The Ruins of Gorlan

In The Ruins of Gorlan, a Medieval adventure-fantasy novel for middle-grade readers, young Will learns the arts of the secretive Ranger tracker-warriors and defends his kingdom against an evil baron. Released in 2004 by author John Flanagan, The Ruins of Gorlan won multiple awards, spawned the bestselling Ranger Apprentice book series, and has been published in 18 countries. A television adaptation is in the works.

Following a long career in advertising, author Flanagan shifted to book writing and has published more than 30 novels for young readers, most of them part of the Ranger Apprentice world. The eBook version of the first edition of The Ruins of Gorlan forms the basis for this study guide.

Plot Summary

Baron Morgarath, exiled 15 years for his attempted coup against Araluen’s young King Duncan, plots another attack against the country. Last time, the Rangers surprised and routed his fearsome army of Wargals. Now, he brings a secret weapon, the terrifying Kalkara.

In Araluen at Castle Redmont, Will and four other orphans grow up as adoptees of Baron Arald. He raised them in honor of their parents, who died in his service. Now age 15, they attend Choosing Day, where each is selected as an apprentice to one of the castle’s Craftmasters. Tall and strong Horace is accepted to Battleschool; Alyss becomes a student of diplomat Lady Pauline; George will study law at Scribeschool; and Jenny will be mentored by the castle chef.

Will believes his father was a knight who died in the war against Morgarath and he yearns to honor that memory by becoming a knight. Because he’s small, though, Will is rejected by Battleschool. The leader of the king’s mysterious tracker-warrior Rangers, an older man named Halt, appears suddenly, and presents the baron with a piece of paper that might determine Will’s future.

Aching to know its contents, Will, an adept climber, ascends the baron’s tower and sneaks into the office to read the paper late that night. He’s caught by Halt, who takes him to Baron Arald. The baron is impressed by the boy’s skill and resourcefulness. They show Will the paper, a note written by Halt accepting Will into Ranger school.

Will goes to live with Halt. Each day, he cleans house, carries water, chops wood, and cooks. Soon, Halt begins to teach Will how to track, hide, shoot arrows, and hurl knives. Halt explains that the Rangers are an intelligence service and they also catch crooks and help defeat attacking armies. Halt says a Ranger saved the kingdom by learning the baron’s plans and leading the victorious battle charge. Halt gives Will a pony named Tug and teaches him to ride; horse and rider soon bond as friends.

Horace, meanwhile, proves so adept at swordplay that Sir Rodney senses he’s a rare champion. The orphans meet at the Harvest Day festival. Horace, grumpy from constant mistreatment by upperclassmen, picks a fight with Will. Rodney pulls them apart.

Training in the forest, Will and Halt pick up the trail of a giant boar. Halt invites the baron and his knights to hunt the beast. Sir Rodney brings Horace along to observe. The creature, surrounded, attacks the line, where a knight spears and kills it. A second boar appears and charges at Horace, who tries to defend Will but slips on the snow. Will fires arrows at the boar while Tug kicks at it. Halt finally kills the beast with an arrow to the heart. Will and Horace, recognizing each other’s well-meaning courage, call off their feud and shake hands.

Horace’s three cadet bullies beat him severely because a Ranger apprentice saved his life. They go to the forest to punish Will, too, but Horace, armed with a practice sword, follows, and interrupts them before they can beat Will. Halt arrives and forces the bullies to fight Horace, one at a time, with their canes. Horace defeats each with ease. Halt reports their bullying to Sir Rodney, who expels and banishes the trio.

Will and Halt travel to the Ranger Gathering, an annual event where Rangers swap news and test apprentices. On the way, they meet Gilan, one of Halt’s former trainees. They arrive at camp, where they learn that Morgarath is marshalling his forces for a war with the kingdom. Halt, Gilan, and Will must hunt for Morgarath’s Kalkara, apelike bear creatures who are nearly impossible to kill and whose glowing red eyes disable attackers by freezing them in terror.

The trio head west in search of the Kalkara lair in the vast, windy Solitary Plain. They hear the roar of the beasts and begin to track them. The creatures head northeast, toward the ruins of Gorlan Castle, Morgarath’s old residence, and, beyond it, the castle of the king himself. Halt believes they mean to kill the king.

Halt sends Will to alert Baron Arald about the Kalkara. The baron and Sir Rodney ride with Will to the Ruins, where they find that the beasts are trying to kill Halt. The Ranger has wounded one of the creatures, and the knights kill it with lances and fire. Another Kalkara wounds Halt and stalks him, but he blinds it in one eye. It knocks him out and wounds Arald, then freezes Rodney in terror with its remaining eye. Before it can kill the three men, Will shoots it with a flaming arrow, and it burns to death.

During a ceremony at Castle Redmont, Baron Arald offers Will the chance to transfer to Battleschool, but Will gently turns it down. The baron is pleased by his loyalty. Later, Will tells Halt that, by not becoming a knight, he fears he’s failing to honor his knightly father. Halt explains that Will’s father was really a sergeant who gave his life to save Halt.

The sergeant’s dying wish was that Halt look after his pregnant wife. She died in childbirth and Halt delivered baby Will to the baron, who raised him. Will realizes he made the right choice after all.