Redwall (Redwall, Book 1)

Rating:
Summary: Redwall
Review: I did not expect this book to be so compelling. After all, the characters are all woodland animals, suggesting that this is a children's book. As it turns out, Redwall is wonderful for children, but also solid fare for young adults. I score it lower than the adult-targetted books of Tolkien, Herbert, Aasimov, Kim Stanley Robinson, Modesitt, Melanie Rawn, Pournelle, Stirling, and others, but Redwall fills a certain niche perfectly. Full of beautiful writing, outrageous dialects, a larger-than-life cast, adventure, magic, mythology, and ancient fantasy elements, this book can please people of all ages.

Jacques' gorgeous prose is evident from the very beginning:
"It was the start of the Summer of the Late Rose. Mossflower country shimmered gently in a peaceful haze, bathing delicately at each dew-laden dawn, blossoming through high sunny noontides, languishing in each crimson-tinted twilight that heralded the soft darkness of June nights."
The writing remains vibrant throughout the story. Jacques commands an amazing vocabulary and selects only the most active and lively words. Some of his writing seems archaic, as though it belongs in ancient fairy tales.

The story moves very quickly. Jacques keeps the action fresh by throwing in new twists and adversaries.

Jacques could have written the same story with human characters, yet he risked losing the older demographics by using sentient animals. This strategy works surprisingly well. People attribute certain characteristics to animals, thus enhancing the personalities and perceptions of each hero and villain. The reader can easily envision the civilized, kind-hearted mice; the villainous piratical rats; the aristocratic cat; the engineering mole sappers; the champion-climber squirrels; the sly, spying fox posing as a gypsy healer; and the boisterous fun-loving hare.

Characters remain distinct and flamboyant. They all have wonderful dialects. Moles use rustic speech and the hare sounds like an English gentleman officer.

Cluny the Scourge, the piratical sea rat, is one of the greatest villains in fiction. He radiates evil power and embraces his role as a mean, ugly, fearsome barbarian warrior. He is devious and instills fear in enemies and subordinates alike. Naturally, his followers are all moronic, cowardly gutter trash, allowing the classic interplay of a nasty villain who must constantly berate the buffoons around him. His army of rats, stoats, weasels, and ferrets have some interest in Satan and plenty of interest in destruction, murder, and slaving.

Cluny seeks to destroy Redwall Abbey, a peaceful refuge run by gentle monastic creatures who give aid to all woodland animals. Clearly this is a tale of good against evil, as compassionate heroes oppose heartless destroyers.

Yet again the book surprised me: the battles are extremely engaging, ranging the gamut from one-on-one combat to large-scale assaults and siegecraft. The book is unexpectedly brutal, showing some cold-blooded face-to-face murders.

Jacques draws upon a huge variety of classic themes, archetypes and story elements. Look for the coming-to-age quest for manhood; the humble, pious soul who becomes a hero; the search for a mystical sword; the ancient prophecy in the form of a riddle; glimpses of magic and the paranormal; the adventure through strange lands; the elderly venerable advisor; and more that I will not give away. It is all deeply rooted in old European tales and Arthurian legends. Sure, it has all been done before, but it is written so well that it feels refreshing.

I definitely recommend Redwall, especially to young adults who appreciate great swash-buckling adventure and comedy. It features likeable good-hearted heroes who courageously confront the evil of the world and suffer poignant deaths. It reflects the author's great imagination and optimism. This is the beginning of a great series.