The Ruins of Gorlan: Difference between revisions
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== Plot == |
== Plot == |
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Morgarath, the exiled lord of the bleak, barren Mountains of Rain and Night, has been waiting for fifteen years in his dark realm, carefully planning his revenge against the Kingdom of Araluen. |
Morgarath, the exiled lord of the bleak, barren Mountains of Rain and Night, has been waiting for fifteen years in his dark realm, carefully planning his revenge against the Kingdom of Araluen. His former fief, known as Gorlan, was long since brought to ruin, ever since his unsuccessful rebellion against King Duncan. Now, as the years passed, he silently plotts to rebel again, rallying creatures known as Wargals to his side. Wargals have little will of their own, and were easy to control, therefore being suitable as soldiers in Morgarath’s army. Now, after the fifteen years, Morgarath prepares to unleash his power and attempt to take the Kingdom once more. |
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In Araluen, in the fief Redmont, a special day has for Will, called Choosing Day where he becomes an apprentice to a craftmaster. Although Will's first choice was Battleschool, he becomes apprenticed to Halt the Rangers. Rangers are the intelligence group of the country and specialize in long range weapons and the art of staying unseen. Will is trained in these skills as he prepares for the annual Ranger meeting called the Gathering where his skills will be tested. At the Gathering, the Rangers receive a report that the Kalkara, vicious creatures under the control of Morgarath were killing important Araluen figures. The only weapons that can injure them are heavy axes and swords carried by knights and fire. |
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Now, as the years passed, he was silently plotting, rallying creatures known as Wargals to his side. Wargals had little will of their own, and were easy to control, therefore being suitable as soldiers in Morgarath’s army. Now, after the fifteen years, Morgarath prepared to unleash his power and attempt to take the Kingdom once more. |
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Halt leaves to track down the Kalkara while Will rides for help. The Baron, Sir Rodney, and several others head out to slay the Kalkara. Finding where Halt is battling the Kalkara, Sir Rodney and the Baron manage to slay one, but are badly injured. Suddenly the last Kalkara appears and is killed by Will with a flaming arrow, right before the Kalkara is about the kill everyone else. Back at his fief, Will is considered a hero and receives his bronze oakleaf medal which identifies him as a ranger's apprentice. |
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In Araluen, in the fief Redmont, a special day came for Will. It was called Choosing Day. It was a day where you could become an apprentice to a craftmaster. He hoped to be accepted into Battleschool, but he was too small. However, Halt, the Ranger, came in and raised Will’s hopes slightly by simply handing Baron Arald a note, which caused the Baron to tell Will to wait until morning for the Baron’s decision. But the inquisitive Will couldn’t wait and decided to sneak into the Baron’s office by using his agility and speed to sneak past the Baron’s guards, and then climb up the Baron’s tower. This maneuver was unsuccessful, as Halt anticipated this move and stayed in the Baron's office. However, Will’s fears as he was caught were groundless, as he was not punished, but appointed to be Halt’s apprentice to train as a Ranger. Halt told Baron that he was able to be accepted as a ranger because he didn't make a sound to come into his office and that he was a good climber. |
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Near the end of the year, the Gathering took place, where all the Rangers met and exchanged news. At the Gathering, they received a report that the Kalkara, vicious creatures that Morgarath had managed to rally, were at large. The only weapons likely to work on them were heavy ones carried by knights. Also, one of their greatest fears was fire. Halt decided that he would lead a mission to go and kill the Kalkara. |
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After a few days of riding, they decided that one of them should report back to Castle Redmont and deliver the news and get reinforcements. They chose Will, using both Tug and Gilan’s horse Blaze to go back as quickly as possible. He alternated between the two horses to prevent one of them getting too tired. |
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The Baron, Sir Rodney, and several others led a group of soldiers to attempt to slay the Kalkara. Meeting the Rangers, they followed the tracks to the ruins of Gorlan. The battle began. |
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The Baron and Sir Rodney charged at the Kalkara, whirling weapons. Baron Arald used a broadsword, swinging it at its neck. The Kalkara, though half-blind, avoided the blow and clawed several deep gashes into Arald’s back. Sir Rodney rushed forward and smashed his battle-axe into the creature’s side. |
