Meh, by far the weakest in the series at this point. Too much foreshadowing and pointless angst. Fine, no one likes teenagers, I got it. ( )

Summary: The Badger Lord of the mountain fortress Salamandastron faces the overwheming forces of the Corpsemakers led by Ferahgo the Assassin and his son Klitch while Redwall Abbey is laid low by a deadly fever.

In this fifth book in the Redwall we are faced with the possibility of the fall of the mountain fortress of Salamandastron to evil forces and the extinction of Redwall Abbey to a deadly plague. So much will hinge on the actions of a few creatures we follow through the story.

The story begins with the restlessness of Mara, the young ward of the Badger Lord of Salamandastron, Urthstripe. She chafes under the discipline of the mountain fortress, and wanders off with Pikkle, a rogue hare with a huge appetite. They meet up with a couple of weasels who seem friendly enough that Mara invites them to dinner. Hospitality prevails but Urthstripe is suspicious and forces them to leave with the morning. He is right to do so, because they are spying out the fortress for Ferahgo the Assassin, an evil weasel who heads up a large band known as the Corpsemakers. One of them is Klitch, Ferahgo’s son, second in command, itching to take over. Mara resents Urthstripe’s coldness to her new friends and decides to run away. She is joined by Pikkle, they meet up with her weasel “friends” who take them to Ferahgo where they are held captive and questioned about the “treasure” in the mountain. They know nothing of this. Ferahgo sets his sights on conquest, eventually besieging, attacking, and through a secret agent, poisoning the food and water in the mountain.

Meanwhile, two stoats from Ferahgo’s group, unhappy with their lot, go wandering in the forests and find their way to Redwall. The Abbey, hospitable to all, welcomes them and the join a feast. That night, a storm descends, and a lightning strike looses the sword of Martin the Warrior that had been affixed to the weathervane, nearly killing Samkin the squirrel, who has been having dreams about Martin. They place it in the Great Hall by Martin’s Tapestry. The next morning the stoats are fooling with arrows in the hall and accidentally kill a brother. They flee, but before escaping, spy the sword, which they take to present to Ferahgo. Samkin and Arula the molemaid go in pursuit, only to find one dead along the way. They encounter a hermit, Furgle, who tells them it is Dry Ditch fever. They press on while Furgle goes to warn the Abbey. Too late. The sickness is spreading throughout the Abbey. Legend has it only the Flowers of Icetor in the North Mountains can cure the sickness. So Thrugg the otter, accompanied by Dumble the Dormouse set off to find the flowers, braving an attack of crows, only to find the flowers guarded by a majestic golden eagle, King MacPhearsome.

Meanwhile, Mara and Pikkle escape, and through a series of adventures join with an army of shrews. Samkin and Arula eventually join another group of shrews and recapture the sword. The groups face a lake serpent, Deepcoiler and a fearsome white badger who holds a stone sacred to the shrews. Eventually all go to relieve the beseiged forces of Salamandastron. Will they make it in time and defeat such a wily foe? And will Samkin and Arula find anyone alive should they make it back to the Abbey?

Jacques offers a clear contrast throughout the story between good and evil–courage, camraderie, hospitality, and integrity on one side and treachery, backbiting, servitude, and betrayal on the other. Even amid challenges, there is the love of goodness, of friends, and of food. Once again, Jacques creates a strong female character in Mara, as ready and courageous in battle as her guardian Urthstripe. And in a theme that has developed in these stories, the spirit of Martin continues to watch over the Abbey. ( )

Salamandastron gets more of the focus than Redwall this time, as you'd expect from the title. It's a few decades after the adventures of Mariel in the last book. We get to see the mountain under siege for a change rather than the abbey, defended by its badger lord and the Long Patrol of course, and we learn a lot more about its structure and fortifications. The father-son pair of villains is an interesting dynamic and rivalry, reflecting the father-daughter badger relationship on the other side of the contest.

This fifth Redwall outing features a lot of different things going on, so many that (reading one chapter to my son each day) we kept experiencing the feeling of "oh yes, forgot about those characters" as we cycled through them. It feels like more than the usual number of simultaneous quests. If we'd been reading faster this probably would have been okay. I've long been conscious of Brian Jacques gift for description but this time I paid closer attention. Any prospective author could do worse than take him as a model, it's well above the norm for today's YA market. I'm beginning to surrender my critique about his repetitiveness from one volume to the next. He's found the trick of building a fondness for those things in the reader, rather than exasperating them: from the constant eating to the stock villains to the happy reunions, instead of rolling my eyes I find myself looking forward to them each time. The series remains consistently solid. ( )

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Salamandastron

Ferhago the Assassin has set his eyes on Salamandastron. He is convinced treasure lies within the mountain’s depths. His son tricks Mara and her friend Pikkle into leaving the safety of Salamandastron to use as leverage. But Ferhago will find that the young badger and hare are not so easily kept captive. Meanwhile, across Mossflower Woods, Martin the Warrior’s sword is stolen from Redwall Abbey by members of Ferhago’s crew. Samkin the squirrel and Arula the molemaid set off to retrieve the Abbey sword, inevitably crossing paths with Mara and Pikkle. Together they must find a way to aid Salamandastron.

It was refreshing to see a squirrel wielding the sword of Martin the Warrior. The heroes of Redwall have all been mice up until Salamandastron. As each woodland creature has its own way of approaching situations, having a squirrel's perspective was a welcome change. Samkin is a skilled marksman but does not put his talent to good use. He and Arula are often found shooting arrows as pranks and landing themselves in trouble. But when Martin's sword is stolen, he and Arula do not hesitate to track down the thieves. And in doing so, they will overcome their mischievous ways and find themselves on their paths to becoming heroes.

While Redwall Abbey is an integral part of Salamandastron, the focus stays rooted in the characters tied to the mountain. Ferhago is a devious foe, willing to play the long game to win. He has many tricks up his sleeve and could care less if he is dishonorable in his victories. The solidarity and determination of the Salamandastron squad will encourage readers to cheer them on and weep alongside those who lose companions. The battle of good versus evil ensues as heroes young and old rise up against their vermin foes.

And while this time around no one is seeking to capture Redwall Abbey, a new unexpected threat lies in wait for the peaceful creatures. A sickness begins to spread, one that Brother Hollyberry has nothing to cure. And while it seems as if another plot would overtax the storyline, it gives readers a respite from the battles taking place at the mountain. Building a new form of tension as creatures succumb to the sickness awaiting the discovery of a cure.

Salamandastron breaks the mold of the previous Redwall books and yet still immerses readers in a wonderful tale filled with heroes, quests, and found family. The fifth book of the Redwall series provides a healthy dose of Redwall lore, wholesome adventure, and great characters. Readers will be sure to enjoy this fast-paced installment of the Redwall series. ( )

I first read the Redwall books years ago and I still enjoy them when I recently re-read them. I love the world building and the creativity with which these animals were anthropomorphized. The level of description is really well done and very detailed. So adventurous and so very entertaining. ( )