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Fantasy Fiction, Fiction - Fantasy & Magic, Fiction - Animals - Mammals, Teen Fiction - Fantasy
Mariel of Redwall (Redwall #4) by Brian Jacques β€” book cover

Mariel of Redwall (Redwall #4)

by Brian Jacques, Gary Chalk
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Overview

In the fourth volume of the epic Redwall saga, a mouse-ship is attacked by the pirate rat Gabool and his heinous band of cut-throats. Hapless voyagers Mariel and her father Joseph the Bellmaker are mercilessly thrown into the sea by the pirates. Mariel washes ashore, starved and near death, and is taken in by the hospitable inhabitants of Redwall Abbey. Sure that her poor father is dead, Mariel swears an oath of vengeance against the filthy pirates who killed her father. With he help of a motley band of animals, Mariel leads the charge to recover a bell and avenge her father.

About the Author:
Brian Jacques was born in Liverpool, England, in 1939. Growing up on the docks of Liverpool, he attended St. John's School. He went on to work as a radio show host, playwright, longshoreman, lorry driver, folk singer and comedian prior to his career as a writer. The father of two sons, Jacques enjoys walking his West Highland Terrier, Teddy and spends most of his time writing. A new Redwall book is introduced once every year.

For ages 9 and above.

Synopsis

In the fourth volume of the epic Redwall saga, a mouse-ship is attacked by the pirate rat Gabool and his heinous band of cut-throats. Hapless voyagers Mariel and her father Joseph the Bellmaker are mercilessly thrown into the sea by the pirates. Mariel washes ashore, starved and near death, and is taken in by the hospitable inhabitants of Redwall Abbey. Sure that her poor father is dead, Mariel swears an oath of vengeance against the filthy pirates who killed her father. With he help of a motley band of animals, Mariel leads the charge to recover a bell and avenge her father.

About the Author:
Brian Jacques was born in Liverpool, England, in 1939. Growing up on the docks of Liverpool, he attended St. John's School. He went on to work as a radio show host, playwright, longshoreman, lorry driver, folk singer and comedian prior to his career as a writer. The father of two sons, Jacques enjoys walking his West Highland Terrier, Teddy and spends most of his time writing. A new Redwall book is introduced once every year.

Publishers Weekly

A female protagonist, Mariel the mousemaid, lends a contemporary touch to the fourth installment in the Redwall series. Ages 10-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Brian Jacques

Following in the grand tradition of Watership Down, Brian Jacques bestselling Redwall books star animals in medieval England who must protect their home against evil. Equal parts enchanting fantasy and morality tale, these adventure-filled books have captivated readers worldwide.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A female protagonist, Mariel the mousemaid, lends a contemporary touch to the fourth installment in Jacques's Redwall series, which narrates epic events among the animals in the manner of Watership Down. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

A female protagonist, Mariel the mousemaid, lends a contemporary touch to the fourth installment in the Redwall series. Ages 10-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-- Redwall Abbey is once again the center of a multistranded adventure. Independent of its predecessors, Redwall (1987), Mossflower (1988), and Mattimeo (1990, all Philomel), it follows the mousemaid Mariel in her quest for vengeance against the searat Gabool the Wild and his Rodent Corsairs, who imprisoned her father and left her to drown during a storm at sea. Tough and resiliant, she makes her way to Redwall, where she finds stalwart companions who will accompany her through the Mossflower woods back to Gabool's stronghold, where he is descending into madness. Meanwhile, the good creatures of Redwall are besieged by a renegade band of searats. Intrepid readers willing to tackle a book this long will be further impeded by the sections of dialect used to delineate class structure. Since the writing style is cliched, much of the action contrived to be cute, the characters one-dimensional, and the villains predictable vermin, readers may wonder ``why bother?'' Nor will they find illumination of human-animal kinship. Clever substitutions like ``anybeast,'' ``foremole,'' and ``every ratjack of ye'' serve only to remind that these animals are almost entirely human surrogates. Even the frequent references to woodland cuisine are tedious enough to become unappetizing. A book that's somewhat pretentious, and one that will appeal mainly to fans of Jacques's earlier medieval fantasies. --Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA

Book Details

Published
March 1, 2000
Publisher
Penguin Group (USA)
Pages
384
Format
Mass Market Paperback
ISBN
9780441006946

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