Ranger's Apprentice

Ranger's Apprentice is the title of a series of fantasy novels written by Australian author John Flanagan. The first book in the series, titled The Ruins of Gorlan, was released in Australia on 1 November 2004 and in the United States on 16 June 2005. So far, nine books have been released in Australia and New Zealand, with other countries including the United States and United Kingdom following behind. The series follows the adventures of Will, an orphan who is taken as an apprentice Ranger, as he strives to keep the Kingdom of Araluen safe from invaders, traitors and threats. He is joined on his adventures by his mentor Halt and his best friend Horace among others.

Ranger's Apprentice

File:Sdhghsobdsn.jpg First Australian edition of books 1-5 of the "Ranger's Apprentice" series.
The Ruins of Gorlan The Burning Bridge The Icebound Land Oakleaf Bearers The Sorcerer in the North The Siege of Macindaw Erak's Ransom The Kings of Clonmel Halt's Peril The Emperor of Nihon-Jin (November 2010)
Author	John Flanagan
Country	Australia
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy, Adventure
Publisher	Random House (AUS & NZ) Philomel (US & CAN) Yearling Books (UK)
Published	1 November 2004 - Present
Media type	Print (paperback and hardcover) E-book

The series has been sold to over 20 countries and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

Books in the series

Book no.	Book	Published	Pages	Chronological order
1	The Ruins of Gorlan	1 November 2004	280	1
2	The Burning Bridge	5 May 2005	266	2
3	The Icebound Land	30 November 2005	307	3
4	Oakleaf Bearers	1 May 2006	327	4
5	The Sorcerer of the North	4 November 2006	329	6
6	The Siege of Macindaw	1 May 2007	331	7
7	Erak's Ransom	1 November 2007	441	5
8	The Kings of Clonmel	4 November 2008	403	8
9	Halt's Peril	2 November 2009	440	9
10	The Emperor of Nihon-Jin	November 2010		10

Plot summary

The Ruins of Gorlan

Will is an orphan who has been living in the Ward, a place where orphaned children are brought up by the charity of Baron Arald, as their parents died in service to the Kingdom. When the wards are fifteen, they are chosen to become apprenticed to a craft. Each of the other four ward-mates are apprenticed to the craft of their choice, but Will is not chosen for anything. After breaking into the Baron's office to find out more about his past, Will becomes apprenticed to the Ranger Halt, because he passed the test Halt set for him. Will, reluctantly at first, begins to train as a Ranger, and gains confidence in his new skills. While attending the annual Ranger meeting, The Gathering, Will and Halt discover that Morgarath, a former baron and now enemy of the kingdom, has sent fierce creatures, the Kalkara, to assassinate the top leaders of the kingdom. Will and Halt, accompanied by Halt's old apprentice, Gilan, set off to hunt down and kill the two Kalkara. Having discovered the Kalkaras' destination may be the capital where the king is, Will is sent to get Baron Arald and the Battlemaster Sir Rodney while Halt and Gilan contiue to follow the Kalkara. Believing Halt to be the intended victim, Will gets Baron Arald and the Battlemaster Sir Rodney to accompany him. When they return, Halt has managed to wound one of the Kalkara, which the Baron and Battlemaster finish off, but the other is stalking him. Halt, Baron Arald and Sir Rodney all become incapacitated, but Will manages to defeat the last Kalkara by shooting it with a burning arrow, as fire is their one nemesis. The Kalkara explodes in a flash of fire and the party returns to Redmont. Will returns a hero. 249 pages.

