This is the second in the Redwall series but is a prequel to the first book, Redwall.
The wildcat overlords, Verdauga, Tsarmina, and Gingivere, are exacting a reign of terror on Mossflower and its environs. Many of the residents have fled to hideout in Mossflower woods, leaving the wildcats and their vermin horde to worry about who’s going to do all the farming as food supplies are running low. Verdauga is hatching a plan to try and capture the Woodlanders in order to enslave them and grow food for the castle residents. Needless to say, the Woodlanders have no interest in this plan.
The resistance is lead mostly by Skip the Otter and Lady Amber of the squirrels. They are headquartered at Brockhall, Bella the Badger’s ancestral home. Soon a new hero emerges, Martin, a mouse from north, who sets out on a quest to get help for the Woodlanders and to end the tyranny once and for all.
What is disappointing about this book is how bored I was. There’s a lot of subplots that don’t develop into anything major. It very much has the feel of an outline that was fleshed out enough to be published. Having read Redwall, I knew what the author was trying to show the origins of, but it wasn’t done well. Until Martin and his pals start their quest, it’s just a bunch of tit-for-tat battles between the woodlanders and the villains. Even then, Martin isn’t developed enough as a character to really carry the plot himself.
I wouldn’t recommend this book if you’re just starting out with Redwall. I think you really need to know the series better before tackling this one. The only thing that got me through this reading was knowing that there are better books to come. This would be one I might suggest doing on audiobook because you could do something else while listening to keep the boredom at bay.
