Ranger's Apprentice
Ranger's Apprentice is a series written by Australian author John Flanagan. The first novel in the series, "The Ruins of Gorlan", was released in Australia on 1 November 2004. The books were initially released in Australia and New Zealand, though have since been released in 14 other countries. The series follows the adventures of Will, an orphan who is chosen as an apprentice Ranger, one of the skilled trackers, archers and warriors in the service of the King of Araluen. Will strives to keep the Kingdom of Araluen safe from invaders, traitors, and threats. He is  joined on his adventures by his mentor Halt and his best friend Horace. The series originally consisted of twelve books, with the eleventh book being a collection of short stories and the twelfth being a follow-up novel set 16 years later. A prequel series, "", has released two titles, the first in 2015 and the second in 2016. A spin-off series, "Brotherband", which is set in the same universe, though with new characters, started in 2011. The eighth book in the "Brotherband" series came out in October 2019. In 2018 the twelfth book of the "Ranger's Apprentice" series  was renamed and made the first book in a sequel series, "". The series has sold over three million copies. The series was originally twenty short stories Flanagan wrote for his son to get him interested in reading. Ten years later, Flanagan found the stories again and decided to turn them into a book. BookPeople, a bookstore in Texas, helped promote the book through a five-day camp in 2010. The series is well praised by critics. Plot. Section::::"The Ruins of Gorlan". Morgarath, the exiled baron, has been waiting fifteen years, carefully planning his revenge against the Kingdom of Araluen. He  prepares to unleash his power and attempt once more to take control of the kingdom. In Araluen, in Redmont Fief, a special day has come for 15-year-old Will and his fellow wardmates (Horace, Alyss, George, and Jenny), called Choosing Day, where they all become an apprentice to a craftmaster or have to work in the local farms. Will becomes apprenticed to Halt the Ranger. Rangers are the intelligence group of the country and specialize in long-range weapons and the art of staying unseen. Will begins to train in these skills. In the meantime, Will's wardmate Horace  is in Battleschool. His life is harsh and he is bullied by three second-year Battleschool cadets. During a local holiday known as Harvest Day, Horace and Will fight, increasing their hatred for each other. Six weeks later, Will saves Horace's life during a boar hunt, cementing a friendship between the two boys. Later, the Battleschool bullies attack Will, leading to Halt intervening and having the bullies banished from the fief. Soon after, Halt and Will leave for the Ranger Gathering, where they receive a report that the Kalkara, vicious creatures under the control of Morgarath, have entered Araluen . Halt, Will and Gilan leave to track down and kill the Kalkara. Halt thinks that the Kalkara are headed to the ruins of Gorlan and tells Will to go back to Redmont, get backup, and rendezvous at the ruins. At Redmont, Baron Arald and Sir Rodney (Arald’s battlemaster) head out to slay the Kalkara and to save Halt. Finding that Halt is battling the Kalkara alone (and not faring so well), Sir Rodney and Baron Arald manage to knock one into the fire, but are badly injured by the other. Will shoots the Kalkara fatally in the chest with  a flaming arrow. Back at his fief, Will is considered a hero and receives his bronze oakleaf, which identifies him as a Ranger's apprentice. Section::::"The Burning Bridge". A war with Morgarath is approaching, and Will, Gilan (Halt's former apprentice), and Horace (Will's friend and a knight-in-training) are sent to Celtica, a nearby country, to ask for reinforcements. Every town they find is deserted. A survivor named Evanlyn explains that Wargals, mindless minions of Morgarath, have caused the destruction. Gilan travels to Araluen to report to the king. Meanwhile, Will, Horace, and Evanlyn encounter Wargals. They  follow them to the Fissure, a deep gorge, to discover that the Celtic miners were captured to complete a bridge across the Fissure and a tunnel through the cliffs above up to Morgarath's lair. This would allow Morgarath's army to attack the King's army from behind. It is revealed that Evanlyn is in truth the missing crown princess Cassandra. Horace and Gilan manage to warn the king and his advisers of Morgarath's plan. The king dispatches an auxiliary force, led by Halt, to stop a force of Skandian warriors that have come up from the coast  to outflank the king's army. This is done successfully, and Halt and his troops disguise themselves as Skandians, tricking Morgarath into ordering the Wargals to charge into the open