Product Description

On the shore of the Eastern Sea, in a cold stone fortress, a stoat named Badrang holds dozens of innocent creatures as slaves, part of his scheme to build an empire where he will rule as unquestioned tyrant. Among those slaves is a mouse named Martin who has a warrior’s heart and a burning desire for freedom—freedom not only for himself, but for all of Badrang’s victims. There is no risk he will not take, no battle he will not fight, to end the stoat’s evil reign and in the process regain the sword of his father, Luke the Warrior—the sword that Badrang stole from him when he was but a lad!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102134 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Amazon.com Review
Bedrang the Stoat has his evil eyes set on ruling over his own empire, and will do anything to make sure that his ultimate fantasy is fulfilled. But little does he realize that the quiet, nameless mouse he is holding captive will one day turn out to be the heroic and fearless Martin the Warrior.

Brian Jacques uses the full force of his stunning storytelling talent to unravel the mystery and adventure that unfolds in this tale of Redwall as a quiet little mouse refuses to bow down to a tyrant and bids to fight for freedom at any cost. Brimming with cutthroat skullduggery and intellectual intrigue, Martin the Warrior is a mountainous tale that introduces the ethos and passions of Redwall with a host of well-drawn characters, each with their own Achilles' heel, making them feel as real as they are magical. --Susan Harrison

From Publishers Weekly
The brilliantly complex sixth installment in the Redwall fantasy-adventure series freshens up the notion of swashbuckling by honoring courage of a nonviolent sort. Young mousemaid Rose and her mole companion Grumm have traveled far from Noonvale to rescue Rose's brother Brome from slavery in the evil fortress Marshank, ruled by the tyrant stoat Badrang. Martin, the warrior mouse, himself enslaved at Marshank for most of his young life, teams up with Rose and other peace-loving creatures to end Badrang's tyranny. Studded with vibrant and distinct animal characters, Jacques's classically inspired "in-another-part-of-the-forest . . . " plot-weaving achieves virtuosity as moments of sensitivity shake his fierce heroes off their warrior paths. A female character emerges as the story's guiding star; outshining even Martin, she vanquishes foes with her beautiful singing and with reason. An excellent adventure with an enlightened conscience. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-Jacques adds another tale to his Redwall fantasy series. This is the story of Martin as a brash young mouse and so precedes both Mossflower (1988) and Redwall (1987, both Philomel). Martin is a prisoner slave in the fortress of the tyrant, Badrang. Escaping with a group of other prisoners, the animals are separated, and spend the rest of the book trying to find one another, mingling with a large cast of colorful characters, good and bad, along the way. Meanwhile, back at the fortress, the evil Badrang is fighting for his life against the equally evil Captain Clogg, who has arrived by sea to try to wrest control. In the end, Martin and his compatriots arrive in time to assure that good triumphs, but only after an almost unbelievable series of swashbuckling episodes and close calls. The story is a complex one with three strains going on simultaneously, and only sophisticated readers will be able to follow it. Jacques writes to a formula of constant action and high adventure as good fights evil. He is able to carry it off because his plots are exciting with lots of tension, and because he is able to establish distinctive and interesting personalities throughout each book. This story carries readers along at a breathless pace and stands well with the others in the series. However, it offers nothing new and is not essential to the enjoyment of the previous books.
Jane Gardner Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Sparticus retold...
If Mossflower was Lord of the Rings, then this is surely Sparticus. In this story, our hero is imprisoned, and when he refuses to bend to the rule of the evil tyrant he is tortured and left to die as a meal for mouse-eating birds. But Martin escapes... and plans his REVENGE.

I have read Redwall, Matimeo, Salamandastron, Mossflower, and Martin the Warrior so far, and my two favorites are Mossflower and Martin the Warrior. In this book we delve even deeper into the origins of the greatest hero of the Redwall series. We find out where he got his sword, who his first love was, and how he freed the slaves of his homeland and ultimately came to wander into the land of Mossflower all alone.

This is a truly epic tale about true love, revenge, loyalty, and the lonely life a true warrior is destined to lead. Superbly written, action-packed, and ultimately deeply sad and heartfelt, this is a book that demands to be read and re-read.

If you enjoyed other books in the series you owe it to yourself to give this one a read. If you liked Mossflower it's a definite must-buy.

A GREAT book. It deserves more than 5 stars!
This book is the best (in my opinion) that I have ever read! It made me laugh, cry, and I sat on the edge of my seat during the battles! When I first started reading it (about sometime during October) I thought it would be stupid. A friend let me borrow it, and strongly recommended it. It took me about a month to get at least 20 pages into the book. Then in two days I finished the rest. I stayed up until even past 2:00 A.M. reading about the battle, and adventure! I strongly recommend this book, but once you get around the last three chapters, get out some tissues! It's really sad- but I won't reveal anything to those of you who haven't read! It is about a young mouse named Martin, who is a slave at Marshank, captured by the evil tyrant Badrang. He sets out with his friends Laterose the mousemaid of Noonvale, and Grumm the mole. They travel to Noonvale (Rose's home) to raise an army. From there Martin's quest continues to get an army and put an end to Badrang, and recover his father's (Luke the Warrior) sword. This book is the absolute BEST of the Redwall series, and in all other books (in my opinion) it has no equal. I STRONGLY recommend reading this tale of adventure, battle, love, and hope that will make you both laugh, and cry. DEFINITELY a must read!

Martin the Warrior
I personally thought that this was the best book in the redwall series. It gives you alot of background information about the most famous mouse in redwall. It is one of the most breathtaking books I have ever read and I hope others find it as great a book as I did. It is a fast pace story that takes you back so you can see the world of many seasons ago through Martin's eyes. It starts out as a flashback like most books do. But then it tells a story like no other.It's a book you just can't put down. So I highly recommend Martin the Warrior.