Loamhedge

Redwall #16

by Brian Jacques

The sixteenth full length Redwall novel sheds light on the Abbey's ancient origins in a thrilling adventure. Loamhedge, the deserted Abbey, has been forgotten for countless seasons. What secrets do it's ruins hold? When it becomes clear that wheelchair-bound Martha might be cured by a formula buried there, two old warriors are inspired by the spirit of Martin the Warrior himself to go on a quest for the ancient Abbey and three young rebels are determined to go with them. Meanwhile. the giant badger Lonna Bowstripe thirsts for vengeance as he relentlessly pursues Raga Bl and his murdering crew of Searats...who are on their way to attack Redwall itself@ The valiant Abbeybeasts must defend their home, but how can they, when their boldest warriors are away on their quest? Will Redwall fall to vermin invaders at last?

A rare glimpse into Redwall's history makes this volume a memorable additional to Jacques' epic. Fans will not be disappointed, and new readers will be eager to jump on board.

About the Author:

Brian Jacques was born in Liverpool, England, in 1939. Growing up on the docks of Liverpool, he attended St. John's School. He went on to work as a radio show host, playwright, longshoreman, lorry driver, folk singer and comedian prior to his career as a writer. The father of two sons, Jacques enjoys walking his West Highland Terrier, Teddy and spends most of his time writing. A new Redwall book is introduced once every year.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Animals, Childrens, Adventure, Middle Grade

Audiobook

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Brian Jacques (pronounced 'jakes') was born in Liverpool, England on June 15th, 1939. Along with forty percent of the population of Liverpool, his ancestral roots are in Ireland, County Cork to be exact.

Brian grew up in the area around the Liverpool docks, where he attended St. John's School, an inner city school featuring a playground on its roof. At the age of ten, his very first day at St. John's foreshadowed his future career as an author; given an assignment to write a story about animals, he wrote a short story about a bird who cleaned a crocodile's teeth. Brian's teacher could not, and would not believe that a ten year old could write so well. When young Brian refused to falsely say that he had copied the story, he was caned as "a liar". He had always loved to write, but it was only then that he realized he had a talent for it.
He wrote Redwall for the children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool, where as a truck driver, he delivered milk. Because of the nature of his first audience, he made his style of writing as descriptive as possible, painting pictures with words so that the schoolchildren could see them in their imaginations. He remained a patron of the school until his death.

Brian lived in Liverpool, where his two grown sons, Marc, a carpenter and bricklayer, and David, a professor of Art and a muralist, still reside. David Jacques' work can be seen in Children's hospitals, soccer stadiums, and trade union offices as far away as Germany, Mexico, and Chile (not to mention Brian's photo featured in most of his books).

Brian also ran a weekly radio show on BBC Radio Merseyside, until October 2006, where he shared his comedy and wit, and played his favourites from the world of opera - he was a veritable expert on The Three Tenors.

When he was wasn't writing, Brian enjoyed walking his dog 'Teddy', a white West Highland Terrier, and completing crossword puzzles. When he found time he read the works of Mario Puzo, Damon Runyon, Richard Condon, Larry McMurty, and P.G. Wodehouse. He was also known to cook an impressive version of his favourite dish, spaghetti and meatballs.

Sadly, Brian passed away on the 5th February 2011.

Reviews

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. I really enjoyed this story, which gives off strong Mattimeo feels… unsurprisingly. I’ve been wanting to know more about Loamhedge since at least book 2 in the series, so it was delightful to FINALLY get answers!

I really enjoyed the characters here! First off, Martha. I really liked Martha. She was quite unlike most of the hares, and such a great protagonist. Also, I’m so confused by why everyone decided this novel was offensive. There was nothing wrong with Martha, physically. Without spoilers, the whole point of the novel is that your mind has control over your body and that what you believe you can or can’t do, you consequently can or can’t do. This isn’t about Martha having spina bifida and suddenly being magically cured because she put her mind to it. I thought the whole story was a great commentary on the power of the mind/thoughts.

