Lord Brocktree (Redwall, Book 13) [Hardcover]

Brian Jacques (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Redwall

In this thirteenth book of the New York Times best-selling Redwall epic, Brian Jacques brings to life an adventure-filled new tale, featuring the most unlikely of companions--Dotti, a brazen young haremaid, and the badger Lord Brocktree, a fearsome warrior. Together, the two embark on a perilous journey to Salamandastron, the legendary mountain of the badger lords, which is under seige by the vicious wildcat Ungatt Trunn and his infamous Blue Hordes. It is only Brocktree, with the help of the spirited Dotti, who can save them and take back the mountain that is rightfully theirs, restoring peace to the Redwall lands.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Lord Brocktree, the 13th novel in Brian Jacques's exciting Redwall series, brings to life the tale of how the greatest badger lord of all came to save Salamandastron, the mountain home of many heroic creatures. Everybeast will love heroic Lord Brocktree and his amazing adventure.

As the story opens, the villainous Ungatt Trunn, a menacing wildcat, has brought his powers to bear on Salamandastron, threatening the peace-loving beasts who live there.

Loneliness was everywhere. Hopelessness and an air of foreboding had settled over the western shores, casting their pall over land, sea and the mountain of Salamandastron. Yet nobeast knew the cause of it.

But all is not lost. Old Lord Stonepaw, the venerable Badger Ruler, summons the strongest of the strong to take over as lord of the mountain fortress and battle the evil wildcat. Lord Brocktree, far away from the trouble, begins to have visions that beckon him to Salamandastron. He travels there with his companion, a young haremaid named Dotti. But can he raise an army in time to smash Ungatt Trunn's terrifying Blue Hordes?

Like all the Redwall books, Lord Brocktree is a rollicking tale of adventure, war, magic, and beastly battles. The animal characters are sometimes brusque and brutal, and there's a strong current of darkness in the stories, as well as no-nonsense death scenes and strong language. But for fans of medieval fantasy adventure with a twist, this unforgettable series continues to satisfy. (Ages 9 and older) --Therese Littleton

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up-Jacques shows no signs of flagging in this latest tale about a Badger Lord named Brocktree, a fatally beautiful haremaid named Dotti, and an evildoing wildcat named Ungatt Trunn. Trunn and his Hordebeasts have invaded Salamandastron and caused the death of Lord Stonepaw. However, from off in the forests and meadows, help is coming. The shrews, hedgehogs, moles, river and sea otters, squirrels, and a pack of Highland hares band together with Brocktree and Dotti. Trunn is eventually defeated, and the Horde quickly disperses, leaving the "Redwall" creatures to their favorite pastimes-dancing, singing, and of course, eating. Jacques continues to have an amazing gift for keeping his story fresh. He starts this one from two different points: the invasion, and the adventures of Dotti, Brocktree, and their friends. The two stories converge near the end of the book for a thrilling conclusion. The story itself is framed as a history written by the current lord of Salamandastron. The plot is well balanced, chapters of floating on a river and feasting with friends are set in counterpoint with the horrors of war. The characters, as always, are easily defined and identified by their accents, a Jacques specialty. It may take some readers a while to figure out what everyone is saying, but they will make the effort as these beasts are all so engaging. There is no need to have read the earlier books for this one to make sense, but new readers will undoubtedly be asking for more, and fans will just eat it up.
Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Philomel; 1st Us Edition edition (September 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399235906
• ISBN-13: 978-0399235900
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A well-known radio personality in his native Liverpool--as well as an actor, stand-up comic, and playwright--Brian Jacques (1939-2011) was the host of "Jakestown" on BBC Radio Merseyside. Ever the performer, Jacques was well-known for applying his acting and entertainment background to his lively presentations to legions of young fans at schools across the United States and England. Brian Jacques 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. He grew up in the area around the Liverpool docks. His interest in adventure stories began at an early age with reading the books of: Daniel Defoe, Sir Henry Rider Haggard, Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Thomas Malory, Robert Michael Ballantyne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Kenneth Grahame. He attended St. John's School, an inner city school that had its playground on the roof. On his first day at St. John's, at the age of ten, he had an experience that marked his potential as a writer. When given an assignment of writing a story about animals, he wrote about the bird that cleaned a crocodile's teeth. The teacher could not, and would not, believe that a ten year old could write that 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 that he had a talent for writing. "My favourite teacher was Mr. Austin Thomas. He looked like Lee Marvin. Big Man. A Captain in World War II. He came to school on a big bush bike with the haversack on back. He was a man's man. Always fair. I was fourteen at the time when Mr. Thomas introduced the class to poetry and Greek literature. (Because of him, I saved seven shillings and sixpence to buy The Iliad and The Odyssey at this dusty used book shop.)" This interest in poetry extended to Wordsworth, Tennyson, and Goldsmith. It was also at St. John's that Brian met a teacher, Alan Durband (who also taught two Beatles, Paul McCartney and George Harrison), who, more than thirty years later would bring about a major change in his life. After Brian finished school at fifteen, he set out to find adventure as a merchant seaman. He travelled to many far away ports, including New York, Valparaiso, San Francisco, and Yokohama. Tiring of the lonely life of a sailor, he returned to Liverpool where he worked as a railway fireman, a longshoreman, a long-distance truck driver, a bus driver, a boxer, a bobby (Police Constable 216D), a postmaster, and a stand-up comic. Jacques passed away in February of 2011 at the age of 71.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lord Brocktree, September 5, 2000

