``Eeulaliaaaaaaa!'' echoes the battle cry of Sunflash the Mace, badger warlord and champion of all that is good. Accompanied by his faithful scout, the kestrel Skarlath, Sunflash sets out to vanquish the evil ferret Swartt Sixclaw, who had enslaved him in his youth. Meanwhile, Sixclaw's bad-seed son is raised lovingly by a mousemaid at Redwall Abbey. However, in spite of his upbringing, he follows his father's wicked ways and is cast out of the abbey forever. The action climaxes in a pitched battle with Sixclaw's horde at Salamandastron, Sunflash's mountain stronghold. Convincing characterizations (including strong female participants), well-realized settings (accompanied by mouth- watering feasts), grand dialogue, inventive action--in this eighth offering in the popular Redwall series, Jacques (The Bellmaker, 1995, not reviewed, etc.) will more than please his fans. With the usual black-and-white chapter decorations throughout, the book is written to formula--good trumps evil, but has to count at least one important loss--and many will rate it among the best in the series. (Fiction. 9-14)
