The Angel's Command

Rating:
Summary: The Angel's Command is EPIC!
Review: The Angel's Command is another great, epic tale from Brian Jacques. It is as compelling as Castaways of the Flying Dutchman. In this great tale, Ben and Ned have found a new friend that happens to be a French Buccaneer. A conflict arises and Ben and Ned are forced to flee with the Frenchman. They sail into the high sea as two enemy ships pursue them. This is the part that gets addicting as the action rises.
I found it very hard to put this book down after getting into it. But there is one disappointing factor; there were no mysteries or puzzles that needed to be solved. The puzzle in Castaways of the Flying Dutchman was pretty cool. That is about the only mistake that Brian Jacques made in his new book.
I can't wait for Brian Jacques next book, weather it's a Red Wall tale or a Dutchman tale...


Rating:
Summary: The furthur adventures of Ben and Ned!
Review: As a long time Redwall fan I remember, a few years ago, when I went to a Brain Jacques book signing when he announced that he was going to write Castaways of the Flying Dutchmen, the book to which An Angel's Command is a sequel to. The reaction from the crowd was not one he expected. It was one of horror. Millions of children thought that it meant he was going to stop writing Redwall, or at least postpone it for a little while, and it terrified us all. Luckily, we were wrong. With Castaways of the Flying Dutchmen and now, with The Angel's Command, Brain Jacques proves he can create not just one but TWO series.

The book, like Castaways, is divided into two stories that take place back to back in the early 17th century. The first story tells of Ben and Ned, the Castaways, first trip back to the sea. Almost by accident, Ben and Ned find themselves traveling from the Caribbean to France on the Buccaneer ship, Le Petit Marine. They are trailed by two ships, a vengeful Spanish pirate ship and a corrupted English privateer boat. Both of them are interested in one thing, Le Petit Marie's gold. Ben and Ned know they must help their new friend, the captain Thuron, in any way possible. But the crew of the ship is not as noble as the captain. They don't want to go back to France, and they'll do anything to stop the captain from getting them their. At the same time Ben and Ned are haunted by images of the Flying Dutchman. Has Captain Vanderdecken come back to haunt them?

The second story happens almost directly after the first one. Ben and Ned run into a gypsy girl named Lalay and a facemaker named Dominic that can see into the hearts of his models for his drawings. They travel to a city called Vernon as friends and find themselves caught up in a strange adventure. A boy named Adamo, was kidnapped by the Razan, strange witch-like people, years ago and has not been seen by his family since. Ben and Ned immediately volunteer to help find Adamo but this journey may prove to be the most treacherous one yet. As they travel through the Pyrenees they face many challenges, but no challenge is more daunting then what they find when they reach the Razan.

I loved these two stories. They are filled with high adventure, suspense, and a little bit of mystery here and there. I like how Brain Jacques gives us not one, but two stories. It makes the book twice as enjoyable. He somehow manages to do this without making the story seem choppy and divided, which I find admirable. Once again the characters of Ben and Ned are great. The clever and goodhearted Ben and his witty and intelligent dog Ned are extremely enjoyable to watch. I also really liked the new characters Mr. Jacques's created for the story. Whether it's the plucky Lalay, the brave Thuron or the brave Dominic, they always are interesting. Magdula Razan is one of the creepiest villain's I've seen in one of Mr. Jacques's books to date! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have!

Rating:
Summary: More of Ben and Ned
Review: Better than the first Flying Dutchman book, Ben and Ned meet more charecter's you'll love (and some you'll hate) as they are forced to go back to the sea in the first part of the book. After their adventures on the wide ocean, they go inland so face their hardest challeneges yet.
Whether you are a younger Redall fan looking for more Brian Jacques or on older person (or Redwall fan) looking for a good story told by a master storyteller, "The Angel's Command" fits the bill. It is necessary, though, to read the first in the series ("Castaways of the Flying Dutchman") first.

Rating:
Summary: Jacques pleases yet again
Review: I am a great fan of all of Brian Jacques' works, and this book lived up to his legacy.

You could pick up this novel and understand the story line without reading the first Dutchman book, which is always a sign of a good story. The plot flowed very fluently, and the rhythm kept me on my toes throughout the book.

The characters were strong and well-formed, in fact, they were beautifully realistic. The flaws and gifts counterbalanced each other wonderfully, making me laugh and cry at the antics and heartbreak.

Overall, I'd say that this is a book for anyone who loves books, regardless of age. Ignore the recommended reading levels, and just enjoy a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I am here to tell you that this is a very good book and that anyone that gives it Five Stars has the right idea.Oh,and the pirates and privateers do not just sit around and say 'arr', and anyone that can't figure out that when the author reffered to a 'musket' he did not mean a rifle, I am sorry for that person.

P.S. You realy have to read the first book in the series first.

Rating:
Summary: Its good.
Review: I found this book good. It kept me up late at night. But i think it didn't reach the quality of the original Castaway of the flying dutchman. In that book, Ben and Ned seemed better then Angel's Command. In Angel's command, they seem too ..... heavenly and good to be counted as real. Often times when i read it, i felt i was reading a good ole fairy tale with flat characters. The story also didn't have Brian's trademark of puzzles and strange maps ( like in Castaway and all the Redwall books). It almost see a straight forward adventure.

Overall i thought this was a good book, but most of the characters act too heavenly and good for me.

Rating:
Summary: Average but still Enjoyable
Review: I gave this book an "average" rating because it was somewhat amusing in plot but not an outstanding read. With that said, I would like to mention that my 8 year old absolutely loved it because of the way the dog and boy communicate mentally.

Rating:
Summary: Truly heart-taking
Review: I had bought Castaways of a Flying Dutchman to see if it would satisfy my cravings for more redwall, and boy did it ever. After reading the first book I was hooked to buy the second when I heard it was coming out. As I read through the book my heart saddened with each time they had to leave their newfound friends, but also gladdened with each thrilling adventure, this book left me only wanting more. Ben and Ned really get into some adventures with this book and there is only room for another as they leave off. I really enjoyed it and I cant wait for the next book to come out.

This book basically fills some of the gaps between what happened in South America to so on and it leaves off with more "filling" I guess u can call it that. They end to book sailing away on a boat and headed for more adventures, where those may start we can only wonder...

Rating:
Summary: GREAT!!!
Review: I loved this book! It was enticing the whole way through. Whether you like to read or not, this book will capture you. I really recommend this book to anyone out there.

Rating:
Summary: Blown away!
Review: I was attracted to this series after meeting Brian Jaques while he was on tour. He he said then that he had had more fun writing "The Angel's Command" then he had in a long time. That got me interested, so I read "Castaways Of The Flying Dutchman" and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I read "The Angel's Command" and was totally blown away. When I put down the book, I just sat there, not knowing what to do. I now officially like this series even more than Redwall (which says a lot!). And I eagerly await the next book. This is a MUST read.