Brian Jacques (1939–2011)

Ah've been robbed 'o mah sleep since taken tae reading Jacques tales of Redwall, at the request of mah daughters and their wee little brother, who--although he is just learning to read--loves tae listen to the taped editions.
This particular book made me laugh and brought a tear to my eye, wot?
One becomes easily attached to the characters who are so well described and given human qualities, which are fine in the good-beasts and terrible in the vermin. I find hints of myself and people I have show more known in the characters--good and bad.
Perhaps the world would be a sight better if animals could talk, and a good scoff in the Abbey with all the Redwallers would suit me fine; however, as Melanda says at the end: we can join them anytime in our imaginations. show less

Summary: Mattimeo, the spirited son of Matthias the Warrior, along with four other children, are kidnapped as an act of revenge by Slagar the Cruel. When Matthias and other warriors pursue, including the Sparra folk, Redwall’s remaining inhabitants must fight off an invasion of magpies and ravens.

Mattimeo is the spirited son of Matthias the Warrior of Redwall. When a guest of Redwall, Vitch, insults Matthias, Matthias violates the hospitality of Redwall to give Vitch a good beating. Turns show more out that Vitch, who is a spy for Slagar the Cruel, deserved far worse. Slagar, nursing a perceived grievance against Matthias going back to the invasion of Cluny the Rat, has been planning his revenge. He devises a plan to kidnap the children of Redwall including Matthias own Mattimeo, posing, with his followers, as a wandering band of entertainers who arrive in time for the great summer feast. With the help of Vitch’s intelligence, they drug the revelers, kidnap the children, pursuing a southward path to sell them as slaves to Malkariss, the rat king.

When Matthias and the revelers awaken, they find five of their children gone. Matthias with his impressive sword, along with Jess Squirrel and Basil Hare go off in pursuit, joined with others from Mossflower forest along the way including Orlando the Badger with his battle axe and Log-a-log and the shrews, staunch allies of the Abbey. They’ve also lost children and they join forces to recover them, relentlessly heading south, they know not into what.

This concerns the abbot who remembers that the founders came from the south. Perhaps they’ve left clues that could be of help to Matthias and his band. They find a map and a poetic riddle. But how to get them to Matthias? Enter Warbeak and the Sparras from the lofty parts of the Abbey. They volunteer to take the map to Matthias, leaving only the young and the old behind. This creates the second plotline of the story, the invasion of the ravens under General Ironbeak, assisted by magpies who occupy the heights of the abbey and gradually everything except for an underground shelter, amply stocked with food, a refuge for the now beseiged dwellers of Redwall, bereft of their warriors.

The plot goes back and forth between Mattimeo and the captives who grow up quickly, children no longer, Matthias, facing overwhelming rat forces, and the Redwall inhabitants, who must devise ways to fight off and defeat their bird foes.

Several things I enjoyed. First of all, Slagar is a truly savvy foe, clever in turning things to his own advantage, playing upon his followers ambitions while ruthlessly eliminating them when they’ve served their purpose, and never over-reaching. I also love how, even in hardship, the inhabitants of Redwall never fail to honor each other as well as enjoy a good meal! Even the prisoners look after each other and other enslaved, Mattimeo comforting fearful Tess, and becoming a leader in the process.

I also appreciate the combination of courage against overwhelming odds as well as the restraint against wanton killing. Yes, foes are killed in battle, but others are allowed to live, or they die by other means than at the hands of Redwallers. This mirrors the commitment of the Abbey to be a place of hospitality and healing. In contrast to cruel figures like Ironbeak and Slagar, the Redwallers expand their community and its alliances by hospitality and generosity and compassion and mutual aid. While not naive toward evil (perhaps careless and wanting in vigilance at points), they choose a world where beasts are won by kindness, if at all possible, and not brute force. These stories cultivate in readers both clear-eyed realism, and the love of goodness in creation and its fruits, and in peaceable community with one’s “fellow beasts.” They invite us to wonder whether this just be fantasy or worth pursuing in our own jaded world. show less

Summary: The first in the Redwall Saga,where Matthias, the adopted mouse, dreams of being a warrior like Martin the Warrior, hero of the Redwall Abbey tapestry, a dream (and prophecy) he has the chance to fulfill when Cluny the rat and his forces attack Redwall Abbey.

