[This review may contain spoilers.]
Pages: 351
"It is the Summer of the Late Rose, and the gentle mice of Mossflower Wood are gathered at the ancient stone Abbey of Redwall, celebrating a year of peace and abundance. But a sinister shadow has fallen across the Abbey. For it is rumored that Cluny is coming- Cluny, the terrible one-eyed rat and his battle-seasoned horde; Cluny, whose vow is to conquer Redwall!"
First Look: Matthias portrayed in the first few chapters is just adorable. He's very small, clumsy and timid and I thought Jacques portrayed that quite well. I especially loved the bit in chapter one, page 13 where Jacques mentions Matthias's enormous, clunky sandals. It really gave you a mental picture on how small the mouse really was.
Characters: I love that each of the Redwall characters had their own personality. Some characters like Basil Stag Hare were very comical and humorous, others like Constance the Badger were very loyal and strict. And you can't forget about Cluny's infamous horde, most of which were very menacing and villainous. Each of the characters had a very original personality and they all had their own traits that made them them. My favorite character is Silent Sam. Jacques portrays him very well; I felt like I could even hear the sucking sounds he made with his paw!
Setting: The settings in this book are very vivid. Jacques describes the places in the book quite well. I was able to visualize better with the setting drawn out in my head, and it made me get into the book more. All the details that Jacques used to make the setting come alive felt like I was able to step into the book and see everything that was described.
Plot: Cluny and his horde are trying to take over Redwall. They have been trying to steal the Abbey's rare tapestry of Martin the Warrior for a while, and once they took it, it has been a full-fledged, epic war between the citizens of Redwall Abbey and Cluny's infamous horde. The book takes you through lots of twists and turns as you find out if the citizens of Redwall are winning or losing. There are several subplots, one being the Matthias-Cornflower romance and another one with the sparrow Matthias meets, Warbeak. They add character to the book and make it seem less like just another talking animal book.
Conclusion: After several deaths, some good and some bad, the citizens of Redwall have defeated Cluny's infamous horde. With Matthias killing the leader of the pack, Cluny, and then the Joseph Bell ringing its last bell, Jacques is genuinely an amazing writer, especially with victory scenes. However, the good news had to come to an end because Abbot Mortimer, the father and founder of Redwall, dies at the end. A painful and sad death indeed, before he passed, the Abbot knighted Matthias into a Warrior Mouse and a champion of the order. Cornflower was deemed as his wife, and his sword was renamed as Ratdeath. Then, exactly one year later, good news erupted: Silent Sam learned how to speak.
This was a good book, all in all. I would recommend it to ages 12 and up, due to the intense action scenes and deaths in the book, but this was an amazing book. Brian Jacques might have passed away already, but his legacy will always live on through his craft.
What's the next book on my list? Warriors: Fire and Ice by Erin Hunter.