Anyways, back to the characters. I know Abruc, Stugg, and the others barely show up (sob) but I loved them (and I wish they featured more!!!). Lonna was such a great badger figure (ok, so maybe he’s basically like every other badger, but I liked how he arrived to rescue the abbey at the nick of time and was much more of a secondary character). Horty was an idiot whom I pretty much hated except for when I liked him, but Springald and Fenna ended up pretty awesome in the end (but to be honest at the beginning I was ready to strangle them all). Bragoon and Sarobando were AMAZING though (their death was so heartbreaking but perfect!). I also really liked how there were two villain bands, instead of just one. Burrad’s gang was hilarious… particularly Little Badredd ;) I mean I know he’s awful but he’s also SO FUNNY. Carrul was such a great Abbott, too. And I felt sorry for poor little Toobledum…

As far as the plot goes, I LOVED IT. The beginning at Redwall was very unique, with the mutiny of H, S, & F; and I was happy to see how that all straightened out as the “teens” learned what life is and matured under trials. The quest for the cure was super cool, and like I said, I got all the Mattimeo feels as the group retraced the journey to Loamhedge. IT WAS SO TOTALLY COOL. Meanwhile, there’s the siege of Redwall, AND THEN THEY ACTUALLY GET INSIDE!!!! And the final battle… !!

Yeah, it’s pretty awesome and I love it. :D

A Favourite Humorous Quote: Bragoon slapped his rudder against the rock floor. “I'll wager ’twas Martin the Warrior[.] He told the badger where t’find Raga Bol, an’ Lonna took off after the villain!”
... Horty chuckled. “I bet old Raggaballoon wotsisname wouldn't be too pleased with Martin, if he knew. Snitchin’ about him to that bally great hulk.”

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

{2025 Reread}

this user is a Flinky apologist. and also Hortwill Braebuck's #1 stan.

(in all seriousness, the "Rose of Redwall" song? the "I'll wait for you there, Sarobando - wouldn't go no place without you" line? this audiobook's been tempting my tears for YEARS)

{2024(?) Reread}

It's ✨a scosh✨ ableist and somewhat poorly paced, but Hortwill Braebuck is possibly my favorite Redwall character ever (?), and the music in the audiobook is just *chef's kiss*

[hedgehog · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't believe I have to be cross about this in a book about talking rodents, but that was some infuriating ableist nonsense!!! Both characters in wheelchairs just... happen to have psychosomatic problems that prevent them from walking and once they are invested in the power of POSITIVE THINKING, they can walk again?! What a horrible lesson to put in a children's book. I'm so disappointed. The blind characters were treated with dignity and respect by the 'good' characters in previous books, so this is doubly revolting. Everyone grabbing Martha's wheelchair willy-nilly and disrespecting her bodily autonomy was horrible, too. Arrrrrgh.

I guess half a star because of the PSYCHIC BADGER, a thing that I hadn't seen previously in Redwall lore and was criminally underused proportionate to how hilarious it was, but ugh.

[Nikki Jeske · Rating 1 out of 5]

My least favorite of all his books. The ableism in this one is hard to get through. It's both hurtful and dangerous in the way disability is written here. So this is my warning for those who might also feel saddened and upset to see wheelchairs described as prisons and mind over body beliefs and miraculous recoveries. This is a book worth skipping and it breaks my heart.

[Joseph Leskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, now this was an absolutely spiffing tale. It was enjoyable and funny and all that rot, and that's all I'll say, to be quite honest.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that the heroes of Loamhedge (two of them, anyway) were old warriors and served as the mentors of the three younger ones. It made the trope of “the heroes of Redwall know everything about fighting despite never going outside the Abbey walls before” much less noticeable. Horty, Fenna, and Springald are inexperienced and rash, and as a result have noticeable character development throughout the book as they journey with Bragoon and Saro.

Although not as good as the Freebooters in Triss, Badredd’s gang are portrayed more sympathetically/comically than other vermin gangs in the Redwall series. Despite their overall inefficiency, they do manage to lay siege to Redwall, and perhaps because of their comic portrayal, all of the named members of the gang that attacked Redwall survive and go off and apparently live off the land for the rest of their lives. Flinky, their Chief when the gang escapes Redwall, is also liked by the rest of the vermin, another rarity. I do enjoy these moments of departure from the Redwall formula, especially in a book that is full of said formula. Also, Ka-chunk!

