If you don't like complicated battles, mysterious poems, and small creatures, DON'T read this book!It's full of them1 Mariel of Redwall is about a young mouse maid(Mariel) who is shipwrecked with her father on the island of the horrible fort housing Gabool the Wild, King of Searats. But she is washed away again to the shores of Redwall Abbey. There Mariel is taken into care for she has no memory of the past. Then she remembers everything and makes an oath to find her father and slay Gabool. Mariel sets out-accompinied by her friends from the Abbey- on a journey that teaches her wit, skill, love and courage. At some parts in the book you're at home in the Abbey and in others your leading a great war. It fills you with relaxation and excitement, love and anger. There are funny parts and intense imagery. This book is full of life!

The fourth book in the Redwall series delivers another powerful and moving tale from the master of animal fantasy, Brian Jacques. A sequel to Mossflower, Mariel takes place a few generations after the Outcast of Redwall. In this installment, The main character is Mariel. Mariel is a warrior maid. She can fight like a badger lord (Who appeares later in the book.) She lives to kill Gabool, lord of the searats. (Ublaz without the hypnotism.) There's just one problem, she can't remember who she is. With the help of the Long Patrol, Mariel finds her way to Redwall, where she quickly recovers her memory, and sets out to deal justice to the vile searat Gabool. Joining her on her quest is Dandin, a descendant of GONFF the mousethief, Tarquin L Woodsorrel a Salamandastron hare, and Durry Quill nephew of the Redwall Cellerkeeper. Together with a cast of hundreds, Mariel packs a lot of excitement into what otherwise would be a remake of Mossflower with different characters and destination. Mariel is also Jacques most well-written work, and the basis for Martin the Warrior, (a story told to Abbot Saxtus and several other mariel veterans) and the sequel, The Bellmaker. After reading it over twenty times, I must say that this book, and every other book in this series is a tribute to it's creator, Brian Jacques.

In the beginning, a hopeless mouse was thrown into the sea to drown. The mouse's name was Mariel, but after she hit land where Redwall stood her memory went blank. She was tied to a rope and used the rope to defend herself against a bird that attacked her. She named herself Storm Gullwacker since she came from a storm and she whacked a gull with the rope she was bound to. Eventually she made it to Redwall with some help and found her true identity, Mariel. She was determined to find and kill the one who ruined her life and to find her father, the bell maker. What she was up against was the king of sea rats, Gabool the Wild. Her friends, a mouse, a squirrel, a hedgehog and a mole, who are determined to help her on this quest, would be there when needed. Mariel is a maiden with the heart of a warrior, and her friends also develope that warrior character and became warriors. Another book by Brian Jacques is The Bellmaker, the story of the father of Mariel and the whole series of Redwall books. The mood of the book is angry and in other parts the mood is peaceful. In the beginning of the book, the setting is an ocean, later on it's a forest setting, mostly the whole book either has and ocean setting or a forest setting. The genre of the book is action and adventure, and some mystery. I personally liked this book because it keeps you wondering what's going to happen next and it has a lot of battles and rivalry. I think the kind of person that would like this book is one who likes to read about medieval times and a person that likes mystery and battles all in one. The age rating I would think is 10 and up.

I will admit that I was looking for a book to keep me up all night, but instead I found a slightly eerie, yet funny book about ghosts and vampires.
The best story is "The Fate of Thomas P. Kanne".
Bottom line:
It was good, but I've read scarier.

Having enjoyed reading the Redwall series of books by the same author, I started this book with high expectations. While the seven stories all have interesting and unexpected twists and an odd sense of humor, I ultimately found the book unsatisfying. The Redwall books are stories about good triumphing over evil. In Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales, the best you could say about the stories is that bad things happen to bad people. The characters are either bad people, or good people who are victimized by the bad people. For this reason, I found it hard to relate to any of the characters. And unlike Jacques' other books, there are no heroic figures fighting on the side of good. If this book is meant to help instill positive values in younger readers, it would be by frightening them with supernatural consequences of being bad, rather than providing positive role models.

