Redwall
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Redwall is a series of fantasy novels by Brian Jacques, the first of which was released in 1986. The books are primarily aimed at children, but have fans of all ages. There is an animated TV series based on the books, the first season of which was released in 1999. It was later followed by two more seasons, based on the books Mattimeo and Martin the Warrior. Production for that series is assumed to be finished, but if there is a fourth season, it will likely be based on Mossflower.
The book series does not chronicle any one particular timeframe. Rather, it is set in many different periods in the history of Redwall Abbey. Some of the books focus on characters who, in other volumes, are historical figures (e.g., Martin the Warrior's father, Luke, in The Legend of Luke). Typically, those books are set before the founding of Redwall Abbey. (Note: There is a timeline in the Redwall series, but it places the books in a completely different order than the order in which they were written.)
To learn about Redwall's presence on the internet, see the Redwall Online Community.
General description
The characters in the books are all animals of some sort, most of whom are capable of speech which Jacques renders as various dialects of English. With a few rare exceptions such as the monitor lizards from The Pearls of Lutra, and the Jerbilrats of Loamhedge, the animals in the Redwall books are native to Brian Jacques' home nation of Britain. Also notable are Brian's use of the less common animals; ones such as golden hamsters, found namely in Triss, and the solitary beaver from Redwall as well as Gulo the Savage wolverine in Rakkety Tam.Despite the fact that Redwall is a fantasy series, it contains no elements of magic — although in some books certain creatures are called "seers" and possess to varying degrees the ability to predict future events, and while some of these "seers" turn out to be frauds, others such as the fox Seers of The Taggerung and Lord Brocktree, are quite real and play a key part in the turning of events in the book. Books in the series often contain one or more "monsters", but these are not mythical creatures, rather being some type of ferocious predator. These have included snakes (from Redwall and Triss), large carnivorous fish such as pikes (from Marlfox and Mossflower), and a giant sea serpent (from Salamandastron). Also present is the sword of Martin the Warrior, which is believed by many creatures to be magical. This sword is forged from a meteorite's metal, and possesses qualities similar to that of mithril in Tolkien's works.
A typical book in the Redwall series details a particular period in the history of Redwall Abbey. In all but a few cases, the book is about the inhabitants of Redwall and the surrounding Mossflower Woods. Usually, there are at least two different stories going on — for example, a typical book may contain a small expedition somewhere, and a large group of Redwallers at home fending off a vermin horde. Because of the widely spaced storylines (chronologically speaking), very few creatures are mentioned in more than one or two books except in a passing historical sense; one notable exception is Martin the Warrior, who appears in all books that take place after Martin the Warrior (including The Legend of Luke), even if only in spirit form or a more notable historical mention than with other characters. Also, Martin's sword appears in all of the books. He is not mentioned by name in "Lord Brocktree" but is referred to in Brocktree's dream as "a young mouse bearing a beautiful sword".
Other recurring elements and characters in the Redwall series include a Badger Lord or Badger Mother; "Dibbuns" (the Redwall name for baby woodlanders); the Skipper of Otters; a Foremole; and a Logalog (leader of shrews).
Characters
Good creatures
- Mice are very often the main characters of the books, especially early in the series. Though small, they can be strong warriors, including the most famous warrior in the books, Martin the Warrior.
- Otters are water-loving creatures, typically living near rivers (or, in the case of sea otters, near the ocean). They are skilled and aggressive fighters, favouring slings and javelins, and are good sailors. They are also noted for liking spicy foods, particularly their favorite dish Hotroot soup. Otters at or near Redwall are led by the Skipper of otters.
- Squirrels are adept climbers and are noted for their speed and dexterity. They are typically expert archers.
- Shrews are the smallest of the woodlanders, but are fierce warriors, fighting with small rapiers. Shrews have their own armed force structure called the Guosim (Guerilla Union of Shrews in Mossflower), or Guosssom in the book Salamandastron, and Guorafs (Guerilla Union of Roaming and Fighing Shrews) in Loamhedge. The shrews live outside the walls of Redwall in the forest, and are allied to the Abbey, retaining a strict hierarchy and generally appearing as akin to human guerrillas.
