One moment that really hits in Erak’s Ransom comes from Gilan talking to Will:
“But what if I make a mistake?” Will asked.
“A mistake? One mistake? You should be so lucky. You’ll make dozens! I made four or five on my first day alone! Of course you’ll make mistakes. Just don’t make any of them twice. If you do mess things up, don’t try to hide it. Don’t try to rationalize it. Recognize it and admit it and learn from it. We never stop learning, none of us.”
This stuck with me because it shows how Will is terrified of not being good enough of failing. He’s super close to becoming a Ranger but doubts himself. That quote shows that being a Ranger isn’t about being perfect it’s about owning up to stuff, learning, growing which in real life thats actually a very meaningful thing.
Will’s struggle isn’t just with enemies, it’s with his own fear and expectations. He’s still pretty young, still figuring out who he wants to be, and this moment shows that growth comes with mistakes and a lot of them.
What I liked about this book is how Flanagan mixes exciting adventure (rescue, desert, betrayal) with the stuff growing up has it was very relatable in some ways well not in allot of ways but allot of the meaning of it yes which is what made this book actually one of my favourites in this series rangers aprentice