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Summary
Summary
The thrilling prequel to "Redwall". The clever and greedy wildcat Tsarmina becomes ruler of all Mossflower Woods and is determined to govern the peaceful woodlanders with an iron paw. The brave mouse Martin and quick-talking mouse thief Gonff meet in the depths of Kotir Castle's dungeon. The two escape and resolve to end Tsarmina's tyrannical rule. Joined by Kinny the mole, Martin and Gonff set off on a dangerous quest for Salamandastron, where they are convinced that their only hope, Boar the Fighter, still lives.
Author Notes
Brian Jacques was born in Liverpool, England on June 15, 1939. After he finished St. John's School at the age of fifteen, he became a merchant seaman and travelled to numerous ports including New York, Valparaiso, San Francisco, and Yokohama. Tiring of the lonely life of a sailor, he returned to Liverpool where he worked as a railway fireman, a longshoreman, a long-distance truck driver, a bus driver, a boxer, a police constable, a postmaster, and a stand-up comic. During the sixties, he was a member of the folk singing group The Liverpool Fishermen. He wrote both poetry and music, but he began his writing career in earnest as a playwright. His three stage plays Brown Bitter, Wet Nellies, and Scouse have been performed at the Everyman Theatre.
He wrote Redwall for the children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool, where he delivered milk as a truck driver. His style of writing is very descriptive, because of the nature of his first audience, for whom he painted pictures with words, so that they could see them in their imaginations. After Alan Durband, his childhood English teacher, read Redwall, he showed it to a publisher without telling Jacques. This event led to a contract for the first five books in the Redwall series. He also wrote the Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. He died on February 5, 2011.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-An energetic cast brings to life Mossflower (Philomel, 1988), Brian Jacques' rip-roaringly entertaining animal fantasy, a prequel to Redwall. The actors bring conviction to their roles, whether playing brave mice, daft weasels, or ferocious furry villains. Mossflower tells of a tyrannical wildcat named Tsarmina, self-proclaimed Queen of the Thousand Eyes and ruler of Mossflower Woods. She has diabolical plans for the woodlanders, and listeners will delight in her melodramatic yowls and hisses as she plans to dominate every hedgehog, otter, or mouse who crosses her path. Fighting her are Martin the Warrior, a mouse whose bravery knows no bounds, and a funny minstrel mouse thief named Gonff. The latter's delightful songs are nicely performed. Various woodland creatures join Martin and Gonff in their fight, including two baby hedgehogs possessing delusions of grandeur. The story moves at a brisk pace as Martin, Gonff, and a mole named Dinny embark on a journey to Alamandastron, where they hope to find the legendary Boar the Fighter. Pursuing them are Tsarmina's hapless, bickering soldiers. A gifted writer (and narrator), Jacques makes each action scene crackle with energy. His cast is game from start to finish, playing each moment with a sense of fun and mischief. Some listeners may have trouble with the British accents at first, but those who stick with it will have a rollicking ride. Medieval music punctuates the end and beginning of each chapter. Mossflower is first rate in every respect.-Brian E. Wilson, Evanston Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Right from the start of this rousingly old-fashioned prequel to Redwall , readers will submerge themselves in the culture of the woodlanders and their council, the Corim, against the wicked Kotir. Kotir is the name of the group holed up at the castle, led by Tsarmina, a wildcat who poisons her father and imprisons her good brother Gingivere so that she may rule in her own way. Into the woodlanders' midst comes Martin the Warrior, who becomes fast friends with Gonff the mousethief and others; they soon set off to find the only warrior who can lead them to victory. More important than the outcome of the story, where good triumphs over evil, are the characters: baby hedgehogs Ferdy and Coggs, doing their valiant best to become warriors; the kindly Gingivere, who finds his heart's joy as a farmer; Lady Amber, the squirrel Chief and her band of archers; Chibb, the robin who will spy for anyone as long as he is paid in candied chestnuts. Martin's heroics pale in comparison to the acts of his fellow-fighters, so colorful are their escapades. While Redwall fans will enjoy this, no prior knowledge of that book is necessary. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 10-up. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
In a prequel to Redwall (1987), the peace-loving woodland animals--mice, rabbits, moles, otters, badgers, squirrels--defeat the evil rats, stoats, and weasels and their wildcat queen, destroying their grim fortress and planning an abbey refuge in its place. Like its predecessor, this installment is packed with action and imbued with warmth by its well-individualized characters and the homely details of their lives, including a delectable-sounding array of vegetarian fare. Jacques' narrative is more skillful here; switching adroitly from one plot strand to another (sometimes only a sentence here, a paragraph there), he keeps them all spinning swiftly and without confusion, an astonishing feat considering the number of his characters and the complexity of the story. He doesn't always fred the mot juste--it's hard to imagine a cat ""slumped moodily,"" for example--but readers enthralled by the richly inventive story aren't likely to notice. Philosophically, Jacques' work remains firmly in that conventional, simplistic world where the enemies are not only totally evil but stupid, while the clever heroes are models of valor and selfless cooperation; where peace may be an honorable goal, but war provides the intense and exciting experiences. For fantasy with more complexity and depth, see Lloyd Alexander's Westmark books. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 5-7. Although Martin the Warrior never appeared in Jacques' Redwall [BKL Je 1 87], his influence was a propelling factor in the adventure-rich, highly engrossing plot. Now, the author takes readers back to the days of Martin, relating how that brave and resourceful mouse wrested power from the evil wildcat, Tsarmina, bringing peace to the woodland and making Mossflower woods a safe haven. Jacques' writing still resonates with evocative language that skillfully details settings, characters, and numerous escape-and-rescue scenes. He also insightfully sketches moods, and emotions, giving the ongoing drama a solid base for its many conflicts and confrontations. In this prequel, however, the author uses a much broader panorama and bigger cast to tell his story; the rapidly changing scenes and various contingencies result in an overall loss of momentum. Nevertheless, advanced readers who thrive on episodic drama will find Jacques' smooth style and short segments easily accessible, his well- conceived action nonstop. Children who enjoyed the earlier book will welcome this reprise. BE.