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Heaved off her ship in a pirate raid, Mousemaid Mariel is washed up on the shores of Mossflower. With no idea where she is, or indeed who she is, the young warrior mouse embarks on an unforeseen adventure that will take her to the very heart of Redwall and into the arms of the people who live there.
Mariel of Redwall is a captivating and magical adventure story in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. At times gentle, but mostly packed with adventure and heroism on the grandest of scales, this tale is at once delightful and devastating in its proportions.
Jacques weaves his customary magic, taking the reader to the heart and soul of the mythical Redwall--welcoming, terrifying, magical, and at times all too real. The place, the characters, and the adventure spring to life in a bout of indefinable magic, mystery, and mayhem. An excellent book that will leave readers begging for more. (Fortunately, there's plenty more where this came from!) --Susan Harrison
From Publishers 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. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8 - In the fourth book in the popular Redwall series (Philomel, 1992), author Brian Jacques serves as narrator along with a full cast of actors. Mariel, Mousemaid and daughter to Joseph, the Bellmaker, is tossed off her ship during a pirate raid led by Gabool, the evil King of Searats. Washed up on shore having survived the plunge and a storm, Mariel can't remember who she is and so names herself Storm Gullwhacker after successfully fighting off Gulls determined to eat her. This fantasy of good versus evil centers around Mariel, a female heroine who is determined to avenge the capture of her ship and her father. However, listeners will soon learn that all the stories are interconnected and all roads lead through and back to Redwall Abbey and, with the help of the spirit of Martin the Warrior, good eventually triumphs over evil. It will take a while for listeners to get used to Jacques' heavy accent. The full cast of actors brings the story to life and makes the action, including the bloody death of many of the characters, seem very real. The animal characters are very human, and listeners will feel connected to the emotions and heroism displayed. Use of music to signify the beginning of new chapters adds to the feel of the story. Fans of the series will surely appreciate this lively telling. Fans of animal fantasy will enjoy the depiction of an array of beasts with human attributes. - Stephanie A. Squicciarini, Fairport Public Library, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
In the fourth installment of the ever popular Redwall series, we see one mousemaid, Mariel, and her father captured by sea rat pirates and thrown into the ocean. Mariel washes up on shore, a victim of amnesia. She visits Redwall Abbey, where she regains her memory and leaves, seeking revenge for herself and her father. There is plenty of action and excitement as we see that Mariel lets no one and nothing get in her way. Brian Jacques and his troupe give their usual spirited performance of these lively animal characters and their world. The songs and music always add to the production, and fans and newcomers will not be disappointed. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Kirkus Reviews
In volume four of the Redwall Abbey saga, peace is threatened when Mariel--a fierce young mousemaid who's lost her name but kept her hatred for Gabool, the pirate rat king--arrives worn and half-starved. After recovering her memory under the kind care of the Abbey animals, Mariel sets forth to settle accounts with Gabool, accompanied by Dandin; Tarquin L. Woodsorrel of the ``long patrol'' of intrepid hares; and Durry Quill, an adventurous young hedgehog. Led by an old poem uncovered by Dandin; menaced by needle-beaked herons, masked weasels, and loathsome toads; and helped by unexpected allies, they make their way to Gabool's stronghold- -where his vicious band is in disarray and Gabool himself has been driven mad by the booming of the bell he stole from Mariel and her bellsmith father, en route to Lord Rawnblade Widestripe, badger hero. After hair-raising adventures, Mariel--with friends, father, a band of escaped slaves, and Rawnblade--defeats Gabool and recovers the bell. Astonishing stuff: the by-now expected mixture of clich‚ piled on clich‚; British music-hall dialects and humor; rhapsodies on raspberries, nuts, and delectable-sounding forest concoctions; characters that epitomize their class origins but sometimes rise above them; and plots from Sabatini by way of Tolkien--all combine in a satisfying ripsnorter of an adventure. (Fiction. 9+) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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