When the rat pirate Gabool the Wild attacks the mouse-ship carrying Joseph the Bellmaker, he plunders its magnificent bell in a fit of greed, and then pitilessly casts Joseph and his daughter Mariel into the raging sea. After she is rescued and brought to Redwall Abbey, Mariel sets out with three fearless Mossflower companions (and her trusty rope-weapon, the Gullwhacker) to track down Gabool and avenge her father - and thus begins an unforgettable battle!

Summary: Mariel the warrior mousemaid seeks revenge against Gabool, the pirate king, with a company from Redwall, while Redwall fends off a group of pirate fugitives led by rebel Captain Greypatch.

Mariel the mousemaid awakens on the shore of the coast off of Mossflower Wood. She’d been thrown into the sea by Gabool, King of the searats, pirates headquartered in Bladegirt Fortress on Terramort Isle, in the sea to the northwest of Mossflower. Her father, Joseph the Bellmaker and she had been seized enroute to deliver a bell to Lord Rawnstripe, of Salamandastrom. She had nearly defeated Gabool when he attacked her, stunning him. Held by his underlings, she is thrown to the sea, assumed to have drowned. Knocked on the head, she remembers none of this. All she has is a rope, which she uses to fend off ravenous gulls. She dubs herself Storm Gullwacker and her rope Gullwacker.

Delivered from an attack of toads by the Long Patrol of rabbits, Hon. Rosie, Thyme, and Clary, she’s entrusted to Pakatugg the squirrel to take her to Redwall. She parts ways with the self-serving squirrel and decides to make her own way to, encountering Tarquin L Woodsorrel, an eccentric but courageous hare, who takes her there. Welcomed, bathed against her wishes, clothed, and nourished by the inhabitants, she joins in their Jubilee, during which verses are sung that are a prophesy of her–at which her memory is awakened.

She determines to go back to rescue or avenge her father against Gabool. But the companions she has met while at Redwall will not let her go along. Tarquin joins her along with Durry Quill the hedgehog and Dandin, who is carrying the sword of Martin, given him by Simeon the herbalist, prompted by a dream message from Martin. They are guided on the way by old prophecies–when they remember to pay attention to the signs. They survive many adventures, eventually finding their way to Gabool’s refuge.

Mariel is not the only one seeking revenge against Gabool. Separately, Lord Rawnstripe seeks revenge for badgers killed by Gabools searats. When a ship lands he slaughters them all and takes the ship, sailing for Terramort.

Meanwhile, Redwall faces its own challenges. Captain Greypatch, leading a group of searats who seize the Darkqueen after her previous captain, Saltar, is treacherously killed by Gabool who brooks no rivals. Gabool mobilizes his fleet to find the Darkqueen but she lands on the shore of Mossflower wood, capture Pakatugg, and the company, with their oarslaves, make their way to the outskirts of Redwall, deciding that would make a great fortress if they can displace its warriors. As at other times, bereft of their warriors, the residents of Redwall make up in resourcefulness and courage what they lack in might, confounding their enemies, who are dwindling and discontented. A courageous raid by the Long Patrol, now returned, rescues captive mice and Pakatugg, but at a cost.

Gabool is left alone in his fortress, growing increasingly paranoid, hearing the bell ring, not understanding the cryptic markings on it and dreaming of the coming of a giant badger until dream becomes reality and Lord Rawnstripe arrives, as do all the others who would avenge themselves against Gabool. Will any succeed?

I love the strong female characters, particularly the Hon. Rosie, Mother Mellus, and of course, Mariel. They hold their own with the men, and more! The contrast here, as elsewhere between the camaraderies of the Redwallians versus the discord among the evil searats is striking, and how evil self-destroys and consumes its own. The idea of being guided by the prophecies is one worth remembering for Christ-followers. I deeply appreciate the depictions of a clear line between good and evil and the examples of determination and courage. Jacques does all this moving back and forth between the different plotlines as we move toward climax and resolution.

