Imagine being taken to a world where animals live perfectly normal lives, have friendships, and even fight wars! Pretty unbelievable right? Well, in Brian Jacques eighth book, The Outcast of Redwall all of this happens. It is an adventure story filled to the brim with drama and suspense. A powerful badger named Sunflash the Mace, has sworn to get revenge on his enemy and captor, Swartt Sixclaw, a ferret warlord. In the beginning, Sunflash meets and befriends a bird named Skarlath in the beautiful Mossflower Wood. Together they try to hunt Swartt down. Along the way, they meet animals from an ancient abbey called Redwall. They, too, are facing troubles of their own. A “tiny ferret babe” has grown up into some big trouble. The creatures of the abbey have been forced to make a life changing decision for him. Sunflash also meet hares from the mountain Salamandastron. The hares tell Sunflash he is the new badger lord of their mountain and it is his job to protect it. Sunflash and his new band of friends finally make it to Salamandastron. Swartt is already there. A bloody battle is fought, and the outcome is quite unexpected.

This book made me feel all the emotions of the characters. I could experience their joy, sorrow, and pain. Jacques did a wonderful job of humanizing the animals’ experiences and turning them into a believable, and suspense-filled story. It also paints a vivid picture in the reader’s mind of the many settings and interactions of the characters. I would recommend this book to people from fifth grade up, since there are some violent scenes. This book is a must-read filled with adventure and heartwarming experiences.