The Angel's Command

by Brian Jacques

Book Overview

The new Castaways novel comes alive-Redwall fashion-with a magnificent romp on the sea, and another in the robber-filled mountains of Spain! Ben and Ned, the boy and dog who were sent on an angel's errand in Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, find themselves on board a Frenchman's pirate ship, pursued by not one but two ships-an English privateer and a Spanish buccaneer. They finally escape into the Pyrenees, only to stumble into an even more challenging...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399239995
• ISBN13: 9780399239991
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

Amazing

I'm 40 years old, and I couldn't put this book down. I tend to skim books with huge elaborations, but you won't want to miss a single word in this story.And if I could have superpowers, Ben has them. Speak any language spoken and talk to your dog, awesome!I bought two copies for our school library

"A surety that Good will triumph over Evil, always!"

This is the second in the series "Castaways of the Flying Dutchman." Like the first book, Castaways, this book is really two books, two completely separate stories involving the same characters (although there is a return to the first story at the end of the book). As with Castaways, Angel's Command begins with a naval adventure. But instead of traveling with the demonic Captain Vanderdecken, Ben and Ned find themselves onboard a pirate ship with a kindly French captain who has tricked a ruthless Spaniard out of his treasure. The French buccaneers must also outrun an English privateer, hot on their tail. What follows is an exciting chase from the Caribbean across the Atlantic to France. In typical fashion for Jacques, the wicked come to justice, sowing the seeds of their own destruction. But Jacques is also able to show how even wickedness can be turned for good. In the second story, Ben and Ned meet up with some new friends to try to help a aging Comte find his dead brother's lost son. Ben and Ned rescue Karey, a young con artist with a beautiful voice, and join up with Dominic a "face maker," who can draw portraits so lifelike that they reveal a person's true character. They must search for him among the ruthless and evil Razan, a band of marauders hidden in the Pyrenees. Ben and Ned find help from a tough goatherd, a woman who lives by herself in the mountains. Ultimately, the power of the angel comes to their rescue in a surprising fashion. In the Castaways series Jacques deals with a more explicitly religious world than he does in Redwall, where there is morality and a force for good, but not angels from God. Jacques is a master of storytelling, but in the Castaway series, he also shows his ability to explore different characters. This book will both "teach and delight."

Truly heart-taking

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...

The furthur adventures of Ben and Ned!

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!

More of Ben and Ned

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.