Brotherband

Brotherband

File:The Outcasts.jpg Australian cover of The Outcasts
The Outcasts
Author	John Flanagan
Country	Australia
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy, Adventure
Publisher	Random House (AUS & NZ) Philomel (US)
Published	1 November 2011–
Media type	Print (paperback) E-book

Brotherband is a trilogy of fantasy novels written by Australian author John Flanagan. The first book titled The Outcasts was released in Australia and the United States on 1 November 2011 and in New Zealand on 4 November 2011. The series is a spin-off from Flanagan's other, highly popular series Ranger's Apprentice, but it focuses on new Skandian characters.

Books

The Outcasts

Hal Mikkelson is only half-Skandian, a fact that distances himself from most of his brotherband comrades. His father died on a raid and the closest thing he has to a friend is Stig and Thorn. His mother was an Araluen slave, to make matters worse. When he was sixteen, he entered brotherband training and was selected as the skirl for his group, the Herons. They win the training award, but as a reward to winning the award, the brotherband can help protect the Andomal for a night. The Andomal is Skandia's biggest treasure. It is a huge amber sphere with a reptilian paw in the middle believed to come from a dragon. However, the brotherband fail in their charge when a group of pirates lead by Zavac steal the treasure on the Herons' watch. In addition, Hal temporarily left his post to check on the condition of his post, and his replacement fell asleep. Hence, the Herons were disqualified from the training competition, letting Tursgurd, Hal's enemy, win the prize. The brotherband then go after the pirates to get the Andomal back to redeem themselves.

The Invaders

Hal and his crew are chasing Zavac. After surviving a massive storm, they set out to continue their search for the pirates. They then camp at shelter bay for a few weeks, where they repair their ship and add the Mangler and the hull fin. Thorn also gives them battle drills. Afterward, they go to a small village to stock up on supplies. Meanwhile, Zavac and his crew invade Limmat, a town with a secret emerald mine to sell emerald. Even though it is fortified, Zavac overruns the town easily.

While Hal is going back to shelter bay, he thinks he sees Wolfwind and sails south for a day. While heading back they find Lydia, a girl from Limmat who tells them of the pirate attack. Hal thinks it may be Zavac so he continues back to shelter bay. Wolfwind ambushes them but ends up helping them. The next day, they start sailing to Limmat, and when they arrive, they see Zavac's ship. Thus, they hide in the marshes where they find the town's soldiers. Hal forms a plan with the locals and when they attack it was a total success. After the attack Zavac slips away and cripples Wolfwind, but the ship survives.

The Hunters

Hal and his crew are pursuing Zavac, but there may be a struggle, as the murderous Zavac escaped to his fortified lair.

Characters

• Hal Mikkelson — Hal is the main character of the series. He is half-Araluen and half-Skandian. Hal's father was a warrior. Unfortunately, he was killed in a raid, leaving Hal and his mother living alone until Hal became 10 years old (when Thorn moved in). Due to his parentage (his Skandian father and his mother being a former Araluen slave) and the fact he doesn't look like many other Skandians (who are usually big and muscular), he is treated as an outcast. Hal is a resourceful person; he is the pioneer of the double triangular sails which act similarly to seabirds. It is also with the inspiration of seabirds that Hal names his ship Heron. He is also the person who is mainly responsible for the liberation of Limmat and nearly lost his life while trying to put tinder on the main gate but was saved by Hal. Hal is also a good swordsmen and an accurate crossbow shooter and a good Navigator and Helmsmen.

• Thorn — Thorn is a close friend of Hal's father, Mikkel. He lost his right hand during a storm at sea and was, in his early years, the Maktig (meaning "the Mighty One", a title for a great warrior) three years running. He was described as an "old drunk" by the Skandians due to the fact that he drank excessively after he lost his hand. Karina, Hal's mother, gave Thorn a job. She allowed Thorn to live in their lean-to and look after Hal as he needed "a man's influence and guidance". Soon, Thorn stopped drinking and found himself to be a helpful person.

• Mikkel — Mikkel was Hal's father. He lost his life during a raid with Erak's crew, struck by a spear by an unknown townsman. Mikkel and his best friend Thorn were Erak's most trusted and reliable warriors. With his dying breath, Mikkel made Thorn promise to look after his wife and child. Mikkel was a very competent swordsmen as well.

• Karina Mikkelswife — Karina is a slave who was freed by Mikkel and she is Hal's mother. She is a loving and kind mother, although she usually disapproves of Hal's ideas. She brought Thorn out of his drinking habits.

• Stig Olafson — Stig is Hal's best friend. He is treated as an outcast because one night, his father stole money and jewels from his crew's wolfship, then disappeared without a trace, not telling anyone where he was going. Stig has a habit of losing his temper but learns to control is partly. He is very athletic and is the best axeman in the Heron brotherband.