plain. A cavalry charge demolishes the advancing Wargals, who are afraid only of horses. His army destroyed, Morgarath offers a flag of truce and prepares to challenge Halt to single combat to avenge his own defeat. Horace challenges Morgarath instead. Horace is outmatched by Morgarath, but Horace manages to kill Morgarath. Meanwhile, Will and Cassandra are captured by the Skandians and held as hostages. Section::::"The Icebound Land". Will and Cassandra  are enslaved in Skandia, a country north-east across the Stormwhite Sea at the Araluen border. In Hallasholm, the Skandian capital, Will is forced to work outside in the bitter cold, while Cassandra is taken into the kitchens. Will quickly becomes addicted to warmweed, a drug that destroys the mind and body. Erak, the Skandian who captured Will and Cassandra, helps Cassandra escape with Will, and the two take refuge in a small log cabin for winter. Following Erak's advice, Cassandra weans Will off the warmweed and Will overcomes his addiction. Meanwhile, Horace and Halt set off to rescue  Will and Cassandra, by crossing into Gallica and making their way north along the coast. Horace becomes known as "The Oakleaf Knight" as he defeats many Gallican knights in combat, thereby attracting the attention of Deparnieux, a famed knight. Deparnieux attempts to capture Halt and Horace but is tricked by Halt and killed. Section::::"Oakleaf Bearers". In "Oakleaf Bearers", called "The Battle for Skandia" in the United States, Cassandra is captured by a Temujai warrior while scavenging for food. The Temujai are a fierce, nomadic tribe of horse warriors from the east and are masters of the recurve bow. Will struggles  to rescue her until Horace and Halt arrive. Halt captures a Temujai and realizes the Temujai are attempting to take over the western world. Twenty years earlier, they almost succeeded. Halt agrees to help Skandia drive off the Temujai, since they pose a threat to Araluen as well. The Skandians make use of Halt's knowledge of the Temujai tactics, and Will trains a force of archers for the upcoming battle against the Temujai. During the battle, the Skandians surprise the Temujai with their archers, and the Temujai are forced to withdraw. The Skandian Oberjarl Ragnak (the supreme ruler) is  killed in the battle, and Erak is elected to succeed him. Cassandra and Erak sign the Treaty of Hallasholm, which means the end of constant Skandian raids against the Araluen coast. Section::::"Erak's Ransom". "Erak's Ransom" takes place after "Oakleaf Bearers" and before "The Sorceror in the North", several months before Will receives his Silver Oakleaf, though it was released after "The Siege of Macindaw". Skandian Oberjarl Erak goes on one final raid. However, he is captured and held for ransom while attempting to raid Al Shabah, a province of Arrida. Because Erak's first mate Svengal believes that  he was betrayed by Toshak, a rival Skandian, the raiding party goes to Araluen, instead of Skandia, for the ransom money. Princess Cassandra goes to Arrida in her father's place to negotiate prices with Selethen, the Wakir (leader) of Al Shabah. Will, Gilan, Halt, Horace, and thirty of Erak's men go along for protection and to deliver the ransom. After the negotiation is over, Selethen reveals that Erak was being held in Mararoc, a fort in the desert, but as they are traveling there, Will loses his horse Tug during a sandstorm and goes off to find him . Will runs out of water and is saved by the nomadic Bedullin tribe. Meanwhile, Erak is captured by the Tualaghi, a merciless nomadic tribe of devil worshipers. The rescue party, with the help of the Bedullin tribe, defeat the leader of the Tualaghi and free Erak. Finally, Will is promoted to full Ranger and is awarded a silver oakleaf. Section::::"The Sorcerer in the North". After receiving his silver oakleaf and being assigned to Seacliff Fief, Will takes on his first mission as a full-fledged Ranger. A few weeks after arriving in the fief, a disguised Will is sent north  to Castle Macindaw to investigate claims of sorcery. The lord of Castle Macindaw, Syron, is ill and many believe a sorcerer caused the illness. His friend Alyss, also in disguise, is sent to help Will, but is captured by the rogue knight Keren, responsible for poisoning Syron. Will escapes with allies of Syron, and enlists the help of the "sorcerer", who is a gifted healer called Malcolm. Orman, Syron's son, has been poisoned as well and is smuggled to Malcolm. Will attempts to rescue Alyss, but Keren walks through the door and Will barely escapes. Section::::"The Siege of Macindaw . Horace and Will devise a plan to take control of the castle and rescue Alyss with the help of a group of Skandians. They infiltrate the castle and Will reaches the tower where Alyss is held, but Keren hypnotises her to believe Will is the enemy and orders her to kill him. At the last moment, Will tells Alyss that he loves her, and the hypnosis is broken. As Keren attacks Will, Alyss defeats him while the Skandians, led by Horace, take control of the castle. Will returns to Seacliff Fief and receives a letter from Alyss with her own 	Ranger's Apprentice