- Hares are generally good-natured and talkative creatures, and are known for their ability to eat large quantities of food in a single sitting. They are also some of the best trained warriors among the good creatures, and many of them live at Salamandastron. (Rabbits are far less common in the series, though a few do appear. When they do, there isn't much difference between the rabbits and the hares. However, the hares seem to take offense if a creature refers to a hare as a rabbit)
- Badgers are the least numerous of the regularly appearing good creatures, with each book typically only having one or two badgers, usually the badger lord of Salamandastron. The badgers are huge compared to the other creatures, and accordingly can defeat much larger numbers in battle, especially when they are overcome by the Bloodwrath, a berserk condition in which they are completely focused on the battle and fight with unrivaled ferocity.
- Moles are digging creatures who prefer to stay close to the ground (as opposed to in the trees or on the ramparts of Redwall Abbey). They often provide combat engineer support by undermining enemy building foundations or making useful tunnels. They are also noted for their love of deeper'n'ever turnip'n'tater'n'beetroot pie. They speak in a rural accent with rare exceptions. Moles are usually simple-minded, and are known for their "mole logic", which is usually stating the obvious or looking at a problem in a simple way. For the most part, moles are less educated than other animals.
- Hedgehogs as a species are the least defined of the good creatures in the Redwall series. Some are strong fighters, whereas others are herbalists and artisans. Redwall's brewmaster is generally a hedgehog.
Perhaps surprisingly, rabbits have only featured very fleetingly in the series, and when they have, do not appear to have any allegiances at all. It is possible that Jacques is not willing to write rabbits into the books, as they have already been famously fictionalised by Richard Adams in his novel "Watership Down."
The very first book, "Redwall," features a horse pulling Cluny and his rat horde to the abbey in a cart. It is notable that the horse does not appear to have the same sentience as the other animals, and is treated by its rat masters exactly as a human would. Also, both pigs and dogs were mentioned in Redwall, although none appeared in the story itself.
Also in "Redwall," the character Methuselah mentions that he once tended a sparrowhawk with a broken wing. Such birds of prey have ambiguous status in the series, sometimes neutral, sometimes allied to the abbey and sometimes enemies.
The first book features an unnamed beaver as a good creature, but beavers do not appear at any other point in the series.
Bad creatures
- Rats are the main foot soldiers in the Redwall series and usually the most 'dispensable' as they make up the majority of most vermin hordes. Most rats have similar character traits, but there is a large difference between searats, and the average rats on land.
- *Henchrats: These rats are basically the main body of vermin hordes on land. They are usually bullies, that is aggressive yet cowardly. They are often guards of an evil warlord's fortress or the foot soldiers of a wandering horde. Hate and fear are their main reasons for fighting as they have no courage or true loyalty. They are also seldom skillful and a large number of them could fall to a single skilled warrior (hero or villain). Some notable groups of henchrats are the Ratguards from Triss and the Blackrobes from Mattimeo.
- *Searats: These rats are both strong and fearless. They are truly the pirates of the seas surrounding Mossflower. They are most notable in Mariel of Redwall as eventually, in later books, the searats were part of a larger seafaring group classified as corsairs, which all have similar characteristics of ruthlessness and gluttony in proportion to the type of corsair. The only rat warlords from the novels are searats, specifically Cluny from Redwall, and Damug Warfang from Long Patrol. The most characteristic searats are Gabool, the insane searat king from Mariel of Redwall, and his rival, the treacherous Greypatch. Raga Bol from "Loamhedge" is also an insane Searat mostly killing and arguing with is own crew.
- Foxes: Foxes are sly and seldom have loyalty to anyone besides themselves. Unlike most vermin, male foxes are the exclusive fighters as the vixens are seers present in many of the novels. There are some exceptions to this idea in Marlfox and Rakkety Tam because the foxes and their mates go into war together.
