Joined by Trimp the Hedgehog, Dinny Foremole, and Gonff--the ever-mischievous Prince of Mousethieves--it is that legend Martin hopes to discover when he embarks on a perilous journey to the northland shore, where his father abandoned him as a child. There, within the carcass of a great red ship--broken in half and wedged high up between pillars of stone--he finally uncovers what he has been searching for: the true story of the evil pirate stoat, Vilu Daskar, and the valiant warrior who pursued him relentlessly over the high seas, seeking to destroy Vilu at all costs, even if it meant deserting his only son.

I first read the Redwall books years ago and I still enjoy them when I recently re-read them. I love the world building and the creativity with which these animals were anthropomorphized. The level of description is really well done and very detailed. So adventurous and so very entertaining. ( )

The writing, story, and character are all done with great quality.

The story start with Martin wanting to know what happen to his father Luke. We get to know how Martin feels. The journey at the beginning felt a little long. Some of the characters they meet do appear in the other books before and afore this book.

Luke's story brings a satisfied conclusion as to what happen. At the end, Martin has find contentment.


( )

Fun, of course - it's a Redwall book. Much less scattered than most, this follows almost a straight-line trip by Martin and some of his friends, back to Martin's childhood home. One big flashback in the middle of the book, plus an occasional visit back to what's going on at Redwall - but even those start showing up mostly near the end of the book, as they anticipate the return of the travelers. Still don't know (maybe it's mentioned in his own book) how/why Martin left; the story here is Martin's father, Luke, and his adventures dealing with the sea rogues who attacked their home and killed Martin's mother. Martin and friends deal with various villains as they head north, but most of the conflicts are minor - in fact, most of the encounters they have end with making new friends, who they revisit on their way back south to Redwall. The major conflicts are all in Luke's story - battles with evil creatures and with the sea and storm. And the end is just a trifle vague - Luke presumably dies in the battle, along with the black squirrel and their enemies, but there's no actual evidence of it... Jacques leaving his options open. No frame on this one either, though it ends with the events of the summer recorded in the Abbess' book - it starts with a new character, Trimp the roving hedgehog maid, who plays a large part in the rest of the adventure as well. Enjoyable as usual. One odd thing - Luke's dialog seemed to vary, from Martin's standard English to a slightly more slurred version (yore, ol'), sometimes within a single paragraph. Jacques' style of dialog differing for each type of creature is an interesting feature of his books; I think this is the first time I've noticed him slipping. ( )

As usual, Jacques has written a vivid tale, full of intriguing characters, beautiful imagery, and lots of food and storytelling. Although the "story within a story" makes things a little confusing, I love learning the backgrounds and complex connections of all of the Redwall characters. ( )