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| The Ruins of Gorlan The Burning Bridge The Icebound Land Oakleaf Bearers The Sorcerer of the North The Siege of Macindaw Erak's Ransom The Kings of Clonmel Halt's Peril | |
| Author | John Flanagan |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Quentin Jones and Getty Images |
| Country |  Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young-adult fiction |
| Publisher | Random House Australia |
| Published | November 1, 2004 – November 2, 2009 |
| Media type | Paperback |
Ranger's Apprentice is the title of a fantasy series by author John Flanagan. The first book in the series was released in Australia in November 2004 and in the United States in June 2005[1]. So far, eight books have been released in Australia and New Zealand, with other countries including the United States and United Kingdom following behind. The series follows the adventures of Will, an orphan who becomes an apprentice Ranger, and his master Halt as they strive to keep the Kingdom of Araluen safe from invaders, traitors and threats.
Books in the Series
| Book | Publishing Order and Date of First Publication | Chronological Order |
|---|---|---|
| The Ruins of Gorlan | 1 -- 2004 | 1 |
| The Burning Bridge | 2 -- 2005 | 2 |
| The Icebound Land | 3 -- 2005 | 3 |
| Oakleaf Bearers (called The Battle for Skandia in the US) | 4 -- 2006 | 4 |
| Sorcerer in the North | 5 -- 2006 | 6 |
| The Siege of Macindaw | 6 -- 2007 | 7 |
| Erak's Ransom | 7 -- 2007 | 5 |
| The Kings of Clonmel | 8 -- November 2008 | 8 |
| Halt's Peril | 9 -- November 2, 2009 | 9 |
Plot summary
When a 15 year-old orphan named Will is rejected by Castle Redmont's Battleschool, he is chosen to become a Ranger's apprentice. Under the tutelage of Halt, a veteran in the field, he begins to train in Ranger skills, including archery, knife-throwing, horse-riding and tracking. Meanwhile, his one-time enemy, Horace, is training to become a warrior at Battleschool. When Horace experiences bullying from some older apprentice warriors, the Ranger Halt is able to help. Will's training is disrupted when news comes in that the exiled lord Morgarath is scheming to kill the Kingdom's important Barons and thus cripple their defences. Gilan, a former apprentice of Halt, agrees to go with Halt and Will to kill Morgarath's assassins, which are creatures called Kalkara. On the trail of the Kalkara, Halt realizes that they are bound for the ruins of Gorlan, Morgarath's former castle. Will hurries to seek assistance from Baron Arald, the ruler of Redmont Fief. Will, the Baron, and his men ride to the ruins to find Halt beset by the Kalkara. In the battle that ensues, Will manages to kill one of the Kalkara. When he returns home to Redmont, he is hailed as a hero. He is given the chance to become a knight, but he decides that he would rather be a Ranger and continue training with Halt than go to Battleschool.
With Halt's help, King Duncan captures Morgarath's secret plans for battle. Will, his friend Horace, and the Ranger Gilan are sent on a mission to deliver a message for the King to the neighbouring country of Celtica. They discover that all the villagers are gone and the towns look like they were left hurriedly. Before they reach their destination, they come across Evanlyn, a girl who claims to be a maid to an Araluen lady whose party was overtaken by Wargals, Morgarath's creatures. Evanlyn tells them that the Wargals have attacked Celtica and that everyone who has not been captured has fled. Gilan rides back to Araluen ahead of the others to tell the King that there will be no reinforcements from Celtica and that the Wargals are on the move. Will, Horace, and Evanlyn decide to follow a small Wargal force. In doing so, they discover that Morgarath is building a bridge from the Mountains of Rain and Night to Celtica across the Fissure, a deep gorge whose impassable nature had formerly kept the Kingdom safe from invasion from that direction. If the bridge is completed and the Wargal army comes across, the Araluen army will be trapped on the Plains of Uthal, surrounded by Morgarath's armies. They decide that the only way to save their Kingdom from a certain defeat is to burn the bridge. Unfortunately, Will and Evanlyn are captured by the Skandians (some of Morgarath's hired mercenaries) when they find themselves on the wrong side of the bridge as it falls into the Fissure. Meanwhile, Gilan reaches the camp of the King's army and reports, realising as he does so that Evanlyn is actually Cassandra, King Duncan's daughter. Horace rushes to the camp to warn the King of the force of Skandians coming from the north, and to alert him to Will and Evanlyn's fate. Halt destroys the northern Skandian army, but the King simulates a battle with them in order to lure Morgarath's army out so the King's cavalry will be on firmer ground. The Wargals are frightened of horses, and Morgarath's army falls into chaos. Morgarath sounds a retreat; but to revenge himself, he challenges Halt to single combat. When the King forbids Halt to accept, Horace challenges Morgarath instead. It seems that Morgarath is the far stronger opponent, but Horace is finally able to defeat him using a Ranger knife technique Gilan taught him and Will in Celtica. With the defeat of Morgarath's army, the Skandians escape with Will and Evanlyn. Halt attempts to rescue them, but he only arrives as the Skandians' ship leaves. He vows to rescue Will wherever Will might be taken. 255 pages in US edition.
Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as the captives of the fearsome Skandian Jarl, Erak. Halt has sworn to rescue Will and he will do anything to keep his promise - even defy his King. He insults King Duncan so that he is arrested. As punishment, he is expelled from the Rangers and banished from the Kingdom of Araluen for a year. Halt is joined by Horace, who was unofficially released from Battleschool, as he travels through Gallica towards Skandia on a venture to save Will. On their way, they are challenged by freelance knights, whose aim is to capture the weapons and horses of those they defeat. However, Horace is a skilled fighter, and his ability to defeat those he fights causes him to attract the attention of other knights and warlords. Halt and Horace are captured by the local warlord, who wishes to enhance his reputation and mistakes Halt for a sorcerer. Halt challenges the prideful lord to a duel in front of his men, and wins. He and Horace continue their journey. Meanwhile, Will and Evanlyn become slaves for the Skandians in Hallasholm. Will is a yard slave in the snowy northern country, which means that his life expectancy is short since the conditions are so harsh. To alleviate his pain and stop feeling the cold, he becomes addicted to warmweed, which renders him unable to think clearly. Jarl Erak takes pity on the former Ranger's apprentice. He helps Will and Evanlyn to escape Hallasholm and tells Evanlyn that Will's warmweed addiction might be curable. They travel up into the mountains, where they must spend the rest of the winter undetected if they are to escape Skandia. 315 pages.
Oakleaf Bearers (The Battle for Skandia, in U.S.)
Just as spring approaches and Will and Evanlyn can finally escape Skandia, Evanlyn is carried off by a mysterious horseman. Will sets out after them. He's not the only one on their trail. On the way to find Will, Halt and Horace have also been tracking the small party of Temujai, a fierce, nomadic tribe of horse warriors from the east. Will is overjoyed to be reunited with his mentor and friend, and together they rescue Evanlyn; however, the occasion is not as happy as it could have been as Halt realizes that the Temujai they discovered are only the scouts for a massive invasion force. The Skandians have no chance, unless they accept the help of their sworn enemies from Araluen. Will trains Skandian slaves as archers, in return for safe passage home. This book in one edition has 327 pages and 294 in the U.S. edition.
The Sorcerer in the North (The Sorcerer of the North, in U.S.)
Five years have passed since the Skandians and the Araluens made a peace treaty, and Will has finally become a Ranger, with his own fief to look after. He soon learns that even sleepy little island fiefs have enough problems to keep him on his toes. Will and his old friend Alyss are thrown into a terrifying new adventure, investigating the truth behind rumors of sorcery in a remote northern fief. As he stands in Grimsdell Forest, hearing eerie voices and seeing the horrific figure of the Night Warrior looming in the fog, Will asks himself if sorcery really exists or if there is some other explanation. 329 pages
In this desolate northern fief, Will tries to gather the fighting men he needs to overcome Sir Keren and his band of criminals. Across the border, fierce Scotti warriors are waiting for the signal that castle Macindaw is in friendly hands to launch a full scale invasion. With the arrival of an old friend, Will has to try to stop Sir Keren and rescue the imprisoned Alyss. The title was released in May 2007 in Australia and was released on August,4 2009. 331 pages.
