John Flanagan | |
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Born | John Anthony Flanagan 22 May 1944 Sydney, Australia |
Occupation | Novelist, screenwriter |
Language | English |
Genre | Fantasy, Adventure |
Notable works | Ranger's Apprentice Brotherband |
Spouse | Leonie Flanagan [1] |
Children | Michael Flanagan Kitty Flanagan Penny Flanagan |
John Anthony Flanagan (born 22 May 1944) is an Australian fantasy author best known for his medieval fantasy series, the Ranger's Apprentice series, and its sister series, the Brotherband Chronicles. Some of his other works include his Storm Peak duology, as well as the adult novel The Grey Raider.
John Flanagan was born in Sydney, Australia on 22 May 1944. [2] He graduated from Waverley College with plans to become a writer. As he grew up, he changed careers and got a job at an advertising agency. He originally planned to become a trainee copywriter, but the agency instead assigned him to train as a media researcher. While working as a media researcher trainee, he wrote an offensive poem directed toward one of his senior executives. Eventually, the poem made it to the desk of one of the company's directors. Flanagan was called into the director's office where he complimented Flanagan's writing skills and offered him the job of trainee copywriter. [3] After working in the advertising agency for 20 years, Flanagan entered the TV industry and co-wrote a sitcom called Hey Dad..! . [2]
Flanagan's early novels originated mainly as thrillers. [4] He started working on what would become the Ranger's Apprentice series in the 1990s. The series originated as twenty short stories for his twelve-year-old son, Michael. Flanagan wanted to encourage his son to read and hoped that he could do so by convincing Michael that the stories were children's book ideas that his father wanted to test out. [4] Also, since Michael was on the smaller side, Flanagan wanted to encourage him by showing that not all heroes must be big and strong. [5] In fact, several characters in Flanagan's books are based on real-life people close to him. Will, the main character in the series, was initially based on Michael. Small, agile, and his love of climbing were all things that Michael and Will shared. Evanlyn, one of the other main characters, was loosely based on Flanagan's daughter Kitty. Finally, Halt, Will's older teacher, was also based on Flanagan's sixth-grade teacher. His son fell in love with the series and began asking for more of the stories. [4] In the early 2000s, John decided to make the stories into the first novel, The Ruins of Gorlan, and it was published in 2004. 11 books comprise the main Ranger's Apprentice series. He has also written the Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years series which explores the time before the first book, and has continued the story in the Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger series. His other series in the same world, Brotherband , was based around Flanagan's passion and love of the sea. [6]
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The Dark Tower is a series of eight novels, one novella, and a children's book written by American author Stephen King. Incorporating themes from multiple genres, including dark fantasy, science fantasy, horror, and Western, it describes a "gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. The series, and its use of the Dark Tower, expands upon Stephen King's multiverse and in doing so, links together many of his other novels.
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The Ruins of Gorlan is the first novel in the Ranger's Apprentice series written by Australian author John Flanagan. It was first released in Australia on 1 November 2004, and in the United States on 16 June 2005. Flanagan first conceived the world of the novel in a series of short stories he wrote for his son to incite his interest in reading. Ten years later, he decided to turn them into The Ruins of Gorlan, the first book in the Ranger's Apprentice series.
Ranger's Apprentice is a series written by Australian author John Flanagan. It began as twenty short stories Flanagan wrote for his son to get him interested in reading. Ten years later, Flanagan found the stories again and decided to turn them into a book, which became the first novel in the series, The Ruins of Gorlan. It was originally released in Australia on 1 November 2004. Though the books were initially published only in Australia and New Zealand, they have since been released in 14 other countries.
The Burning Bridge is the second book of the Ranger's Apprentice series, written by Australian author John Flanagan. It was released in Australia on 5 May 2005.
The Icebound Land is the third book in the Ranger's Apprentice book series written by Australian author John Flanagan. The book was released on 30 November 2005 in Australia.
Paul Collins is an Australian writer and editor who specializes in science fiction and fantasy.
The Sorcerer in the North is the fifth book in the Ranger's Apprentice series by Australian author John Flanagan. It was released in Australia on 4 November 2006 and in the United States on 4 November 2008.
Tony Shillitoe is an Australian fantasy writer.
Oakleaf Bearers, or The Battle for Skandia in the United States, is the fourth novel in the Ranger's Apprentice book series, which was written by Australian author John Flanagan. Its story continues from where the previous book, The Icebound Land, ended.
Joseph Edward Abercrombie is a British author. He is the author of The First Law trilogy, as well as other fantasy books in the same setting and a trilogy of young adult novels. His novel Half a King won the 2015 Locus Award for best young adult book.
Erak's Ransom is the seventh novel in the continuing Ranger's Apprentice series by Australian author John Flanagan. The book was released in Australia on 1 November 2007 and in the United States on 5 January 2010. It is set between book four in the series, Oakleaf Bearers, and book five, The Sorcerer of the North.
Stories involving the mythical wizard Merlin have been popular since the Renaissance, especially with the renewed interest in the legend of King Arthur in modern times. As noted by Arthurian scholar Alan Lupack, "numerous novels, poems and plays center around Merlin. In American literature and popular culture, Merlin is perhaps the most frequently portrayed Arthurian character."
A New Beginning, originally titled The Royal Ranger, is the twelfth and final novel in the Ranger's Apprentice series, written by Australian author John Flanagan. It was released in Australia on 1 October 2013, in New Zealand on 4 October 2013, and in the United States and Canada on 5 November 2013. In 2018, it was renamed A New Beginning and it became the first book in the Ranger's Apprentice sequel series, The Royal Ranger.
The Tournament at Gorlan is the first novel in the Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years series written by Australian author John Flanagan. It was first released in Australia on 16 September 2015, and in the United States on 6 October 2015. The series serves as a prequel to the Ranger's Apprentice series, and is a direct sequel to a story in The Lost Stories.
Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years is a book series by John Flanagan. It is a prequel to the original Ranger's Apprentice series. The series follows Halt and Crowley and is preceded by the short story "The Hibernian" in the book The Lost Stories, which is the 11th installment to the Ranger's Apprentice series.