546791	love confession. Section::::The Kings of Clonmel". Will, Halt, and Horace are on a mission to stop a cult called the Outsiders from taking power. The cult offers protection to villages from "bandits", who are secretly other Outsiders, in exchange for gold. In this fashion, they have taken control of five of the six kingdoms of Hibernia. Halt, Will, and Horace are sent to Clonmel, the last kingdom, to try to prevent the cult from expanding into Araluen. Halt, a Hibernian native, is a member of the royal family, and he tries to persuade his twin brother, King Ferris of Clonmel , to use his troops to drive the cult out. The cult loses power in Clonmel, but the leader, Tennyson, escapes. At the same time, King Ferris is killed by a Genovesan assassin hired by Tennyson, and Halt's nephew Sean becomes king. Will, Halt, and Horace leave Clonmel to chase the false prophet, Tennyson. Section::::"Halt's Peril". After reaching a smuggler's port and managing to get information on Tennyson's whereabouts, the trio hire a ship to take them to Picta. The chase is on as the three pursue Tennyson through a drowned forest, and finally, at an encounter  with Tennyson's hired assassins, Halt is shot with a poisoned arrow and is incapacitated. Picta is located near Macindaw, so Will rides to fetch Malcolm, the best healer in Araluen. They discover that Halt was poisoned with a toxin that has another toxin extremely similar to it. They both have antidotes, but to use the wrong one is fatal. Will captures the assassin that fired the arrow and forces him to reveal the toxin he used, and Malcolm cures Halt. The group finds Tennyson, who is trying to swindle more countryfolk. Using Halt's similarity to King Ferris, whom  Tennyson murdered, they manage to discredit Tennyson. Will causes a cave-in that kills Tennyson and his followers. Halt, Horace, and Will are given a heroes' welcome when they return to Araluen. Section::::"The Emperor of Nihon-Ja". Horace and George are in Nihon-Ja, guests of the Emperor of Nihon-Ja, Shigeru. Meanwhile, Will, Halt, Selethen, and Alyss observe a Toscan general's demonstration of military tactics while at a treaty signing between the Toscans and the Arridi, both allies of Araluen. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja is told by his cousin Shukin that there's been a coup against  the Emperor by Arisaka, a noble. A Senshi (skilled swordsman) ambush nearly succeeds in killing the Emperor, but Horace intervenes. He decides to help the Emperor find the legendary, impenetrable fortress of Ran-Koshi while George contacts Araluen for help. Later, the crown princess of Araluen, Cassandra, appears and enlists the help of the two Rangers, Alyss, and Selethen to go after Horace. En route to Ran-Koshi, Horace's party befriends the local woodworkers known as Kikori, and they join Horace's group on the trek to Ran-Koshi. Halt's group arrives in Nihon-Ja and learn of  Horace's whereabouts. While Shukin and other Senshi sacrifice themselves to delay Arisaka's enormous Senshi party, Horace's group reaches Ran-Koshi and settle in. Halt's group arrives at Ran-Koshi soon after. The group sets up defenses to stop Arisaka's army, successfully repelling them. Cassandra and Alyss set out to recruit a tribe of warriors allied with the Emperor: the Hasanu. Will, noting how the Kikori work together excellently, utilizes the tactics of the Toscan general to train them. Arisaka's main party arrives near Ran-Koshi. The final battle begins, and the armies seem evenly  matched until Arisaka's reinforcements arrive. As the Kikori forces regroup, Alyss and Cassandra arrive with the Hasanu. Before the battle can continue, the Emperor calls a truce and convinces Arisaka's army that Arisaka is a power-hungry fool. Arisaka is enraged and Will directly confronts him and kills him. On the return trip to Araluen, Horace and Cassandra announce their engagement. Will makes a poor attempt at proposing to Alyss, and she marches off in mock indignation. Section::::"The Lost Stories". "The Lost Stories" consists of nine different short stories, set at various times before, during, and after the  events of the previous ten books. Stories include the tale of Will's father, what happened to Gilan during the events of "The Icebound Land", the story of Halt's apprenticeship in Hibernia, and several stories following the main characters after the conclusion of "The Emperor of Nihon-Ja", including one where Will and Alyss get