When Erak, the Skandian Oberjarl, is taken hostage during a raid on the desert lands to the south of the Constant Sea, a few of his men escape, including Erak's second in command, Svengal. Halt and Will must go with Svengal to deliver the ransom and secure Erak's freedom, but a royal presence is needed, too. Princess Cassandra, who Will knows as Evanlyn, persuades her father to let her go with them. Horace and the Ranger Gilan round out the group to make sure that Evanlyn is well protected, but violent sandstorms, warring tribes, and danger everywhere may keep them from reaching Erak in time to secure his release. Chronologically this book is set before The Sorcerer in the North, while Will is still a Ranger's apprentice. It may be read before Books 5 and 6. 441 pages
Will is at the annual Ranger Gathering but Halt is investigating mysterious happenings in the west. When he does finally return, it's with bad news. Hibernia is in turmoil. A religious cult calling themselves the Outsiders are sowing confusion and sedition, and five of the six Hibernian kingdoms have been undermined. Now the sixth, Clonmel, is in danger. Halt, Will and Horace set out to restore order. Can the secrets of Halt's past help them in their mission? 403 pages.
Halt, Horace and Will follow Tennyson’s trail to Picta. They’re determined to stop the Outsider prophet and his remaining followers before the outlaws make their way across the border into Araluen. Will has defeated one of Tennyson’s Genovesan assassins in Clonmel – but there are two left alive. Are the extraordinary archery skills of Will and Halt enough to save them during a duel with the assassins . . . or is Will’s mentor facing his last battle? It is scheduled to be released November 2, 2009.
Setting
Places
Kingdoms and Regions
Seas and Oceans
Independent Areas and Wastelands
Fiefs of Araluen
Castles and towns of Gallica
|
Maps
Characters
People
- Will Treaty is chosen by Halt to become one of the Ranger Corps. He is a small orphan with brown eyes and hair that is tousled by his cloak. He is agile, curious and stealthy. His father, Daniel, was a sergeant in King Duncan's army, and his mother a farmer who died in child birth to Will. Will's father died doing a good deed for the kingdom by saving Halt, who saved the kingdom of Araluen twice. Will was raised in the orphan ward of castle Redmont. Will has a small, grey pony called Tug, and acquires a dog later in the series. The dog is called several names, such as Blackie, Bread-and-butter pudding, Traitor, and Shadow, which is permanent. He later leaves the dog in Macindaw with the giant Trobar, who is quite fond of her. Will's first assignment was Seacliff Fief, a small island that is described as a backwater place. Will was later assigned to Redmont to help Halt with his duties. He is highly thought of in the Ranger Corps and in Araluen nobility. As a Ranger, Will carries a longbow, a heavy saxe knife, a short throwing knife, and strikers. Will is also able to play the mandola. He is given the surname "Treaty" because of the agreement he organized between the Skandians and the Araluans. Will is stated as being like a son to Halt and is his best man at his wedding. In an interview, Flanagan stated that Will is loosely based on his son, Michael. John Flanagan says that he started the series as an inspiration to him. [2]
- Halt is a member of the mysterious Ranger Corps, and is small, with salt-and-pepper hair and a beard. He is grim and famous throughout the kingdom, (his fame precedes him) though people are often disappointed when they find out that he is small. He is a superb archer; as demonstrated in his proceedings and uses a massive longbow. Like all Rangers his skill with the bow is uncanny, deadly accurate, and devastatingly swift. Halt is fond of Will, and is willing to risk banishment from Araluen and expulsion from the Ranger Corps to rescue Will. In the third book he is shown to have a fondness towards Horace and smiles quite a bit more than regular. It is revealed that he enjoys young company, even if it means a torrent of questions. (Seen in his interactions with Will, Horace, and Alyss.) He owns a Ranger horse named Abelard. Halt is the Ranger for Redmont Fief and part of the Rangers' senior council, as well as the king's trusted adviser. It should also be noted that he is rather shy around other people. His former apprentice is the humorous sword expert, Gilan. Halt has some skill as a carver and likes to have flowers in his cottage, and is an excellent cook and a coffee drinker (with honey of course). When he encounters other people, they are often inclined to be disappointed by his lack of height and apparent muscles. Halt hardly ever smiles; instead he raises one of his eyebrows, which Will first mistook as a sign of displeasure. He once defeated Morgorath's army by leading a cavalry charge across a secret ford on the river and into the army's rear. In book seven he marries Lady Pauline. He is a major character in books one, two, three, four, seven, and eight, and he appears a few times in books five and six.