So, how did Sister Amyl get out of her wheelchair? It seems too unlikely that her and Martha’s inability to walk were both psychosomatic. In fact, the entire “willpower cure” that Bragoon and Sara create seems a bit crass, and not at all representative of actual disabilities. Willpower (or positive thinking) is good and does affect certain areas of your life, but having the message of the book be “through willpower your disability will vanish” seems…shortsighted.

So, the “hares are always hungry” gag was mildly funny for the first few books, but Jacques has really amped it up since then and now it’s only annoying. Horty is not as bad as Scarum, but still quite obnoxious. And speaking of formulas, the shrews were definitely only put in there so that there was a band of shrews with an acronym name.

I’m confused as to why Martha didn’t become Abbess, after all the leading she did during the battle, and Fenna, of all creatures, did.

Raga Bol, another Redwall villain to have the most anticlimactic death ever. I’ve noticed that when badger lords are involved, the villain’s death is always swift and always anticlimactic.

Read more reviews at http://leafsreviews.wordpress.com/

[X · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bad thing about continuing series is that after so many books they begin to become predictable; the good thing is that you can enjoy revisiting the same world. The good thing about Loamhedge was that just when I began to think that it was indeed becoming predictable, its turn of events completely shocked me. It still has the elements of any Redwall book (quests, heroes, a crew of villains), but it is happily unique.
It is the first book that made me feel that Redwall is ancient. Events that happened in earlier books seem to be in the very distant past, and Martin seems perhaps even more of a legendary figure than someone who is remembered as a real mouse (person).
Incidentally, it does not have as much on Loamhedge as one might think from the title, but is nevertheless a good story.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

In traditional Redwall style, I couldn’t finish this book without getting misty-eyed! Always finishes with a heart warming feel-good scene. A great adventure, filled with close calls, cross-country treks, and lots of vermin... but also full of triumph, and mind-over-matter. It went by quickly towards the end, but the story was wrapped up neatly, as usual. Excited to move on to the next one and see how many seasons have passed within the Mossflower universe!

[Cheyenne Langevelde · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book... T_T I knew Loamhedge would be sad, but I didn't expect it to captivate and consequently break my heart as much as it did. It's a beautiful tale, and though I felt the ending seemed rushed compared to the detail everwhere else, it's going to haunt me for quite some time.

Also...when can we have a book about Loamhedge's beginning and downfall? Instead of centuries down the line?

[Kryptomite · Rating 1 out of 5]

[Spoiler – not that I recommend this book] Loamhedge is a book in the Redwall series that doesn’t need to exist at all. The main premise of the book is that two heroes return to Redwall and are destined by Martin and another handicapped ghost to aid a wheel-chair bound maiden in restoring her ability to walk by traveling to Loamhedge. Surprisingly, while on their quest, the maiden regains the ability to walk through her own efforts, nullifying their quest. Yet, they arrive at Loamhedge and find nothing worthwhile, making their quest useless. They even create a fake capsule with a fake letter, and lie to the maiden! But don’t worry, both the heroes die while trying to rescue their group from a boss who has no purpose. Thanks, Martin…

And that brings me to my second issue. The villains in this book are useless, and plenty. There’s one at the start of the book that gets killed, then one that takes over, and is incredibly stupid, yet manages to make his way into Redwall and lay siege against it, one that spends most of the book traveling, only to be a ‘Clooney the scourge’ knockoff, and an extra super mean mutant one that shows up and dies within a single chapter.

Furthermore, none of the villains should have ever troubled anyone at all. The stupid one (Badredd) accesses Redwall through a gate using a sword to pop the lock. Apparently Redwallers don’t give a crap about security because this gate has been an issue for generations, and a prior villain did the same thing to the front gate many books ago. But here Redwall is, besieged by baddies, with no way to defend themselves, because of the evil gate (I’m not even going to get into the fact that Redwall apparently has almost no people inside it, when it should have a huge population to overrun just a few pirates). And the aforementioned ‘boss’ who attacks the questers at Loamhedge was placed there just to kill the two heroes and then die. He didn’t have a purpose.

