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Books: Mattimeo

As the inhabitants of Redwall relax in the haze of the long, hot summer, they are unaware that the neighboring stronghold of Salamandastron lies besieged by the evil weasel army of Ferhago the Assassin. Nor do they realize that Mara, beloved daughter of Urthsipe, Badger Lord of the Fire Mountain, is in terrible danger. But when a lightening bolt uncovers the sword of Martin the Warrior, young Samkin embarks on adventure that leads him to Mara, and their lives become inextricably entwined. Brian Jacques once again strikes to the heart in this stunningly executed adventure, another in the best-selling Redwall series, proving, if indeed proof was needed, that he ranks high among the best children's authors in the world. His genius lies in his ability to capture character and atmosphere with a stroke of a pen, drawing the reader in until the only way to start breathing again is to finish the book. --Susan Harrison

It is suggested that you read "Mossflower" before you read "Salamandastron", but it doesn't really matter. Now, on to the actual review...

Salamandastron is a great yarn. It contains many threads which interweave and, in the end, tie together. There's a lot going on in this book - from Mara the badger and Pikkle's journey, to the siege of Salamandastron, to the quest of Samkim and Arula, to the plague that, well, plagues, the Abbey, and finally to Thrugg and Dumble's quest to end the terrible disease.

Anyways, here's the deal with Salamandastron. The badger lord, Urthstripe, rules over the mountain in peace. That's good. His daughter, Mara, is unhappy with life at Salamandastron. That's bad. So, Mara follows the young weasel, Klitch, and his buddy, to escape Salamandastron. Turns out it's an ambush. Klitch is the son of Feragho, the leader of the Corpsemakers. The Corpsemakers are a bunch of rotten, nasty, no-good vermin poised to attack Salamandastron. That's really bad. Meanwhile, at Redwall Abbey, a young squirrel named Samkim discovers the sword of Martin the Warrior. (That causes a few plot inconsistencies which are cleared up in Marlfox.) Two stoats named Dingeye and Thura show up at the Abbey gates, begging for shelter. They're let in. They steal the sword. That's bad. Samkim and Arula go on a quest to stop them. Mara and her friend Pikkle have escaped from the clutches of the Corpsemakers, but they get in a couple other sticky situations afterwards. Meanwhile at Salamandastron, war is beginning. Meanwhile, Samkim and Arula have a few adventures of their own. Meanwhile, Redwall is plagued by dryditch fever, and Thrugg the otter and a dormouse dibbun named Dumble go on a quest to find the flowers of Icetor to cure the Dryditch fever. I told you there was a lot going on.

Salamandastron is a good book. It's got everything a good story needs!... which, unfortunately, makes it almost seem cluttered. Still, Mr. Jacques does a good job of keeping about four different plot lines going at once while still making it seem clear and unjumbled. Feragho and Klitch are cool - they have an interesting relationship going on. If you like Badgers, you'll like this book - there are a lot of them in it. :) Overall, it's an average Redwall book. And when I say "average" in relation to Redwall books, it means "above average" in relation to most books.