- Horace is a wardmate in Castle Redmont with Will, and eventually becomes a Battleschool Apprentice. He is a natural warrior, and although he used to be Will's rival, they became best friends when Will saved him from a rampaging wild boar only to be rescued by Halt. He traveled with Halt to rescue Will in Skandia. He is tall and he is the captain of the Araluen Royal Guard Unit B. Horace is the champion of Princess Cassandra and he is also known as the Oakleaf Knight. He is famous in Gallica and also quite comfortable in female company. Most people think of Horace as a slow thinker, but he just likes to think things through properly. He is very logical and methodical. Horace normally carries a round shield with an oak leaf carving on it, a plain sword, and a heavy dagger. Horace has saved the Royal Princess of Araluen (He and Will have some tension between them about Princess Cassandra) and killed Morgarath in single combat (the duel is described in the second book). Horace plays a large part in most of the books.
- Gilan is Halt's former apprentice and is the only Ranger who carries a sword. Gilan is tall and humorous, in sharp contrast to his former master. He is also good with dealing with people, making them feel at ease with the tall Ranger. He also tries to cover up fears and worries with more humorous and seemingly uncaring attitude, mainly to calm people down. He is the Ranger for Meric Fief, although he is moved to Norgate in The Siege of Macindaw and later moved to Whitby during the Ranger's Gathering in book eight. He owns a horse named Blaze. Gilan wants to travel with Halt to rescue Will in the third book, but Halt does not allow him to. Gilan is one of the junior Rangers, though one of the best unseen movers. Gilan's father and Halt were good friends, which was why Gilan wanted to become a Ranger. Gilan appears in the first, second, third, seventh and eighth books, and mentioned in the sixth book.
- Erak is the Skandian Oberjarl and is in charge of his wolfship, Wolfwind. Erak appears in the second, third, fourth books. He is captured and held at ransom in the seventh. He is originally seen in the Wargals camp eating meat with Svengal, Nordel and a few other Skandians, who later capture Will and Evanlyn. He is a typical mercenary but he isn't a cold blooded killer like most Skandians. He is a fearsome opponent, and wields a large battleaxe. He later becomes Skandian Oberjarl in the end of book four.
- Evanlyn/Cassandra is a mysterious girl Will meets in Celtica, and she is later revealed to be the Princess Cassandra, the king of Araluen's daughter. Evanlyn, the person she is pretending to be, is actually her late maid and friend. She is blonde and very stubborn, and she puts her foot down. She is familiar with politics and military strategies, but not survival skills. She appears in the second, third, fourth and seventh books.
When Will and Evanlyn travelled and fought together through Celtica, and later imprisoned in Skandia, they developed a strong bond with each other. It was even hinted that Evanlyn held a love for Will, however this never had a chance to develop or be reciprocated as when they returned home their relationship suffered due to their separate callings and way of life. Evanlyn is described as being very determined and on occasions stubborn. On the first meeting between Will, Horace and Gillian, she shows little survival or fighting skills- being accustomed to the comfort of royalty and castle life. However as the series develops, she proves herself to be a skillful fighter armed with her weapon of choice- a sling. This is particularly evident during her travels in Arridi and her calm leadership in battle is shown during the battle for Skandia.
