Redwall

Brian Jacques’ Redwall is a timeless young adult fantasy novel that blends classic heroism with medieval charm, anthropomorphic characters, and surprisingly deep themes of courage, growth, and self-belief. Though it’s written for a younger audience, this first entry in the sprawling Redwall series has earned its place in the hearts of readers of all ages—including mine.
Set in a richly imagined world where woodland creatures live in abbeys and battle for justice, Redwall follows the story of Matthias, a young, unassuming mouse living in the peaceful Redwall Abbey. When a ruthless rat named Cluny the Scourge threatens their home, Matthias embarks on a journey of self-discovery to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior and show more protect those he loves. At its heart, Redwall is a story about finding strength and potential even when the world—and sometimes even you—doesn’t believe it exists.
One of the most enduring qualities of the book is how re-readable it is. Whether it’s your first time visiting Redwall or your tenth, the story never loses its charm. The medieval setting—complete with ancient abbey halls, brave warriors, hidden clues, and cryptic poems—feels vivid and alive. Jacques’ writing style, with its rich descriptions and immersive worldbuilding, is both comforting and exciting.
The poem woven throughout the book is particularly memorable. What begins as a mysterious riddle transforms into a guiding thread for the entire plot, giving the story a sense of destiny and layered depth. It adds a touch of magical realism to the tale while reinforcing one of the story’s key messages: greatness is often hidden in plain sight.
And let’s not forget the standout characters. While Matthias’s transformation into a hero is inspiring, Mrs. Badger (Constance) is an unforgettable figure—strong, loyal, fiercely protective, and a true force of nature. She embodies wisdom and bravery and offers a grounded, steady presence amidst the chaos of the unfolding battle.
If Redwall captured your heart, the rest of the series promises to expand that world in satisfying and meaningful ways.
Redwall is more than just a fantasy novel with talking animals—it’s a coming-of-age tale, a battle between good and evil, and a reminder that belief in oneself can be the spark that lights the path to greatness. Despite being aimed at younger readers, the emotional weight, charm, and timelessness of the story make it a favorite worth returning to again and again. show less

When I started this book, I had a ton of people telling me to read it, because it was fantastic. Then... I read it.
No. Just no.
The whole first "book" was so random and discombobulated that I spent the whole time looking back to make sure I wasn't missing anything. And the cheesy jokes and puns made me literally almost throw the book across the room. I only didn't because I borrowed the book, so it wasn't mine.
The second "book" was a little better, but the cheesiness made me gag. Also, this is just a little pet peeve of mine, but when an author types out "ha ha ha," it irritates me so much. You just said the character laughed/giggled/chuckled, you don't need to write out laughter sounds. "Ha ha ha hee hee oh hohohoho" (pg 267). Yes. That show more was literally written out in the book. Like... whaaaa?
"Book three" was much better, except for the fact that half the animals in the story are complete idiots, and the other half are trying way too hard to outsmart the others because they are "more cunning." Cluny acts smart, but is an idiot. He seriously cannot get one thing to work, but because he is vicious and has a poison spike and has no honor, he's supposedly clever and an amazing leader? Don't make me laugh.
The final battle is the only reason this book doesn't get one star. Matthias definitely was kickbutt in that part. The battle itself was, while slightly cheesy, well-written and well thought out. Though the end was a little too anti-climactic.
Conclusion: There were good moments in this book, but the general impression I got was a guy who tried too hard to be funny in his books, and didn't think through the ENTIRE plot before writing the book. I'm done with the series. Bye! show less

Mice, rats, sparrows, squirrels, and other animals live in a medieval world, talking and having adventures. Cluny the Scourge, the most evil and feared seagoing rat, has decided he to attack and conquer Redwall Abbey. Redwall Abbey is the home of peaceful mice and other woodland creatures who give sanctuary and healing to the other animals. Cluny's backstabbing rat henchmen are only out for themselves and their cruel leader is very selfish. In contrast, the mice of Redwall Abbey are led by the peaceful Abbot Mortimer and a young orphan mouse, Matthias. Matthias gets his inspiration from the Abbey's legendary hero, Martin the Warrior.

This story was written for older kids, and is a great fantasy tale of medieval era animals who talk and show more live more or less like humans. Oddly, this does not detract from the "humanity" of these characters. We see selfishness, selflessness, greed, ambition, kindness, and the yearning to be something great in these very human animals. It's classic good versus evil, with beautiful descriptions of forest and sunset and appetizing meals. I'm sad I was an adult before I read this fantastic book. I want to read it aloud with my kids one day. show less

The Redwall series has been one of my favourites for about twenty years. I can't recall exactly how I first learned about the books, but I do remember clearly my mother getting me out of school one day so she could take me to meet Brian Jacques when he came to the area to do a book signing. That was a truly delightful treat.

Despite my love for the series, it had been years since I last read Redwall, and the last time I tried I discovered I wasn't in the mood for that particular book, so I set it aside. Since it had been years, however, I decided to give it another try. I borrowed the audiobook from my local library to listen to during my commute. The full cast audio is delightful, and I really enjoyed listening to this story.

