The Traitor's Son: (Path of the Ranger Book 1)

My 13 year old son has this to say about the book: “This is my favorite book! I love the diverse personalities of the characters from Gerd, big & strong, to Egil, smart & never wrong! I also enjoyed the suspense, I just couldn’t put the book down, and when I finished it I just read it again.” He’s hooked on this series.

The Traitor's Son was an interesting mix. Centered in the fictional nordic kingdom, a young boy Lasgol faces social ostracization for the alleged crimes of his father. He journeys to the secret Ranger camp where he starts his path learning to follow in his father's footsteps and his ragtag team of companions must overcome obstacles along the way. Overall, it was an interesting read with a wide variety of unique characters (each with their own backstory and reasons for joining the Rangers) which was nice to see The challenges were fascinating as well and didn't solely rely on the main character to overcome all of them, but rather the team as as a unit with each of their unique strengths to bolster them. In the book, we are also introduced to Camou (a dragon-like creature) who Lasgol is taking care of. Camou plays a key role at the end, but not much is really said about him in this book and I wish that his presence had been a stronger focus in some ways. I liked the ending but found it too jarring. It wrapped things up neatly in regards to Lasgol's father; whereas I would have liked more ambiguity and mystery to carry on to the next novel. Likewise, while Lasgol is ambivalent about the King in the beginning of the book the author never really goes into the resolve process for how he becomes more loyal. That said, it was a fun read and I would definitely recommend it to any kid looking for a new series to read.

Lasgol is the orphaned son of an Elite First Ranger who was killed three years previously as a traitor to the king. Small for his age, especially compared to the large boys in his village, he is scorned by nearly everyone where ever he goes. Taken in by an old, alcoholic, one-eyed veteran who frequently berates him and punishes him, the boy remains optimistic that life is good and someday he will clear his father’s name. Lasgol never waivers in the belief that his father, who taught him the ways of the Forest, archery, tracking, trapping and a belief in himself did not betray his king who was also his close friend. During his 15th year Lasgol is offered the opportunity to go to Ranger school as is the right of those whose parents or grandparents served as Rangers. The recruiter who comes for him warns him that accepting will be far more difficult than what he experiences in his village as everyone will hate him as the Traitor’s son. It is a very difficult choice but Lasgol decides this presents a path to clear his father’s name. Before he leaves, he discovers the old veteran had hidden away a package that had been sent to him 3 years before after his fathers death. When he finds it, amongst his fathers clothing is a box with an egg which is quite mystifying. He ends up packing this box with an egg with his meager belongings on the two week trek to the boats that will take them to the Ranger Camp. When Lasgol and his recruiter arrive to where the boats are waiting to take all 80 initiates to the camp the mood of the story shifts from somber to laugh out loud funny as it describes 40 teenage boys and girls with their first experience of rowing a longboat, two teens per bench and per oar. I laughed until I had tears as I remembered my own childhood experiences learning how to row my grandfathers’ old, heavy, wooden rowboat at the lake. The introduction of his new friends and roommates with the indomitable Ingrid as the leader of their group of six expands the book into an adventure where they all must successfully learn various skills as well as physical fitness to earn their placement to graduating their first year. The story increases in tension and plot twists as hate filled looks and insults are flung Lasgol’s way and murderous attempts are made on his life. There’s sort of a Harry Potter kind of feeling to the camaraderie of the fifteen year old group and their trials and tribulations which I enjoyed tremendously. Of course, that mysterious egg plays a vital and unexplainable role in helping Lasgol clear his father’s name. This book is awesome, I couldn’t put it down and stayed up way past my bedtime last night. And thank you, dear editor, for your amazing job. I so appreciate a well edited book which seems to be hard to come by on Kindle Unlimited in this type of genre. This was a suggestion in my Kindle Unlimited list and I am SO glad there is a second book I can read right away.

