The Outcasts

Recently, I read a book called The Outcasts. I discovered this book because it is by the same author of one of my favorite series Ranger's Apprentice. The Outcasts takes place in the same universe as Ranger's Aprentice and revolves around a 16 year old kid named Hal. Hal lives in a nation called Skandia, which resemble medieval Scandinavia. One of the Skandian traditions is when a boy turns 16 he competes in the Brotherbands to prepare him for military service. Boys are tested in fighting, races, and sailing. Hal is not the most athletic kid but is a great inventor. Hal is put into a brotherband team with other outcasts like him and together they compete in the Brotherbands. I loved the writing in this book; it was very descriptive and developed great charecters. I also like how it took place in a farmiliar setting. The book has a great plot and is very suspenseful however, parts of it are slow. In the ending, the author did not resolve all the issues in the book and it is very open ended. This is fine as long as the author writes a sequel; I hope he does. The plot of the book is very similar to Ranger's Apprentice books and is predictable. I love how this book has a large collection of supporting characters who are also developed throughout the book.  Overall, I thought The Outcasts was a great book and I'm excited for a sequel.