Thing show more is...I realise now that Redwall is probably my least favourite entry in the series, and in listening to it I've been able to pinpoint a few of the reasons why this is. Redwall is the first book in the series, and on the world-building front it just doesn't mesh cleanly with the later books. The various groups and tribes of creatures are still largely undeveloped. There are mentions of large animals like horses, pigs, and stags, all of which are completely absent in later books. In Redwall there seems to be some implication that the Abbey mice and various woodland creatures are living alongside humans (see the aforementioned farm animals, plus mentions of towns), even though humans are never actually mentioned in the story. Reading Redwall after reading other books in the series winds up being jarring for me, simply because it's a literary step backward.

I still like the book, and I'm sure I'll read (or listen to) it again. Knowing why it isn't my favourite helps me appreciate it for what it is: the foundation and starting point for an amazing series of books that I absolutely love. show less

Redwall was one of the big novels of my youth. They were read to me in the early 90s and I picked up reading them myself shortly thereafter. I haven't returned to them in 25 or so years.

First thing that stood out to me was how snappy everything was. Most problems are introduced and solved in rapid succession. 1 or 2 chapters. In a lot of ways it feels like a collection of short stories all tied together by the overarching thread of Cluny threatening Redwall. There's an almost episodic feel to how contained each piece of the adventure is.

A good example is the riddle Methuselah discovers behind the Martin tapestry. In short order, Methuselah and Martin sit down, solve the first part, find the hidden passageway, and visit Martin's tomb. It show more all just flows out.

This gives very good stopping points throughout reading. A little bit of closure, but not too much. Given that Redwall was conceived by Jacques as he read books to children, that makes sense. The Brian Jacques audio book is 10.5 hours. You aren't reading that (out load) in one sitting.

Anyway, Redwall is a very good intro to novels for children. It isn't small, but neither is it hefty. Solid but simple story. The text isn't overly dense on the page. Plenty of action. Not over-complicating the good guys and bad guy. Though there are some characters, from Captain Snow to Sela and Chickenhound and even to Killconey, that aren't quite as simple to classify.

The story is simple. Cluny is an evil bad guy. He wants to take over the peaceful Redwall Abbey because he is evil. The residents of Redwall and the nearby forest creatures defend. Our main character Matthias goes on a quest to get the sword of Martin the Warrior to defeat Cluny. Upon completion of the quest, there is a big confrontation and Matthias defeats Cluny. Every step of the adventure is clearly laid as you approach. There's some unsubtle foreshadowing with Asmodeus wandering around in the early stages.

When it comes to introductory novels for children, keeping it simple is good. They have less literary background than a novel reading adult. There is a skill to following the basic structure of story, and it has to be learned. Redwall delivers simplicity and a solid story at the same time. Don't give kids slop just because they don't know any better.

That said, there are some silly aspects. Why does it take some crazy adventure to access the abbey attic? Why would anyone design a building that requires scaling walls to reach the attic? As Martin's sword is not magic or anything, why would it matter if they can get it our not? Ultimately, it was the power of friendship that brought GUOSSIM, the Sparrows, Squire Julian, and Captain Snow to the aid of Redwall that truly won the battle. It's not like the adventure to get the sword was useless.

But the question of magic is a weird one. The adventures that get the friendship happen because Martin foresaw what would occur. Everything was setup to address things exactly as they occurred. It would require foreknowledge. If everything didn't play out in a very particular way, none of it would have mattered. show less

I've read this book at least twenty times, if not more. The first time must have been around 1990 or so; I remember getting it from the library and starting to read it each night with my mom, and then getting too impatient and reading it on my own. Naturally I got obsessed with the series, and read many of them (most multiple times).

One of the scenes here was probably the first time a book ever made me cry (the death of my favorite character), and Jacques' characters here became just as real as anything to me as I read and reread his masterpieces. As I've gotten older, they've become a staple of my recommendations to parents looking for stories to read with their children.

Simply brilliant.

A really solid first entry into this expansive series. I'm not entirely sold on committing to read the whole series, but I do have the second book and will probably give that a try at some point.

The cast of characters were what I enjoyed most about this book. Every new creature we encounter is a delight, either of charm or of villainy.

The plot on the other hand ... plot holes aren't necessarily something that bothers me, but Swiss cheese plot can. Events continued to conveniently favor our heroes, in a way that at times felt justified through their own work and cleverness, and at times happened seemingly just because. In that way, I could feel the fact that this is a book for children bearing down on me as I read. It wasn't too show more intrusive too often, but it was there.

I get the impression that this book series is one that many people first read as kids, and I can definitely see the appeal in that context. I would have loved this as a kid.

One thing I will say that I could not quite get a grip on, throughout the book, was the level of stakes. For the first half or more of the story, no named character on the 'good' side suffers any consequences other than injuries that are explicitly described as minor or not worth worrying over. On the 'bad' side, there are multiple deaths by that point, of named characters. This layout lends to the reader relaxing and then of course tensing up as the 'good' side does suffer a few casualties, which is of course probably intentional and for pacing purposes, but it still always felt as though everyone I cared about in this story had plot armor. And in the end, the only characters on the 'good' side to be killed or even injured seriously, in this siege warfare these charming woodland creatures are partaking in, were the unnamed or the elderly.

Another note to add here at the end: this author was very British/English. I don't have any opinions on this, but I can guess that several turns of phrase and a handful of character moments would have flown over my head as a kid. I'm sure yet more still did so, reading this as a non-British adult. Perhaps something to note, if you are gifting this to someone, particularly a younger someone, to read. show less