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djlong59's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
twilliamson's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Mariel of Redwall is a pretty frustrating entry in the Redwall series, with some of the coolest bits in any of the early books while simultaneously struggling with poor pacing and dull plot beats. It oscillates wildly from great action and tension to rote journeying and adventure.
Let's start with the bad: Gabool is a great character largely wasted in the background to the rest of the book's plot, which serves to cheapen some of the overall effect of the story. Whereas previous entries featured strong villains at the forefront of the story, Gabool is given some really interesting character traits while forgotten for a solid fifty percent of the narrative. Compounding the poor utilization of characters is the book's major mouse warrior from Redwall, Dandin, who is one of the most boring warrior archetypes in the series to date. The titular Mariel stands out as an interesting character in her own right, but she is quickly overshadowed by many other characters with richer interactions or stronger moments of action. Most damningly, the whole middle-third of the book is a slog of boring "adventure" as Mariel and friends make their way through the heart of Mossflower on their way to Gabool's Terramort Isle.
But for all the tedium of Mariel's journey, the book introduces a whole lot to love. The book's hook is a lot of fun, and the primary conflict between Gabool and Graypatch opens up a corsair plot that is a genuine delight. The high seas adventures of Graypatch and Gabool's fleet is great fun, leading into one of the coolest siege battles against Redwall in any of the first four books. Jacques also expands on the roles of Salamandastron and the Long Patrol in a way we haven't seen since Mossflower, and if the previous book was a promise, Mariel of Redwall is the delivery. The back third of the book is propulsive story telling, full of high seas adventure and a couple of heart-stopping action sequences that are some of the best in the whole series.
Even twenty years after I first read this book, I vividly remember the pulse-pounding excitement I felt at the storming of Fort Bladegirt or in the last stand of Colonel Clary's Long Patrol. Although I didn't remember these parts belonging specifically to this book, I definitely remembered the story beats--and that fills me with tremendous joy these twenty years later.
But for all that I love the final third of the book, it is still saddled with a dull roadtrip and stock characters that don't quite stand out from what came before. I think it's tragic that some of my favorite parts of the series came from this book, but I didn't remember that it was Mariel of Redwall that delivered the goods. I think that's because so much of the rest of the book was such a chore to read, leaving me conflicted on how I should really feel about this book.
My resulting evaluation of Mariel of Redwall is that it is a flawed adventure that occasionally manages to break out and deliver some deeply satisfying moments. Taken as a whole, the book feels clumsy and unrefined, but I also think I'm willing to accept its flaws on the strength of what it does best.
Let's start with the bad: Gabool is a great character largely wasted in the background to the rest of the book's plot, which serves to cheapen some of the overall effect of the story. Whereas previous entries featured strong villains at the forefront of the story, Gabool is given some really interesting character traits while forgotten for a solid fifty percent of the narrative. Compounding the poor utilization of characters is the book's major mouse warrior from Redwall, Dandin, who is one of the most boring warrior archetypes in the series to date. The titular Mariel stands out as an interesting character in her own right, but she is quickly overshadowed by many other characters with richer interactions or stronger moments of action. Most damningly, the whole middle-third of the book is a slog of boring "adventure" as Mariel and friends make their way through the heart of Mossflower on their way to Gabool's Terramort Isle.
But for all the tedium of Mariel's journey, the book introduces a whole lot to love. The book's hook is a lot of fun, and the primary conflict between Gabool and Graypatch opens up a corsair plot that is a genuine delight. The high seas adventures of Graypatch and Gabool's fleet is great fun, leading into one of the coolest siege battles against Redwall in any of the first four books. Jacques also expands on the roles of Salamandastron and the Long Patrol in a way we haven't seen since Mossflower, and if the previous book was a promise, Mariel of Redwall is the delivery. The back third of the book is propulsive story telling, full of high seas adventure and a couple of heart-stopping action sequences that are some of the best in the whole series.
Even twenty years after I first read this book, I vividly remember the pulse-pounding excitement I felt at the storming of Fort Bladegirt or in the last stand of Colonel Clary's Long Patrol. Although I didn't remember these parts belonging specifically to this book, I definitely remembered the story beats--and that fills me with tremendous joy these twenty years later.
