User blog:LordTBT/News:"The Sable Quean" : The Advance



It was a welcome treat today to find the advance for The Sable Quean in my mailbox, and as you can see, Troy Howell's latest cover is awesome!

Some very exciting information is on the back cover however:


 * National consumer sweepstakes promoted in book, on website, and through ads


 * Extensive online consumer promotion, including launch of interactive website with webisodes, a new Redwall game every month, a Redwall community, author videos, and quizzes

Also of interest is that the advance does state that the book should be coming in February 2010, and the retail price will be $23.99. The page count is stated as 416, however there are 408 pages inside.

On the back are what appears to be a sample of the new covers for Redwall, Mossflower, Salamandastron, and Martin the Warrior.

There is also a fourth summary for The Sable Quean revealed in the front flap:


 * Guard the Dibbuns! Protect your babes! He appears out of thin air, and vanishes just as quickly. He is Zwilt the Shade, and he is evil. Yet he is no match for his ruler, Vilaya, the Sable Quean. Along with their hordes of vermin, these two have devised a plan to conquer Redwall Abbey. And when the Dibbuns go mising, captured one by one, their plan is revealed.


 * Will the Redwallers risk the fate of their Abbey and all of Mossflower Wood to save their precious young ones? Perhaps Buckler, Blademaster of the Long Patrol, can save the day. He has a score of his own to settle. And fear not, these Dibbuns are not as innocent as they appear. After all, they're from Redwall.


 * Pack your vittles, bring your weapon of choice, and join our friends on the dangerous search. But beware of the Sable Quean!

Not all of Sean Rubin's chapter icons have been inserted into the proof yet, but a few have, and they are a totally new contribution to Redwall illustration, that's for sure.

His map is also in the book, and it gives us a previously unseen angle: the view of Salamandastron, Redwall, and Mossflower Woods as if you were floating in a boat or a hot air balloon off of Salamandastron's coast.

The Redwall Wiki will endeavor to have a review of The Sable Quean up as soon as possible, featuring some of Sean's new artwork.

For now, enjoy the interior book titles:


 * Book One: Travel is an Adventure!
 * Book Two: Go Find the Babes!
 * Book Three: Escape from Althier!
 * Book Four: The Battle of Redwall Abbey