- *Foxes (male): Male foxes are sly and stubborn. They are also infamously proud. These foxes seldom remain in a horde without rebelling for the duration of the story. Some foxes are betrayers and instigators such as Skalrag (Martin the Warrior) and Rasconza (Pearls of Lutra). The Marlfoxes from Marlfox fight each other off as well as their adversaries, and Chickenhound and his mother betrayed both Cluny and Redwall in Redwall. In Mattimeo, a fox with a shrouded history (revealed throughout the story) is the leader of a band of slavers, and likewise, Plugg Firetail is the proud leader of a crew of corsairs in Triss.
- *Vixens (seers): Vixens are seers, responsible for the only apparent magic present in the series, and the prediction of future events. Some are phony, such as Sela, the healer from Redwall, while others are unnaturally loyal such as Nightshade in Outcast of Redwall. It is in 'Outcast' and The Taggerung that vixen seers are the most prominent. Nightshade uses her magic to help Swartt Sixclaw, and Grissoul in the latter calls upon Vulpuz, an evil spirit, to foretell the future of her tribe. All vixens are deceitful, loyal or not, especially in the case of the vixen in Marlfox, who stated thus: 'Never trust a Vixen'.
- Stoats, Ferrets, and Weasels: These creatures are usually the 'elite' soldiers of a horde. They are stronger than rats, considerably larger, and are often the leaders of their own horde, as in Martin the Warrior. They are also superior corsairs to searats. Weasels, ferrets, and stoats, are identical in their character traits and manner, although their differances are used against them in Mattimeo by Slagar. They are greedy like rats, but are harder to kill and have some courage or bravery that allows them to fight with a will. These villain's individual traits are the most varied, from Killconey's readiness in Redwall, to Halftail, the bullying slaver from Mattimeo.
- Polecats: Polecats have only appeared in two books, Mattimeo, in the form of Malkariss, the ancient ruler of the blackrobe rats, and a later Malkariss in "Loamhedge".
- Lizards: Lizards are featured in various books, always as evildoers. Rather than affiliating themselves with a vermin hoarde, they generally operate as thieves and bandits. Scurl, from Mattimeo, and Whiptail, from Mossflower, both practiced extortion. A tribe of lizards from Martin the Warrior were unable to speak, but practiced cannibalism.
- *Monitor Lizards: Only appearing in Pearls of Lutra, the Monitors were the shock troops of Ublaz Mad-Eyes. Larger than vermin, the Monitors were feared even by their own allies.
- Toads: Toads play a similar role to lizards in the series. Functioning as a primitive tribal society, they are hostile to mammals and not above cannibalism. They appeared notably in Mariel of Redwall.
- Wildcats: Wildcats are sometimes featured as the villain, such as Tsarmina from Mossflower and Ungatt Trunn from Lord Brocktree, while other times featured as benevolent characters like Squire Julian Gingivere from Redwall and Gingivere Greeneyes from Mossflower. (Interestingly, one must note that most the wildcats seen thus far are related. Gingivere and Tsarmina are brother and sister, it's made fairly clear in Mossflower that Squire Julian is Gingivere Greeneyes's descendant, and dialogue in Lord Brocktree reveals that Ungatt Trunn is Tsarmina and Gingivere's uncle. The two exceptions so far are Riggu Felis, the villain of High Rhulain, and Sandingomm)
- Monsters: In many of the books there is usually some unnatural monster which poses a unique challenge to the defenders of Mossflower (and Redwall). These monsters are usually a type of sea monster, a snake, or a hybrid. (Some birds are also monsters of sorts, and will also be described in this section)
- *Sea Monsters: The Deepcoiler and the shark are monsters which attack the seafaring crews of Salamandastron, The Bellmaker and Triss. The Deepcoiler will attack to catch a shrew or two, and then disappear underwater for a while before attacking again. The shark, on the other hand, merely tows the ship at a dangerous speed and then attempts to eat one of the travellers. Slothunog, featured in The High Rhulain is also a sea monster. Otters who rebel against Riggu Fekis are thrown to Slothunog, who lives in a lake called Deeplough, which is inside a giant crater.
- *Snakes: Snakes are giants in Redwall who attack the woodlanders. Only Adders, such as Asmodeus, have the power to hypnotize. There are, however, mimics, such as Deathcoil the grass snake who disguised himself as an adder. Asmodeus is the evil monster in Redwall who steals the Sword of Martin and feeds off the unfortunate rats, dead or alive, during the war. There is a three-headed serpent in Triss (The result of three snakes caught simultaneously in a ring) who eerily hunts the treasure-seekers; each 'head' is a different snake, ruled by Zassalass, the oldest of the three.