But for all that I love the final third of the book, it is still saddled with a dull roadtrip and stock characters that don't quite stand out from what came before. I think it's tragic that some of my favorite parts of the series came from this book, but I didn't remember that it was Mariel of Redwall that delivered the goods. I think that's because so much of the rest of the book was such a chore to read, leaving me conflicted on how I should really feel about this book.
My resulting evaluation of Mariel of Redwall is that it is a flawed adventure that occasionally manages to break out and deliver some deeply satisfying moments. Taken as a whole, the book feels clumsy and unrefined, but I also think I'm willing to accept its flaws on the strength of what it does best.
onlylonelystars's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book is full of nostalgia for me, but reading it always makes me hungry. An excellent story! There is some violence.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Weaker than some of the other Redwall books, possibly because none of the characters seem very well-developed. Although action is usually the main point of the Redwall books, there's usually a little time to get to know the characters, and there's less of that here.
thepancreas11's review against another edition
4.0
While Mariel may be my favorite hero thus far, her story is maybe my least favorite of the first four. That's not really a slight--given how obsessed I am with the series--but it felt more like a book to get through than a book to savor. I'm sure some of that comes from the fact that this was my first time reading it--as opposed to reading the others as a kid--but most of it comes down to Gabool the Wild.
Cluny the Scourge was fearsome and exacting. Tsarmina was mad as well as vile. "Mattimeo" had a cunning, vengeful fox and an unnerving sect of ermine-worshipping rats. I mean, just reading that last sentence out loud gave me the willies. Gabool, on the other hand, is at once incompetent, confused, and missing for most of the story. There's no threat from him, no danger. He's holed up on his island while Mariel and her band get more trouble from toads and stunted weasels. None of his plans succeed except in killing his own men, and even then, he seems to command nowhere near the level of respect as his predecessors. I would have liked to have gotten more backstory on him or to have seen him do more than trick a searat captain into stabbing himself to death. Maybe it would have been better to start with him leading the ship that captured Mariel and her father? I think that's what I would have done.
In all fairness, it's clear that "Mariel" tries something new. Jacques is toying with the formula that has worked thus far, including the same arduous journeys, riddles, and descriptions of delicious banquets but now rearranging the parts and the players so that there are significant subplots and a more intricate web of characters and relationships than before. The last stand of the Salamandastron hares and the self-imposed isolation of Bobbo the mouse temper the ending with melancholy notes even more powerful than when the Abbot dies in the original.
I appreciate the effort to try and keep the material fresh. He would have been well within his right to give us the same stuff with different names, but he didn't. It must have been a huge undertaking to keep coming up with new places and new adventures, and I'm grateful that he did.
Cluny the Scourge was fearsome and exacting. Tsarmina was mad as well as vile. "Mattimeo" had a cunning, vengeful fox and an unnerving sect of ermine-worshipping rats. I mean, just reading that last sentence out loud gave me the willies. Gabool, on the other hand, is at once incompetent, confused, and missing for most of the story. There's no threat from him, no danger. He's holed up on his island while Mariel and her band get more trouble from toads and stunted weasels. None of his plans succeed except in killing his own men, and even then, he seems to command nowhere near the level of respect as his predecessors. I would have liked to have gotten more backstory on him or to have seen him do more than trick a searat captain into stabbing himself to death. Maybe it would have been better to start with him leading the ship that captured Mariel and her father? I think that's what I would have done.
In all fairness, it's clear that "Mariel" tries something new. Jacques is toying with the formula that has worked thus far, including the same arduous journeys, riddles, and descriptions of delicious banquets but now rearranging the parts and the players so that there are significant subplots and a more intricate web of characters and relationships than before. The last stand of the Salamandastron hares and the self-imposed isolation of Bobbo the mouse temper the ending with melancholy notes even more powerful than when the Abbot dies in the original.
I appreciate the effort to try and keep the material fresh. He would have been well within his right to give us the same stuff with different names, but he didn't. It must have been a huge undertaking to keep coming up with new places and new adventures, and I'm grateful that he did.
daenknight's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
joanna_banana's review against another edition
3.0
I remember this being one of my favorite of the Redwall books because of Mariel’s story and Hon Rosie and the hares being the women and heroic. It has some good surprises and epic battles like any Redwall book. My daughter like the Dibbuns and the hares the best.
bookishlindsay's review against another edition
4.0
Now I feel like I need to research the family trees of the creatures to see who was related.