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 Books: MattimeoMost of Book:  5 Slagars out of 5
Most of Ending: In the summer of the Golden Plain, the cunning fox, Slagar the cruel, and his evil henchmen sneak into Redwall Abbey to kidnap the woodland children, including Mattimeo, son of the great warrior mouse Matthias. Now Matthias and a handful of brave followers must abandon their home to the mercy of General Ironbeak's invading ravens in order to rescue their stolen little ones. But on the road to a dread kingdom and certain slavery, an unexpected hero will be born, and the captive mouse-child Mattimeo will prove himself worthy at last to wield the sword of his illustrious father. -the Publisher Mattimeo is a sequel to the original Redwall book, Redwall. Go read that first, and then read Mattimeo, or else much of the book will either make no sense, or not have the same awesome effect that they would've if you had. That being said, I'll continue with the review... In case you didn't notice, this book has recieved two ratings. Why? It's because most of the book is 5-Slagar material (or more), but at the very end a few points were resolved in really anti-climactic ways. For what it's worth, though, this is one of the greatest Redwall books ever, if not THE greatest. Why? It's got farmiliar friends, fiendish foes, fantastic food (a staple in the entire series), and a quest through unexplored territory. The cast from Redwall has returned, along with a lot of new characters. The main villain is a mysterious fox named Slagar. Slagar the Cruel! The terrible, twisted slaver, who rules his band with an iron fist (and a cunning mind, I might add) and harbors a deep-rooted hatred for Redwall. In case you didn't actually LOOK at my site yet, I like Slagar. But the villainy doesn't stop there! In a dark, underground kingdom filled with vermin and woodlander slaves, a mysterious creature waits for Slagar to bring him a new shipment of slaves - which happen to be coming from Redwall! "Mattimeo" is the tale of (whaddya know) Mattimeo, the only son of Matthias. Mattimeo is a troublesome young lad - the "Abbey brat". He gives all the Redwallers plenty of grief, but they still love him to death. The problems begin when Slagar and his slaving band come disguised as a travelling clown troupe at Redwall's Midsummer Feast. Slagar deceives the woodlanders, posing as the magician Stellar Lunaris. Unknown to the Redwallers, all the drinks have a sleeping potion in them. So while the Redwallers lay asleep, Slagar kidnaps the sturdy young ones (Mattimeo and his friends, including Silent Sam) to be used as slaves... and what's this? He has another purpose - to make the Redwallers as miserable as possible. Why? You'll see. >=) The Redwallers awake the next morning to a scene of horror, as they realize their children have been captured. Matthias, Basil Stag Hare, and Jess Squirrel, set off to rescue the Redwall children. As they quest, they are joined by other woodlanders whose children were taken. Meanwhile, the young captives are treated into the life of the cane. Mattimeo must learn the way of the warrior to stand up to Slagar and bring hope to his friends. Meanwhile, at Redwall, there's even more trouble, as the most dreadful siege in Redwall's long history commences...
"Mattimeo" is a WONDERFUL continuation of "Redwall". Anyone who liked "Redwall" should read it. And anyone who didn't like Redwall should read it. With the use of three (actually four, at points) stories going on at once, it pulls off being cheerful, dark, humorous, exhilarating, and fun! Heck, Slagar alone is worth the money for a copy. Buy it! =)
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3 1/2 Slagars out of 5