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| What began in Redwall as a children's book was expanded in MOSSFLOWER, the story of Redwall's first beginnings. The legend of Martin had inflated by the time of Mortimer, many seasons hence... here the true story of the Northlander unfolds. The land of Mossflower is under the feudalistic grip of Kotir and its wildcat lords... and its lone Lady, who's the biggest problem of them all. But a resistance is building up, from escaped tributees of the Greeneye clan... Corim. Council of Resistance in Mossflower. Led by Bella of Brocktree, the legendary badger line of warriors, they're waiting for the right time to attack. But she knows the only true help will come from her father, Lord Boar the Fighter in far-off Salamandastron, Home of the Fire Lizards. In Mattimeo, the sequel to REDWALL, Matthias's son Mattimeo is a brat. No one punishes him because he's the warrior's son. Not that Matthias is spoiling him, it's just that everyone else respects him so much that they won't give Mattimeo what he needs. However, Mattimeo is forced to change when a hooded fox tricks his way into the Abbey and steals their most precious possesions.. their young ones! Matti, and Tess and Tim Churchmouse, and Sam Squirrel, the eldest; and little Cynthia Bankvole, the orphan, are taken by slavers to the south, to the dreaded Kingdom of Malkariss, where an even more sinister villian awaits his pawn. In the wake of the masked fox, Matthias and his friends are grim and resolute: they will follow. But it's a long, hard, road. REDWALL was intended to be a trilogy. This did not come true with the addition of MARIEL OF REDWALL to the bunch. (My favorite!) When the story begins, Redwall, in a time between MOSSFLOWER and REDWALL, is at peace. Blind Simeon and Abbot Bernard, great friends, with Mother Mellus the Badger Mother, guide the Abbey well. But on a faroff island, the much-feared searat Gabool the Wild, King of the Searats, Captain of Captains, has just finished the private execution of the only creature who ever came close to killing him... a kitchen slave he called Skiv. After binding her neck to a large rock, he simply pushed her off one of the cliffs that provide cover for his Fort Bladegirt into the crashing typhoon below. Gabool rules with an iron fist, with his mind open, his treasure chests closed, and his scimitar unsheathed. He rarely sails, on account of his kingship and of one creature: Lord Rawnblade Widestripe of Salamandastron, his archenemy and rightly so, no creature hates Gabool more than he. Except maybe Martin's new heir... who, as it turns out, isn't quite dead... but she has no memory. She calls herself Storm, because she came from the storm. From the rope around her neck she fashions herself a knotted weapon, with which she can drive off full-grown ravenous gannets after three days half-drowned at sea. This little forgotten mousemaid is going to be big trouble for Gabool, if she can ever remember who he is... who she is... Completely abandoning the trilogy idea, B.J.'s next book was SALAMANDASTRON, the first book that didn't have the main character be associated greatly with Redwall Abbey. Lord Urthstripe the Strong has adopted an orphan badgermaid found on the shores of the Eastern Sea, but the strict codes of the Badger Lords are too much for the headstrong young maiden. She sets off with her friend and sidekick and champion scoffer Pikkle Ffolger the hare and ends up in a trap... This is the first insight into the truly entertaining and intriguing world of the loyal Salamandastron Hares, with the wonderful Sergeant Sapwood and Big Oxeye wonderful examples. The boxer and the fighter go to rescue Mara the badgermaid from the clutches of evil with Pennybright, a fresh female Runner and new to the Patrol. When they fall into another trap, it's clear there are two villians here even to someone who's not paying attention. Ferahgo the Assassin, and his son, Klitch, with their frighteningly beautiful blue eyes and charming smiles, the most ruthless killers from the Northern Mountains to the Southern Canyon. They've got their baby-blue eyes on the fabled treasures deep within Salamandastron, and with their great force, ten times the hares inside, they can probably hold out for it. Meanwhile Mara and Pikkle are locked out from the siege and lost