Flanagan, John

John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series has gained fanatical admirers all over the world. Yet, it’s no secret that his first book was written for a very specific audience: his 12-year-old son. “I simply took subjects I knew Mike was interested in–the foremost among these was archery–and I modeled Will on Michael.” With a parent’s unconditional love, Flanagan has made virtues out of Will’s faults and that in turn has made Will very relatable to a generation of children.

Over the years, countless readers have shared their thoughts and stories with the author and he has treasured knowing how his books have sparked an interest in reading, some even attributing improvements in school and life to The Ranger’s Apprentice. “I’m humbled, too, by the growing number of kids who suffer from dyslexia who have written to me telling me that my books have helped them improve their reading skills. In one day in Holland, at a book signing, I had three boys or their parents tell me this.”

Now, in The Lost Stories, Flanagan has given us the backstory on the elusive Halt. “Most of it has been in my mind as I’ve worked on the series,” remarks the author. “I do have an overview of the people and what they’ve done and what they will do. In the back of my mind, I have a plan to do a couple of books on Halt’s early days.”

There is no doubt that readers have been drawn into the world Flanagan has created. When asked at metaphorical gunpoint about how to create a rich and engaging fantasy world, Flanagan replied, “Oh Lord, I don’t know. Why do you ask such difficult questions?” Fortunately, he continued, “Basically, all I’ve done is parallel the existing world, and made a few changes to it such as moving Japan about two thousand miles closer to Europe (small things like that).” That accounts for the physical plane, but there’s more to it than that. “I think maybe what makes the world seem real is that the characters are real and likeable. I think people such as Halt and Will and Erak and Horace are people you’d like to meet.” Flanagan also credits his extensive travels with broadening his perceptions: “I worked for several airlines, which meant I got to go places. I think when you travel, you see a place and think, ‘How can I fit that into my world?'”

Surprisingly, Flanagan relates that “I’ve been told by readers that they like the fact that I don’t have my characters using magic. That seems to make my world more realistic for them.” Lastly, a fantasy world is not constrained by the bonds of history.

It might be surprising that Flanagan would leave a successful series and begin another, but, like so many things, there’s a story behind the story of The Brotherband Chronicles.” Well, initially, it was conceived to keep my publishers off my back.” Really? “I have had the concept for the last Ranger’s Apprentice book (which will be Number 12) in my mind for about four years now, but I didn’t want to rush in and write it, so I suggested Brotherband as an interim project. I spent a lot of time through those next years thinking about the characters, making sure they weren’t just mirror images of the RA characters. I needed a certain amount of the same structure, but I wanted Brotherband to be able to stand alone.”

Yet, the fingerprints of the Ranger’s Apprentice author are all over The Brotherband Chronicles, as one would expect. “I like the idea of having central characters who suffer from the sort of personal problems or shortcomings that my readers might feel and identify with. In Will’s case, he was small and felt disadvantaged.” The same is true for The Brotherband Chronicles: “In Hal’s case, he’s treated as an outsider and not fully accepted into Skandian society–because he’s a little different. He’s half Araluen and half Skandian. There’s a line in The Outcasts that sums this up when he’s constantly referred to by the Skandians as ‘the Araluen boy’ he finally says ‘Why do they always see the part of me that’s different. Why do they never see the part that’s the same?'”

That ability to cut to the heart of the matter is what makes John Flanagan not only a popular writer but a profound one when it comes to changing lives. He vividly remembers his first real book tour and a signing in a town called Bundaberg in Queensland: “A woman came up to the table with her son’s books to be signed. She burst into tears as she thanked me, and told me that I had changed his life because now he enjoyed reading. Being of Irish lineage and emotional, I promptly burst into tears too. When I recovered, a 14-year-old girl approached the table and told me that I had had the same effect on her life.”

If the ability to touch a soul is supernatural, maybe John Flanagan does include a little magic, after all.

Learn more at John Flanagan’s website.

         – Interviewed by Ellen Myrick, October 2011

 

 

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