• Tursgud — Tursgud is the antagonist in the first book. He is the leader of the Shark Brotherband. Notorious for his arrogance and cruelty, he is disliked by the members of the Heron and Wolf Brotherbands. His father is the current Maktig.

• Rolland — Rolland is a nice guy. He is the leader of the Wolves and dislikes Tursgud. He helped the Herons on numerous occasions, but his team was disqualified from Brotherband training because they ruined their boat and were unable to complete all of the tasks.

• Erak Starfollower — Erak captained the ship, the Wolfwind, that Mikkel and Thorn worked on. He is now the most powerful person in Skandia, the Oberjarl.

• Ingvar — Ingvar is an extremely large sixteen year old boy who would be good at fighting but has awful eyesight. He is in Hal's brotherband, the Herons, and very good at using Hal's giant crossbow, the mangler. He is extremely loyal to Hal.

• Jesper — Jesper is one of Hal's friends in the Heron Brotherband. Jesper is a thief and has been known to steal bracelets off people's wrists while talking to them. He is very fast but known to complain.

• Edvin — Edvin is a member of the Heron Brotherband. When he disagrees with people he makes it quite clear. He was the first member of the Heron's to directly insult the Sharks. Despite his size he is quite resourceful and surprisingly skilled at cooking.

• Stefan — Stefan is the wise-guy and mimic of the Herons. He regularly makes impressive comebacks, and when you hear someone, you can never tell if it's he/she or Stefan.

• Ulf and Wulf — Ulf and Wulf are the two twins in the Heron Brotherband. Unlike most twins, there is no special bond between them. They swear at each other and make nasty remarks about the other's appearance (even though they look exactly the same so no one, not even their mother, can tell them apart) and are constantly fighting but when sail handling they work like well oiled clockwork, a fact that surprises Hal.

• Sigurd — Sigurd is the organizer of brotherband training. He along with three others (one for each brotherband) run the show.

• Zavac — Zavac is a captain of the Magyaran pirate ship Raven. When he arrives at Hallasholm, he calls himself a trader whose ship is supposedly damaged, in order to steal the Andomal, which he does. He also raided a town called Limmat to mine the secret emerald deposit that lies there. He is evil and merciless, with no qualms about betraying his fellow pirates.

• Lydia — Lydia lived in a town that Zavac raided. In the following battle, her grandpa was killed. She helps the Herons in the battle against Zavac. She then goes hunting for him with the Heron Brotherband. She is extremely accurate with using an atlatl.

• Barat — Barat is the commander of the town guard. He is extremely arrogant and had no faith in Hal's plan. After the taking back the town, he takes credit for the attack and announces he will marry Lydia.

Important items

• The Andomal — This is a huge amber sphere with a reptilian paw in the middle believed to come from a dragon. This artifact has been treasured by Skandians for centuries and is kept in a shrine on a hill close to Hallasholm. It is then stolen by Zavac and his crew.

• The Heron — The Heron is Hal's ship. Hal helped a ship-maker build it, and it was originally intended for an old man who later died. Then, as he wanted a ship, Hal bought it. The ship is about half the size of a wolfship. He outfitted the ship with several upgrades, one being his ingenious triangular double sail plan which allows him to sail about 45 degrees into the wind, three times more than a normal wolfship. Because Hal based this design off a heron, he named his ship after one. Another upgrade is a rudder that is slightly off centre which is inserted through the bottom of the boat; this allows the sail handlers to trim the sails even more and get a greater speed out of the boat. The last improvement to the Heron is a giant crossbow, the mangler, at the front of the ship, which is on a swiveled platform.

• The Raven — The Raven is a Magyaran pirate ship that is captained by Zavac. It has a black hull and a large metal ram at the end of it. This ship is very fast and with its ram, it is a force to be reckoned with.

• Wolfwind — Wolfwind is Erak's beloved ship. This ship served Erak for many raiding seasons but when he became Oberjarl, he had to give the ship to his loyal first mate Svengal while he wasn't raiding. In the second book, the Raven nearly sinks Wolfwind with its ram, but Wolfwind is saved just in time.

• The Porpoise - The Porpoise is a Skandian trading ship that is used for brotherband training. It is captained by Tursgud.

PETER

Well done Danjel101 you seem to keep doing a job that seems to be too good to be true. As you constantly edit this page this page has now gone over 4 star rating and now you seem to make it a good place for readers who enjoy brotherband well done fella.

Future

The Hunters will be released on 1 November 2012.

References

http://www.rangersapprentice.com.au/brotherband.aspx

http://www.brotherbandchronicles.com/

Brotherband: The Outcasts (book)

Brotherband: The Invaders (book)

Brotherband: The Hunters (book)

External links

• Official website