married. Section::::"The Royal Ranger". Years after the previous books, Will Treaty tries to cope with the death of his wife Alyss, who died in a inn set on fire by the gang leader Jory Ruhl. When his friends begin to notice the change in  his personality, Gilan, the new Ranger Commandant, calls on Halt, Pauline, Cassandra, and Horace to discuss the situation. Halt suggests that Will take on an apprentice to take his mind off his quest for revenge. Meanwhile, Princess Madelyn, the daughter of Horace and Cassandra, sneaks out at night to use her sling to hunt, against the will of her parents. Halt suggests that Maddie be apprenticed to Will, which would make Maddie the first female apprentice in Ranger history. At the beginning of her apprenticeship, Will gives Maddie a letter from her parents, which says she has been disinherited as  a princess of Araluen, in a desperate last resort by her parents to get her under control. Will proceeds to train Maddie, and his quest for revenge is slowly forgotten. When Gilan suggests Will take Maddie on a mission, Will accepts. Gilan assigns Will and Maddie to investigate the death of Liam, another Ranger. They soon discover a plot by an illicit slave ring who kidnaps children. Will learns that the leader of the slave ring is actually Jory Ruhl, but he manages to set aside his desire for revenge to save the children Ruhl has kidnapped. Maddie is injured  in the process, and Will kills Ruhl to save her. Six months later, Maddie is awarded her bronze oakleaf, marking her as an official Ranger's apprentice, and Cassandra offers her reinstatement as a princess. However, Maddie declines, saying she wishes to complete her apprenticeship instead. Publishing history and origins. John Flanagan stated that he first wrote the series as short stories for his son to get him interested in reading. This continued for about 20 weeks. Ten years later, John Flanagan found the stories again and decided to turn them into the first book, "The Ruins of Gorlan". He  never knew that the one book would be able to turn into so many volumes. In 2010, Flanagan was unsure how many volumes in the series he would release, saying, "I haven't set a limit. If I have an idea that will progress the characters, I'll write it. But I don't want to find myself jumping up and down on the same spot, as it were." The inspiration for the series comes from many sources, including family, friends, and European times. Rangers are based on two groups of people, the Texas Rangers and the US Army Rangers  of World War II. Although the US Rangers were based on British Commandos, Flanagan felt it would be better to use Rangers because of the medieval setting of the book. The mythical world of the story is based on England, Europe, and Scandinavia because Flanagan was inspired by "English and European culture and history". Flanagan is also interested in military subjects, which helped him write the battle scenes. Celtica's mining culture is like Wales, while Gallica takes its name and language from medieval France in its chivalric age around the year 1300. Some of the books' characters were based  on Flanagan's family and friends. Will was based on Flanagan's son Michael; both are agile, quick, and quite short. John Flanagan also made Will small in size because he wanted to show his son that there's an advantage to being small. The exchanges between Halt and Will are taken from conversations between Flanagan and his son as a teenager. Horace was inspired by Michael's best friend Jeremey. In the original story, Flanagan made Horace a villain at first, but then in the first book, Morgarath became the real villain and Horace was "rehabilitated" as a main  character. Skandians were taken from Norse culture and Vikings, which Flanagan found interesting as a child. The gods and deities of the Skandians were taken from Norse mythology and Greek mythology. The god Loka mentioned a few times is based on Loki, the god of deceit. The Vallas, the trio of gods, are based on the Moirai. Sales. Rights to sell "Ranger's Apprentice" have gone to 16 countries, including North America (where "Oakleaf Bearers" is better known as "The Battle for Skandia"), the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, and Sweden. In Australia, the seventh book, "Erak 's Ransom", reached number two on Australian children's charts. The series has been on "The New York Times" Best Seller list for 77 weeks as of 13 December 2013. By 2010, over 2 million copies had been sold. Themes. John Flanagan states in an interview that the main theme is, "the eventual triumph of good over evil." He feels that although it does not always happen in real life, it should. Another theme especially prominent throughout "Oakleaf Bearers" is "the primacy of personal relationships over loyalties to one's country or duty." This