Urchin of the Riding Stars

If the Green Ember is "rabbits with swords," then this is "squirrels with swords." And otters, and hedgehogs, and moles. The books end with enough loose ends to lead right into the next sequel, but each has its own satisfying conclusion. It doesn't leave you on an unresolved cliff hanger. Very young or sensitive readers might want to wait or skip this one due to the truly evil characters and the fighting scenes. The audience is probably middle grade, though teens might enjoy it too.

If you like the Redwall series, then you'll probably like this one. (I did not really care for the first book of Redwall and didn't read more, but I was able to tolerate this one enough to read three of them.) There are a total of 5 books in the series, but show more the last two are not in my local library, and I don't like them enough to spend $17 each to buy copies.

Some content considerations:
1) The animals pray to "the Heart" and say "Heart bless you" and "Heart help me"; "Heart" seems to be a substitute for God. I was not quite sure how I felt about that.
2) There are some really evil characters who enjoy killing/sacrificing other animals. This could be scary and disturbing to some.
3) There are lots and lots of characters and it gets hard to keep them straight and remember which ones are moles or hedgehogs or squirrels or otters. I think even the author got mixed up sometimes.

Overall, it's not my favorite series, but I suppose it's ok. I might have liked it better if I had read it before the Ascendance Series Jennifer Nielsen (see below) instead of after. That one is so rich, that everything else feels flat in comparison. show less

I didn't really like the first six or eight chapters, in fact I nearly put the book down and moved on, but I was so glad I held on to the end. It's pretty obviously a Redwall read-alike. The first chapters introduce the setting, an island surrounded by mist, and a host of very expected Redwall stock characters. Urchin, a squirrel, arrived on the island during a meteor shower as a newborn baby who was then adopted into the society of the island with only a few animals knowing about the prophesies, etc., that accompanied him. There are some power-hungry nobles trying to take over the island! WHO can save us? Blah blah blah, blah.

BUT, after all that is out of the way, we really set into the good stuff. This is shorter and written more show more simply than Redwall, but it deals with different themes. I may be wrong, but I can't remember Redwall ever dealing with organized infanticide or demonic possession. Urchin does, and does it very, very well. Urchin has more focus on a political intrigue kind of plot, more internal intensity. There isn't a definite "The people inside are good and that horde over there is bad," but there IS a definite "these actions are good and these actions are bad."

As the book goes on the characters turn out to be much more developed than the first chapters would indicate. The plot becomes ever more complex, but isn't hard to follow and doesn't get bogged down. There are some religious themes, one of the best characters is a priest and they all pray to the Heart of the Island, but like the other themes I've mentioned it isn't quite pronounced, only there. The story sets up a series well, I hope the growing pains were worked out in this one and the second book can pick up where this one left off.

Overall, this was an excellent book, good for kids who like animal fantasy or people who like basic fantasy in general. It was similar in ways to the Silverwing series by Kenneth Oppel and to the Warriors series, maybe even similar to The Wind in the Willows in a way, or The Giver. It's suitable for all ages, but the younger a kid is the more I'd suggest discussion. show less

On a night of riding stars, a tiny squirrel is found abandoned and close to death on a distant beach. Adopted and raised by a kindly squirrel, Urchin has no idea of his powerful destiny or of the way he will influence the island of Mistmantle.
The rule of the good King Brushen and Queen Spindle is threatened by an evil plot from within the court. When their young son is found murdered, the isle is thrown into turmoil. Behind the scenes, the wicked Lord Husk and Lady Aspen are determined to take control. But to underestimate the power of the islanders and the ancient prophecies is a big mistake….
Triumphant heroes and brilliantly wicked villains do battle in this heart-stopping adventure in the great tradition of Watership Down and show more The Wind in the Willows. show less

A tiny squirrel is found abandoned and close to death on a distant beach. Adopted and raised in a welcoming colony of animals, Urchin has no idea of his powerful destiny or his mysterious origins.

The rule of the good King Brushen and Queen Spindle is threatened by an evil plot from within the court. When a murder is committed, the isle is thrown into turmoil. Behind the scenes, ruthless animals are determined to seize the throne. But to underestimate the power of the islanders and the ancient prophecies is a big mistake....

A tiny squirrel is found abandoned and close to death on a distant beach. Adopted and raised in a welcoming colony of animals, Urchin has no idea of his powerful destiny or his mysterious origins.

The rule of the good King Brushen and Queen Spindle is threatened by an evil plot from within the court. When a murder is committed, the isle is thrown into turmoil. Behind the scenes, ruthless animals are determined to seize the throne. But to underestimate the power of the islanders and the ancient prophecies is a big mistake....

A tiny squirrel is found abandoned and close to death on a distant beach. Adopted and raised in a welcoming colony of animals, Urchin has no idea of his powerful destiny or his mysterious origins.

The rule of the good King Brushen and Queen Spindle is threatened by an evil plot from within the court. When a murder is committed, the isle is thrown into turmoil. Behind the scenes, ruthless animals are determined to seize the throne. But to underestimate the power of the islanders and the ancient prophecies is a big mistake....

Liam and I listened to this on CD a while ago, and I found myself wanting to drive around more just to find out what happened next. Beautifully written and narrated.