- Alyss is a former ward mate of Horace and Will, and a member of the Diplomatic Corps, recruited by Lady Pauline in the first book. She is a tall, graceful, and intelligent young woman, and is in love with Will. She appears in the first, second, fifth, and sixth books as a Courier of the King. In the fifth and sixth books she is captured by Sir Keren and imprisoned into a high tower, where she is subjected to a form of mind control based on a blue stone. She is Lady Pauline's bridesmaid at her wedding to Halt in the seventh book. At the end of the 6th book she writes a letter to Will saying she loves him. Will is attracted to her and she kisses him in the first, fifth, sixth, 7th book, and 8th books. At the end of the sixth book Will takes a few weeks leave to visit her at Redmont.
- Crowley is the head of the Ranger Corps and is most likely based in Castle Araluen. He is fond of dogs, and has a hideout, which few know about, among which are Will and Halt. He appears in the second, third, fourth, fifth and eighth books, makes a brief appearance in the sixth and seventh and is briefly mentioned in book one .
- Morgarath, The Lord of Rain and Night is the former Baron of Gorlan, who is rebelling against King Duncan. He is said to be an expert swordsman but this is questionable when he is defeted by Horace in his second year of battle school. He has strange allies (Wargals and Kalkara). His former fief is the ruined Gorlan, and his current domain is the Mountains of Rain and Night. He is tall and pale, with white hair and a thin voice. He is defeated and killed in single combat by Horace.
- George is Horace and Will's former ward mate, who is now in scribe school. He has appeared solely in the first book, but was mentioned in the second, seventh and eighth books. He is currently thought of as the best defense attorney in all of Redmont.
- Baron Arald, the Lord of Castle Redmont, is a trusted advisor of the king. He often cracks jokes, but as a baron, is always taken seriously. He is slightly overweight, with a neatly trimmed beard and moustache, but is a capable warrior and has a good grasp of strategies.
- Jenny, Will's former ward mate, is apprenticed to the chef Master Chubb. Jenny is pretty, plump, and blonde, and Horace is fond of her in the first book. She is a bridesmaid with Alyss at Lady Pauline's wedding. In the seventh book, Jenny is in love with the Ranger Gilan. She also appears briefly in the eighth book, where it is explained that she has left the Redmont castle kitchens, and now works in her own restaurant in the Redmont area.
- Gundar is a Skandian Skirl who appears in the fifth and sixth books. He most likely lives in Northern Skandia. He has a beard, and wields a war-axe.
- Malkallam/Malcom is an alleged sorcerer who resides in Grimsdell Forest. His house is in the Healer's Clearing, where he treats people's various ailments. He is balding, humorous, and short, with hazel eyes. He was named Malkallam (his real name is Malcom) when after a healing excersise went wrong, was wrongly accused of sorcery. Malkallam was a legendary sorcerer of the region with an argument against the Seneschal of Macindaw. It is rumored that Malcolm will appear in the ninth book of the series, entitled Halt's Peril.
- Orman is the son of the Norgate fief's baron, and cousin to the treacherous Sir Keren. Will and Alyss think him to be the enemy for the main part of 'Sorcery in the North', until the truth is revealed about his cousin.
- Sir Keren plots against his uncle and cousin in the fifth and sixth books. He tries to get Norgate fief into his control by killing Syron and Orman. Few people believe he is guilty because he is very well known and liked. One guard is quoted saying that Keren is a real warrior, and that if Orman ordered them to take up arms against him, they would refuse.
- Lady Pauline is in charge of the Diplomatic Corps at Castle Redmont. She is good friends with the Scribemaster and recruited Alyss in the first book. She is a tall and graceful lady and mentor to Alyss. In book seven she marries Halt on the fourteenth of an unknown month.
- Sir Rodney is the battlemaster of Redmont. He is good friends with Halt and Baron Arald of Redmont. He is large and has a deformed nose, due to many instances of it breaking. The two handed battleaxe is his weapon of choice. In the first book he fearlessly battles the last surviving Kalkara (Morgarath's elite assassins). He is nearly killed when paralized by its hypnotic stare. Luckily, Will is able to kill the it with a burning arrow before it was able to murder Halt, Arald, and Rodney.
