The story in the beginning starts with a recap from Gwendolyn, the matriarch of Lockhaven, and then recounting the lives of the guard mice. He journeys to an island ruled by ferrets and manages to survive the fair and just king. The story journeys you back to the time of 1108 (I think) when Celenawe goes on a daring adventure to reclaim the fabled Black Axe, forged by the the family Farrer. It’s as if David Petersen kicked it up a notch with story development and panel design. The black axe, respectively a prequel to Fall and Winter 1152, was nothing short of amazing. This three volume adventure series was a good run, complete with compelling mouse characters, secret carrying mice, and the coming and fall of certainly brave heroes. Pretty deep for what at first glance looks like a children's book, but actually has much broader appeal. The fact the characters were talking animals only made this more impressive. I think I missed some of the impact on the first reading, but on the re-read I really noticed how much the author made us feel for these characters, whether hero or villain. UPDATE: I did a re-read of this one and was shocked at just how much emotion was in this story. You still may not like it, but there's a good chance you will be pleasantly surprised. It's probably hard to see how stories starring mice could be as good as people say it is, but the only way for you to find out is to try it for yourself. Really helps tell the story the right way. As always, the art is fantastic and the coloring is great. The quest is a time honored tradition of great fantasy, and this series lives up to it. This serves as a prequel to the very first Mouse Guard series, and we get to see a great quest. This is a pretty serious fantasy adventure, and using mice, ferrets, and other animals as characters enhanced rather than detracted from the story. It sounds silly, but let me assure you, it's not nearly as silly as it sounds. Think of Lord of the Rings, mixed up with a bit of Game of Thrones with maybe even a dash of The Odyssey.with mice as the main characters.

Mouse guard the black axe