Marlfox





Book Divisions (English)

 * Act 1: Enter the Players
 * Act 2: Four Chieftains Going Forth
 * Act 3: The Queen's Island

(NOTE: At the very end of the book there is a disclaimer which reads:

Curtain!

''This narrative has been edited by Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop, Actor Manager Impresario. Who insists that the entire tale is a drama, which he will be later performing as a play, hence the three parts being named as acts rather than books. We crave your indulgence for this deviation.)''

Summary
The Marlfoxes are a group of evil, grey foxes who are rumored to be able to turn themselves invisible. They are sent on a mission from their mother Silth, who lives on a secret island in the middle of the Great Inland Sea. Their mission: to bring back objects of beauty for Silth.

The Marlfoxes and their water rat army travel north. They arrive at Redwall Abbey, and take captive a baby. The Redwallers were supposed to give treasure in return for the baby's safe return. Instead the Redwallers charge the Marlfoxes in a battle. A Marlfox is killed, for which the Marlfoxes swear revenge, but the tapestry of Martin the Warrior is stolen.

Mokkan, one of the Marlfoxes, escapes with the tapestry, leaving his siblings behind. Three young Redwallers, Songbreeze Swifteye, Dannflower Reguba and Dippler set out after Mokkan, trying to retrieve the tapestry.

They meet Burble, a water vole. Whilst four friends are hiding in the side stream, a ferret called Raventail and his band capture Dippler and Burble, but Song and Dannflor manage to espace. Later he rescue their friends. On their journey, they meet a kind giant hedgehog Sollertree, who lives alone with his pet frog Croikle and an old otterwife Goodwife Brimm.

Meanwhile, the remaining Marlfoxes lay siege to Redwall with their allies a ferret Raventail and  his band. After a series of battles, the Marlfoxes are finally all killed and peace is restored to Redwall.

Song, Dann, Dippler and Burble meet some new friends: Song's grandmother Ellayo's lost husband Gawjo, Torrab and a band of hedgehogs, whose parents are killed by Marlfoxes and set out into the great lake to the island.

Mokkan finds that Silth has been killed by one of his sisters, Lantur. Lantur had outwitted Silth earlier by poisoning her, offering her a drink. Knowing that Silth would naturally be suspicious, she poisoned her own goblet, and Silth, thinking she has won, takes a drink from it. Lantur announces Silth's death and is quickly given leadership.

Mokkan promptly kills her by pushing her off the shore into the water, where she is quickly eaten by nearby pike. Mokkan then proclaims himself King. However, the companions arrive, and they overthrow the water rat army. Mokkan escapes in a boat, but an escaped slave throws a slave's chain and manacle, knocking him out, making him fall in the Great Inland Sea to be eaten by the pikes there.

The surviving water rats are left on the island to gladly become farmers, as their way of life was barely better than the slaves'. The companions return home to Redwall. Song is named Abbess, Dann is named Abbey Champion, and Dippler is named Log-a-Log because he revenged the death of the Log-a-Log before him by killing Fenno. Characters in Marlfox

Release details

 * 1998, UK, Hutchinson Children's Books Ltd., ISBN 0091768500, Pub. Date: July 1998, Hardcover
 * 1998, US, Philomel Books, ISBN 9780399233074, Pub. Date: December 1998, Hardcover
 * 1999, UK, Red Fox, ISBN 0099264366, Pub. Date: July 1999, Paperback
 * 2005, US, Puffin, ISBN 9780142501085, Pub. Date: January 2005, Paperback
 * 2007, UK, Red Fox, ISBN 1862302448, Pub. Date: August 2007, Paperback