤️ هال یک مغز متفکر هست و از وسایل خونه تا قایق و ابزار جنگیاش رو خودش طراحی میکنه و میسازه. و همچنین یک رهبر شایسته است؛ زمانی که از ۱۶ سالگی پسران اسکاندینایی باید دسته برادران تشکیل بدن و برای جنگجو شدن تمرین کنن.
بنظرم هال ترکیبی از هالت و ویله♡
و رابطه هال و استیگ، مثل ویل و هوراس هست:)
از دیگر کارکترهای قابل توجه ثورن هست♡
۳۰ص آخر ذوقمو کور کرد اما خب نوید ماجرای جالبتری رو داد😁 و البته که مجبورم کرد جلدهای بعدی رو هم بخونم⚡️
ولی این بچهها لیاقت بهترینها رو دارن اریک! چون بهترینن! و خودت اینو میدونی، نامرد😂
در آخر به دوستداران یانگ ادالت و کتابهای ماجراجویی پیشنهادش میکنم 🌱
پ.ن:من اینو نخونده بودم نمیدونستم هال و ثورن و بقیه کیان:( برای کسانی که مجموعه رنجر سلطنتی رو میخوان بخونن، پیشنهاد میکنم حداقل این جلد اول برادرباند رو بخونن چون این کارکترها توی جلد سوم مجموعه رنجر سلطنتی حضور دارن و لازمه بدونین اون زمان کی به کیه:))
September 20, 2024
Nie czytajcie tego przed 3 tomem Zwiadowców!!!
Myślę, że ta seria jest idealna dla osób, które tęsknią za światem Zwiadowców. Mamy odpowiednik Willa, Horace, Halta w wersji Skandyjskiej… czego chcieć więcej
Myślę, że ta seria jest idealna dla osób, które tęsknią za światem Zwiadowców. Mamy odpowiednik Willa, Horace, Halta w wersji Skandyjskiej… czego chcieć więcej
June 11, 2023
What a fun beginning to an awesome group of sea faring adventurers. Love the nautical information in the beginning! Looking forward to the nest book in this series!
July 10, 2023
Reminded me of my love for adventure books as a kid!!Super fun, engaging, and heartwarming. I want to become a master sailor now.
January 6, 2019
A very good tie-in to the world of Ranger's Apprentice & strong start to the Brotherband series. I didn't super relate to the male bonding, rigorous physical tests or ships & sailing, so it took a bit of getting used to. The star off is no fault of the author, it's just my preferences.
By the second book, I was more invested and comfortable with the characters & nautical elements (plus the addition of a female protagonist), and now I enjoy this series almost as much as the Ranger's Apprentice books. A must read for fans of John Flanagan.
By the second book, I was more invested and comfortable with the characters & nautical elements (plus the addition of a female protagonist), and now I enjoy this series almost as much as the Ranger's Apprentice books. A must read for fans of John Flanagan.
August 9, 2016
I received this book as part of GoodReads First Reads
This book was so slow to start. I think it took me a year to get anywhere interesting in the storyline because I kept putting it down out of boredom. Once the story gets moving though it's really good and it's much easier to read. The characters are interesting and are easy to stick with.
Although the story ended up being very good the slow start really ruined my view of the book and that's why I've knocked off two stars.
This book was so slow to start. I think it took me a year to get anywhere interesting in the storyline because I kept putting it down out of boredom. Once the story gets moving though it's really good and it's much easier to read. The characters are interesting and are easy to stick with.
Although the story ended up being very good the slow start really ruined my view of the book and that's why I've knocked off two stars.
September 23, 2016
This book is about "Skandians", basically it's a tribe that is almost immortal and deadly (wielding Dangerous axes!) Which makes it a very good book, it's another series by the author that wrote Ranger's apprentice! I thought this book was very adventurous and exhilarating. I hope to read more of it's series later!
January 7, 2017
In Skandia worden alle 15 jarige jongens ingedeeld bij een broederband. Hal leidt de broederband van de outsiders, de jongens die niemand in zijn team wil. Spannende teamopdrachten volgen.
Het boek begin met een aantal losse passages, die later netjes op hun plek vallen, maar waardoor het verhaal wel erg traag op gang komt. Het einde is echter veelbelovend: op naar deel 2!
Het boek begin met een aantal losse passages, die later netjes op hun plek vallen, maar waardoor het verhaal wel erg traag op gang komt. Het einde is echter veelbelovend: op naar deel 2!
December 10, 2020
Not as exciting as The Ranger's Apprentice books but still entertaining with inspiring parts. Good messages like teamwork, apologies, and getting back on your feet. Less good messages include some cursing, cheating at sports, and just being plain rude. I was told by someone who has read the books to start 'The Brotherband Chronicles' after 'The Royal Ranger'.
January 22, 2023
Read this aloud to my son. We finished the Ranger’s Apprentice last year and are now on this series by Flanagan. One of the joys of these books is that you learn stuff as you read through them. This book taught me about sailing — who knows, maybe someday, I’ll need this information. This series seems like it templates off of the relationships found in the Ranger’s Apprentice (disadvantaged hero who overcomes adversity to rise to the top, a quirky mentor, & a physically tough friend). That’s not a bad thing, as I personally find this a fun framework for stories. The added element here is the interplay of an additional range of characters in the brotherband as well as the element of working together as a team to accomplish progress.
For what these are, these books are excellent. I went from my plan to only read a couple of the beginning Ranger’s Apprentice books to my son, to finishing that whole long series while also desiring to work through the rest of Flanagan’s series of books.
For what these are, these books are excellent. I went from my plan to only read a couple of the beginning Ranger’s Apprentice books to my son, to finishing that whole long series while also desiring to work through the rest of Flanagan’s series of books.
June 3, 2022
Przyjemna, idealna dla dzieci rozpoczynające przygodę z fantastyką. Nie jest bardzo dziecinna, ale na pewno wciągająca :>
Read
June 12, 2024Na 9 jaar deze boeken nog eens herlezen, ze blijven even geweldig!
May 12, 2021
I listened to the end while I was cutting onions so I was crying when the book ended. 😅
I love the characters in this book most of all.
I love the characters in this book most of all.
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