4th March, 2014

Ranger’s Apprentice Book 1 : The Ruins of Gorlan

Name :	STELLA ANNE TEOH MING HUI
Class :	K3C
School Num. :	12231
Book Call Num. :	FFLA
Book Title :	Ranger’s Apprentice Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan
Author :	John Flanagan
Publication Year/(Edition) :	2009(2^nd Edition)

Setting: Year 643, Common Era in Araluen, Celtica and Picta. (Mainly in Araluen)

Characters:

Will – A skinny boy not yet full-grown, one of the 5 orphan wards at Castle Redmont run by Baron Arald. His application to enter Battleschool is rejected, reason being his size, but is taken on by the mysterious Ranger Halt. Skeptical towards the purpose and use of Rangers he is against becoming one, but soon saves the Kingdom of Araluen.

Halt – A well-known Ranger, although not heavily decorated, his history is the most glorious as he was the Ranger who prevented Morgorath’s attack from succeeding in taking over the entire Kingdom of Araluen. He originated from Clonmel.

Alyssa – A young girl ward, she is tall, slim and has a very diplomatic touch on matters. She is often the one who prevents fights from breaking out between Horace and Will and has a slight soft spot for Will, as he does her.

Horace – A boy quite well-grown for his age, has a natural flair and talent for sword fighting as his Battle Master soon finds out. Although he at first is not close to Will, certain events bring them together making them the best of friends.

George – Quite the nerd in those times, he gets into Scribeschool with no problem, and is the most studious of the 5.

Jenny – Is described as a chubby, bubbly girl with a heart for cooking. She attracts the Cook Master, Master Chubb when she plays her trump card saying “I have the right shape for it.” When asking to be apprenticed to Master Chubb, her detailed explanation of how to bake pies impresses the man too.

Baron Arald – Judge at the Fiefdom of Castle Redmont. (The Kingdom of Araluen is divided into 50 fiefdoms). A long-time friend of Halt and Sir Rodney he feels for the boy Will with no surname.

Sir Rodney – Battle Master of Castle Redmont, a fierce and loyal soldier.

Lady Pauline- the Head of Diplomatic Service in Redmont, a graceful lady with a little history concerning Halt.

Tug – Horse to Will, faithful companion, meets Will through Old Bob the horse breeder. His phrase is Do you mind?

Abelard – Halt’s Horse, originates from Gallica, his seating phrase is permettez moi.

Conflict:

Major conflict – Will and Halt have to prevent the assassination of The King by the Kalkara sent out by Morgarath.

Rising action – Will and Horace are lucky enough to be invited by each of their respective mentors (Halt and Sir Rodney) to a boar hunt. Here, as they watch a young knight impale the visible boar, the rest of the party overlooks its companion who comes rushing at Will and his pony Tug. Horace hesitates just a second before he too thrusts his spear, alas the thick ise underfoot causes him to slip and the spear falls short. Will kicks his feet free of the stirrups and starts firing arrows at the maddened animal. Seeing his master in danger, the brave pony, Tug rushes to Will’s aid, hooking his hind legs into the ribs of the boar sending it slightly into the air. Scared for his pony’s safety Will cries out because the boar is now maddened beyond return. As Will is left momentarily distracted and defenceless apart from his small knife, Halt steps in and kills the boar with one mighty shot straight into the heart. These events bring Horace and Will closer, and show a little of Will’s instinctive courage and bravery.

Climax – On the way to Castle Redmont, Will realises that the true target of the Kalkara was never the King but the person who caused Morgarath the most grief, Halt. And now at the Ruins of Gorlan, Halt is all alone facing off two Kalkara. These feared beasts need only look at their victims to stun them and thus effectively kill their prey. Halt manages to deeply wound one Kalkara as he fires many arrows at close distance. But as he prepares to finish the job the Kalkara’s brother joins him and chases Halt. Baron Arald and Sir Rodney, lead to The Ruins by Will, they finish off the wounded Kalkara by setting fire to it. Later on just as Halt is about to die, the two knights manage to distract the Kalkara ling enough for Will to aim one lit arrow at the Kalkara. He kills it immediately as the flame catches onto the matted fur of the monster.