- *Hybrids: Most monsters are hybrids, as they are described with defining features of two types of villains with unique features that distinguish them. Some, like Shadow from Redwall, and Farran the Poisoner in Salamandastron, work undercover while others, like the Wearet, the slavemaster of Malkariss who poses a threat in Mattimeo, and later in Loamhedge.
- *Vulpuz: There is another creature never physically described except as the ancestor of foxes and the ruler of the Hellgates. He is invoked in an incantation by Grissoul the Vixen in Taggerung to reveal the future to her. It is vague as to the origins of this creature, but it is probably meant to be some evil spirit that the foxes call upon to reveal the future, whether a myth or not.
- Birds: There are several birds who oppose the woodlanders, as natural predators, and usually as thieves and killers. Jackdaws, Magpies, and Crows are the main aerial villains. They are greedy and dangerous. Each of these birds attack Redwall under the command of General Ironbeak in Mattimeo. Some, like the Argulor in Mossflower and Captain Snow, from Redwall, are natural predators and aren't really involved except where eating is concerned. In Martin the Warrior The Warden of Marshwood Hill, though not a villain, is definitely a danger to those around him. Irriktan is a long-legged wading bird that threatens Mariel of Redwall and her companions as they cross the stream. King Bull Sparra is the mad sparrow king in Redwall who poses a threat to any under his wings. He is the one who lost the sword and makes Matthias a pet for his niece. Finally, a swan attacks Martin and his friends in Legend of Luke. Even though this is off-topic but another coincidence is that Captain Snow in "Redwall" is almost like the Captain Snow in the video game "Ace Combat 5"
- Wolves: A wolf is also mentioned in "The Bellmaker": the wolf Urgan (who the fox antagonist of the story found dead and stole the hide of to gain his title: Urgan Nagru the Foxwolf).
- Wolverines: These are huge, savage beasts about the size and build of a badger. They appear in only one book, Rakkety Tam. They come from the northern lands and are cannibals who eat all their dead enemies. Gulo the savage is the most significant example of this. He leads a contingent of approximately one hundred white foxes and ermine stoats.
Locations
Redwall Abbey
Redwall Abbey is the primary home of the good creatures in the books and is located in Mossflower. It is a large brick building with tall walls and a secure gate to protect its residents. Redwall is led by an abbot or abbess, and has brothers and sisters like a typical abbey.
However, despite the use of the word abbey, there is no indication that the animals have any actual religion. Though they will occasionally pray at their feasts, it is not to a deity but rather to nature as a whole. There has been mention made of some sort of "afterlife" called the Dark Forest or Hellgates, but it appears to be the final destination for both "good" and "bad" creatures. Martin The Warrior once came perilously close to death and was observed to be "At the gates of Dark Forest" in Mossflower. Rats and other vermin often use Hellgates instead. They often use "Hellteeth" as a substitute for an expletive.
Salamandastron
Salamandastron is the fortress of the badger lords and hares, and is located in an extinct volcano. Many of the hares who live in the mountain are members of the Long Patrol, a well-trained military organization that is led by the current badger lord or lady. The residents of Salamandastron are generally peaceful, but are always prepared for the frequent vermin attacks that occur on their fortress, partially because of their close proximity to the ocean and also largely because of the rumors of the riches that exist within Salamandastron.
