Review Detail

Love a great warrior story with rippling muscles, breathless fight scenes and swinging swords in it? Well, The Quest of the Warrior Sheep, by Christine & Christopher Russell doesnt have any of those, but its still one of the greatest warrior stories youll ever read.

In The Quest of The Warrior Sheep, the sky is falling, only its raining cell phones instead of pieces of heaven. When two witless bank robbers careen down a country road and fling their cell phone into a wooded field to hide the evidence, the phone bonks Sal the Sheep on the head. Sal is one of five rare-breed sheep with unforgettable personalities. These sheep, with names like Oxo, Links, Jaycey, Wills and Sal, like to rap, read, discuss the chewing of the cud, and even give each other high hooves for jobs well-done.

When the warriors spy the image of a ram with golden horns on the cell phone, they think the device is a magical Baaton that wields immense power. According to a prophecy mentioned in the Songs of the Fleece (which, at last count had over 167 verses), only two powerful sheep can possess the mighty Baaton: Lord Aries, Ram of Rams...or his nemesis, the terrible, horrible Lambad the Bad.

So the warriorswho call themselves the Eppingham Posse, begin their quest to find Lord Aries and hand over the Baaton. They travel by train, cart and even balloon to get to their destination. As they trudge on, they are chased by an assortment of humans, including the two evil bank robbers, a television reporter, the man who loves her, and the old grandma and grandson who own the sheep.

This is a fast-placed and surprisingly clever story full of high adventure and witty dialog. Readers wont be able to resist the naïvely courageous sheep, their nervous stomachs, or the hilarious rap songs they sing as they make their way North to return the magical cell phoneer, Baaton, to Lord Aries.

This one is sure to become a side-splitting classic.