Flanagan, John. The Outcasts. Book 1 of the Brotherband Chronicles series. 2012. 434p. ISBN 0-14-242194-4. Available at FIC FLA on the library shelves.
Skandians love the sea, and boys are trained from a young age to become the most fearsome mariners in the world. But even in tight-knit communities, there are always outsiders and outcasts. Hal’s mother was an Araluen who was captured and served as a slave before being granted her freedom. His father, Mikkel, was one of the most fearsome Skandian warrior but he was killed in a raid when Hal was very young. At death’s door, Mikkel got Thorn, his best friend, to promise to care for his boy. Though Thorn suffered his own accident and felled in despair and drink, he eventually came around and fulfilled his promise to Mikkel.
Hal is industrious and is always working on new inventions. He even purchases his own ship, the Heron, and designs a revolutionary set of sails that increase the ship’s speed and maneuverability. His friend Stig also has problems. His father stole from his wolfship before leaving, and the stigma has marked him as an undesirable by association.
Now it’s Brotherhood training, and all the boys of the village are called upon to participate in activities designed to test their endurance, agility, and ability to work together as a group. Hal, Stig, and the other village outcasts end up grouped together, and now they must learn to work as a unit so they can win and join the wolfship of their choice. But in this competition, not everyone is playing fair …
This companion story to the Ranger’s Apprentice will be appreciated by fans who love the world John Flanagan designed.
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