completely, and at Redwall two even unlikelier heroes are arising from the young ones and going towards a totally unpredictable future, even for the great hidden hall of the Badger Lords' foretellings... The next book (by this time that silly 'trilogy' idea had been long forgotten) was the long-awaited saga of Redwall's greatest warrior's youth. MARTIN THE WARRIOR is a majority of readers' favorite book of the series. I can't reveal too much about this one without giving away the ending, but it explains a lot of things about Martin's past and why he doesn't talk about it in MOSSFLOWER or any of the other early books. Martin, as a child, was taken into the slave ranks of Badrang the Tyrant, building for him the fortress Marshank. But there was a glint in his eye and a pride to his stance that no one could deny and that marked him as a warrior. Warriors don't do well serving scum. Martin doesn't do particularly well in the life of a slave, so naturally he attempts an escape. But Martin is not one to leave the others in bondage while he runs for it. And Badrang holds his father's sword, which Martin swore an oath never to let leave his side. If I don't stop now, I'll ruin the book. So I'll stop. The next book in the series is THE BELLMAKER, the story of Joseph the Bellmaker (for whom the Joseph Bell in Redwall Abbey is named) and his visit, in a dream, by Martin the Warrior (who does a lot of that kind of thing). With a few Martin-picked followers, he sets off for the kingdom of Southsward with the fearsome-looking sea otter Finnbarr Galedeep (unquestionably the coolest name in the whole series) on the ship Pearl Queen. The journey is also to rescue his daugher, Mariel, who is in mortal danger with her friend Dandin, down in Southsward fighting to rescure Castle Floret from the evil Foxwolf, the Urgan Nagru, whose name is backwards the same as forwards because he can attack his enemies from the back or front, and his mate, Silvamord, who wears a skirt of her slain' enemies' tails woven together. (Yuk.) They strive to return it to its true rulers, Squirrelking Gael and Queen Serena and their little Prince Truffen. And two loyal but berserk warriors haunt the scenery, silent and deadly. This was one of the best books in the series. I love it. Read it. Now. SEVEN STRANGE AND DEADLY TALES were seven ghost stories Brian Jacques (JAKES!!!) wrote that have nothing to do with Redwall. I've never read them but they look really good. OUTCAST OF REDWALL reached into old superstitions and prejudices of Redwallers and vermin alike. After following Swartt Sixclaw and his band of vermin as they torment a badgerbabe and prepare to cook a young kestrel frozen against a tree, then watching as the two young ones free each other, return to Swartt's camp and beat the heck out of everybody, then make a run for it when a band of vermin and a furious Swartt with a ruined sixclaw on their trails. Skarlath persuades the young badger not to attack Swartt right-on, and they attack him guerilla-style for seasons until the name of Sunflash the Mace is feared throughout the land...the name Skarlath gave the badger, for he could not remember one of his own... But Swartt grows tired of his ever-smaller band being picked off, and poisons a great warlord of a previous age to gain troops Almost as an afterthought he is awarded the dead ferret's daughter in marriage...When we move to Redwall Abbey, not until the entire first book is over, the legendary allies of Redwall mice, squirrels and otters (and a hare that thinks he's a ... er, squirrelhare) are planning to deter Swartt, whom they have seen marching unawares towards Redwall, through a simple trick. When they send the frightened hordebeasts running, many vermin are trampled in the retreating stampede. Among one of them was the nurse of Swartt's young son, who he never bothered to see or even name, but who bears one tiny six-clawed paw, just like his father. A young abbeymaid, Bryony takes up the ferretbabe as her own, guiding him on the path to goodness. But is little Veil going to live up to his prophetic name despite his good teachings? Give him a name, and leave him a while... Veil may grow to be evil and vile. Although I hope my prediction will fail, and evil so vile will not live in Veil... You know what? I write too much. Time for YET ANOTHER PAGE OF REDWALL... |