The Legend of Luke

[theradicalchild]

The Legend of Luke by Brian Jacques
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This Redwall prequel opens with Trimp the hedgemaid wandering the woodlands of Mossflower Country, when she meets two older hedgehogs from Redwall Abbey, Ferdy and Coggs. She goes to the Abbey where Martin, son of Luke, lives, depressed and yearning to return to the place he was born. Thus, Martin embarks with Trimp, Gonff the Prince of Mousethieves, and Dinny Foremole, first visiting a camp belonging to vermin known as the Flitchaye. Here, they rescue a squirrel Dibbin (basically, a very young inhabitant of the Redwall universe), from captivity, the youngling named Chugger.

The travelers meet others such as Beau the hare, traveling on the vessel Honeysuckle, before coming to a place known as the Arfship, part of a larger ship lodged between a cliff’s sides. Here, Vurg the mouse, an old friend of Luke, tells Martin the tale of his legendary father, which occurs chronologically after Lord Brocktree but before Martin the Warrior. Luke eventually comes into conflict with a pirate stoat named Vilu Daskar, who commands the large vessel Goreleech, Luke himself ultimately commandeering a clipper of his own he names the Sayna, after his beloved wife.

The second portion of The Legend of Luke ends with the eponymous character’s capture into slavery and slave rebellion, with the third part detailing Martin’s return journey to Redwall Abbey, in the book’s time still in construction, after hearing about his patriarch. Overall, this is another enjoyable Redwall tale, although as with its predecessors and successors both chronologically and in publication order, it adopts a black-and-white stance on the nature of specific animals, species such as mice, otters, and squirrels inherently good, and others such as foxes, stoats, and rats inherently bad. Even so, younger audiences are sure to appreciate this yarn.

View all my reviews