The Burning Bridge

Halt captures Morgarath's secret plans for battle. Will, his friend Horace, and the Ranger Gilan are sent on a mission to deliver a message for the King to the neighbouring country of Celtica. They discover that all the villagers are gone and the towns look like they were left hurriedly. Before they reach their destination, they come across Evanlyn, a girl who claims to be a maid to an Araluen lady whose party was overtaken by Wargals, Morgarath's creatures. Evanlyn tells them that the Wargals have attacked Celtica and that everyone who has not been captured has fled. Gilan rides back to Araluen ahead of the others to tell the King that there will be no reinforcements from Celtica and that the Wargals are on the move. Will, Horace, and Evanlyn decide to follow a small Wargal force. In doing so, they discover that Morgarath is building a bridge from the Mountains of Rain and Night to Celtica across the Fissure, a deep gorge whose impassable nature had formerly kept the Kingdom safe from invasion from that direction. If the bridge is completed and the Wargal army comes across, the Araluen army will be trapped on the Plains of Uthal, surrounded by Morgarath's armies. They decide that the only way to save their Kingdom from a certain defeat is to burn the bridge. Unfortunately, Will and Evanlyn are captured by the Skandians (some of Morgarath's hired mercenaries) when they find themselves on the wrong side of the bridge as it falls into the Fissure. Meanwhile, Gilan reaches the camp of the King's army and reports, realising as he does so that Evanlyn is actually Cassandra, King Duncan's daughter. Horace rushes to the camp to warn the King of the force of Skandians coming from the north, and to alert him to Will and Evanlyn's fate. Halt, along with the help of cavalry and a force of 100 archer units (an archer and a pikeman) destroys the northern Skandian army, but the King simulates a battle with them in order to lure Morgarath's army out so the King's cavalry will be on firmer ground. The Wargals are frightened of horses, and Morgarath's army falls into chaos. Morgarath sounds a truce; but to avenge himself, he challenges Halt to single combat. When the King forbids Halt to accept, Horace challenges Morgarath instead. It seems that Morgarath is the far stronger opponent, but Horace is finally able to defeat him using a Ranger knife technique Gilan taught him and Will in Celtica. With the defeat of Morgarath's army, the Skandians escape with Will and Evanlyn. Halt attempts to rescue them, but he only arrives as the Skandians' ship leaves. He vows to rescue Will wherever he might be.

The Icebound Land

Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as the captives of the fearsome Skandian Jarl, Erak. Halt has sworn to rescue Will and he will do anything to keep his promise - even defy his King. He insults King Duncan so that he is arrested. As punishment, he is expelled from the Ranger corps and banished from the Kingdom of Araluen for a year. Halt is joined by Horace, who was unofficially released from Battleschool, as he travels through Gallica towards Skandia on a venture to save Will. On their way, they are challenged by freelance knights, whose aim is to capture the weapons and horses of those they defeat. However, Horace is a skilled fighter, and his ability to defeat those he fights causes him to attract the attention of other knights and warlords. Halt and Horace are captured by the local warlord, who wishes to enhance his reputation and mistakes Halt for a sorcerer. Halt challenges the prideful lord to a duel in front of his men, and wins. He and Horace continue their journey. Meanwhile, Will and Evanlyn become slaves for the Skandians in Hallasholm. Will is a yard slave in the snowy northern country, which means that his life expectancy is short since the conditions are so harsh. To alleviate his pain and stop feeling the cold, he becomes addicted to warmweed, which renders him unable to think clearly. Jarl Erak takes pity on the former Ranger's apprentice. He helps Will and Evanlyn to escape Hallasholm and tells Evanlyn that Will's warmweed addiction might be curable. They travel up into the mountains, where they must spend the rest of the winter undetected if they are to escape Skandia.

Oakleaf Bearers

Just as spring approaches and Will and Evanlyn can finally escape Skandia, Evanlyn is carried off by a mysterious horseman. Will sets out after them. He's not the only one on their trail. On the way to find Will, Halt and Horace have also been tracking the small party of Temujai, a fierce, nomadic tribe of horse warriors from the east. Will is overjoyed to be reunited with his mentor and friend, and together they rescue Evanlyn; however, the occasion is not as happy as it could have been as Halt realizes that the Temujai they discovered are only the scouts for a massive invasion force. The Skandians have no chance, unless they accept the help of their sworn enemies from Araluen. Will trains Skandian slaves as archers, in return for safe passage home. This book in one edition has 327 pages and 294 in the U.S. edition. It was published as The Battle for Skandia in the United States.

The Sorcerer in the North

Five years have passed since the Skandians and the Araluens made a peace treaty, and Will has finally become a Ranger, with his own fief to look after. He soon learns that even sleepy little island fiefs have enough problems to keep him on his toes. Will and his old friend Alyss are thrown into a terrifying new adventure, investigating the truth behind rumors of sorcery in a remote northern fief. As he stands in Grimsdell Forest, hearing eerie voices and seeing the horrific figure of the Night Warrior looming in the fog, Will asks himself if sorcery really exists or if there is some other explanation. 329 page book

The Siege of Macindaw

In this desolate northern fief, Will tries to gather the fighting men he needs to overcome Sir Keren and his band of criminals. Across the border, fierce Scotti warriors are waiting for the signal that castle Macindaw is in friendly hands to launch a full scale invasion. With the arrival of an old friend, Will has to try to stop Sir Keren and rescue the imprisoned Alyss. Alyss is also being hypnotised by Keren. Will tells Alyss that he loves her to break Keren's hold on her. Later, she's not sure if it was a dream or not, so she writes him a letter telling him she loves him and he rides off to see her. The title was released on 1 May 2007 in Australia and was released on 4 August 2009 in the United States. 331 pages.

Erak's Ransom

When Erak, the Skandian Oberjarl, is taken hostage during a raid on the desert lands to the south of the Constant Sea, a few of his men escape, including Erak's second in command, Svengal. Halt and Will must go with Svengal to deliver the ransom and secure Erak's freedom, but a royal presence is needed, too. Princess Cassandra, who Will knows as Evanlyn, persuades her father to let her go with them. Horace and the Ranger Gilan round out the group to make sure that Evanlyn is well protected, but violent sandstorms, warring tribes, and danger everywhere may keep them from reaching Erak in time to secure his release. Will becomes a full Ranger in the end. Chronologically this book is set before The Sorcerer in the North, while Will is still an apprentice Ranger. Pages: 446

The Kings of Clonmel

Will is at the annual Ranger Gathering but Halt is investigating mysterious happenings in the west. When he does finally return, it's with bad news. Hibernia is in turmoil. A religious cult calling themselves the Outsiders are sowing confusion and sedition, and five of the six Hibernian kingdoms have been undermined. Now the sixth, Clonmel, is in danger. Halt, Will and Horace set out to restore order. Can the secrets of Halt's past help them in their mission? Pages: 403

Halt's Peril

Halt, Horace and Will are on the trail of Tennyson and his followers. The false prophet of the Outsider cult escaped justice for his crimes in Clonmel, and Halt is determined to stop him before he crosses the border into Araluen. Will has defeated one of Tennyson's Genovesan assassins in Clonmel but there are two left alive. Are the extraordinary archery skills of Will and Halt enough to save them during a duel with the Genovesans... or is Will's mentor facing his last battle? Pages: 440

The Emperor of Nihon-Jin

Due for release in November 2010.

Setting

Places

Countries and Regions Alpina Arthedog Araluen Arrida Aslava Celtica Clonmel Eastern Steppes Gallica Hibernia Iberion Otorohanga Picta Skandia Sonderland Teutlandt Toscano Ursali Seas and Oceans The Constant Sea Frozen Sea Narrow Sea Stormwhite Sea Sea of Rostov Endless Ocean Western Ocean Independent Areas and Wastelands Northern Wastes Mountains of Rain and Night (Morgarath's Plateau) Sorghum Fens The Solitary Plain Three Step Pass The Fissure Western Woods South Cliffs Greystone Forest Thorntree Forest Skorghijl Maps Araluen, Picta and Celtica Interactive Map Araluen and the Continent Map Characters Main article: List of characters in Ranger's Apprentice People Will Treaty Main article: Will Treaty Will Treaty is chosen by Halt to become one of the Ranger Corps. He is a small orphan with brown eyes and hair that is tousled by his cloak. He is agile, curious and stealthy. His father, Daniel, was a sergeant in King Duncan's army, and his mother a farmer who died in child birth to Will. Will's father died doing a good deed for the kingdom by saving Halt at the battle of Hackham Heath when the King's armies were driving the Wargals back. Will was raised in the orphan ward of castle Redmont. Will has a small, grey, shaggy pony called Tug, and acquires a dog later in the series. The dog is called several names, such as Blackie, Bread-and-butter pudding, Traitor, and Shadow, which is permanent. He later leaves the dog in Macindaw with the giant Trobar, who is quite fond of her. In book 9 he is given one of Shadow's puppies, Ebony. Will's first assignment was Seacliff Fief, a small island that is described as a backwater place. Will was later assigned to Redmont to help Halt with his duties. He is highly thought of in the Ranger Corps and in Araluen nobility. As a Ranger, Will carries a longbow, a heavy saxe knife, a short throwing knife, and strikers. Will is also able to play the mandola. He is given the surname "Treaty" because of the agreement he organized between the Skandians and the Araluans. Will is stated as being like a son to Halt and is his best man at his wedding. He is also in love with Alyss, his former ward mate. In an interview, Flanagan stated that Will is loosely based on his son, Michael. John Flanagan says that he started the series as an inspiration to him. Halt Main article: Halt Halt is a member of the mysterious Ranger Corps, and is small, with salt-and-pepper hair and a beard. He is grim and famous throughout the kingdom, (his fame precedes him) though people are often disappointed when they find out that he is small. He is an excellent archer; as demonstrated in his proceedings and uses a massive longbow. Like all Rangers his skill with the bow is uncanny, deadly accurate, and devastatingly swift. Halt is fond of Will, and is willing to risk banishment from Araluen and expulsion from the Ranger Corps to rescue Will. In the third book he is shown to have a fondness towards Horace and smiles quite a bit more than regular. It is revealed that he enjoys young company, even if it means a torrent of questions. (Seen in his interactions with Will, Horace, and Alyss.) He owns a Ranger horse named Abelard. Halt is the Ranger for Redmont Fief and part of the Rangers' senior council, as well as the king's trusted adviser. It should also be noted that he is rather shy around other people. His former apprentice is the humorous sword expert, Gilan. Halt has some skill as a carver and likes to have flowers in his cottage, and is an excellent cook and a coffee drinker. When he encounters other people, they are often inclined to be disappointed by his lack of height and apparent muscles. Halt hardly ever smiles; instead he raises one of his eyebrows, which Will first mistook as a sign of displeasure. He once defeated Morgorath's army by leading a cavalry charge across a secret ford on the river and into the army's rear. In book seven he marries Lady Pauline, whom he had been in love with for some time before. He is a major character in books one, two, three, four, seven, eight and nine and he appears a few times in books five and six. He also has a twin brother, King Ferris, but Halt was older than Ferris and should have taken the throne of Clonmel. In book nine he almost dies from a poison tipped crossbow bolt, shot by one of the Genovesan's. Horace Horace is a wardmate in Castle Redmont with Will, and eventually becomes a Battleschool Apprentice. He is a natural warrior, and although he used to be Will's rival, they became best friends when Will saved him from a rampaging wild boar only to be rescued by Halt. He traveled with Halt to rescue Will in Skandia. He is tall and he is the captain of the Araluen Royal Guard Unit B. Horace is the champion of Princess Cassandra and he is also known as the Oakleaf Knight. He is famous in Gallica and also quite comfortable in female company. Most people think of Horace as a slow thinker, but he just likes to think things through properly. He is very logical and methodical. Horace normally carries a round shield with an oak leaf carving on it, a plain sword, and a heavy dagger. Horace has saved Princess Cassandra and killed Morgarath in single combat (the duel is described in the second book). Horace plays a large part in most of the books. Gilan Gilan is Halt's former apprentice and is the only Ranger who carries a sword. Gilan is tall and humorous, in sharp contrast to his former mentor. He is also good with dealing with people, making them feel at ease with the tall Ranger. He also tries to cover up fears and worries with more humorous and seemingly uncaring attitude, mainly to calm people down. He is the Ranger for Meric Fief, he is later moved to Whitby during the Ranger's Gathering in book eight. He owns a horse named Blaze. Gilan wants to travel with Halt to rescue Will in the third book, but Halt does not allow him to. Gilan is one of the junior Rangers, though one of the best unseen movers. Gilan's father and Halt were good friends, which was why Gilan wanted to become a Ranger. Gilan appears in the first, second, third, seventh and eighth books, and mentioned in the sixth book. Jenny, one of Will's former ward-mates, is attracted to the tall Ranger in the seventh book. Erak Erak is a Skandian Jarl and later their Oberjarl and is in charge of his wolfship, Wolfwind. Erak appears in the second, third, fourth and seventh books. He is captured and held at ransom in the seventh. He is originally seen in the Wargals camp eating meat with Svengal, Nordel and a few other Skandians, who later capture Will and Evanlyn. He is a typical mercenary but he isn't a cold blooded killer like most Skandians. He is a fearsome opponent, and wields a large battleaxe. He later becomes Skandian Oberjarl in the end of book four. He also forges a strong friendship with Will Treaty, and regards him highly. At the end of the fourth book he becomes Oberjarl of the Skandians. Evanlyn Evanlyn/Cassandra is a mysterious girl Will meets in Celtica, and she is later revealed to be the Princess Cassandra, the daughter of Araluen's king. Evanlyn, the person she is pretending to be, is actually her late maid and friend. She is blonde,stubborn, and attractive. She is familiar with politics and military strategies, but not survival skills. She appears in the second, third, fourth and seventh books. When Will and Evanlyn traveled and fought together through Celtica, and later imprisoned in Skandia, they developed a strong bond with each other, however this never had a chance to develop or be reciprocated as when they returned home their relationship suffered due to their separate callings and way of life. Evanlyn is described as being very determined and on occasions stubborn. On the first meeting between Will, Horace and Gilan, she shows little survival or fighting skills- being accustomed to the comfort of royalty and castle life. However as the series develops, she proves herself to be a skillful fighter armed with her weapon of choice- a sling. This is particularly evident during her travels in Arrida and her calm leadership in battle is shown during the battle against the Temujai. She will be appearing in The Emperor of Nihon-Jin. Alyss Alyss is a former ward mate of Horace and Will, and a member of the Diplomatic Corps, recruited by Lady Pauline in The Ruins of Gorlan. She is a tall, graceful, and intelligent young woman, and is in love with Will. She appears in the first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh books as a Courier of the King. In the fifth and sixth books she is captured by Sir Keren and imprisoned into a high tower. She is Lady Pauline's bridesmaid at her wedding to Halt in the seventh book. At the end of The Siege of Macindaw, she writes a letter to Will saying she loves him. Will is also in love with her. Crowley Crowley is the head of the Ranger Corps and is based in Castle Araluen. He and Halt are old friends. He is fond of dogs, and has a hideout, which few know about, among which are Will and Halt. He is the master of unheard movement in the Ranger Corps. He appears in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and eighth books and makes a brief appearance in the sixth and seventh. Morgarath Morgarath, The Lord of Rain and Night, is the former Baron of Gorlan, who is rebelling against King Duncan. He is said to be an expert swordsman but he is defeated by Horace who is a "natural" with the sword in his second year of battle school. He has strange allies (Wargals and Kalkara). His former fief is the ruined Gorlan, and his current domain is the Mountains of Rain and Night. He is tall and pale, with white hair and a thin voice. He is defeated and killed in single combat by Horace. George George is Horace and Will's former ward mate, who is now in scribe school. He has appeared solely in the first book, but was mentioned in the second and eighth books; makes a brief appearance at the end of the seventh book to celebrate Will graduating. He is currently thought of as the best defense attorney in all of Redmont. Baron Arald Baron Arald, the Lord of Castle Redmont, is a trusted advisor of the king. He often cracks jokes, but as a baron, is always taken seriously. He is slightly overweight, with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, but is a capable warrior and has a good grasp of strategies. Jenny Jenny, Will's former ward mate, is apprenticed to the chef Master Chubb. Jenny is pretty, plump, and blonde, and Horace is fond of her in the first book. She is a bridesmaid with Alyss at Lady Pauline's wedding. In the seventh book, Jenny is attracted to the Ranger Gilan. She also appears briefly in the eighth book, where it is explained that she has left the Redmont castle kitchens, and now works in her own restaurant in the Redmont area. Malcolm Malkallam/Malcom is an alleged sorcerer who resides in Grimsdell Woods. His house is in the Healer's Clearing, where he treats people's various ailments. He is balding, humorous, and short, with hazel eyes. He was named Malkallam (his real name is Malcom) when after a healing excersise went wrong, was wrongly accused of sorcery. Malkallam was a legendary sorcerer of the region with an argument against the Seneschal of Macindaw. Malcolm cures Halt of the poison in book 9. Gundar Gundar Hardstriker is a Skandian Skirl who appears in the fifth and sixth books. He has a beard, and wields a war-axe. Orman Orman is the son of the Norgate fief's baron, and cousin to the treacherous Sir Keren. Will and Alyss think him to be the enemy for the main part of The Sorcerer in the North, until the truth is revealed about his cousin. Sir Keren Sir Keren plots against his uncle and cousin in the fifth and sixth books. He tries to get Norgate fief into his control by killing Syron and poisoning Orman. Few people believe he is guilty because he is very well known and liked. One guard is quoted saying that Keren is a real warrior, and that if Orman ordered them to take up arms against him, they would refuse. Lady Pauline Lady Pauline is in charge of the Diplomatic Corps at Castle Redmont. She is good friends with the Scribemaster and recruited Alyss in the first book. She is a tall and graceful lady and mentor to Alyss. In book seven she marries Halt on the fourteenth of an unknown month; she also loved Halt for a very long time and had waited knowing that some day that Halt would propose to her. She has much common sense, knowing that marrying Halt that she would have to deal with him leaving on a quest every now and then. Sir Rodney Sir Rodney is the battlemaster of Redmont. He is good friends with Halt and Baron Arald of Redmont. He is large and has a deformed nose, due to many instances of it breaking. The two handed battleaxe is his weapon of choice. In the first book he fearlessly battles the last surviving Kalkara (Morgarath's elite assassins). He is nearly killed when paralized by its hypnotic stare. Luckily, Will is able to kill the it with a burning arrow before it was able to murder Halt, Arald, and Rodney. In book eight, it is said that he fell in love with a lady. Ragnak Ragnak was the former Oberjarl of Skandia. He appears in books three and four. Ragnak is a large muscular man who died saving Evanlyn/Cassandra in the battle against the Temujai, even though he has sworn a vallasvow against Evanlyn/Cassandra. He died from his wounds, and gained instant access to the Skandian form of heaven for dying in battle. It was later noted that he had many non-killing wounds and at least half a dozen fatal wounds. The skandians then held a customary feast in his honor, in which Will Treaty and his company are seated at the places of honor. King Ferris King Ferris is Halt's younger, identical twin brother and the king of Clonmel. Little is known about him. According to Halt, he was always eager for the crown and even attempted to kill Halt, the rightful heir. He is self-centered and a power lover. He was a weak leader, and was easily swayed with bribes. King Ferris is killed by one of the Genovesan assassins soon after a tournament in The Kings of Clonmel. General Haz'kam General Haz'kam The leader of the Temujai forces who plan to invade Skandia in Oakleaf Bearers. Skinner Not much is known of Skinner except his mother is taller than him and he takes over Coledale Fief from Harrison. Clarke Clarke Not much is known of Clarke except that he has a younger brother and takes Will's fief; Seacliff Fief. Geldon Geldon is a retired Ranger and advisor to Crowley who lives in Castle Araluen. He gives pointers to Princess Cassandra about unseen movement. Berrigan Berrigan is a retired Ranger who was forced to become a travelling minstrel after losing a leg fighting Skandians. He occasionally works undercover for the Ranger Corps. Bartell Bartell is a retired Ranger who was based at Seacliff Fief before Will. He was in charge of devising tests for apprentices. He now works in the Ranger archives. Meralon Meralon is the former Ranger of Norgate Fief. He was replaced by Gilan in The Siege of Macindaw after showing that he had become far too attached to Norgate's Baron. Sean Carrick Sean Carrick is King Ferris and Halt's nephew. After Halt abdicates the throne when his brother dies, Halt says that Sean is next in the line and anoints Sean as the King of Clonmel. His mother's name was Caitlyn. Deparnieux Deparnieux is a Gallican warlord who captures Horace and Halt in their journey to find Will because of Horace's reputation. He soon becomes interested in Halt. He is a ruthless man and there are cages outside his castle where he puts in people who displease him. He is killed in a battle against Halt. The horses Rangers have very good relationships with their horses, and as such, become like brothers to them. They were brought to Araulen by Halt after he "borrowed" them from the Temujai. They are trained to respond to many different signals. Before anyone can mount them they have to whisper a password to the horse and then the horse will remember them from then on. One of the things they are bred for is their paces. They can keep up a steady canter for almost a whole day. They are faster than battle-horses over long distances. Tug Tug is a sturdy little pony and is very fond of Will and vice versa. He is given to Will by Old Bob, a ranger horse trainer. Will momentarily loses him in the seventh book during a sandstorm in the desert country of Arrida and leaves by himself to get him back. He eventually finds Tug and has to win him back in a horse race because according to the local custom anything lost and then found in the desert it the rightful property of the finder. Tug has saved Will's life on many occasions, most prominently the boar hunt in the first book, and the Wargal charge in the second book. Also, in the fourth book, Tug was shown to become distressed when Halt and Horace were tracking someone who turned out to be Will. In the first book, Tug and Halt have a disagreement on how many apples a horse should eat. Abelard Abelard is Halt's horse and his name originates from Gallica. Halt, like all Rangers, is very fond of him, and is often seen to be sharing a private joke with the horse, and talking to him. He also states in the third book that ranger horses are only human' with a faint smile on his face. Kicker Kicker belongs to Horace and is a tall and muscular bay battle horse that appears first in book two. Since both horse and rider are tall, Halt, Will and even Gilan have to look up, but only slightly for Gilan. Kicker and Horace both seem to understand each other, but Kicker is not up to any Ranger horse standard,but Horace cares and makes sure that Kicker is comfortable wherever he is. He also begins talking to his horse when he rides alone, to which his horse seems to respond. Blaze Blaze is Gilan's mare, and like the Ranger, she is tall and easily amused, even through its hard to tell with a horse, even a Ranger one. She, like all Ranger horses, will also listen and respond to a single touch or sound. They are quite similar in their personalities. Arrow Arrow is the horse that was lent to Will in Erak's Ransom after he lost Tug. He has very good manners. He saves Will's life twice; the first time when he dies saving Will from a lion, and then the second time when Umar found Will and brought him to safey. Umar was able to find Will from the vultures feasting on Arrow's carcass. Sandstorm Sandstorm is Asheik Umar's horse in Erak's Ransom. Is a fast horse and seems to kick a lot of sand when it gallops. It was ridden by Hassan during a race against Will to get Tug back. (Sandstorm loses the race). It is also known to be the fastest horse, before Tug, in the nomad tribe. Lord of the Sun Lord of the Sun is Selethen's mount in Book 7. He is a Thoroughbred Arridi horse, from a long line of some of the finest horses in Arridi. He is described as being "beautifully formed and groomed", and "as white as his rider". The Movie As of January 7, 2008, United Artists has optioned the film rights for The Ruins of Gorlan and is in talks with Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis to adapt and direct the movie. However, more recently the film has been delayed due to funding issues. Author John Flanagan advises on his website that writer-director Paul Haggis remains committed to the project. References External links Official Australian Ranger's Apprentice website Author's Ranger's Apprentice website U.K. publisher's Ranger's Apprentice website