# Martin the Warrior

![Book cover of Martin the Warrior](/books/covers/martin_the_warrior.jpg)

by [Brian Jacques](/books/authors/brian_jacques/)
Book 6 of [Redwall](/books/series/redwall/)
★★☆☆☆

## Review

_Martin the Warrior_ is the sixth book in the _Redwall_ series. It's Martin's origin story, following him as he's enslaved
by---and eventually leads an uprising against---the tyrant Badrang.

_Martin the Warrior_ has two villains: Badrang the Tyrant and the corsair Tramun
Clogg. For much of the story, they have an on-again, off-again rivalry, with
intertwining schemes and betrayals, before Badrang finally gains the upper
hand. This leads to a first in the the _Redwall_ series: Clogg actually survives the
book!

The story follows Martin as he's captured, escapes, travels to Noonvale, and
then returns at the head of an army to kill Badrang. The banter and
double-crossing between the villains are fun, but the quest to Noonvale feels
like a side plot that drags on too long. Martin and his new love, Rose, run
into half a dozen different groups along the way, but none of them leave much
of an impression because their parts are so brief.

There's also an awkward moment near the end where Brian Jacques seems to
realize he's written himself into a corner, and has Martin proclaim, "I will
never mention Noonvale, or any of you," as a way to explain why Martin's story
in _Martin the Warrior_ differs from the one told in [_Redwall_](/books/redwall/) or [_Mossflower_](/books/mossflower/). Until that moment, it hadn't felt odd that Martin---more legend than
living creature in the series---had a vague past, but calling attention to it
made the gap feel unnatural.

Overall, _Martin the Warrior_ was a little disappointing after the fantastic [_Salamandastron_](/books/salamandastron/). I'm not sure how much further we'll get in the series as my
kids are starting to want to read their own books instead of listening to Dad.
I'm proud of the readers they're becoming, but a little sad that it means
story time is near its end.

In truth, I think their disinterest affected how much I enjoyed the book too.
But still, we'll give _The Bellmaker_ a try, even if it ends up being the
last.

## Reviews that mention _Martin the Warrior_
- [_Mariel of Redwall_](/books/mariel_of_redwall/)†
- [_Mattimeo_](/books/mattimeo/)†
- [_Salamandastron_](/books/salamandastron/)
- [_The Wind in the Willows_](/books/the_wind_in_the_willows/)†

† _Mentioned via a link to the series._

## Related Books
- [_Mattimeo_](/books/mattimeo/) by [Brian Jacques](/books/authors/brian_jacques/) --- ★★★★☆: Mattimeo is the third book in the Redwall series. It begins with the kidnapping of the abbey children by Slagar the cruel and follows Mathias as he tries to save them.
- [_Mariel of Redwall_](/books/mariel_of_redwall/) by [Brian Jacques](/books/authors/brian_jacques/) --- ★★★☆☆: Mariel of Redwall is the fourth book in the Redwall series. It follows Mariel as she plots her revenge against the searat pirate Gabool, who attempted to kill her and her father, Joseph the Bellmaker.
- [_Salamandastron_](/books/salamandastron/) by [Brian Jacques](/books/authors/brian_jacques/) --- ★★★★☆: Salamandastron is the fifth book in the Redwall series. It tells the story of two parallel conflicts: the siege of Salamandastron by Ferahgo the Assassin and a devastating plague at Redwall Abbey.