The Outcasts is the first book in John Flanagan's Brotherband Chronicles. It's set in the same world as his bestselling Ranger's Apprentice series, and focuses on the Skandians, the Viking-like barbarians of the north. It has all the hallmarks of a Flanagan series: dry humor, fast-moving action, engaging characters, and plenty of plot twists.
The Outcasts centers around Hal, a half Skandian/half Araluen boy who's father died in a raid. Raised by his mother and his father's best friend Thorn, Hal is about to begin his brotherband training, a Skandian method of training boys in the skills they will need to become full-fledged Skandian warriors and sea-farers. If Hal doesn't do well in his brotherband training, he can expect to have a difficult time being accepted aboard a ship when he becomes an adult. Unfortunately, Hal has been chosen as the leader of the most unlikely bunch of young Skandians, and the chances that they'll win the brotherband training are very slim.
I enjoyed several things about The Outcasts. First, the concept of brotherband training was interesting - what kind of skills do boys need to become Skandian warriors, and how do they acquire those skills? John Flanagan is particularly adapt at writing those things and making them both fun to read and funny to read. I also liked the other boys in Hal's brotherband. They were definitely the most unlikely bunch of heroes I've read about, and the way Flanagan turned them into something heroic was well-written. Also, Flanagan has a certain style of dry humor that makes fun of a situation in a way that I really like - it's clean, it's genuine, and it's everyday humor, the kind everybody can relate to. The humor and the characters are what makes The Outcasts a good read for me.
The reason I only gave The Outcasts 4 stars is because it was very similar to Ranger's Apprentice. Some of the similarities are simply because he's still the same author writing in the same world, but in my opinion, John Flanagan didn't make his Brotherband Chronicles separate enough from his other series. I saw the same kinds of jokes being made, and the characters of The Outcasts had many of the qualities of some of his Ranger's Apprentice characters. Ranger's Apprentice fans might find the closeness between the two series enjoyable because the Ranger's Apprentice story continues in the new Brotherband Chronicles. I had been hoping, however, to read something different from John Flanagan and see him write some new idea, and so I was somewhat disappointed that he only came up with a spin-off of his previous series. But if you are a fan of Ranger's Apprentice and are looking for more of the same, the Brotherband Chronicles are a must-read. They have all the qualities that made Ranger's Apprentice such a great series, and I've always liked Skandia, so reading about that part of Flanagan's world was also great.
Link to Brotherband Chronicles website: http://www.worldofjohnflanagan.com/the-brotherband-chronicles/
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