is shown when Erak's friendship  helps Will and Evanlyn escape, which allows the Araluens and Skandians to drive away the Temujai. Other themes include courage, loyalty, and that a person can do anything if they tried hard enough. One review noted that "themes of loyalty, bravery, endurance and friendship leave young readers in safe hands as they learn to navigate dangerous waters on their own." Camp. In 2010, BookPeople, which also created Camp Half-Blood from "Percy Jackson & the Olympians", 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, actually written by John Flanagan, which stated they would learn "all the skills I was taught by Halt [Will's Ranger mentor] 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. This was the first literary camp that has sold out  and has a waiting list besides Camp Half-Blood. Reception. "Ranger's Apprentice" has been well received by many reviewers. One part many reviewers praised was the vivid details during battles. Another review also praised the imagery and stated, "vivid imagery and detail make the medieval-like elements believable" A review for "The Ruins of Gorlan" stated, "filled with rich detail and plenty of edge-of-your-seat thrills" again praising the details. Another aspect commonly praised is the fact that Will, the main protagonist still asks for the help of others. A review for "The Icebound Land" stated the  same thing writing, "Though talented and intelligent, [Will] makes mistakes and he often needs help from those around himmaking him a very realistic and appealing protagonist." One reviewer from Booklist noted that although in "The Burning Bridge" the point of view constantly shifted, it is not confusing and also stated, "Will's vivid world will entice fantasy readers who are drawn by the lure of high adventure carried out by believable, down-to-earth heroes." In another review by "School Library Journal", the review was on "Oakleaf Bearers" and praised the book on the high tensions raised and recommended it  to people who enjoy action and adventure. However, not all reviews were completely positive. One reviewer thought that the Wargals sounded and were too alike to Urgals in the "Inheritance Cycle". The same reviewer also felt that the story was not very original stating, "from the very beginning, it was a story I'd heard before." At the end the reviewer stated, "The books aren't horrible. They're just nothing new." In a review for "The Ruins of Gorlan", the reviewer stated "the pace is a good balance between character development and action, and the rivalry between Horace and  Will is developed in a satisfactory way." It also praised how the writing is very descriptive without being dry or slow. Awards. The "Ranger's Apprentice" series has won numerous awards. The series was one of the honour books for the Koala Winners in 2009. The seventh book, "Erak's Ransom", was chosen as the Books of the Year for Older Children and the International Success Award. The first and fourth books won the Aurealis Awards while the third book was highly commended. Then, the first, second and fifth book each earned the Children's Book Council of Australia Notable  Book. The first book was also the Longlisted for the Ottakar's Book Prize for 2006–2007 and the first book also was nominated for the Grand Canyon Reader Award in 2008. Film adaptation. , Warner Bros. Pictures had optioned the film rights for "The Ruins of Gorlan" and was in talks with Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis to adapt and direct the film. When John Flanagan first heard the news he said: It's just so overwhelming to see that the Ranger's series is set to head off in yet another exciting direction. When I think how this all started  as a series of twenty short stories written for my son Michael, it sets my head spinning to think there's the distinct possibility that it will now be translated into movies and seen by millions of people around the world. John Flanagan stated in a Facebook Q&A in 2014 that the funds for the film had been acquired and auditions would be held in the summer of 2015, in either Ireland or England. In March 2016, it was announced production would start late that year. Film Carnival decided to fund the company with 500 million USD, but later pulled  out, thus ending the production. , it was announced that Dick Cook Studios (DCS), an independent production company helmed by former Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook, would receive $20,473,020 from the Australian government to produce two fantasy features in the country, the first of which would be Ranger's Apprentice. Production was said to start July 2020. Flanagan later stated that the producers had opted for a TV series instead of a movie, and that production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.