This a totally cool book. perfect for campfires. all of these stories are eery, spooky, or hilarious. In my opinion, his other books also rock the house. I've read every one. if you don't buy this, you should check it out of the library and take the time to read it. I especially praise "Jamie and the Vampire". Hillariously funny! I also liked "Thomas P. Kanne". This scared the crap out of me! If you can't get hold of this book then buy it.Definetly your loss if you don't read it.

Also the author of the Redwall series, Brian Jacques creates yet another thrilling story that will keep kids of all ages on the edge of their seats. A fourteen year old, scraggly, thin boy, named Neb, and his faithful companion, a black dog, Ben, get trapped on a ship, the Flying Dutchman, with an obsessed captain, Vanderdecken. In a violent storm, the ship sinks, but Neb and Ben are rescued by an angel. After two hundred years, the odd couple end up in a small, remote village and meet a kind, old widow named Mrs. Winn. She is trying to save her town from being turned into a limestone quarry by the evil and arogant, Mr. Obadaih Smithers. This begins an adventure and mystery for Neb and Ben as they uncover old Byzantine artifacts and mysterious messages, while also trying to stay away from the dangerous Grange Gang. Will Neb and Ben be able to save the village and people of Chaplevale?
I rate this book four stars for its thrilling tale of triumph over evil. Best for kids 11-15 years old.

Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, written by Brian Jacques author of Redwall, is pretty good. A boy and his dog are saved buy a guardian angel after almost dying after being onboard the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship later said to haunt the sea. Their mission is to travel through time helping people and then moving on. The story is pretty good, but the title is a bit misleading. Most of the story revolves around Ned and Ben helping an old woman prove that she owns the land in a village about to be destroyed. The story is cleverly written, and very descriptive.

I think that it will be enjoyed by Redwall fans, as well as fans just trying out Brian for the first time. Teens and adults would enjoy this book.

This book is anything but what I expected, and better! I had never read the Redwall series, or anything else by Brian Jaques for that matter, and yet when I saw this book I decided to give it a try. I love stories of shipwrecks and survival on the ocean, but this book is so much more!
Jaques divides the book into three parts: the shipwreck, the fisherman, and Chapelvale. The first part introduces a nameless young mute who finds the companionship of a black Labrador on the legendary Flying Dutchman. The raucous crew gives the sandy-haired boy the name "Neb" and the dog is named "Den" (short for Denmark). As the bond between these two speechless comrades grows, the Flying Dutchman becomes unsteadier on the waves. Just as the legend goes, the shipmates of the Dutchman are destined to roam the seas forever because of the blasphemy of their captain. However, an angel who recognizes their pure hearts and good intentions saves the boy and dog. They are both given speech and eternal youth. Learning that their fate is to seek out and help those in need around the world, Neb and Den set out on their adventure.
Late in the 18th century, Neb and Den's travels bring them to Chapelvale, a small, rural town where many things are hidden. Many strange occurrences have been haunting Chapelvale lately. Befriending several outcasts of the town the boy and his dog set out to solve the mysteries that plague the town's people.
This book has many twists and turns and will leave you guessing until the end. What appears to be a simple book about a shipwreck turns out to be a seat-gripping mystery. I can only say that this book deserves as much credit as Redwall, if not more.

In this short booklet, one will get to know all the who's who and what's where of the otter tribes of Mossflower country! The beautiful poster that accompanies the booklet has full-color illustrations of all the most important otters in the Redwall saga. Inside the booklet, short histories of the otter VIPs, along with explainations of what a "holt" is, and why "hullabaloos" are so important to the otters, will make you an otter expert!
Oh, and the recipe for "shrimp and hootroot" soup is well worth the price!!

We bought this for our library collection... and there is nothing in the description to show that this is a flimsy paperback "guide" (glued to a piece of cardboard that cannot be circulated) to the Redwall characters and a large poster. The poster is pretty, but this is not at all what we thought we were getting. I would give this less than one star if it were possible

My kids love Redwall. If your's do to, this is a good companion. The poster is pretty neat. I also recommend books by Robert Stanek, Kingdoms and the Elves, the Elf Queen and the King. A Series of Unfortunate Events Books. Other books by Robert Stanek.

this book is great. The packet isn't much, but the poster is awesome. It includes the most important charachters (good and bad guys). It has beautiful artwork and shows the sword of Martin, which I was curious about. It's GRRRRRREAT!!!!!!