Taggerung

Our rating: *****

The evil Juskarath clan of rats, ferrets, stoats, foxes and weasels kidnap a baby otter from Redwall, believing him to be their Taggerung, a great warrior destined to lead them. But as Tagg grows, he begins to realize that the cruel, merciless ways of the clan are not for him. He leaves the clan and sets out on a quest to discover the place that he dreams of: Redwall Abbey. Meanwhile, back at Redwall, Tagg’s sister, Mhera, is faced by an increasingly confusing set of riddles.

A great Redwall book. Brian Jacques is very skilled at coming up with riddles and this is one of the best books to prove that. Taggerung makes for a very interesting main character, too. Definitely a must-read for all Redwall fans.

The Bellmaker

Our rating: *****

Dandin and Mariel’s wanderings have taken them to a place called Southsward. The squirrel king, Gael, has been treacherously conquered by the foxwolf, Urgan Nagru, and his mate, Silvamord. Martin the Warrior tells Joseph the Bellmaker to go aid Mariel and Dandin in their fight to save Southsward.

With old and new friends, this is one of my favorites.

Mattimeo

Our rating: *****

There is evil abroad in Mossflower Wood. Slagar the masked fox and his band of slavers are on their way to Redwall Abbey. Their purpose? To capture the only son of Redwall’s warrior. When Matthias finds that they have taken his son, he and the others from Redwall set out on a dangerous quest to slay the Masked One and bring back the stolen young ones.

This is one of the darker Redwall stories, there are some really creepy characters. Still a good story. Just don’t read it late at night if you’re subject to “night-time creepy syndrome.” You can click here to do the Mattimeo Crossword Puzzle.

The Long Patrol

Our rating: *****

Young Tamello De Fformelo Tussock dreams of joining the Long Patrol, a group of trained fighting hares who serve Lady Cregga Rose Eyes, the badger ruler of Salamandastron. When Russa Nodrey, a traveling squirrel, visits Camp Tussock, Tammo’s mother, Mem Devinia, helps Tammo to run away with Russa to join the Long Patrol, despite Tammo’s father’s wishes. Meanwhile, Damug Warfang and his Rapscallion horde are making their way towards Redwall Abbey. Redwall’s defenses are down and they need the Long Patrol’s help.

I believe this is the shortest book of the Redwall series, but still quite good. It’s unique in that it follows Tammo and the Long Patrol all throughout the story, giving you time to get to know all the hares in it. It does, of course, flip between the plots like in all the others. Well, let’s hear it for the Long Patrol! Eulalia!

The Legend of Luke

Our rating: ***

Martin the Warrior goes on a quest, along with mousethief Gonff and Foremole Dinny, to discover what happened to his Father, Luke the Warrior. Meanwhile, the others at Redwall are still building the abbey.

I would say that this is my least favorite of the Redwall books. The style of writing that the fans will have come recognize is almost absent. It also has two different stories: The story of the quest of Martin, and the story of Luke the Warrior. Because of that, neither story is as long as any Redwall fan would expect. Other than that, it’s a good and enjoyable read.