Noonvale
This is a quiet, peaceful town hidden away in the forest, well-known but with a secret location known only to its members and certain visitors. Martin the Warrior traveled there with Rose, Grumm, and Pallum. In the book Marlfox there is a traveling group of performers known as the Wandering Noonvale Companions who are presumably from Noonvale.Criticism
The books have been criticized in some quarters for allegedly promoting an overly simplistic view of race and ethnicity. Critics point out that the "good" and "bad" animal characters are drawn exclusively along species lines, though there are occasional exceptions to this rule (Romsca the ferret and Blaggut the searat both redeemed themselves). These criticisms have been advanced as a concern, as the books are primarily read by children and young people. There is also a "class" element involved in these criticisms, with the denizens of Redwall being either educated, aristocratic animals such as badgers, or rustic, simple creatures such as moles. This contrasts with the "vermin" who are almost exclusively portrayed as a greedy, stupid, and violent rabble commanded by a charismatic evil leader. These narrative structures do resemble in many ways the British class system, with the "upper class" animals governing the "working class" ones, and the Abbey remaining an ever present and strong symbol of religious authority. It is likely that Jacques, who once worked as a truck driver and a docker in Liverpool, is reflecting his own experience of class in his books.Another criticism is that the "Stormtrooper effect" is prominent in the books. There are a number of battles in which the "good" protagonists are able to kill or defeat large numbers of "bad" animals with minimal loss of life. This effect was not as pronounced in the very earliest books in the series (such as Redwall and Mossflower), but in later books it was not uncommon for a few good beasts to kill hundreds of vermin while only losing one or two of their own soldiers; these "good" soldiers deaths were always intensely publicised, even for minor characters. An example can be found in the death of the mouse Juniper in Martin the Warrior. Major exceptions include the battles from Lord Brocktree, Redwall, The Bellmaker, and The Long Patrol, which feature major casualties on both sides, and The Legend of Luke, which features the wholesale massacre of several good guys by a better equipped and prepared pirate force which surprises them.
However, there are several explanations in the books for why the apparent "Stormtrooper effect" is at least somewhat reasonable. The "good" creatures often have many tactical and positional advantages, such as fighting from the strong fortresses of Redwall and Salamandastron, the use of guerrilla warfare and other unconventional strategies, superior military training (especially among the creatures who do not always live within Redwall), the Bloodwrath (vengeful and frenzied fighting) of the badger lords, and even somewhat supernatural explanations (for example, the guiding spirit of Martin the Warrior appears to confer his years of swordsmanship practice instantly, and his sword is said to be magical by the superstitious). In contrast, the vermin are often poorly organized, rely heavily on their numbers for intimidation purposes, and sometimes allow themselves to be caught off-guard by the woodland forces.
Many fans are concerned about what they perceive as repetition in the series. While the early books are creative, new, and well written, it seems that many of the later books all follow the same structure, cashing in on previously established plotlines: a rebellious youth defeats a villain that wishes to destroy/conquer Redwall; a group of warriors go to retrieve someone/something that will help someone/Redwall while vermin attack their home as they are away; escaped slaves flee to safety where they attempt to find help, return home, and conquer their previous vermin masters. Opposition to this viewpoint claim that most literature falls into the same, repetitive cycles, and that Brian Jacques is no different than many other series of an equal number.
Books of the Redwall series
Sequence
There have been eighteen books published as of June 2006. The most recent book, High Rhulain , was released on September 22, 2005.The books were not written in the order that the stories take place in the Redwall universe. Below the books are listed both in publication order and in their chronological order within the fictional world of Redwall:
| Publication | Chronological |
|---|---|
|
The first four books take place before the construction of Redwall Abbey, while the fifth takes place during the construction. Some of the books also include sub-stories that take place at other times, such as Martin the Warrior including opening and closing chapters that take place between Mariel of Redwall and The Bellmaker, and the end of Mossflower overlaps with book one and the start of book two of Outcast of Redwall.
Other Redwall-related books
- The Great Redwall Feast 1996 (picture book)
- Redwall Map & Riddler 1998
- A Redwall Winter's Tale 2001 (picture book)
- Tribes of Redwall Badgers 2002
- Tribes of Redwall Otters 2002
- Tribes of Redwall Mice 2003
- The Redwall Cookbook 2005
International editions
The books have been published in translation in the Netherlands, where the first four books have been split up into trilogies.
External links
- [The official Redwall site]
- [The Redwall Wiki] A collaborative Redwall information resource. Very definitive.
- [The Redwall Encyclopedia] reference of Redwall names and places. Slightly outdated.
- [The Docks] A large discussion forum and roleplaying game based on the Redwall series.
- http://www.redwall.ru/ - russian fan-site.
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