Redwall

With the exuberance of Matthias and the mice of Redwall Abbey, this audio dramatization projects great enthusiasm, charm and dedication. The ensemble, which includes author Brian Jacques taking the role of narrator and nearly 20 actors, creates the lively fantasy, featuring the valiant Redwall mice, their woodland friends and wicked rat enemies. Styled as a radio-play, the program captures an immediacy as each character speaks in turn. There's a strong sense of real-time recording. The accents, all quite British--full of character and having great charm--may take some getting used to for young American ears. Details and subtleties will be revealed with each replay, making the performance even richer. This full-cast presentation offers a dramatic contrast to the single-voice reading by Ron Keith (Recorded Books). There will be some who prefer to experience the Redwall story with Keith's more subtle approach, but the energy of this cast is infectious. While it won't be everyone's cup of acorn tea, try listening to this saga of Redwall through speakers rather than headphones, and entertain a crowd. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


The tales in Jacques's immensely popular Redwall series, tales are set in an abbey populated by talking animals who behave like medieval warriors, scoundrels, peasants, etc. This presentation features the author himself as the main narrator; but a large cast plays all of the characters save one. Jacques's voice has shades of his native Liverpool in it--it's gruff, yet expressive, and even friendly. The cast is generally well chosen, and they're having such a good time that their fun delights the listener. D.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

June 1, 1987
Only the lost sword of Martin the Warrior can save Redwall Abbey from the evil rat Cluny and his greedy horde. The young mouse Matthias (formerly Redwall's most awkward novice) vows to recover the legendary weapon. In the course of his quest, Matthias forges strong ties with various local animals. As much as the magic of the sword, it is the help of these new friends that enables Matthias to defeat Cluny once and for all. Jacques's clever use of detail creates an animal world as compelling as that of The Wind in the Willows. From the beginning, each of Redwall's characters is endowed with a unerringly distinct personality: there is a powerful badger named Constance; a mute squirrel named Silent Sam, who knows the forest better than anyone; and his mother Jess, a champion climber who leads a splendid rescue of a piece of the abbey's tapestry. This epic adventure contains elements of all grand quests, with heroic archetypes that will keep fans of Tolkein and King Arthur tales engaged to the final battle. Illustrations not seen by PW. All ages.