John Flanagan (author)
John Flanagan | |
---|---|
Flanagan in 2012 | |
Born |
John Anthony Flanagan 22 May 1944 Sydney, Australia |
Occupation | Novelist |
Language | English |
Nationality | Australian |
Genre | Fantasy, Adventure |
Notable works |
Ranger's Apprentice Brotherband |
Spouse | Leonie Flanagan[1] |
Children |
Michael Flanagan[2] Kitty Flanagan Penny Flanagan |
John Anthony Flanagan (born 22 May 1944) is an Australian fantasy author best known for his children's books. His best-known work is the Ranger's Apprentice novel series, which is about a boy named Will who is taken as an apprentice Ranger to the grim and mysterious Halt. They meet up with many new people, friends and foes, along their path. Together they set out on mysterious, mind-boggling adventures of a lifetime. He also writes novels for adults.
Career
John Flanagan grew up in the Sydney suburb of Clovelly and attended Waverley College.[3] His early career was an advertising copywriter.[4] In the 1980s, with Gary Reilly, he co-created the television series Hey Dad..! and wrote 293 of its episodes; he also wrote for Hampton Court and My Two Wives.[3]
He started working on what would become Ranger's Apprentice in the 1990s, as short stories for his son Michael, who at the time was twelve. Flanagan wanted to encourage his son to read, as well as show him that heroes, like the main character Will, don't have to be big and strong. In the early 2000s, he decided to make the stories into the first novel The Ruins of Gorlan.[5] This was published in 2004, when he was 60.[3] There are currently fourteen books published, and all of them have been released in the USA.
In 2008, he won the Australian Publishers Association's Book of the Year for "Older Children and the International Success Award" for Erak's Ransom.[6]
Bibliography
Ranger's Apprentice
- The Ruins of Gorlan (2005)
- The Burning Bridge (2005)
- The Icebound Land (2005)
- Oakleaf Bearers (2006) (The Battle for Skandia in the US)
- The Sorcerer in the North (2006) (The Sorcerer of the North in the US)
- The Siege of Macindaw (2007)
- Erak's Ransom (2007)
- The Kings of Clonmel (2008)
- Halt's Peril (2009)
- The Emperor of Nihon-Ja (2010)
- The Lost Stories (2011)
- The Royal Ranger (2013)
Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years
This is a prequel series before the time of Will about Morgarath's coup and Halt and Crowly's Counter plot to save Araluen.
- The Tournament at Gorlan (2015)
- The Battle Of Hackham Heath (2016 which is currently only available in Australia ) November 29th, America
Brotherband
- The Outcasts (2011)
- The Invaders (2012)
- The Hunters (2012)
- Slaves of Socorro (2014)
- Scorpion Mountain (2014)
- The Ghostfaces (2016)
Jesse Parker
- Storm Peak (2009)
- Avalanche Pass (2010)
Adult novels
- The Grey Raider (2015)[3]
Personal life
He lives in Manly, New South Wales with his wife.
References
- ↑ Random House Australia – John Flanagan, retrieved 29 December 2009
- ↑ "John Flanagan at IMDb". Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Mark McEvoy, "Sea adventures a new tack for children's author", Sunday Age, 5 July 2015, m16
- ↑ Charles, Ron (23 July 2006). "We Interview: John Flanagan". Washington Post. p. BW9.
- ↑ "Random House UK – John Flanagan". Retrieved 31 December 2009.
- ↑ "Brooks wins Book of the Year award", The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 June 2008
External links
- John Flanagan at the Internet Movie Database
- Official Ranger's Apprentice website
- John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice website
- John Flanagan at House of Legends
- John Flanagan at Random House Australia
- John Flanagan at Fantastic Fiction
- John Flanagan at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database