I also love the joy in the commonplaces of food and drink. It occurred to me to wonder if the dishes described have been collected in a cookbooks with recipes. I discovered they have in the Redwall Cookbook! I wonder if people have Redwall feasts… ( )

excellent - Ruthie

Fourth in publication order, this one lands someplace in time between the legend of Martin and well before Matthias, describing the story of how Redwall Abbey acquired its bell. At this point I'm starting to feel the repetitiveness, and I'm of two minds about it. Again there's long debates over food preparation, young scamps teasing their elders, the nasty braggart villain and his traitorous seconds-in-command, domineering badgers, the lippy hares, etc. It's a little wearing from that perspective, but the winning formula will not be denied. There's plenty of amusing speech in this one, my favourites being the pirate-like searats, the hares of Salamandastron and Durry Quill, making it a fun read-aloud. Every volume has featured infighting among the villains but Greypatch deserves a special honor for being smarter than the average usurper, and he puts up a good struggle against the odds. Martin appears to the Redwallers as a kind of ghostly dream advisor, a favor he doesn't extend to Mattheus down the line.

Once again we're treated to a line-by-line prophecy in poetry that provides both direction to our heroes and a series of riddles, which makes me wonder if we'll ever meet in a future volume one of the characters who composes all this nonsense. Some of the internal consistency of the series is eternally satisfying: Salamandastron and the Abbey continue to earn their prestige as bulwarks against villainy, the hares maintain their solid reliability, etc. While in some ways it feels a lot like the same cast of characters every time under different names, the pleasing familiarity can be relied upon and there's still something fresh in each iteration. I'm actually being more critical than my true opinion warrants: four books in and this is my favourite so far, I think. ( )

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Mariel of Redwall

Joseph the Bellmaker and his daughter Mariel are out at sea when Pirate King Gabool abducts the two mice and seizes their treasure. A great bell created for the badger mountain Salamandastron. After imprisoning the mice aboard his ship, the sea rat soon tires of his captives and throws them overboard. Mariel washes up along the shore, weak but full of warrior spirit. Hungry seabirds see an easy meal, but Mariel fights her way to safety and will soon find herself traveling through Mossflower Woods, to the gates of Redwall Abbey. With the aid of the kind abbey dwellers, Mariel is able to gain back her strength. But the peaceful life is not for Mariel. Her heart is set on striking down Gabool. And so Mariel embarks on her journey to recover the bell of Salamandastron and avenge her father.

While sea rats have been mentioned in prior novels, Mariel of Redwall introduces readers to a first-hand encounter with the pirates. Seeing them in their element out at sea, readers will experience their thirst for conquest and treasure. The rats do not hesitate to capture and enslave innocent creatures. The time spent on the rats’ storylines also emphasizes their evil and willingness to backstab one another. And as the sea rats inevitably clash with Redwall Abbey, readers will be swept up in the desperate fight against foes willing to use dirty tricks to win.

Multiple storylines running parallel to the main plot are a sure find in the Redwall series. This particular writing style allows the reader to have a complete picture of all participating characters and to allow a decent chunk of world-building. My favorite of the side characters this time were the young abbey creatures also known as the dibbuns. Having grown up with tales of Martin the Warrior, they too wanted to become warriors to save their abbey. Not fully understanding the concepts of battle, they would sneak out of their beds during moments of high tension and bring humor into the story with their efforts.

And then there is Mariel who is vastly different from the peaceful creatures of Redwall Abbey. Having been taken captive by Gabool, she is made of sharp edges and is quick to strike out at any who present a threat. Watching her learn the ways of Redwall and travel with creatures from the abbey was quite the adventure. While she may not understand the way her traveling companions think, she isn’t completely closed off to learning their habits. Though the mousemaid will always have the flame of a warrior in her heart. I enjoyed seeing a main character who grew up outside of Redwall and Mariel’s reactions to each new Redwall experience.

Mariel of Redwall once again brings together the battle of good versus evil. With a hearty dose of friendship and adventure, this delightful tale would be a good starting point for readers interested in the fantasy genre. ( )