The Ruins of Gorlan
Encyclopedia
The Ruins of Gorlan is the first novel in the Ranger's Apprentice
series written by Australia
n 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.
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 and to save Halt. 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 that kills it. Back at his fief, Will is considered a hero and receives his bronze oakleaf medal which identifies him as an apprentice Ranger. On the other hand, Castle Redmont is preparing for a battle with Lord Morgarath.
. 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." 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. Charli Osborne of School Library Journal
called Keating's voice "erudite and compelling" and felt that listeners would eagerly await the next volume.
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". 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".
in 2004 and was chosen as the Children's Book Council of Australia
Notable Book in 2005. In 2008, the book was nominated for the Grand Canyon Reader Award.
has obtained the film rights for The Ruins of Gorlan and is in discussion with Canadian director Paul Haggis
.
Ranger's Apprentice
Ranger's Apprentice is a series of fantasy novels written by Australian author John Flanagan. The first novel in the series, titled The Ruins of Gorlan, was released in Australia on 1 November 2004 and in the United States on 16 June 2005. As of 2011 all eleven books have been released in Australia...
series written by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
John Flanagan
John Flanagan (author)
John Flanagan is an Australian fantasy author. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband. Her best known work is the Ranger's Apprentice novel series, which is about a boy named Will who is taken as an apprentice Ranger to the grim and mysterious Halt. They meet up with many new people,...
. It was first published in Australia on 1 November 2004, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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.
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. 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. 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.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 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 and to save Halt. 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 that kills it. Back at his fief, Will is considered a hero and receives his bronze oakleaf medal which identifies him as an apprentice Ranger. On the other hand, Castle Redmont is preparing for a battle with Lord Morgarath.
Audiobook adaption
An audiobook adaption of The Ruins of Gorlan was released by Recorded Library and contains seven CDs, lasting 8 hours. Will is read by narrator John Keating whose performance was praised by Kristi Elle Jemtegaard of Horn Book MagazineHorn Book Magazine
The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston in 1924, is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults. It began life as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietresses of the country's first bookstore for children, The...
. 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." Keating's performance was also praised by Lolly Gepson of Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
. Gepson praised Keating for giving suitable characterisations, a rasping voice to Morgorath, a "Hibernian" accent to Halt and a grand voice to the king. Charli Osborne of School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
called Keating's voice "erudite and compelling" and felt that listeners would eagerly await the next volume.
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. Carolyn Phelan from BooklistBooklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
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". Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
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".
Awards
The Ruins of Gorlan received an Aurealis AwardAurealis Award
Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award.-History:...
in 2004 and was chosen as the Children's Book Council of Australia
Children's Book Council of Australia
The Children's Book Council of Australia is a not for profit organisation which aims to engage the community with literature for young Australians. The CBCA presents annual awards for books of literary merit, for outstanding contribution to Australian children's literature.-Awards:The first...
Notable Book in 2005. In 2008, the book was nominated for the Grand Canyon Reader Award.
Movie
As of 7 January 2008 United ArtistsUnited Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
has obtained the film rights for The Ruins of Gorlan and is in discussion with Canadian director Paul Haggis
Paul Haggis
Paul Edward Haggis is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, and director. He spent his early career producing and directing various American and Canadian television network series.-Early life and education:...
.