The Bellmaker

This was the first book in the series that has made me shed a genuine tear! No mean feat for a cold hearted bastard like myself! It wasn't the death of a hero or the killing of an innocent creature that caused this, it was the brilliantly written character Blaggut the searat and his reaction to the death of mellus the badger. Throughout the series so far the vermin have been the embodiment of evil and have shown little in the way of peacefulness, whenever they've been shown any form of kindness and trust, they have abused it and betrayed anyone who stands in their way, even their own compatriots. So when Blaggut came along he broke the mold, finally a rat I liked from the get go and his actions after the murder of mellus just broke my heart and finally proved that not all vermin are evil. This sounds fairly simple but this is my 8th redwall book and I'm so glad jacques finally broke out of his formula. It helped emphasise the great life lesson of not judging a book by its cover. Apart from that the story was another great one and it was lovely to read about Mariel and dandin once again. Hopefully jacques revisits these characters again.

Good and medieval like the rest. Valorous creatures slaying stupid rats in violently hilarious ways,
and 'ole seadogs' sailing over the sea and escaping impossible odds. A 'bally good piece of writing, wot?'

The book was a little harder for me to follow, but it was still a very enjoyable read.

*The Bellmaker* by Brian Jacques is the fifth book in the *Redwall* series, blending adventure with emotional depth. The story follows the quest to recover the stolen bell of Redwall Abbey, a sacred symbol of hope and peace. It centers on the brave mouse, Joseph the Bellmaker, and his daughter, Mariel, as they journey to rescue the bell from the clutches of the villainous Emperor Ublaz. Along the way, they encounter a diverse group of characters, face numerous challenges, and confront dark forces. With its engaging narrative, themes of courage, and camaraderie, *The Bellmaker* offers a heartwarming and thrilling adventure.

-more diffuse in plot and makes less thoughtful use of beloved characters that appeared to greater effect in Mariel of Redwall
-Finbar is great though; his friendship with Joseph the Bellmaker has great "I respect you" energy

This book has a lot more of the same from Brian. Unfortunately he's sticking to awkward habits and badly thought out plot elements. Titled 'The Bellmaker,' it has very little to do with Joseph at all, other than the point that he is 'a' character, and that he has a dream of Martin. It doesn't reveal much about him, and I certainly wouldn't place him as the lead (with Mariel taking up more story space than he does).

Martin is back with yet another cryptic vision-dream... thing, which is probably the detail that bothers me most. He acts as if he's an npc having an obscure unfamiliar vision of something yet to come, but he's doling it out to people he essentially lived with and, worse, are often in mortal peril. I don't know about you, but if one of my dead 'family' members came back, only to warn me about my future using a cryptic riddle I had to solve, I'd probably be annoyed. Pronouncing who should go on the quest, who they will fight along the way, and who may or may not die should not be left up to interpretation if you can see the future, especially when you're the ghost of a character who by all indicators should be up to the task of interpreting that information better than anyone. Either Martin has become dull in the afterlife, or he's playing at something.

Another thing that troubled me in this book was the size of things. For instance, there is a ship that is depicted as an HMS 'many-cannon' sailing ship, and they encounter a shark bigger than the ship itself (which is fine), but the head gets stuck between the railing on the side. A badger that uses two rats as nunchucks (because its apparently that big) and then walks up a generic stairway in a castle built for a squirrel. A hedgehog who was described as a massive barbaric brute, but then is depicted as the exact same size as a standard hedgehog at the beginning of the chapter. A 'gullwhacker' weapon that is somehow big enough to be used as a rope swing for mice on a tree. I know there were more, but those little details always stand out as odd.

The names in this book as well bothered me, with two standouts being Glogalog (really?) and "the mousebabe" being rather terrible. A mole who changes his name from Soilburr to Egburt the scholar. The main boss Urgan Nagru, who takes the name of a dead wolf named Urgan, but he spelled it backwards to show his enemies he could come from the front and back. A bird named Glokkpod.

The "boss" of this book was supposed to be terrifying and needed a massive army to defeat, but was a petty liar who was constantly outsmarted by just a handful of heroes and bickered with his mate too much. Oat cakes that are so hard they hurt or kill people. Using a military medal to cut through iron hinges on a prison cell door. Rosie flying through an entire storm on a ship mast, only to land safely on a snake, impaling it. A permanent massive whirlpool that gave streams their current, but the stream current was super difficult to follow somehow. Keeping a gate at the back of Redwall that babies could unlock (and then having tea first before going to look for them). A bird that flew into a prison cell because the bars were being replaced (for some weird reason), and they replaced the bars before he could leave. The same bird who takes a grave wing injury, but can then all of a sudden fly impeded carrying an incredibly heavy rope. Allowing two sea rats (that everyone obviously concludes ARE sea rats) into Redwall AND letting one cook everyone food while the other spends extended time alone with children... geez. I could go on and on, as almost every couple chapters had something ridiculous, but you get the point. It was hard to enjoy without rolling my eyes and making fun of it.

My favorite character was Blaggut, the sea rat with a heart. I wish he had more of a part to play in the book (or in future books) as he seemed unique, but it seemed like he was put to bed as a boat builder at the end. Hopefully he turns up again.

If this wasn't written by Jacques, I'd have rated it lower, but I really enjoy his world and many of his characters. I especially love his descriptions of food and celebrations. But this book I liked least out of the first seven. I'll continue reading though, as I think they'll get better.

3.5 - 4 Stars

The Bellmaker is the seventh book in the epic Redwall Series by Brian Jacques. This series is aimed at Middle-grade aged/YA readers, but I am waaaay older than that and still enjoyed the adventure.
-with an all-ANIMAL cast (woodland animals)
-Fantasy
-Action
-Adventure
-Warriors
-Drama
-Danger
-Quest
-Journey of discovery/Courage/Strength
-Emotion
-Enchanting

Wasn't quite as enthralled with this one as I remembered being, but it's a difference of 1-2%. Finnbar Galedeep is absolutely one of the best otters in the series. This one has a different vibe than a lot of Redwall books I remember, but I can't say why; any explanation I give (main focus on returning a rightful ruler to the throne, much of the action takes place inside an actual castle, the tragedy of certain characters' deaths, etc.) are true of other books as well. I don't know. Maybe it's just the characters. Maybe it's just Finnbar. I will note that this is the only Redwall book I know of to have an actual villain-turns-good character arc. (Granted, Blaggus isn't an especially evil villain even at the start; his turn is more learning to think and weigh good and bad for himself and choosing what he will ally with. IDK. I think it's significant.) Still one of my faves in the series, I think.