Even better than the first two in the series. Thoroughly enjoyable for adults too, maybe because the villains are more intriguing and better sketched

Unlike the other Redwall books (see my review of Redwall), this book was actually different and therefore interesting. Mattimeo is the stuck-up, spoiled son of Matthias (hero of Redwall), who is captured by the fox Slagar the Cruel. He and his friends are forced on a long journey towards a place whose terribleness is hinted at in the last line of an oft-repeated poem: "Who go there? None but the brave." They traverse seemingly impossible obstacles, all while his father, the famous Warrior, is hot in pursuit. This book excels over the other Redwall books because it reunites characters from previous books (a rarity in the Redwall series), it covers a wide variety of strange and different terrains, and Jacques actually creates a believably ominous atmosphere as the slaves near their terrible destination. If you have to read another Redwall, read Mattimeo.

Shortly after reading Redwall and Mossflower, I was eager to start this book. I was not disappointed. Redwall and Mossflower remain two of the best books within the Redwall series, but Mattimeo holds by itself well. The cartoon they did based off this book was also a decent one, though I'd like to see foxes cast as good guys for once. :P A solid read for any Redwall fan.

Amazing. It's so fun to see the young characters from the last book being adults with their own kids now. The plot was quite compelling, and it was fun to see a minor villain return as the main threat of this one. Also, the way the pine martin goes out at the end? Kinda horrifying.

Redwall books are hard not to love.

Comfort food for the talking animal book lover.

5+ stars (7/10 hearts). Okay, so I’ve read Redwall 1-6 now. And in my opinion so far, Martin the Warrior, Mossflower, Redwall, and Mattimeo are the four canon pieces, with the rest as wonderful side stories. Oh my stars. I legit teared up at the ending. WHAT a perfect, perfect ending to Martin & Matthias’s legacies. <33

But I’ll back up a little. So, setting: Redwall! It was so fun to see everyone some ten years or so after the events in Redwall. Constance, Basil, Jess, Foremole, Logalog, Alf… they’re all there. <3 And of course Redwall is the wonderful, happy place it is… for a time. Then Matti, his friends, and the slavers range all over deserts and underground cities and deep forests, far away from Mossflower, and Matthias follows with his group, while at home Redwall battles another invader and scenes are mostly confined to the Great Hall. The story is very different from Redwall while still keeping enough similarities to be a perfectly satisfying sequel. And the writing style definitely strengthened.

I already mentioned how some old favourite characters returned. There’s Matthias, grown up now, responsible and strong, honourable and filled with love—a perfect warrior. There’s Cornflower, as courageous and strong as Matthias in her own feminine, motherly way. There’s Basil, just as much a flippant, humorous, loyal stomach on legs. There’s Constance, powerful and gruff and oh-so-loving. There’s Jess, the wild squirrel warrior, verbose Sir Harry the Muse, and fighting, honest Log-a-log. There’s kindly Brother Alf, now abbott, and Foremole with his homely wisdom, and Warbeak the passionate. There’s new characters, like testy John Churchmouse, sweet Mrs. Churchmouse, hardy Winnifred, darling Baby Rollo, Orlando the Axe (which says everything you need to know about him), Jabez the hedgehog, and a big red bird… And, finally, there’s soft-spoken Tess, sturdy Auma, Slagar the Cruel, and Mattimeo the troublemaker and leader.

The plot of Mattimeo is a perfect rollercoaster ride, from Matti’s fight with Vitch, to the slavers’ arrival, to the pursuit, to the invasion, and down to the epic climatic battle. It’s perfectly balanced between Mattimeo’s journey to slavery, Matthias’ pursuit to rescue, and the trials at home. The reappearance of a key character from Redwall and his perfect villain backstory was an excellent addition (not gonna lie, I screamed when I realized it) and the arc for Mattimeo to realize what a true warrior is, was splendid. It’s a wonderful and gripping adventure, but there is a deep theme woven throughout. I hesitate to say more for fear of spoilers, but there’s all the trademark humour and tears, cliffhangers and sweet moments, symbolism and stark reality that the Redwall books usually possess. And yes, the TV show is remarkably accurate.

Like I mentioned above, this is the perfect ending to Martin & Matthias’s legacies—the perfect wrap-up to the cycle. Definitely not to be missed. <3

*quotes & content list to follow upon reread*

WOW! I am genuinely blown away by how much I enjoyed Mattimeo. This is easily my favorite Redwall book so far.

This book had the benefit of being the sequel to Redwall itself, so I adored being able to go on another adventure with Matthias, Jess Squirrel and Basil Stag Hare. The set pieces as they ventured deeper into the Southlands and into the kingdom of Malkariss were so full. The siege of Redwall by General Ironbeak at first felt like it may have been an afterthought, but I'll never tire of watching peaceful creatures outsmart the warmongers.

Between the peril, the action, the humor and the food - Mattimeo is Jacques at his best.

Shouldn't I be tired of this, already? A YA series about woodland creatures fighting vermin--how much material can there possibly be? I read a bunch of these when I was younger, and I've read the first two books of the series only recently. I should be experiencing some sort of fatigue, right? Then why is "Mattimeo" my favorite book of the series so far?

"Redwall" had its gimmick to get by on. "Mossflower" felt like a little more of the same. "Mattimeo" feels like Brian Jacques is hitting his stride. He's past the initial delight of writing a whole new world, and he's starting to find elements of that world that translate even better than realistic fiction would. The Mattimeo-Mathias dynamic, for example, or the dissent among the Guosim, they feel more realized than the conflicts from the previous two books. They feel like natural extensions of the rules he's set forth in the first two installments. There is a general sense of heightening: the stakes are higher--in that more creatures die, the journey is grander, even the motivations of the antagonist are richer than before. I would one hundred percent read a book about the rise of Malarkiss the Polecat or about Slagar's journey leading up to the beginning.

In the end, the broader range of emotions makes this book the best of the first three. There is real, palpable tension. Every time it seems like the Redwallers are going to free their children, they come up just short. Even when the final battle feels over, there's more left to resolve. There's this sense that their fight is never really over. There are more Slagars out there, more cruelty, more greed. I think that's why the Ironbeak subplot works so well: even as the one danger moves farther away, another sweeps in to take its place. The only thing that keeps the Redwallers from collapsing--whether at home or abroad--is their lasting bond. That's probably why it feels so fulfilling when they finally do succeed.

I really hope the rest of the books in the series are like this one: a part of the world, not beholden to it. I know there are some that I really loved as a kid, and I hope they hold up as well as "Mattimeo".

My feelings about this book are mixed. On the one hand, this was one of the few books that broke the mold. Mattimeo isn't just a standard "someone attacks Redwall for X reason" story. The plot centers around a kidnapping, and there is a twist with the villain which I never saw coming. Slagar is more complex than a lot of Jacques's other antagonists, and the puzzle the abbey-dwellers must solve was clever.
However, the book was not an enjoyable read for me. I couldn't get into it. I'm not sure if it was the underground setting or the desperate situation of the protagonists, but as a tween, I just found it tedious.

A much darker outing than the previous works in the series (Redwall and Mossflower), Mattimeo is nevertheless an absolute delight to read. Younger readers might be a little unprepared for some of the darker imagery in the book, while older readers (such as myself) will find it a refreshing change from the more kid-focused feel of previous books as well as the mouthwatering food descriptions (seriously, how did Jacques make food description read so incredibly good?)

10/10 would recommend.

Probably my least favorite.

Never mess with a mouse.