By 

Scott Dodge (Highlands Ranch, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lord Brocktree (Redwall, Book 13) (Hardcover)

This is the thirteenth book in the redwall series. It is another great book in the redwall series. The story focuses on Lord Brocktree, a badger lord, who is on his journey to rule the mountain stronghold of Salamandastron. Along his way he mets Dotti the young haremaid and Ruff the otter. He also mets several other creatures whom he has adventures with. Meanwhile, at Salamandastron, Lord Stonepaw,Lord Brocktree's father, has to defend the mountain from the evil wildcat named Ungatt Trunn and his evil Blue Hordes. He is a ruthless killer who wants to conquer Salamandastron for himself and his hordes. The last battle in this book is absolutely spectacular. This is easily one of my favorite redwall books. All of the books that are in the redwall series are great. Brian Jacques is one of the best storytellers and this book shows his skill. I recommend this book to anyone ,if your a redwall fan or not, and this is a must have book that everyone should own.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lord Brocktree, March 26, 2001

By 

SJ "ssjoshi101" (IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lord Brocktree (Redwall, Book 13) (Hardcover)

"Lord Brocktree," the latest in the Redwall series, is also one of the best out of the thirteen books. It is about Lord Brocktree, the Badger Lord who was the father of Boar of Brockhall (featured in "Mossflower," also by Brian Jacques) and his quest to recapture the mountain of Salamandastron (the ancestral home of badgers and hares, mentioned in a number of Redwall books) from an evil wildcat named Ungatt Trunn.

The book starts when Lord Brocktree's father, the ancient Lord Stonepaw, was almost alone in the extinct volcano of Salamandastron. He had with him 150 hares, which was only a fraction of the number of hares that usually resided in Salamandastron. All of the hares were elderly, and very good at fighting. Then, a ruthless conquerer by the name of Ungatt Trunn arrived at Salamandastron. Trunn was determined to have the mountain for his own. He had a vast army of rats, ferrets, stoats, and weasels at his disposal. They were known as the Blue Hordes because of the dark-blue dye that they stained their fur with. Trunn ordered Lord Stonepaw to leave with some of his hares, and leave the fitter, more able beasts behind to become servants. Stonepaw refused, and Trunn slaughtered half of the hares and imprisoned most of the remaining creatures. Stonepaw escaped with about twenty or so hares. They hid inside the mountain's cellars until they were discovered by Trunn's soldiers. Stonepaw gave up his life in order to allow his faithful followers time to escape.

