Redwall (Redwall, Book 1) 
asked by guitarplayer on November 14, 2006 3:58 PM
As the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey bask in the glorious Summer of the Late Rose, all is quiet and peaceful. But things are not as they seem. Cluny the Scourge, the evil one-eyed rat warlord, is hell-bent on destroying the tranquility as he prepares to fight a bloody battle for the ownership of Redwall. This dazzling story in the Redwall series is packed with all the wit, wisdom, humor, and blood-curdling adventure of the other books in the collection, but has the added bonus of taking the reader right back to the heart and soul of Redwall Abbey and the characters who live there.
Magical, mystical, and the stuff of legends, this stunning tale of good battling with--and ultimately triumphing over--evil takes the reader on a roller-coaster adventure that barely draws breath from the first page to the very last. Brian Jacques is a true master of his craft. --Susan Harrison
Reviews
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This book is an interesting story about a young mouse [Matthias] defending his home [Redwall Abbey] against a hoard of rats who want to capture Redwall. Matthias must solve mysterious riddles, battle many rats, befriend allies, and uncover the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior. Will he be able to drive the evil rats out of Mossflower? Buy the book to find out.
reviewed by mullers on November 25, 2006 2:00 AM
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First off, I wanted to comment on the issues that seem to be confusing a lot of readers:
Concerning size and scale, just imagine all the creatures in this world as being roughly the same size. Some (badgers, hares, et cetera) are larger than others (mice and squirrels), but the size difference is not as significant as it would be in real life. It's closer to the difference in size between, say, a child and a large man.
The Redwall series does not take place in our world, but in a fantasy universe where rodents rule the land and have advanced civilizations. This is not Watership Down, where the rabbits can talk and think but are otherwise normal rabbits living in a normal world. This is a fantasy universe separate from our own.
The dwellings are proportionate to the creatures that live in them. They are not human dwellings, they were built by woodland creatures, and so there's no reason the mice would have trouble opening doors and whatnot. Same goes for everything else they build and use (boats, et cetera).
These issues become clearer as the series goes on, but I can see how they could be confusing to people reading this for the first time...especially since, in the first book, Jacques does not seem to be entirely clear on what sort of world he is trying to create. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are a few mentions of human civilization, which feel out of place and are quickly dropped later in the series. Just thought I'd try to clarify that before adding my own comments.
I liked this series a lot when I was younger, and I have fond memories of it. Overall, Jacques does a good job of creating a unique fantasy world filled with likeable and fun characters. I especially like that he's not afraid to write tough female characters who can fight and get their paws dirty alongside the males. But there are some things that bother me about this book and the Redwall series in general.
The biggest and most enduring problem is the simplistic, black-and-white view of morality. Virtually all the mice, squirrels, badgers, et cetera, are good. Virtually all the rats, ferrts, weasels ("vermin") are evil. Offhand, I can think of only two examples of vermin who turned out to be not so bad after all and who ended up helping the good guys...but by and large, they're an unsavory bunch, purely bad with no redeeming qualities (again, with a few scarce exceptions). They're motivated by greed and power-lust, nothing else.
I'm not saying that all characters have to be some complex, morally ambiguous shade of gray--I LIKE having good guys that I can root for without hesitation--but making ALL the members of a certain species good or bad, therefore creating a world where you can know at a glance the nature of someone's soul ("He's a rat! He must be evil!") is obviously problematic. I wouldn't go so far as to say that his novels endorse racism, but they lean uncomfortably in that direction.
What I would love is to see a Redwall novel written from the perspective of one of the "vermin" races, describing what it's like to grow up in a world where one's kind is universally feared and hated, and maybe adding some realism and humanity (er...rodentity?) to the villains. Or better yet, a novel where the hero is one of the vermin, who overcomes his upbringing and joins the woodlanders in their fight against evil...or fights alone because they won't accept him. It could be a good opportunity for Jacques to explore the issue of prejudice in a way that children could understand: How it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and how it's possible for individuals to break the cycle. But it's seeming less and less likely that Jacques is ever going to write such a thing.
Oh well, one can hope.
Concerning size and scale, just imagine all the creatures in this world as being roughly the same size. Some (badgers, hares, et cetera) are larger than others (mice and squirrels), but the size difference is not as significant as it would be in real life. It's closer to the difference in size between, say, a child and a large man.
The Redwall series does not take place in our world, but in a fantasy universe where rodents rule the land and have advanced civilizations. This is not Watership Down, where the rabbits can talk and think but are otherwise normal rabbits living in a normal world. This is a fantasy universe separate from our own.
The dwellings are proportionate to the creatures that live in them. They are not human dwellings, they were built by woodland creatures, and so there's no reason the mice would have trouble opening doors and whatnot. Same goes for everything else they build and use (boats, et cetera).
These issues become clearer as the series goes on, but I can see how they could be confusing to people reading this for the first time...especially since, in the first book, Jacques does not seem to be entirely clear on what sort of world he is trying to create. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are a few mentions of human civilization, which feel out of place and are quickly dropped later in the series. Just thought I'd try to clarify that before adding my own comments.
I liked this series a lot when I was younger, and I have fond memories of it. Overall, Jacques does a good job of creating a unique fantasy world filled with likeable and fun characters. I especially like that he's not afraid to write tough female characters who can fight and get their paws dirty alongside the males. But there are some things that bother me about this book and the Redwall series in general.
The biggest and most enduring problem is the simplistic, black-and-white view of morality. Virtually all the mice, squirrels, badgers, et cetera, are good. Virtually all the rats, ferrts, weasels ("vermin") are evil. Offhand, I can think of only two examples of vermin who turned out to be not so bad after all and who ended up helping the good guys...but by and large, they're an unsavory bunch, purely bad with no redeeming qualities (again, with a few scarce exceptions). They're motivated by greed and power-lust, nothing else.
I'm not saying that all characters have to be some complex, morally ambiguous shade of gray--I LIKE having good guys that I can root for without hesitation--but making ALL the members of a certain species good or bad, therefore creating a world where you can know at a glance the nature of someone's soul ("He's a rat! He must be evil!") is obviously problematic. I wouldn't go so far as to say that his novels endorse racism, but they lean uncomfortably in that direction.
What I would love is to see a Redwall novel written from the perspective of one of the "vermin" races, describing what it's like to grow up in a world where one's kind is universally feared and hated, and maybe adding some realism and humanity (er...rodentity?) to the villains. Or better yet, a novel where the hero is one of the vermin, who overcomes his upbringing and joins the woodlanders in their fight against evil...or fights alone because they won't accept him. It could be a good opportunity for Jacques to explore the issue of prejudice in a way that children could understand: How it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and how it's possible for individuals to break the cycle. But it's seeming less and less likely that Jacques is ever going to write such a thing.
Oh well, one can hope.
reviewed by wellness on November 26, 2006 8:11 PM
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The novel Redwall by Brian Jacques is an interesting story full of adventure and excitement! In fact Redwall was so interesting I missed all of my favorite T.V. show. The main characters are a mouse named Matthias and a rat named Cluny the Scourge. In the story Cluny's army is trying to take over Redwall and to do so he takes the abbeys most prized possession the portrait of Martin the warrior. In order to win the fierce battles Matthias and Methuselah team up to try and find martin the warrior's sword. Meanwhile Cluny and his army are getting ready to attack. Read the rest of the story to find out if they find the sward and if Cluny and his army win the war!!
reviewed by geo on November 29, 2006 4:04 AM