Promotional Information

A wonderful adventure in the best-selling Redwall series, reissued with a fantastic new cover look.

About the Author

Date- 2002-09-03Brian Jacques was born and bred in Liverpool. At the age of fifteen he went to sea and travelled the world. He worked as a stand-up comedian and playwright and hosted his own programme, Jakestown, on Radio Merseyside. His bestselling Redwall books have captured readers all over the world and won universal praise. He died in 2011.Brian's writing career began in earnest with playwriting. His three plays, Brown Bitter, Wet Nellies and Scouse have all been performed at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre. Brian wrote his first book, Redwall, for the children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind. He first came into contact with the children through delivering milk to the school. He started reading books to them but saw that the stories were not sufficiently firing the kids' imaginations. He decided to try a story of his own. "I didn't have a typewriter and I was skint, so I went and bought dozens of 30p pads and sat up all night. Brian was signed up on the spot for the first five Redwall adventures. The series has proved phenomenally successful throughout the world. There are over seven million copies of the 14 Redwall books in print. They are published in 19 countries and 16 languages. In the year 2000, The Legend of Luke remained on the New York Times bestseller list for six weeks, while Lord Brocktree was there for over 17 weeks. A TV animation of Redwall has been created by Nelvana Productions. There has even been an opera version! Brian's first book for Puffin marks an exciting new direction for this compelling author. Castaways of the Flying Dutchman is every bit as gripping as a Redwall. In 1620, a young mute boy named Neb is "shanghied to sail on The Flying Dutchman". The ship's captain is an evil, godless man with the power of life and death over everyone on board. The Flying Dutchman is not a ship for the faint of heart! Although most of the characters in the novel are human, there are two particularly strong animal heroes; Den, Neb's talking black Labrador; and Horatio, the ship's sardine-obsessed cat.

Reviews

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 Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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.)

Not since Roald Dahl have children filled their shelves so compulsively * The Times *
He is a wonderful storyteller, immersed in his own kingdom * Guardian *