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The creature’s skin blocked the blow, and it turned, staring Rodney full into the face. Sir Rodney stared motionless as though transfixed, but in reality terrified. |
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Will, who had been watching a distance away, acted instinctively and lit an arrow on fire. He shot the arrow right into the Kalkara’s chest, setting it on fire. The Kalkara slowly burned, and then toppled. |
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==Awards== |
==Awards== |
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Revision as of 21:02, 31 January 2011
Template:Infobox Ranger's Apprentice book
The Ruins of Gorlan is the first novel in the Ranger's Apprentice series written by Australian author John Flanagan. It was first published in Australia on 1 November 2004 and in the United States on 16 June 2005.John Flanagan says that he first wrote the series as short stories for his son to get him interested in reading. Ten years later, John Flanagan decided to turn them into the first book, The Ruins of Gorlan. However, he never knew that the one book would be able to turn into so many books. He still does not know how many books there will be in total. .[1]
Concept and development
The Ruins of Gorlan was originally a set of short stories written by Flanagan for his son Michael to encourage him to read. Flanagan wrote one story a week for twenty weeks until he stopped. About ten years later, Flanagan found the stories he wrote and decided to write into a full length novel.[2] Horace was based off of Michael's friend Jeremy, but in the original short stories Flanagan made Horace the villain, but he was "rehabilitated" by Flanagan and turned into a protagonist while Morgarath was turned into the antagonist.[3] Will was based off of Michael who are both short, agile and fast. Most importantly, Flanagan wanted to show his son that there was an advantage to being small.[2]
Plot
Morgarath, the exiled lord of the bleak, barren Mountains of Rain and Night, has been waiting for fifteen years in his dark realm, carefully planning his revenge against the Kingdom of Araluen. His former fief, known as Gorlan, was long since brought to ruin, ever since his unsuccessful rebellion against King Duncan. Now, as the years passed, he silently plotts to rebel again, rallying creatures known as Wargals to his side. Wargals have little will of their own, and were easy to control, therefore being suitable as soldiers in Morgarath’s army. Now, after the fifteen years, Morgarath prepares to unleash his power and attempt to take the Kingdom once more.
In Araluen, in the fief Redmont, a special day has for Will, called Choosing Day where he becomes an apprentice to a craftmaster. Although Will's first choice was Battleschool, he becomes apprenticed to Halt the Rangers. Rangers are the intelligence group of the country and specialize in long range weapons and the art of staying unseen. Will is trained in these skills as he prepares for the annual Ranger meeting called the Gathering where his skills will be tested. At the Gathering, the Rangers receive a report that the Kalkara, vicious creatures under the control of Morgarath were killing important Araluen figures. The only weapons that can injure them are heavy axes and swords carried by knights and fire.
Halt leaves to track down the Kalkara while Will rides for help. The Baron, Sir Rodney, and several others head out to slay the Kalkara. Finding where Halt is battling the Kalkara, Sir Rodney and the Baron manage to slay one, but are badly injured. Suddenly the last Kalkara appears and is killed by Will with a flaming arrow, right before the Kalkara is about the kill everyone else. Back at his fief, Will is considered a hero and receives his bronze oakleaf medal which identifies him as a ranger's apprentice.
Awards
The Ruins of Gorlan won the Aurealis Award. Then, the book earned the Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book. Also, the first book was nominated for the Grand Canyon Reader Award in 2008.
Movie
As of January 7, 2008, United Artists has optioned the film rights for The Ruins of Gorlan and is in talks with Paul Haggis to adapt and direct the movie.
Camp
BookPeople created a Ranger’s Apprentice Corps Training Camp based on the books. A total of 75 kids from the ages of 9–12 were chosen from 1,300 entries. A letter was sent to the kids from the voice of Will Treaty, actually written by John Flanagan, which stated they would learn "all the skills I was taught by Halt in the woods around Castle Redmont,” including “archery, tracking, and the art of concealment and unseen movement."The 75 campers were divided into 12 fiefdoms where they were taught the skills and at the end, every kid received a T-shirt, a silver oak leaf pin, and a gold-embossed Ranger’s Apprentice bookmark.
References
- ^ Random House UK - John Flanagan, retrieved 31 December 2009
- ^ a b "We Interview: John Flanagan". Washington Post. 23 July 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ "Kidsread.com — John Flanagan Interview". Kidsread.com. June 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
External links
- The Ruins of Gorlan at Random House Australia
- The Ruins of Gorlan at Penguin Group (USA)
- The Ruins of Gorlan at Random House UK
- The Ruins of Gorlan at Random House NZ