I have no idea how I have been reading fantasy as long as I have not heard of Pedro Urvi. I am a fantasy genre junkie, and for me there is nothing better than a fabulous fantasy series, which The Traitor's Son is the first book of a four-book series, not to mention he has two other fantasy series! What an excellent find! Though I will say Perdo Urvi's series fall into the YA category, The Traitor's Son did not read like a YA book. It is written in a fashion appropriate for younger readers, but yet equally likable for adult readers. It is full of adventure, friendships, and hardships. The characters are all well written, making the story all the more enjoyable and engaging. If you are looking for an epic fantasy series that is fast-paced, this book is for you. Though I have yet to start book two, it is the next book I plan to read, and if it is half as good as the first book, I will likely be finishing the series before next weekend. In the section "About this series," I think that I would most relate this book to The Ranger's Apprentice, and Harry Potter, both series that I love. I will say that I wish the author would put these in audible form as well since when I don't have time to sit and read, I love to listen to books.

My son's favorite series! My son is just barely 12 years old and is a very advanced reader. He was dead bored with the books that he was reading that were "7th grade" books, and though he can read adult-level books, many of them have mature content that wasn't quite appropriate. We found the Path of the Ranger series and he's plowing through them! Though he's a great reader, he doesn't love to just sit and read-- honestly, he reads when he has to. But this series is EXCITING for him! These keep his attention and spark his imagination. He is big on plot and character development, and the books in this series nail it! Thank you, Pedro Urvi for writing books that my son loves... he won't stop until the 21-book (as of now) series has finished <3

This book is difficult to review. The writing is awkward, wordy, and repetitive. It has some of the most stilted dialogue that you will ever read. The plot is not original. The characters are not well-developed. The pacing is unsteady, and the book feels longer than it is. You would think that I really disliked this book, but I kept reading it because I did want to know what happened. So, clearly, the author did something right. The basic storyline follows Lasgol, the orphaned son of a disgraced hero. He is reviled in his village because of his father. And then his life is turned upside down when he receives an invitation to join the Rangers, the elite, secret, warrior group where his father excelled until his disgrace and death. Against all advice, Lasgol chooses to go to Ranger training for two reasons. First, because he wants to prove that his father was not a traitor and second because his life in the village is not good. Most of the story is in the training camp with the training and tests. The reader is told repeatedly about how difficult the training is and that many will not succeed. This is the first book in a successful series, so it has found an audience. It is listed as a young adult book and there is nothing in the book that would make it inappropriate for that group. At the end of this book, one major storyline is mostly resolved but you can still see into future story possibilities since training is not completed, the Kingdom is under threat, there are issues with magic that are still in infancy and a mysterious little creature who has not come into his own. In my mind, this book should be three stars for the reasons listed above, but I am giving is a four minus because I was willing to ignore the flaws and remained interested enough to finish it.

An excellent read and hard to put down. Non-stop action and intriguing story. The characters are fascinating with a diversity of backgrounds and skills add to the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I found it to be in the tradition of John Flanagan's Ranger Tales, and just as well written and interesting. The premise of the Rangers, with their secrecy and long years of training in a secret camp, resonates well for an adventure series. Pedro has well thought out, well fleshed out characters who appeal to me. He writes at a level that is welcoming to many age groups, from pre- teen to those of us with years/decades of reading multiple genres behind us. Thanks to the author for a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience!

Simple story very well written. A very good light night time read, minimum violence only used for the sake of good!!!!

Der Plot, dem das Buch folgt ist unterhaltsam. Sehr gut geschrieben und die Charaktere sind lebendig. Manche Szenen sind etwas langatmig, aber immer noch unterhaltsam. Wer Fantasy mag, eine gut erzählte Story liebt und unterhalten werden möchte, ist mit dieser Serie sehr gut beraten. Werde auch das nächste Buch lesen.

Ótimo livro!

I loved the adventure and the characters in this epic fantasy tale. A story full of core values like friendship, honor, courage, love and respect. Recommended for children and adults looking for a good read.

this book is much better than many other novels. the plot is not so dramatic but that's fine. Hoping to see some superhero feats in the next books of this series