How did I miss this fantasy, and miss reading it aloud when our son was growing up? Only recently, when I kept seeing it turn up in the recommendations of online friends did I decide to pick up the first of the series of Redwall show more Sagas (twenty-two in all) by Brian Jacques, who passed in 2011. I found Redwall absolutely delightful and absorbing.

The story centers around a mouse adopted by Redwall Abby, Matthias, who has dreams of following in the footsteps of Martin the Warrior, founder and hero of the abbey, celebrated in a glorious tapestry. He’s mentored by Methuselah the gatekeeper, old Abbot Mortimer, and Constance the Badger, perhaps the fiercest fighter in Redwall. He’s rather impetuous for a novice monk but his true mettle shows when news comes of the approaching attack of Cluny the Rat, known as the Scourge for his poison-barb tail. Cluny has struck terror wherever he has gone, but the residents of Redwall, who quickly recognize Matthias leadership, refuse to surrender.

So it is war. Cluny is strangely troubled in his dreams of a mighty warrior like Martin, and even succeeds in stealing the Martin portion of the tapestry. But this just reveals a prophecy, that points to Matthias as Martin’s successor–if only he can find Martin’s armor and sword. The Sparras, living in the rooftops of the abbey are sworn enemies of the mice and clues point to their possession of Martin’s sword. Matthias ends up their prisoner, but in the end secures the shield and the friendship with the future queen of the Sparras and learns that the sword has fallen into the deadly grip of Asmodeus, a poisonous adder who has already claimed several victims. He sets off to Mossflower forest, seeking the counsel of a wise owl as to the whereabouts of Asmodeus, after making friendship with the voles of the forest.

I will leave you to find out whether he succeeds in his battle against Asmodeus, and whether he is able to save Redwall from the increasingly devious attacks of Cluny. But here is what I really liked about the story: the contrast between Cluny and his minions and the residents of Redwall. The former reminded me of the demons of the Screwtape Letters, in endless rivalries, seeking to enlarge themselves by devouring others, including one who even fancies taking Cluny’s place, leading to his demise. By contrast, it seems that the character of Redwall is that residents magnify each other, the wise old abbot and old Methuselah pouring themselves into Matthias, and all working with harmony, and even joy, amid their efforts to defend. The Sparras are reconciled to the Redwall mice, and the voles to the former arch-predator owl. Jacques is also skilled in description, enabling us to envision Redwall, the old Saint Ninian’s church, the Mossflower woods, as well as all of the principle characters.

From what I read, the plans for a Redwall movie from Netflix are on hold due to the company’s troubles. I’m not altogether disappointed with this. It gives me a chance to discover more books in the saga. I loved Jacques worldbuilding and story-telling, more accessible than Tolkien, though richly textured in its own way. Only twenty-one more to go! I only wish I’d had these books in those wonderful “read me a story” days (although Asmodeus might be a bit scary for a young child). show less

Salamandastron gets more of the focus than Redwall this time, as you'd expect from the title. It's a few decades after the adventures of Mariel in the last book. We get to see the mountain under siege for a change rather than the abbey, defended by its badger lord and the Long Patrol of course, and we learn a lot more about its structure and fortifications. The father-son pair of villains is an interesting dynamic and rivalry, reflecting the father-daughter badger relationship on the other show more side of the contest.

This fifth Redwall outing features a lot of different things going on, so many that (reading one chapter to my son each day) we kept experiencing the feeling of "oh yes, forgot about those characters" as we cycled through them. It feels like more than the usual number of simultaneous quests. If we'd been reading faster this probably would have been okay. I've long been conscious of Brian Jacques gift for description but this time I paid closer attention. Any prospective author could do worse than take him as a model, it's well above the norm for today's YA market. I'm beginning to surrender my critique about his repetitiveness from one volume to the next. He's found the trick of building a fondness for those things in the reader, rather than exasperating them: from the constant eating to the stock villains to the happy reunions, instead of rolling my eyes I find myself looking forward to them each time. The series remains consistently solid. show less