Product Description

Worried about his daughter Mariel, Joseph the Bellmaker is led by a dream from Redwall Abbey to Southsward, where he becomes caught up in the battle between Squirrelking Gael and the vicious Foxwolf Nagru. Reprint. AB.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15361 in Books
• Published on: 1996-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Amazon.com Review
Vicious Foxwolf, Urgan Nagru--a fox who long ago discovered the body of a wolf and skinned it to wear as his own--is holding the young Mariel and Dandin captive. The pair are at the mercy of the evil despot and have only one hope of survival. But can they really count on the legendary freedom fighter, Martin the Warrior, to come to their rescue?

The Bellmaker fairly boils over with passion, intrigue, and adventure. A true page-turner, the heat is immediately turned to high, and never cools until the close of the very last chapter. Brian Jacques's skill lies in creating fantastical yet believable characters, placing them in an extraordinary yet convincing setting and then letting loose with a flood of imagination that takes the breath away. One of the best writers of our time, Jacques comes through once again for his readers in this remarkable tale of good triumphing over evil. --Susan Harrison

From Publishers Weekly
For the seventh volume of the Redwall series, Jacques sticks to the tried-and-true formula-action aplenty and a huge cast of woodland creatures-that has won him such a dedicated following. When the merciless Foxwolf Urgan Nagru and his mate, the scheming vixen Silvamord, oust good Gael Squirrelking from the throne of Southsward, Mariel the Warriormaid and her companion Dandin-two adventuresome wandering mice from Redwall Abbey-join forces with those forest denizens still loyal to their king. Meanwhile, back at the Abbey, a prophetic dream inspires Mariel's father to round up a party to search for his daughter. Comic relief-as well as a touch of tragedy-is provided by a pair of uncouth and piratical rats as a seemingly endless stream of cliff-hangers and dazzling combat winds its way through lovingly described forest feasts. The author must be commended for creating a world of equal-opportunity adventuring, in which female creatures can be just as courageous (or as diabolical) as their male counterparts, but the characterizations are broadly drawn. Despite their well-delineated quirks, foibles and quaint speech patterns ("Zurr, thurr'm a gurt 'ole in ee shipper 'ere"), "nobeast" really grows or changes much in this neck of the woods. Ages 9-up. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4 Up?Fans of Jacques's books will be delighted to see this one hit the shelves. The story has four distinct settings: Castle Floret, where a fox dressed in a wolf skin rules as the Urgan Naguru, chief of the Horderats; Mossflower Abbey, where two infants befriend Blaggut, a surprisingly gentle Searat; Southsward, where a band of river otters and moles fight to protect the Squirellqueen Serena and her son Truffen; and the bounding main, where the title character, Joseph the Bellmaker, and his band of Redwall adventurers join forces with sea otter Finnbarr Galedeep, skipper of the Pearl Queen, to search for Joseph's daughter Mariel. With the exception of the Redwall Abbey folks, all points converge at Castle Floret for a grand battle, with fights to the finish for the bad guys, and a grand celebration feast for the victors. This is storytelling at its best. Adventures abound, and with them comes heartache. Not every beast survives to the end of this story, and Jacques is wise enough not to perform too many miracles. Characters are easily identified by their speech and the rabbits, with their "toodle pip, wot?" are a positive delight. It is not necessary to have read any other Redwall books to make sense of this one, though new readers will undoubtedly demand the other titles after finishing it.?Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Nothing said about this book can do it justice!
I loved this book! I have read all of them and I have to say, I think this is the best one of all! The character development is excellent and you feel as if you know everybody even if you haven't read any of the others. Truly, an amazing feat. This is also one of the only books that was able to make me cry, and believe me, that's a big task. Everyone should read this book, especially if they want to get into the series.

The Bellmaker
Online Book Review The Bellmaker is one of ten books in the Redwall series. Joseph, the Bellmaker, is the main character. He has a daughter Mariel that he hasn't seen for a year. Mariel is off with her friend Dandin, they are both warriors. Mariel and Dandin came across a castle one day, that was once owned by King Gael. It had been taken over by Urgan Nagru, the foxwolf, and Silvermold. They had hords of rats with them and they basically took over everything. Mariel and Dandin would do anything to rid of the Foxwolf, and his wife, but they didn't have enough people to defeat them. While this was going on, the Bellmaker had a dream. In his dream Martin the Warrior, the best warrior in Redwall's history, said that the Bellmaker must gather four certain people from Redwall and go Southward. He had know idea what this meant, but he had to do as he was told. It was an old legend that Martin appears in your dreams that something was wrong. Nobody would dare to disobey Martin. Little did the Bellmaker know that he would meet many warriors on the way to Southward, and even more important, Southward was where his daughter was, and these warriors would come with him to join he and his daughter to battle Urgan Nagru. I wont tell the ending, because I haven't finished the book myself. All I can say is that so far, it is one of the best books I've ever read!

Eulaliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! (That Means It Was Good)
Amazing! This book was even better than Redwall and the Outcast of Redwall! It has everything you could expect from a Redwall novel: Evil, Action, Adventure, Humor, and Mouthwatering Food. The plot is as follows: Mariel and Dandin, along with a new friend called Major Meldrums, are in serious trouble. They were caught while resisting the evil Foxwolf, Urgan Nagru, his mate Silvamord, and their hordes. So, when Martin the Warrior visits Joseph, Mariel's father, in a dream, and tells him to help Mariel along with four other Redwallers, Joseph sets out immediately. The Redwall Rescue Team makes a new friend in Finnbar, a sea otter, who steals his old ship back from searats. They journey to Southsward, the beautiful land that Foxwolf has taken over. There they encounter toads, warrior hedgehogs, and (gasp) Foxwolf. Can they save Mariel, Dandin, and Meldrums in time? Read the book to find out. I recommend this book to Redwall readers, fantasy readers, and just plain readers.