Loamhedge itself is delivered with an actual asterisk, telling you at the bottom of the page that if you want to know more about it, read a prior book. Oh, okay.

None of the characters are memorable. All are complete stereotypical copies of prior characters. Another hair complains for the entire book that he’s super hungry, over and over. The quest is absurd, the villains were absurd. The plot was terrible. Hate to say it, but this is one of the worst in the series. It's hard to believe its earned a 4 star rating.

[Bernard Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loamhedge never fails to impress, as one of Brian Jacques epic Redwall series. It creates an animal world, where there are no humans. This story revolves around two distant characters: Martha, a chair bound hare who longs to be able to walk and run. Lonna, a badger who seeks to kill Ragbol and his searat crew. Like many Redwall books, there are lots of poetic animals and peaceful scenes. However there are also many violent scenes, Ragbol killing a rat, and Lonna killing numerous searats.

What defines this book, is the language used in different scenarios. Moles have a rough dialect, while mice have a clear voice. Brian Jacques cleverly defines the difference between animals. Poems and songs is what makes Brian Jacques series unique from fantasy stories, as there are plenty of poems and songs scattered throughout the book. This gives a very peaceful mood, as most poems have joy and happiness. Some are ballads, which make a very saddened mood.

With the plot and storyline, this book also has a rare glimpse into Redwall's history, so newer readers will not be confused. One thing I greatly enjoyed was the stereotypical writings of some characters. Teen-aged animals are rebellious and naive, old animals are considerably wiser, rats and vermin are "evil". This helps distinguish main characters and if they are "good" or "evil"

Overall, this book was a fantastic read, and I greatly enjoyed it. There are some complex words, so I would recommend it to over 10 years old. A solid 5/5.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

"If I couldn't walk, but was otherwise in perfect health, and people were willing to go on an adventure through acknowledged dangerous territory to MAYBE find something that MIGHT help me walk again, I would never ask them to go. And anyone who did ask them to risk their lives for that is a monster. This book had the worst premise of perhaps any book I've ever read. Zero stars."

[Nobi Nobes · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really amazing! I thought that Lonna was great!

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar story to the rest of the series - I thought the miracle of the walking hare after being wheelchair bound did not treat the disability with respect.

[Mwai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a sucker for a good old Redwall tale. I wish Brian Jacques were still alive writing more of these.

I vaguely remember reading Loamhedge as a kid. I didn't enjoy the book then as much as other titles I'd read such as Redwall, Martin the Warrior, Marlfox etc. There was an echo of sadness I recalled about the story and the names Bragoon and Sarobando. Little else more.

The sadness hit me hard, it's still there, but also the good cheer, homeliness and songs of Redwall and Mossflower which I appreciate more now. I used to skip the songs as a kid, now they were such a pleasure to read.

Great dialogue also, really amazing, one of the things I liked most about the book. Amazing characters too. Especially enjoyed Horty Braebuck the irrepressible hare.

And that epilogue thing Brian Jacques does where the Abbey Recorder writes of all that's been happening since the end of the story is such a wonderful way to wrap up. Oh man, may I never outgrow Redwall!

'If you, too, are travelling, questing or journeying anywhere, remember this. You will always find a welcome here at Redwall Abbey, young or old.' - Abbey Recorder Springald.

[Meena Gupta-Iwasaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time I've read a Redwall book since middle school, but the world and Brian Jacques writing definitely holds up after all these years! The story was a bit simplistic, conflicts were resolved too easily and some of the characters' one dimensional humor got pretty annoying. Regardless, it has oodles of charm to make up for all of that and was still a very enjoyable read.

[Tony Mush · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you, too, are travelling, questing or journeying anywhere, remember this. You will always find a welcome here at Redwall Abbey, young or old.

Life is one long journey from beginning to end, you know. We all walk different roads, both with our bodies and our minds. Some of us lose heart and fall by the wayside, whilst others go on to realise their dreams and desires.

Muggum waved his beaker at the passing elders, who tip-pawed around him. “Yurr, moind ee paws, you’m nearly trodded in this choild’s brekkist. Whurr’s ee manners? Hurr!”

