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The Legend of Luke
(Redwall #12)
by
In this twelfth book in the masterful Redwall epic, storyteller Brian Jacques goes back in time to the days before Redwall, revealing with dramatic poignancy the legend of the first of the magnificent Redwall warriors--Luke, father of Martin. It is that legend Martin hopes to discover when he embarks on a perilous journey to the northland shore, where his father abandoned
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Paperback, 374 pages
Published
June 2nd 2005
by Firebird
(first published January 10th 1999)
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Start your review of The Legend of Luke (Redwall, #12)
Wonderful story as always with all Brian Jacques's books.
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"It was a wondrous tale he had to tell...It was also very sad at times, but does not sadness mingle with joy, to make us grow fully into the creatures we are?"
—Abbess Germaine, The Legend of Luke, P. 373
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked up this book to read it. Would the plot be focused more on Luke the Warrior or his son Martin, who has become a legend to fans of the Redwall series all around the globe?
Ultimately, I believe The Legend of Luke is the best Redwall book since vo ...more
—Abbess Germaine, The Legend of Luke, P. 373
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked up this book to read it. Would the plot be focused more on Luke the Warrior or his son Martin, who has become a legend to fans of the Redwall series all around the globe?
Ultimately, I believe The Legend of Luke is the best Redwall book since vo ...more
What I loved about this book is that the beginning is in the present then in the past. It really unearths some of the characters' personalities. It also helps understand how Martin feels.
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Somehow, I managed not to review this when I read it, but it was highly fine and of excellent quality and all that.
Jul 21, 2019
Thea (All About Books)
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
3-stars,
read-in-2019
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
Cool adventure fantasy book, great characters.
The Legend of Luke is one book in the series A Tale from Redwall, in which all the characters are animals, with their own quirks, dialects, and interests. Redwall Abbey centers in most of the stories. An immense (for critters) edifice that houses dozens or more, it’s a place where anybeast (part of the series’ lingo: nobeast, everybeast, etc., just substitute “beast” where you normally would say “one” or “man”) can come to live in peace and harmony, working in the orchard or kitchens or with the
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The Legend of Luke was written with the same high quality that we have come to expect from Brian Jacques and his Redwall series. Unlike his previous stories though, this novel lacked the same level of character connection that the others created between the characters and the reader.
The story leading up to Martian finding his father's former comrades had some adventure, but nothing that we have not seen before from Martin and his loyal companion Gonff, including Gonff making a reprisal of his ab ...more
The story leading up to Martian finding his father's former comrades had some adventure, but nothing that we have not seen before from Martin and his loyal companion Gonff, including Gonff making a reprisal of his ab ...more
I first red the book Redwall over 20 years ago. It brought back a love for reading which had been dormant for a few years. After that I would read each of Jacques' books, many just as soon as they came out. Later I moved on to other books and genres. I was given this book as a gift, and while grateful - because of the special place in my heart for Jacques and his tales, I was too busy reading "more important" pieces.
Then I decided to take a little break, dust off "The Legend of Luke" and enjoy ...more
Then I decided to take a little break, dust off "The Legend of Luke" and enjoy ...more
The wonderous thing about reading Brian Jacques' writing is that it is so enchanting, you always want to return to it, in particular Redwall Abbey. Yes I have the audiobooks and I love how they have been dramatised, but reading the words created by Jacques is something altogether special.
This book gives the final piece of background to the one character who appears in nearly all of the Redwall books, Martin the Warrior. The story is in toxicating and although you know that there cannot be a comp ...more
This book gives the final piece of background to the one character who appears in nearly all of the Redwall books, Martin the Warrior. The story is in toxicating and although you know that there cannot be a comp ...more
May 17, 2018
Jenny Clark
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens,
brian-jacques
This was a really good Redwall book. I like the ones that have Martin in them, because he is not just a warrior who fights and stands for good and has no personal issues, like a lot of the other protagonists. He has a history, and it comes back to him. He wants to know what happened to his father, he wants to know where he came from. He is a very dynamic character.
The writing is great as always, very descriptive, especially the feast scenes. This is a good series to talk to young children after ...more
The writing is great as always, very descriptive, especially the feast scenes. This is a good series to talk to young children after ...more
"Three and a half stars. I liked that this book was about characters I already knew and liked, but why did so many other people have to die?"
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In a word: disappointing.
I was actually looking forward to the Legend of Luke because it involved Martin and his fabled father. And indeed, the opening of the book was a breath of fresh air. I liked the linear nature as opposed to the back and forth the books usually feature.