Meanwhile, the title character, Lord Brocktree, has been traveling from his home of Brockhall to Salamandastron. He had recurring dreams in which he learned of the sad state of matters at Salamandastron. He hastened to the mountain to build an army to reclaim Salamandastron from Ungatt Trunn and his Blue Hordes. Along the way he met a young female hare named Dotti, and an otter called Ruff, as well as a strong mole, Gurth. They were joined by a large group of traveling shrews, the Guosim, led by Log-a-Log Grenn. En route to Salamandastron, Brocktree and his friends met an old hare called Fleetscut.

Fleetscut had been Lord Stonepaw's best friend on Salamandastron. When trouble arose on the mountain, Stonepaw sent Fleetscut to raise an army and reclaim Salamandastron. The loyal hare set out immediately, but collapsed of thirst and fatigue after nearly two days of running without stopping. He was rescued by a fierce female warrior called Jukka the Sling, and her tribe of squirrels. Jukka and Fleetscut quickly became enemies after Fleetscut accused Jukka of cowardice. He did so because she did not bring her squirrels to the mountain to help the hares fight Ungatt Trunn. Jukka said that she didn't enter the fight because the Blue Hordes outnumbered her tribe far too greatly. Jukka volunteers to accompany Fleetscut on his quest--not out of friendship, but to prove that she is not a coward. (She also wants loot and plunder from the numerous vermin in the Blue Hordes.) Along the way, they meet an owl called Udara Groundslay, who informs them that some hares passed through his territory some time ago. He gives them a scroll that one of the hares dropped. Following a poem written on the scroll, the squirrels and Fleetscut come to the court of King Bucko Bigbones, which is where they meet an army of hedgehogs. They are called "hograbble" because of their atrocious manners, and their leader is a hefty hedgehod called Baron Drucco. (He is, however, completely controlled by his fierce wife, Mirklewort.) They join Fleetscut, Jukka, and her tribe.

The court of King Bucko Bigbones is where Brocktree and his followers meet Fleetscut and his party. The two armies join forces and enter King Bucko Bigbones's court. King Bucko is a large hare from the northern mountains. His court is made up of a vast number of fighting beasts, mostly hares from Salamandastron and the northern mountains. Bucko Bigbones welcomes any challenges from any animal who wants to try and win his crown, and become "king" of the vast court. Bucko inadvertently insults Dotti, the young hare traveling with Brocktree, and she challenges him. At first he will not accept her challenge, but she goads him into doing so.

If you would like to know whether Dotti defeats King Bucko Bigbones and becomes queen of the court, or whether Brocktree ever manages to raise an army to conquer Ungatt Trunn, you should read this book, the latest in Brian Jacques's excellent Redwall series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yet Another Epic From The World of Redwall, April 4, 2001

By 

Patrick Kachelmeier (Colgate, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lord Brocktree (Redwall, Book 13) (Hardcover)

I first recieved this book as a Christmas gift from my parents earlier this year (I'm 15 years old). I knew nothing about the book, but what brought my parents to buy this book for me was it's author, Brian Jacques. I first read "Redwall" in fall 1999, and since have continued to read all the books he has written in a span of less than a year and a half. So when I recieved "Lord Brocktree" and picked it up later in the day and read it, I did not stop until I went to bed after midnight. I it such a glorious book in so many ways. Finally, we have an epic depicting the life of the First great Badger Lord, Brocktree. I have always been wondering what ever happened to him after I first heard about him in "Mossflower".

I will keep on reading Brian Jacque's work until I am stripped of my vision. I can't wait until his next book comes out this fall 2001! I strongly reccomend this book to everyone who wants to get away from modern life and read about what it was like when all modern technology was nothing. After reading one of his books, you'll understand what I mean...