The Ruins of Gorlan
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. Flanagan first conceived the world of the novel in a series of short stories he wrote for his son to incite his interest in reading. Ten years later, he decided to turn them into The Ruins of Gorlan. Originally he did not expect the book to expand into a series and 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 author John Flanagan for his son Michael to encourage him to read. Flanagan wrote one story each week for twenty weeks. About ten years later, Flanagan returned to these stories and decided to write them into a full-length novel.[2] The character Horace was based on Michael's friend Jeremy, but in the original short stories Flanagan made Horace the villain. In the stories, Horace disappears after Will saves his life on the boar hunt, while in the novel, Flanagan was able to make Morgarath the main villain and "rehabilitate" Horace to keep him as a main character. Flanagan thought that the idea of a bully being bullied was a strong concept which was not in the original stories and was later incorporated into the novel. He planned this parallel storyline in Battleschool to develop and show how Horace could help Will through his "linear thinking". Flanagan was careful to make the distinction that Horace was not stupid, since he was in fact a straight thinker which helped balance Will's wild thinking.[3] Will was based on Michael, and shared some of his physical attributes, including his small stature and agile movement. Most importantly, Flanagan wanted to show his son that there was an advantage to being small and that not all heroes have to be tall and muscular.[2]
Plot summary
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 ago brought to ruin as a result of his unsuccessful rebellion against King Duncan. Now he silently plots to rebel again, rallying creatures known as Wargals to his side. Wargals have little will of their own, and are 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 come 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 of 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, have killed important Araluen figures.
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. Back at his fief, Will is considered a hero and receives his bronze oakleaf medal which identifies him as a ranger's apprentice.
Audiobook adaption
An audiobook adaption of The Ruins of Gorlan was released by Recorded Library and contains seven CDs, lasting 8 hours.[4] Will is read by narrator John Keating whose performance was praised by Kristi Elle Jemtegaard of Horn Book Magazine. Jemtegaard found that "Keating's voice rings with heroic valor, drops to a whisper, and then charges full-steam into a battle. This well-paced, exciting adventure will leave listeners eager for the next installment."[4] Keating's performance was also praised by Lolly Gepson of Booklist. Gepson praised Keating for giving suitable characterisations, a rasping voice to Morgorath, a "Hibernian" accent to Halt and a grand voice to the king.[5] Charli Osborne of School Library Journal called Keating's voice "erudite and compelling" and felt that listeners would eagerly await the next volume.[6]
Critical reception
Reviewers praised the action and characters of The Ruins of Gorlan. Steven Engelfried of School Library Journal enjoyed the description of Ranger crafts and meetings with bullies and a wild boar which "help to establish the boy's emerging character". Engelfried said the "well-paced plot moves effortlessly toward the climax, letting readers get to know the world and the characters gradually as excitement builds". However, he felt that the sudden welcome by the public was a little over the top since Rangers are described as silent and solitary.[7] Carolyn Phelan from Booklist praised how Will is a normal hero without any magical skills making him a very original and believable character. Phelan also recognized the setting as "a colorful place, threatened by an evil warlord and his fierce minions, but its the details of everyday, but its the details of everyday living and the true-to-life emotions that are memorable".[8] Kirkus Reviews found that "Flanagan does nothing to boost his typecast characters, familiar themes or conventional, video-game plot above the general run, but readers with a taste for quickly paced adventure with tidy, predictable resolutions (kalkera and bullies vanquished, Will and Horace heroes and buddies) won't be disappointed".[9]
Awards
The Ruins of Gorlan received an Aurealis Award in 2004[10] and was chosen as the Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book in 2005.[11] In 2008, the book was nominated for the Grand Canyon Reader Award.
Movie
As of 7 January 2008, United Artists has obtained the film rights for The Ruins of Gorlan and is in discussion with Canadian director Paul Haggis.
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.
- ^ a b Elle Jemtegaard, Kristi (November/December 2006). Horn Book Magazine. 82 (6). EBSCOhost: 740. ISSN 0018-5078.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Gepson, Lolly (1 December 2006). Booklist. 103 (7). EBSCOhost: 70. ISSN 0006-7385.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Osborne, Charli (October 2006). School Library Journal. 52 (10). EBSCOhost: 73. ISSN 0362-8930.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Engelfried, Steven (June 2005). School Library Journal. 51 (6). EBSCOhost: 158. ISSN Engelfried.
{{cite journal}}: Check|issn=value (help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Phelan, Carolyn (September 2005). Booklist. 15 (1). EBSCOhost: 13–14. ISSN 1055-4742.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Kirkus Reviews. 73 (10). EBSCOhost: 588. 15 May 2005. ISSN 0042-6598.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ http://www.aurealisawards.com/downloads/aurealis-1995-2009-compiled-lists.pdf
- ^ http://cbca.org.au/Natnote05yr.htm
External links