Alas, as soon as the book reached the main story, the one about Luke, it became the same predictable formula of all the other books, though compressed to fit in the midsection of the book. The parts with Martin, Gonff and ga ...more
I was actually looking forward to the Legend of Luke because it involved Martin and his fabled father. And indeed, the opening of the book was a breath of fresh air. I liked the linear nature as opposed to the back and forth the books usually feature.
Alas, as soon as the book reached the main story, the one about Luke, it became the same predictable formula of all the other books, though compressed to fit in the midsection of the book. The parts with Martin, Gonff and ga ...more
"The Legand of Luke" by Brian Jacques is is a story about a mouse Named Martain, who is like a person in this series, looking for his father. The main character Martain was level heade,"wondrous indeed, Trimp, but you must always remember what a sword is really made for. It has only on purpose, to slay..."(Jacques 22). Martain was aware that Trimp admired the sword as if it were holy and could do no evil. He was aware of the perpous of the sword and was reminding Trimp of that. Martain was kind,
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The few books about Martin the Warrior or the time he lived in are good, and provide an excellent backdrop for the world of Redwall. However, the heart of this story does not happen at Redwall, and revolves around Martin's father. This book is different from other Redwall books, but the spirit remains the same, and the changes in here are refreshing. I have to say that this is easily one of the best in the series.
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The third act just drags. Once Luke's story is complete the book has little reason to continue.
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Sam Bequette
1st period
11/06/17
The Legend of Luke, a fantasy novel by Brian Jacques, is a classic tale of heroism.
The book opens in a place called, Mossflower Country, where woodland creatures are in the process of creating a giant abbey for all to live. The main protagonist, Martin, is helping to construct the abbey when suddenly, for no apparent reason, he is hit with a wave of questions and longing for the home he had to leave when he was just a small child. With his faithful friend, Gnoff an ...more
1st period
11/06/17
The Legend of Luke, a fantasy novel by Brian Jacques, is a classic tale of heroism.
The book opens in a place called, Mossflower Country, where woodland creatures are in the process of creating a giant abbey for all to live. The main protagonist, Martin, is helping to construct the abbey when suddenly, for no apparent reason, he is hit with a wave of questions and longing for the home he had to leave when he was just a small child. With his faithful friend, Gnoff an ...more
Ok, I've kind of dived into the Redwall series and have progressed up to Luke. I'm going to open by saying I love Mr. Jacques descriptive nature. Whether he's describing events or "people" he brings the right amount of robustness without going over the top. This is a tough thing for many writers and should be enjoyed when you find a writer that does it well.
I'll be honest and say 4 stars is on the strong side. Yes, the book overall rose to 4 stars but it's because Luke's tale (book 2 in here) wa ...more
I'll be honest and say 4 stars is on the strong side. Yes, the book overall rose to 4 stars but it's because Luke's tale (book 2 in here) wa ...more
See Ruchita and Anne's reviews.
You can tell the good guys from the baddies by their names.
Martin goes North in search of his father, and his history, and has adventures, as usual. Suitable for YA, as overly simplistic, (not in language) but readable.
Father Luke tells Martin the mouse, "The first thing warriors must learn is discipline . . . Protect those weaker than yourself . . . always use the sword to stand for good and right, never do a thing you would be ashamed of and never let your heart ...more
You can tell the good guys from the baddies by their names.
Martin goes North in search of his father, and his history, and has adventures, as usual. Suitable for YA, as overly simplistic, (not in language) but readable.
Father Luke tells Martin the mouse, "The first thing warriors must learn is discipline . . . Protect those weaker than yourself . . . always use the sword to stand for good and right, never do a thing you would be ashamed of and never let your heart ...more
I am biased so disregard this review.
So much of my childhood has been spent here and therefore I can't really be objective here.
World: The world is dense and fully lived in and magical. It's the most beautiful of forests and adventures are high stakes but not really. This time we travel to the north to learn the origins of Martin's father Luke. It's a tale of the high seas and it's beautifully described.
Story: Follows the Redwall formula and doesn't really stray. Although the framing of the t ...more
So much of my childhood has been spent here and therefore I can't really be objective here.
World: The world is dense and fully lived in and magical. It's the most beautiful of forests and adventures are high stakes but not really. This time we travel to the north to learn the origins of Martin's father Luke. It's a tale of the high seas and it's beautifully described.
Story: Follows the Redwall formula and doesn't really stray. Although the framing of the t ...more
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Brilliant as I knew it would be! Both Martin and lukes tales made for some exceptional reading but lukes tale especially was a very bittersweet adventurous story. I expected that Martin would end up reuniting with his father and so I'm glad that this wasn't the case as the actually finality to lukes story was so much more rewarding, a truly engaging warriors vengeance tale. There were a lot of characters in this one, though I had very little trouble remembering who was who, one or two of the mor
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
My husband read this series as a child, so I picked one up to see what it was about. The plot was fine, maybe even good (hence 2 stars instead of 1), but I couldn't get over all the negatives, which made this truly painful to read.
There was too much filler (including the entire final 1/4 of the book), too many songs, too many feasts (as bad as the songs), too much 'eye dialect' creating difficult-to-parse accents. The casual sexism, which was probably normal at the time this was published, was o ...more
There was too much filler (including the entire final 1/4 of the book), too many songs, too many feasts (as bad as the songs), too much 'eye dialect' creating difficult-to-parse accents. The casual sexism, which was probably normal at the time this was published, was o ...more
From my 12-year-old son:
I was curious to keep reading and finish this book. One scene I especially liked in The Legend of Luke was when the rabbit stole the food. It was suspenseful because the rabbit was sneaking onto the ship and there was a ton of bad characters on the ship. So it was exciting.
One thing that I didn’t exactly like was when the animal characters were talking in their own language. It was really bad grammar and made it hard to read.
There were three parts in the book (called book ...more
I was curious to keep reading and finish this book. One scene I especially liked in The Legend of Luke was when the rabbit stole the food. It was suspenseful because the rabbit was sneaking onto the ship and there was a ton of bad characters on the ship. So it was exciting.
One thing that I didn’t exactly like was when the animal characters were talking in their own language. It was really bad grammar and made it hard to read.
There were three parts in the book (called book ...more
Martin, Gonff and Dinny Foremole along with other familiar friends like Ferdy & Coggs (all grown up), Abbess Germaine, Bella and Skipper lead the reader on a new adventure. Trimp the wandering hedgehog finds her way to Redwall and unknowingly causes Martin to reflect on his past. Trimp along with Martin and his two best friends, Gonff and Dinny decide to leave Redwall and their loved ones--who are in the process of finishing Redwall Abbey construction--to find out more about Martin and his long
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The writing, story, and character are all done with great quality.
The story start with Martin wanting to know what happen to his father Luke. We get to know how Martin feels. The journey at the beginning felt a little long. Some of the characters they meet do appear in the other books before and afore this book.
Luke's story brings a satisfied conclusion as to what happen. At the end, Martin has find contentment.
...more
The story start with Martin wanting to know what happen to his father Luke. We get to know how Martin feels. The journey at the beginning felt a little long. Some of the characters they meet do appear in the other books before and afore this book.
Luke's story brings a satisfied conclusion as to what happen. At the end, Martin has find contentment.
...more
I loved this book. I've reread it a dozen times, it contains humour, sadness, excitement, battles and adventure. I was sad to finish this the first time as I was really enjoying the book and anxious to see how it ended, however I will keep rereading this book and keep an eye out for more of the Redwall books
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I love the Redwall books. Somehow, Brian Jacques takes warrior mice, goofy but gallant hares, rustic hedghogs and other creatures, combines them with adventures and terrific descriptions of food, and creates compelling stories. I'm not always a fan of anthropomorphized animals, but I find the Redwall series to be very enjoyable.
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This entry in the Redwall series broke a bit with the well-established structure of the series, but it was a nice change. Martin's part was a bit underwhelming, but considering it was his summer vacation, it was more than adventurous enough. It was also nice to see some of Redwall's construction. Luke's part was one of the most intense and desperate of the whole series.
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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. Joh ...more
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. Joh ...more
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“Sometimes friends do go from us-it will happen more and more as you grow up, Chugg. But if you really love your friends, they're never really gone. Somewhere they're watching over you and they're always there inside your heart.
-Martin”
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-Martin”
“You will stay and help defend our cave against all comers, protect those weaker than yourself and honor our code. Always use the sword to stand for good and right, never do a thing you would be ashamed of, and never let your heart rule your mind ... And never let another creature take this sword from you, not as long as you live. When the time comes, pass it on to another, maybe your own son. You will know instinctively if he is a warrior. If not, hide the sword where only a true warrior who is brave of heart would dare to go and find it. Swear this to me, Martin.”
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