About
About the book: The fourth book published in the bestselling Redwall series, Mariel of Redwall is definitely my favorite (followed closely by Redwall and Martin the Warrior). It is the tale of a brave young mousemaid named Mariel who, while traveling with her father, Joseph, to deliver a great bell to the Badger Lord of Salamandastron, is captured by the pirate lord Gabool the Wild, forced into slavery, and is eventually lost to the sea in a great storm. Despite these hardships, Mariel survives, assuming the name Storm Gullwhacker (traveling with her weapon, a knotted rope that was used to lash her to driftwood during the storm, appropriately named "Gullwhacker" itself), Mariel makes her way to Redwall Abbey. There, she regains her memories and, accompanied by the young mouse "warrior" Dandin, a food-loving hedgehog named Durry Quill, and Tarquin, the lovable but slightly goofy hare, Mariel vows to find her father and defeat Gabool. Like all Redwall books, the tale is filled with multiple sidequests, puzzling riddles, treachery and betrayal, and prophecies. However, it has the benefit of being the first Redwall book to feature a strong heroine as the protagonist, and Mariel and Dandin were such intriguing characters as to be counted among the few Redwall characters to appear in more than one book--their adventure continues in The Bellmaker. This book is a truly marvelous and riveting read, and I highly recommend it.

About the series: The Redwall series is one of the best, most well-written and highly enjoyable fantasy-adventure series ever written, comparable to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis. The series has spanned over sixteen books and twenty years, and author Brian Jacques never fails to draw the reader in with his highly imaginative tales of heroic mice and other woodland creatures and their valiant struggles against the forces of evil. The true beauty of the Redwall series is, like its protagonists, it is simple and unassuming on the surface, but ferocious inside. The stories are written out of cronological order and span several generations of Redwallers, so you could pick up any book in the series and not be confused. The Redwall books are truly one of the hidden gems of the fantasy genre!

About the site: I decided to open this fanlisting because, although I've loved so many of the Redwall books, when I re-read Mariel a few months ago, something about it struck me as special. Whether it's Mariel's attitude, Dandin's boyish charm, or Hon Rosie's laugh, Mariel invigorated me in a way that I can't describe. For some inexplicable reason, it reminded me of Final Fantasy IX, my favorite of the games...that might have been it. But, in any case, my fandom for this book went so nuts that I decided, "It needs a fanlisting!" As for the name...well, anyone who has read the book will understand the name. ^_^ I really couldn't help myself.