The Legend of Luke (Tale of Redwall)

A young hedgehog maid visits Redwall Abbey and sings a half-remembered song recounting the adventures of a warrior called Luke.  This chance meeting begins a tale of two quests: that of a son to find his father and that of a father to avenge the murder of his beloved wife.

The son is Martin the Warrior, founder of Redwall, who sets forth from the Abbey seeking the truth about the father he barely knew.  His journey takes him home to the northland shore, meeting friends and enemies, old and new, and leading him to an extraordinary shipwreck.  The wreck, the Arfship, is home to three ancient, veteran warriors who have in their possession a dusty old volume.  Inside is the story of Martin's early life and the dramatic account of his father Luke's pursuit of his hated enemy, the pirate stoat, Vilu Daskar.

Brian Jacques' skillful narrative is told in three parts, interweaving the stories of father and son.  Addressing some of the mysteries behind the Abbey's early years, this book provides answers that no Redwall fan will want to miss.

In the summertime, Brian Jacques creates his enthralling Redwall books on an old manual typewriter in the garden of his Liverpool home. "I like to think of myself as a bit of an old-fashioned romantic in writing," he says. "I don't like technology. I like the romantic age of "once upon a time" and "long ago and far away ..."

Before he began writing for children, Brian Jacques' life was as rich and adventurous as the stories he creates. At the age of fifteen, he went to sea and travelled the world before returning to Liverpool. He has been a professional fold singer and has won acclaim for his plays performed at the Everyman Theatre, where he was resident playwright. For many years, he has presented his one-man show, Jakestown, on Radio Merseyside.

The Legend of Luke is the twelfth book in the best-selling Redwall series which has captivated young readers everywhere and won universal praise. Redwall, Mossflower and Salamandastron have each won the Lancashire Libraries Children's Book of the Year Award. Redwall, Mossflower and Mattimeo have won the Western Australian Young Readers' Award, and together with Salamandastron, were nominated for the Carnegie Medal.

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