RANGER'S APPRENTICE

Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan

by JOHN FLANAGAN

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New softcover book, the first in the exciting series. 282 pages, published 2004.

The courage of a warrior. The skill of a thief. Meet your new hero

Will is small for his age, but agile and energetic. All his life, he has longed to be a warrior and to follow in the footsteps of the father he never knew, so he is devastated when he is rejected as an apprentice to Castle Redmont's Battleschool. He's no happier when he's assigned instead to the Ranger Corps, the Kingdom's secret service, as the Rangers are a mysterious group whose uncanny ability to move about unseen is thought by many to be the result of black magic. Will begins training under the dour and enigmatic Halt, and reluctantly learns all the fieldcraft and archery he will need to become a fully-fledged Ranger. But Will soon finds himself needing all his new-found skills as he and Halt set off on a desperate mission to prevent the assassination of the King.

Praise and Awards Short-Listings for the Series

• Aurealis Awards - Children's Novel finalist (Books One and Four) and Highly Commended (Book Three)

• Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book (Books One, Two and Five)

• New York Times Bestseller - children's chapter books (Book Two)

• Longlisted for the Ottakar's Children's Book Prize 2006-07, UK (Book One)

• Nominated for the Grand Canyon Reader Award - Tween Books 2008, Arizona, US (Book One)

Other books in the series:

1. The Ruins of Gorlan
2. The Burning Bridge
3. The Icebound Land
4. Oakleaf Bearers (called The Battle for Skandia in the US)
5. The Sorcerer in the North
6. The Siege of Macindaw
7. Erak's Ransom
8. The Kings of Clonmel
9. Halt's Peril due for publication in late 2009

Books 1 - 4 are also now available as a boxed set

About the author:

John Flanagan's bestselling Ranger's Apprentice adventure series originally comprised twenty short stories, which John wrote to encourage his twelve-year-old son, Michael, to enjoy reading. The series has come a long way since then. Now sold to fourteen countries, the series has appeared on the NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller List and is regularly shortlisted in children's book awards in Australia and overseas. John, a former television and advertising writer, lives with his wife, Leonie, in the Sydney beachside suburb of Manly. He is currently writing further titles in the Ranger's Apprentice series.

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Rangers Apprentice Book 1 The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan