Ranger's Apprentice
Set in Araluen, a medieval country similar to England, Ranger's Apprentice tells the story of a 15-year-old boy named Will who finds himself in training as one of the mysterious rangers who protect the kingdom. During his training he helps Baron Arald of Redmont to kill the monstrous Kalkara, the bestial assassins of the Warlord Morgarath who were tracking his teacher, Halt. Morgarath, the former Baron of Gorlan, had rebelled against King Duncan when the young monarch first took the throne, but he was defeated by a force of heavy cavalry that Halt led through a secret path in the woods. Will also makes friends with his former enemy Horace, a knight in training and a natural hand with the sword.
When the war against Morgarath begins in earnest, another Ranger named Gilan takes him and Horace into Celtica to form an alliance with the King, but they find that Celtica has already been overrun by Morgarath's Wargals, a brutal cross between bears and wild boar. The three messengers rescue a girl named Evanlyn from a group of bandits, and Gilan subsequently returns to Araluen post-haste to inform King Duncan while his young protégé tails behind. Coming across a group of Wargals, Will and Horace decide to track them, and find that they are headed for a bridge being built across the chasm between Morgarath's mountains and Araluen. Morgarath hopes to bring his siege weapons behind Duncan's army rather than trying to fight his way through Three Step Pass where his army is bottled up. Will and company burn the bridge, but he and Evanlyn are captured by the Viking-like Skandians, mercenaries who fight for Morgarath. Thanks to the intelligence gathered by Horace, Duncan's army is ready for an attack from Thorntree Forest by the Skandians, and a battalion of troops led by Halt disguise themselves with the Skandian armor. Morgarath, expecting support, commits his entire army to the attack, and the horse-fearing Wargals are devastated by a force of heavy cavalry led by Baron Arald and Battlemaster David, Gilan's father. Morgarath challenges Halt to single combat, but Duncan forbids it. Horace finds himself challenging Morgarath, and beats the warlord after a long conflict. In the aftermath of the battle, Halt tries to find Will, but the Ranger Apprentice, along with Evanlyn, is taken aboard the Skandian wolf-ship. Halt tries to stop the ship from sailing, but he is too late. He vows to find his apprentice no matter what the cost.
When the wolf-ship is caught in a storm at sea, Erak, the captain, beaches it on the rocky island of Skorghijl for repairs. After a long sojourn on the island and a failed escape attempt, Will and Evanlyn (revealed as Duncan's daughter Cassandra) learn that Oberjarl Ragnak, the leader of the Skandians, has sworn to kill any of the royal family of Araluen that he finds due to his son's death in the Battle of Thorntree. Keeping Evanlyn's real identity a secret becomes critical. However, Will is worn down by hard work and soon becomes addicted to warmweed, a drug that drives away the biting cold of Skandia. Erak, knowing an honorable enemy and having developed fatherly feelings for his captives, helps Will and Evanlyn to escape until Will can recover from his addiction. Meanwhile, Halt purposely gets himself banished for a year so he can look for Will, and Horace comes along to help his friend. Horace gains some fame in the France-like country of Gallica when he defeats many ruffian knights as the Chevalier du Feuille du Chêne, or the Oakleaf Knight. This draws the attention of the brutal warlord Deparnieux, who detains the pair and attempts to coerce them into joining his army. However, his cruelty disgusts them, and Halt eventually defeats the fully armored knight in a duel using only the amazing speed and accuracy of his shooting. Halt and Horace move north towards Skandia after burning Deparnieux's keep.
Halt and Horace disguise themselves as Gallican messengers to infiltrate Skandia, but there is no need: the Skandian border guard was killed by a force of mounted archers. They move deeper into Skandia. Meanwhile, Evanlyn is captured by a roving party of Temujai, the Hun-type riders of the Eastern Steppes. Will attempts to rescue her but he is about to be killed when Halt and Horace arrive. They are about to leave Skandia, but Erak and a band of Skandian warriors track them down and accuse them of shooting the border guard. Halt explains that it was the Temujai, and he and Erak go scouting. The find the Temujai army, a force of almost six thousand horsemen, and hurry back to the capital city of Hallasholm to warn Ragnak. Halt offers his skills as a tactician, and Ragnak accepts. Will begins training a force of archers to counter the Temujai. Halt organizes nighttime raids on the Temujai army, forcing them to move more slowly. Evanlyn uncovers a plot by Slagor, one of the wolf-ship captains, that involves transporting Temujai to attack the rear of the Skandians. Although Evanlyn is discovered to be the princess shortly afterwards, Halt persuades Ragnak to wait until after the battle to carry out his vow. The battle against the Temujai ensues, and Ragnak is killed after slaying many of the Temujai in a berserk rage. Erak is promoted to Oberjarl, and returns Evanlyn, Will, Horace, and Halt to Araluen, where Halt is pardoned by Duncan. Will returns to Redmont to finish his training after Horace is officially knighted.
CHARACTERS
Will- The main character of the story, he is 15 years old. Although he is small for his age, he is also agile and brave. Although he wanted to be a knight, he soon realized that the life of a Ranger was what he truly needed.
Horace- At the same age as Will, Horace is almost his complete opposite. He is tall and strong, and is accepted without question into the Battleschool where knights are trained.
Halt- Will's teacher is a sarcastic, small-statured war hero who makes light of the honors bestowed upon him. He is one of the best shots in Araluen, and an accomplished tracker and commander, having won several battles against Morgarath.
Gilan- Halt's former apprentice, Gilan, is the only ranger who wields a sword instead of the dual knives preferred by most. Although he could have been a knight, Gilan declined in favor of becoming a Ranger.
Evanlyn- When Princess Cassandra's escort is attacked and scattered by Wargals, the princess takes on the identity of one of her maids to avoid being held for ransom. She shows great courage and responsibility in tending Will during his addiction, and later joins his archer regiment in the battle for Skandia.
King Duncan- The King of Araluen, Duncan, is a fond father and accomplished knight. With the help of a confederacy of loyal lords, he put down a rebellion by Morgarath several years prior to the story.
Erak- The captain of the Wolfwind, Erak is a ferocious warrior and a weathered mariner. Although he hides it under a gruff exterior, he is actually quite kind.
Ragnak- Ragnak is the Oberjarl, or High Captain, of the Skandians. Although he has gone for a long time without seeing combat, he is well-nigh invincible when berserking.
Morgarath- The former Baron of Gorlan, Morgarath, tried to seize the throne for himself when Duncan's father died. Thanks to Halt's tactical skill, he was defeated and driven into the mountains, where he re-formed his Wargal army. He is the main antagonist for the first half of the story.
Deparnieux- Gallica is ruled mostly by warlords and ruffian knights, but Deparnieux is the most fearsome of these. He has defended his title with his brutal skill and lack of mercy, keeping the folk in his territory in constant fear by gruesome and exaggerated punishments. Deparnieux is the antagonist of the third quarter of the story.
General Haz'kam- Haz'kam is the Sha'shan (or Chieftain of Chieftains) of the Temujai. His army of cavalry is the most disciplined in the world, and have conquered most of the nations to the east of Skandia. However, he is frustrated by the tactics that Halt drilled into the Skandians, and eventually is forced to pull out lest his entire army be destroyed. Haz'kam is the main antagonist of the last quarter of the story.
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So, there's a summary. There are Wikipedia pages for the books, but I personally don't think they do the books justice. Another point to note is that the first four books form a complete, concluded story. The fifth one (the latest released in the US) starts a new plotline six years later. I haven't included that one (or the subsequent sequels that are in Australia) because of the simple fact that I live in the States and I don't like spoilers. Thus, we'll only be working off the first four.
Anyway, this is the sort of summary that I'm going for. Links to Wikipedia are fine, but put a little summary of your own in too.Regards, IRS
Edited by ithilienranger732, 06 March 2009 - 10:05 PM.
Formatting