Falling action – Gilan, another senior Ranger, joins them on their journey back, reclaims his horse (which he lent Will at first) before riding back to his own fiefdom. Baron Arald and Sir Rodney are relatively okay, just suffering wounds and disorientation.

Conclusion – Will saves Halt and they become closer. He refuses the offer to join Battleschool, saying he belongs as a Ranger.

Opinion:

A very interesting plot, it tells the well-liked story of an underdog rising to the top. His former bully becomes his close friend and he manages to save his mentor in a battle between life and death. I honestly enjoyed every chapter that brought to mind clear grassy plains and the wondrous feel of adrenaline pumping through your veins as you wait for your enemy to make the first move. Archery has always been a favourite activity of mine, and to find a book centred mostly on archery is like finding golden treasure. It’s also funny that each Ranger horse has a kind of passing phrase, something only their owners would know which would prevent potential horse thieves. A brilliantly written book! 5 stars!

Posted at 7:52 am | Comments (4)

4 Comments

On March 16, 2014 at 5:48 pm f3.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

March 16, 2014 at 5:48 pm

Name : Ding Kah Wen
Class : K3C (3)
School Number : 12148
Mentor Teacher : Ms Mabel Lim

I strongly agree with your book review. As for myself, I find the book more interesting whenever it concerns Horace, the young knight. It’s interesting to see how he doesn’t straightaway become the lead bully at Battleschool, rather he gets bullied like he bullied Will, only ten times worse. It’s nice to see the author making them fast friends after the boar hunt incident. The language wasn’t too difficult to understand although there were a couple times I got mixed up when the detailed explanations of how their weapons worked were shown. Also I liked the close relationship between Rangers and their horses. It reminds me of how close to nature we should actually be. On a different note, Morgarath , the revengeful villain also piqued my curiosity and I’m anxious to read what else he has in store for Will and company. Halt is endearing as Will’s fatherly figure having saved him and been saved by Will a couple times. All in all I thought the book was a great read and I’m grateful to you for introducing it here. Can’t wait to get started on the 2nd book!
On July 1, 2014 at 10:08 pm f3.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

July 1, 2014 at 10:08 pm

Name : Yeap Yu Xian
Class : K3C
Schl. No. : 12136
Mentor Teacher : Ms Mabel Lim

I agree with Ding Kah Wen, about the horse ‘part’ of the story. As an animal lover, horses are on my list of admired animals and I view them as graceful beasts.

Archery has always been more captivating than sword-fighting to me, because with archery, you can end a battle before ever coming into harm’s way.

The Ranger’s Apprentice sort of sparked an interest to return to those medieval times were Kings and Queens ruled and soldiers battled it out every now and then.

To have a family is the one great gift that most take for granted. Here it is obvious the book centers on those who lack a family at the start but meet people who are open, kind and endearing that in the end (hypothesis) they will become the ‘perfect’ family with diverse interests.

I really like RA because it is easy to follow and evokes a reader’s interest every 2 chapters or so.
On July 1, 2014 at 10:38 pm f3.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

July 1, 2014 at 10:38 pm

Name : Stella Anne Teoh Ming Hui
Class : K3C
Schl. No. : 12231
Mentor Teacher : Ms Mabel Lim

While you (Ding Kah Wen) happen to gravitate to Horace,I am more of a Will kind of person. Although he is the main character, he directs much of the attention he is lavished onto different and other characters, he does not hog the limelight and is also not described as a ‘perfect’ person, he has his own vices and accepts them.

He is pretty much the glue that holds this jigsaw together and with Alyss (as you will find out later on) he is capable of a deeper bond other than friendship, much like the love of Tug.
On September 25, 2014 at 4:08 pm f3.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

September 25, 2014 at 4:08 pm

Name : Koay Yi Yun
Class : K3C (8)
School Number : 12218
Mentor Teacher : Ms Mabel Lim

Ranger’s Apprentice is a rather nice book. With an easy use of language and interesting characters, it made me continue reading it even though I didn’t understand certain phrases or events at first. The second time I read it, it was more enjoyable as I understood more of the hidden humour and messages. I enjoyed it a lot!