The Ruins of Gorlan

Fantasy

First published: 2004
Print length: 249 pagesPuffin, 2006

Description

On Choosing Day, fifteen-year-old Will learns that he lacks the size for the Battleschool he longs to enter. Instead, his quickness and curiosity lead him to Halt, a Ranger who trains him in stealth, intelligence gathering, and long-range weapons. As Will learns the discipline behind the Rangers’ mysterious reputation and bonds with his horse, Tug, his wardmate Horace endures brutal bullying at Battleschool. A dangerous boar hunt forces the boys to cooperate and begins to undo their hostility. Beyond their training, the exiled lord Morgarath is assembling Wargals and deadly Kalkara for revenge against Araluen. The opening Ranger’s Apprentice novel joins a coming-of-age apprenticeship to the first signs of a campaign threatening the kingdom.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Descriptive · Direct

Pace

Brisk

Tone

Atmospheric · Hopeful · Tense · Warm

Structure

Linear

Focus

Character · Plot · Relationships

Emotional intensity

3 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 2 / 5
Ideas: 2 / 5
Structure: 2 / 5
Background knowledge: 1 / 5

Themes

Coming of ageFriendshipIdentityPowerRevengeWork

About John Flanagan

John Flanagan was an Australian fantasy author whose best-known work lies in Ranger’s Apprentice and its sister series, Brotherband Chronicles. His medieval adventures favor practical skill over spectacle, following scouts, apprentices, and young fighters as they read terrain, gather intelligence, conceal their intentions, and improvise under pressure. The prose is direct and descriptive, while the plots commonly advance through training, discovery, and tactical response. In The Ruins of Gorlan, Will’s education in stealth, long-range weapons, and observation develops alongside an approaching campaign, so personal growth and military danger share the same structure. Flanagan’s mysteries use similar tools. In The Sorcerer of the North, a disguise and patient inquiry turn rumors of sorcery into an investigation of human schemes. He also repeatedly tests loyalty by forcing former rivals into cooperation. The Battle for Skandia expands a rescue mission into an uneasy alliance, with deception, concealed archers, and coordinated defense driving the action.

Series

Ranger's Apprentice · Book 1

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: Puffin
Language: English
ISBN: 9780142406632

Keep your books and notes in Collected for iPhone.

Apple Books is a service mark of Apple Inc. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.