an enjoyable and simple children's fantasy classic! Set in a nice environment of meadows and woods called "Mossflower". I found the hero, Matthias, to be a bit headstrong, impatient and avid for battle. I like how the abbots were devoted to healing and helping creatures

Synopsis: The animal denizens of Redwall have heard the legend of Martin the Warrior, a hero from long ago, but are in need of him now after being attacked by the cruel Cluny and his evil army. Matthias goes on a search to find out more about Martin the Warrior...but, it turns out, the answer to his quest is closer than he realizes!

Review: I know this is a classic juvenile novel, and it has an enjoyable story and good writing, but I still struggled to finish it. I don't know exactly what it was; I can't pinpoint exactly what was wrong with it, but it still didn't feel amazing or even great to me. Thankfully, this book has earned such "classic" status that anyone who would likely be interested has probably already read it; if you haven't, I would suggest borrowing this from your local library before shelling out big bucks on a box set of Brian Jacques' entire series.

Moral Content: Nothing worse than some Disney-movie violence and a scant few profanities.

Score: 3/5

This series, along with Harry Potter, is what caused me to fall in love with reading as a kid and that love has carried on into adulthood. I wanted to go back to my roots so to speak and re-read this book that I so cherished as a kid. I must admit I didn’t remember any of it all but it kept me entertained and was just as enjoyable as I remembered it being. Thank you Brian for creating such a fantastic and easy to read series.

I think I got to Book Three in this series when I was in elementary school, and I remember mostly liking these books when I wasn't giggling at the image of mice and chipmunks weilding tiny swords. But in all honesty, I'm only adding this review so I can post this xkcd comic I just stumbled across:

http://xkcd.com/370/

Uh. Upon rereading, this entire book is just bad guys getting slaughtered in very gruesome ways. And usually ended with a cheerful little exclamation point. Kinda chilling.

"Even the strongest and bravest must sometimes weep. It shows they have a great heart, one that can feel compassion for others."

Read for the Back to Hogwarts Readathon 2024 challenge.
Category: Animal on the Cover

I read this series years ago, once, and that was that. When I think of the Redwall series, there's a fondness for it, especially for the little mouse, Matthias, who's name had become lost to me over time. I remembered the rat, too, and his monstrous tail that he used as a whip. But that's as far as my memory went.

So, when this readathon challenge came along for the month of September, I pondered on what book to read for a particular category. That was when I realized that Redwall fit the criteria.

Now I'm left wondering why I only ever read the series once and left it at that. The story itself is so precious and the cast of characters range from being amazing to downright despicable. It truly is such a charming book, and it has left me wanting to continue on once more!

I was also tickled pink upon discovering the audiobook was performed by a full cast! In fact, among the cast was Brian Jacques himself, the author of this endearing series. All of them did such an incredible job when it came to their deliveries.

A really good tale, but it certainly holds more appeal to children rather than young adults or adults. There are some really good moral concepts introduced in this small book, but will definitely pack a punch towards an age group that is old enough to love adventure but young enough to like talking animals. The ending is a little too sweet for my taste, but perfect for young readers! Oh, and I adore this Vintage collection- the font is big, there are pretty illustrations and the cover is so beautiful!

Classic! A bit of Watership Down meets S.D. Smith’s newer series The Green Ember! A stout-hearted young novice mouse, Matthias dreams and then discovers he is the stuff of legend! An enchanting tale.

Reading the books in this series when I was a child was a complete joy, and I'm happy that they're still just as special now!

I just cant resist talking animals...

A light-hearted children's fantasy book. There are mice, rats, badgers, sparrows, ferrets, otters, moles, a big bad snake and more.

A fortress called Redwall in the middle of the Mossflower wood is attacked by Cluny the Scourge, an evil villain who is hell bent upon invading the Redwall and ruling over the folk of this small castle. The inhabitants are all kindly, non-warrior folk. But when the scum Cluny brings the battle to their doorstep, they rise to the occasion with wit and will and try to defend Redwall. Matthias, a brave mouse, goes on quest to find the sword of Martin The Warrior, who is the symbol that Redwall look up to while facing Cluny. Matthias braves many dangers and meets quite a few interesting characters along the way.

I enjoyed every bit of this tale, though I have to admit, I needed time to wrap my head around the fact that most of this story is happening on a small scale of things, you know, what with mice and rats and all being the mail characters.

Audiobook performed by a full cast, featuring Brian Jacques as the narrator.

From the author’s introductory note: When winter fades and spring blossoms into summer, I feel an overwhelming urge to travel back once more. Mouse Warriors and badger Lords come striding through the realms of my imagination, accompanied by their companions: comical hares, rustic moles, faithful otters, and all manner of diverse creatures. Questing, feasting, singing, and battling to defend good against evil.

My reactions
What a wonderful story; I was engaged from beginning to end. Matthias is a novice monk at Redwall Abbey, a sanctuary built by the mice of long ago from the red sandstone of a nearby quarry. Every mouse of Redwall Abbey has taken a solemn oath to never harm another living creature, unless it is an enemy seeking to harm the Order by violence. I love this message of peaceful coexistence and tolerance. The mice are willing to live-and-let-live, but they will defend to the death against those who seek to overtake their peaceable kingdom.

And there is just such an enemy in the land – Cluny the Scourge. Cluny is a rat with an enormously long tail that he wields as a whip, and to which he has affixed a poisoned barb. He has collected an army of rats, weasels, stoats and ferrets, who have been promised a share of the plunder once they have secured Redwall for Cluny.

Matthias is young, but has a big heart and is brave in the face of incredible danger – from falling from the roof, to facing both a cat and an owl in a single day, to battling the snake Asmodeus, and finally confronting Cluny the Scourge. He is not alone in defending the Abbey; he is helped and supported by Constance the badger, Methuselah Mouse, Cornflower the field mouse, Warbeak the sparrow, the Guerrila Shrews led by Log-a-log, and Basil Stag Hare, among others. It’s entertaining, scary, exciting, and inspiring. I think I’ll read more of this middle-grade series for the sheer joy of it.

Jacques began writing the story to entertain children at a hospital for the blind. With that audience in mind, he filled the book with detailed descriptions which serve to really put the reader right into Mossflower County. It is a perfect book to read aloud.

The audio book is performed by a full cast of actors who voice the various characters, but features Brian Jacques as the narrator. It’s a marvelous collaboration. I encourage you to listen to it with your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or just the child within.

I do not like it when bad things happen to animals and I do not like thinking about how these mice acquired so many dairy products :/

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