- Ragnak was the former Oberjarl of Skandia. He appears in books three and four. Ragnak is a large muscular man who died saving Evalyn/Cassandra in the battle against the Temujai, in the fourth book. He died from his wounds, and gained instant access to the Skandian form of heaven for dying in battle. It was later noted that he had many non-killing wounds and at least half a dozen fatal wounds.
- King Ferris is Halt's younger, identical twin brother and the king of Clonmel (book eight). Little is known about him. According to Halt, he was always eager for the crown and would do anything take it off his twin brother, the rightful heir. He first and only currently appears in book 8.
- Skinner not much is known of Skinner except his mum is taller than him and he takes over Harrison's old fief; Coledale Fief.
- Clarke Not much is known of Clarke except that he has a younger brother and takes Will's fief; Seacliff Fief.
- General Haz'kam The leader of the Temujai forces who plan to invade Skandia in Oakleaf Bearers.
- Geldon is a retired Ranger and advisor to Crowley who lives in Castle Araluen. He gives pointers to Princess Cassandra about unseen movement.
- Berrigan is a retired Ranger who was forced to become a travelling minstrel after losing a leg fighting Skandians. He occasionally works undercover for the Ranger Corps.
- Bartell is a retired Ranger who was based at Seacliff Fief before Will. He was in charge of devising tests for apprentices. He now works in the Ranger archives.
The Horses
Rangers have very good relationships with their horses, and as such, become like brothers to them.
- Tug is a sturdy little pony and is very fond of Will and vice versa. He is given to Will as a gift from Old Ben, a Ranger Stablemaster. Will momentarily loses him in the seventh book during a sandstorm in the desert country of Arrida and leaves by himself to get him back. He eventually finds and wins the little pony back in a race because the current 'owner' wanted to keep him. Tug has saved Will's life on many occasions, most prominently the boar hunt in the first book. Also, in the fourth book, Tug was shown to become distressed when Halt and Horace were tracking someone who turned out to be Will. In the first book,Tug and Halt have a disagreement on how many apples a horse should eat.
- Abelard is Halt's horse and his name originates from Gallica. Halt, like all Rangers, is very fond of him, and is often seen to be sharing a private joke with the horse, and talking to him. He also states in the third book that ranger horses are only human' with a faint smile on his face.
- Kicker belongs to Horace and is a tall and muscular bay battlehorse that appears first in book two. Since both horse and rider are tall, Halt, Will and even Gilan have to look up, but only slightly for Gilan. Kicker and Horace both seem to understand each other, but Kicker is not up to any Ranger horse standard,but Horace cares and makes sure that Kicker is comfortable wherever he is. He also begins talking to his horse when he rides alone, to which his horse seems to respond.
- Blaze is Gilan's mare, and like the Ranger, she is tall and easily amused, even through its hard to tell with a horse, even a Ranger one. She, like all Ranger horses, will also listen and respond to a single touch or sound. They are quite similar in their personalities.
- Arrow is the horse that was lent to Will in Erak's Ransom after he lost Tug. He has very good manners. He dies saving Will from a lion, and then the second time because Umar found him from the vultures.
- Sandstorm is Asheik Umar's horse in Erak's Ransom. Is a fast horse and seems to kick a lot of sand when it gallops. It was ridden by Hassaun during a race against Will to get Tug back. It is also known to be the fastest horse, before Tug, in the nomad tribe.
The Movie
As of January 7, 2008, United Artists has optioned the film rights for The Ruins of Gorlan and is in talks with Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis to adapt and direct the movie.[3]
However, more recently the film has been delayed due to funding issues. Author John Flanagan advises on his website that writer-director Paul Haggis remains committed to the project.]][4]
References
- ^ "Author's Ranger's Apprentice website". Retrieved 2007-07-02.
- ^ "Christchurch City Libraries Website: Discovering The Ranger's Apprentice Series and Author John Flanagan". Retrieved 2007-07-02.
- ^ Haggis may direct Ranger's Apprentice kids movie | Entertainment | Reuters
- ^ Author's Ranger's Apprentice website. Retrieved on 2009-07-17