Below on the grass, chaos ensued. A molebabe and a tiny shrewlet had decided to stop and share some candied chestnuts between them. Another molebabe tripped over them. He forgot the race and joined the pair. “Hurr, worrum ee got thurr, candee chesknutters, oi’m gurtly fond o’ they’m, boi ’okey oi arr!” The shrewlet passed him a few. “Den h’eat dese up, nuts make y’go faster, we still winna race, mate!”

“Friendship is the greatest gift one can give to another.

“When the sun sets like fire, I will think of you, when the moon casts its light, I’ll remember, too, if a soft rain falls gently, I’ll stand in this place, recalling the last time, I saw your kind face. Good fortune go with you, to your journey’s end, let the waters run calmly, for you, my dear friend.”

Baby Buffle interrupted the good sister by piping up, “Nonomorragerrabaffinwirrawater!” Martha gave Shilly a puzzled look. “What did he say?” The little squirrel grinned from ear to ear and did a somersault. “Iffa water bee’s short, Dibbuns can’t not get baffed. Yeeheeheehee!”

[Rob Poole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world of Brian Jacques 'Redwall' is a land of high ideals and strong values; a land of wretched vermin and valiant warriors; a land of delicious food and beautiful poetry.

The young hare maid Martha has never walked a day in her life. She came to Redwall as a child with her brother and grandmother, fleeing some vermin horde. In a dream she hears of a secret to cure her terrible fate of being bound to a wheel chair hidden away in an abbey of old called Loamhedge. Two old friends of Redwall, Sarobando the squirrel and Bragoon the otter, arrive at Redwall after many years away. They take it upon themselves to find Martha's secret. Little do they know three defiant young Redwallers, Martha's brother Horty included, steal away in the night to follow the two old adventurers. Each of the three young ones find their place quickly on the road and learn a valuable lesson in honor from the two wizened travelers.

Meanwhile, a horde of searats has landed in Mossflower wood and has laid waste and destruction everywhere they pass. Their leader, the vicious Raga Bol, made a clear mistake his first night on land. He attacked two traveling badgers and thought them both dead. Unfortunately for Raga, one of the badgers is Lonna Bowstripe, a keen archer and a terrible force to be reckoned with. Lonna survives the attack and vows to kill Raga Bol and all his vermin horde. Raga Bol begins to have terrible nightmares of his death by Lonna's paws. They haunt him to the point of madness. As anyone who is familiar with the Redwall mythos knows, badgers are powerful beasts and rarely fail when they set out to accomplish something. Perhaps Raga knew this quite well.

On another front, a sorry group of ne'er do well vermin, whose leader seems to change by the hour, has almost mistakenly come under the leadership of a young fox having adopted the name of Badredd. He hears tell of an abbey named Redwall full of peaceable beasts who hoard a mass of wealth and bounty, including a magical sword. Badredd, in a display of childish arrogance and stupidity, decides to take Redwall as his own. Despite, or perhaps because of, two seasoned liars and cheats named Flinky and Crinktail coercing young Badredd to their bidding, a stroke of luck lays Redwall under siege with Badredd at the helm. In an effort to reinforce their numbers, Badredd sends out Crinktail and Flinky to recruit any stray vermin in the area. Who do they run into? None other than Raga Bol. The prospect of ruling Mossflower is enough to clear Raga's mind of Lonna's pursuit, and he marches his searats to Redwall and knocks young Badredd right out of his seat of power. The Redwallers may not be warriors, but they have luck and cleverness on their side, and a battle for their beloved abbey ensues.

As Jacques put it himself, 'Loamhedge' is a story of hope and an ancient curse. The hope can be found in the hearts of every goodbeast. It is hope that drives every warrior to stand and fight for their values and hope that refuses to die in the face of evil. The curse can be found in the heart of each and every vermin. It is a curse of greed and gluttony. While the vermin may find their bellies sated and their greed fulfilled, rarely do they live without a terrible Lonna Bowstripe or lashing from some wicked leader haunting their dreams. It's fear that drives every vermin's soul and hope that drives every goodbeast.

Jacques' prose is expert. He has a mastery of style that few rival. The tales of Redwall are character driven. His characters jump off the page and pull at our heart strings with no effort. Jacques' knowledge of people and their person is astounding. He has a remarkable ability to make characters lovable or hate-worthy. Jacques' is also a wonderful poet, filling nearly every other page with a humorous song, heartfelt ballad, or grief stricken dirge.

I enjoyed 'Loamhedge' immensely. I have always loved the world of Redwall and am certain I always will. There are other tales in the series that I found to be much more fulfilling, but 'Loamhedge' doesn't disappoint. The characters are as lovable as ever and the tales are as harrowing as one would expect. My only qualm could be that as one becomes more immersed in the world of Redwall that perhaps it loses its initial charm. I suppose this will have to rest in the eyes of the beholder.

http://www.millionsofstairs.blogspot.com

[holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

bloodwrath is to badgers what rage is to girls like me

[Ann-Marie Messbauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recall reading two other books in the "Redwall" series long ago, and I was glad to take the journey back to that lively, welcoming community of woodland creatures. Jacques' storytelling is full of adventure, humor, feasts, songs, friends and villains, beginnings and endings, and the rich history of the Redwall world he has created. This particular story starts off with five different groups- the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey, the Searats, a random band of vermin, two adventurers, and the mighty badger, Lonna Bowstripe-and their various schemes and dreams. As the novel progresses, their paths come together in ways that have dramatic and far-reaching consequences.

Brush up on your dialects from the British Isles because Jacques utilizes a good half dozen of them amongst his many characters!

I'm sure there will come another time in the future when I say to myself, "I believe a Redwall book would be just the thing!"

[Gus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loamhedge is placed in the world of Mossflower. Mossflower is a fictional place where the animals are like humans. The book begins when an otter tribe discovers a giant wounded badger. His name is Lonna Bowstripe and he is the strongest badger in Mossflower. Lonna was injured when he and his friend were travelling. They were attacked by Raga Bol and his searat crew. Outnumbered Lonna was severely injured and survived but his friend was killed. Lonna is healed by the otter crew and he seeks to avenge his fallen friend by killing Raga Bol and his entire crew.
While Lonna is on his quest for blood a new quest is developing at Redwall Abbey. Bragoon and Saro return to their home to find that Martha, a young rabbit, needs their help. After a traumatic experience as a baby, Martha can't walk. Martha's new friends vow to help find a cure and they go off to find a cure. Martha's young brother Horty and his friends Springald and Fenna sneak off to join Bragoon and Saro even though they were told not to.
Raga bol is haunted in his dreams by Lonna so he and his crew move inland to escape. They stumble across Redwall and see it as a fortress in which to protect them from the vengeful badger. The abbey dwellers are fierce defenders and they are able to hold the rats of long enough for the arrival of Lonna. Lonna and the Redwallers are able to successfully kill all of the searats. During the battle Martha triggers her mind and finds herself able to walk. When the quest for the cure for Martha's inability to walk is finished Saro and Bragoon are dead. The Redwallers are sad about their friends deaths but move on by rebuilding their abbey.
This book was very interesting. I gave this book five out of five stars because it was widely entertaining and very exciting. This book is good for any gender and ages. This book is perfect for people who like fiction books about adventure and books with exciting plots full of twists and exciting turns.
Lonna's character develops from being scared to being brave and full of rage towards Raga Bol and his Crew. He is able to fulfill his destingy and finds himself at peace.

[Ren the Unclean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is very much what I expected from a Brian Jacques. I hadn't read one of his Redwall series books in quite a while, but they are still chocked full of anthropomorphic cuteness and relatively intense violence. The first couple times that he switches from a baby mole getting into mischief to a searat pirate gutting one of his crew can be sort of jarring.

Either way, this was an ok book. I had no trouble getting all the way through it, though it was definitely not as engrossing as I remember the earlier books in this series (Redwall, Mossflower, and Mattimeo in particular) being. This book also featured Jacques propensity for describing food more heavily than I remember, as eating or talking about eating probably took up 60% of the book.

I will have to go back and read the first couple, to see if my memory is accurate, but I guess I would recommend this book to fans of the series, especially younger readers.

[Kelsey Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, I feel the need to mention that because this is a Redwall novel and my rational normal review rules are pretty much thrown out the window. I love this series. I love the audiobooks, can't recommend them enough. That being said, this wasn't my favorite Redwall novel. I really enjoy the characters of Bragoon and Saro and Martha who I really related to as a mature for her age young lady. The dibbuns are also pretty adorable and lovable. I really didn't like Horty. I found him incredibly irritating all the way through and I normally like hares. Also the ending seemed a bit abrupt and randomly threw in a villain to fulfil a specific purpose that I can't describe without giving away the endings. Still there was plenty of action, feasts, humor and riddles and as always I love the Redwall world too much to be unbiased.

[Marcelo Gonzalez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sword of Martin? Check
Spirit of Martin? Check
Random Redwallers going off on a quest? Check
The rest of the Rewallers needing to defend the abbey from the Monster of the Week? Check
A gluttonous hare? Check
A badger who has the bloodwrath swearing his revenge? Check
Completely foreseen deaths? Check

This one doesn't stray from the formula at all. The relationship between Bragoon and Sarobando is the only memorable bright spot, but even that can't rescue the recycled plot.

[Rob · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the memorable Redwall books, but it's memorable for how bad it is. The characters duplicate literally the exact same journey as the one in Mattimeo because they find out about some ancient treasure buried in Loamhedge, then they get to Loamhedge and find out that the treasure isn't there after all, so they give up and go home. And that's it.

[Erin Hendrian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lamest quest EVER.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because it was Redwall, it was, of course, wonderful. However, it could have done with a few dozen less shanties and ditties. I don't normally cry in books, but I definitely did in this one...

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have liked a little more details about Loamhedge or more time spent there.

[ECS · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, the worst of all the Redwall books I've read. Weak characters, a very weak plot, and I have to agree with others that it seems a bit insensitive.

[Guguk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makin suka dengan seri ini~ Σ>―(〃°ω°〃)♡→

Dibanding buku yang terakhir ta' baca (Redwall), alur waktu di Loamhedge ini udah beda puluhan musim; Redwall Abbey dalam situasi aman dan damai, sampai-sampai ngga punya senjata dan penjaga. Muncul bocah-bocah tengil: Horty si kelinci, Springald si tikus, dan Fenna si tupai, yang berperan jadi troublemaker di biara. Tapi para tetua, yang pernah mengalami kekacauan yang ditimbulkan Bragoon dan Sarobando, hanya tersenyum, "Kalian bertiga masih belum apa-apa."
Darah muda mana yang tak memanas dibanding-bandingké~🔥 Horty-dkk yakin, Duo-Pengacau yang kini pasti sudah berumur itu cuma mitos! Sampai suatu hari, Biara Redwall kedatangan dua pengelana yang 'pulang kampung'...

Sebetulnya tokoh utama novel ini bisa dibilang Martha, adiknya Horty yang lumpuh. Bisa juga berpusat di Lorna, badger pemanah yang berniat membalas dendam. Kisah pertempurannya seru, tokoh-tokohnya banyak dengan karakter yang makin beragam (suka sama kelompok 'preman' kecil itu), tapi secara keseluruhan, aku kadung jatuh sayang ke interaksi antara Duo-'Lansia'-Pengacau dan Trio-Bocil-Bandel (/▽＼*)｡o○♡ Karakter masing-masing, dan perjalanan mereka menuju Loamhedge, biara tua yang sudah ditinggalkan, bener-bener seru dan bikin sayang, gemes (pengen nampol Horty si tukang makan), sekaligus (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Aku suka kisah kepahlawanan dan pengorbanan, jadi bisa dibilang suka sekali dengan buku ini. Di samping itu, ada karakter-karakter yang berkembang akibat pengorbanan tersebut... Walau di sisi lain masih agak ngga terima juga, hehe (⌒_⌒;)

Akhir buku ini, terutama yang menyangkut lima tokoh itu, bikin puas sekaligus hampa~ (つω`｡)