Summary
“Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan” by John Flanagan is a fiction novel for young adults. Its main genres are fantasy, action, and adventure. To begin the story, Will is introduced as a fifteen year old boy with no parents and no last name. Will has grown up in Castle Redmont’s ward system, which has the same purpose as an orphanage. He has grown up in the ward with his friends Horace, Alyss, Jenny, and George. At age fifteen, it is now time for Will and his friends to go to choosing day and choose their path in life. Through an interesting string of events Will joins the Ranger Corps and becomes Ranger Halts, apprentice. Halt teaches Will that Rangers are the eyes and ears of the Araluen Kingdom, and that they protect the kingdom at any cost. Through many weeks of intense training, Will becomes proficient with the Rangers weapons, which are a recurve bow, a small throwing knife, and a larger knife for close combat encounters. Now it is time for the annual Ranger gathering. For this gathering all fifty head Rangers and their apprentices meet for a festival and to exchange information. Unfortunately, this year’s gathering is cut short because of Morgarath. Morgarath is an evil person that was exiled from Araluen fifteen years ago for starting a war and trying to take over the kingdom. The gathering has been cut short because Morgarath has sent out two terribly dangerous beasts known as Kalkara to the leaders of Araluen and get revenge. Halt, Will, and Halt’s former apprentice Gilan, are tasked with hunting down and killing the Kalkara. They figure out that the Kalkara are at the ruins of Gorlan, where Morgarath’s old castle once stood. Will takes his own horse as well as Gilan’s, and rides out of the way to recruit a few knights to help kill the Kalkara. Halt rides straight for the ruins of Gorlan and Gilan follows behind him on foot. After Will recruits the knights, he comes to the horrifying realization that the Kalkara are hunting Halt. Will is terrified, as he knows his master will stand no chance by himself against two fully grown Kalkara. Will ides as fast as he can to the ruins of Gorlan to aid his master. He makes it to the ruins in time to find his master wounded and one kalkara dead. Now, Will must engage in the fight of his life to try to save his masters’ life as well as his own.
Will Banner. Illustration. Web. n.d. “Ranger’s Apprentice Books.” Penguin.com. Web. 12 Oct.
2014.
2014.