For a couple years before I moved away from Missouri, I worked in a bookstore downtown. We sold used and new books, and it was just right about the time that internet bookstores were really becoming a thing. It was Big News when our town got a Barnes & Noble, and people were angry, worried it would put us out of business. We would remind them there were a couple bookstores in the mall, and they hadn't put us out of business, so Barnes & Noble wouldn't either. As far as I know, she is still in business, an actual brick-and-mortar bookstore, though in a completely different location which, in my opinion, makes it lose some of its charm.

Part of my job was entering inventory into the computer system, the most old-school database you can imagine. It allowed us to do like two functions - enter information and search for information. Sometimes her son would come in and enter inventory for the website, but otherwise you'd just come in, ask if we had a book, and we'd go find it for you.

When that part of my job was done, I could pretty much do what I wanted if the proprietor wasn't around. I would put on some Enya because it's what she had for store play, and I would find something on the shelf to read.

A lot of customers were obsessed with these Redwall books. Somehow I never heard of them before I worked there, even though this first book was published in 1986 when I would have been 8 years old. How did I never know about this book, this series, this author before the late 90s? (This is probably the point where my brother jumps in to remind me that we had all of these books and we read them all of the time. But I think I might be right about it this time.)

Not understanding the hype, I decided to read the series. I picked up the first book and I remember reading it, with Enya playing in the background, over the course of several months. The problem was I'd put it back on the shelf at the end of the day and someone would buy it, and then I'd have to wait for her to order another copy, and it was all very sad. The thing is, I have no memory of what the story was actually about. It was rather forgettable for me, which is a shame because people really seem to love this series.

So now I decided I would re-read this one and then continue on with the series, though people like to tell me that the series gets progressively worse and nothing lives up to the quality of the first couple of books.

Another shame because I didn't think this first book was that good to begin with.

Maybe a lot of it has to do with the fact that this is a story of animals who have adventures. I still haven't read Watership Down because I - like so many others - was so traumatized by the cartoon movie at a young age that I cannot bring myself to read the book that so many others have really loved.

To be fair, for a first novel in a series, there's a lot of groundwork to be laid. Jacques did an okay job at that, though I don't understand how it could possibly have been that interesting to younger readers since as an adult reader I found myself bored and often confused as to what was happening. It's almost like the book is written in code, and I don't speak the language. It's the most bizarre thing.

But I do have a vague interest in the story now that I've re-read this first book, and I have the second book lined up (in an audio format) so that's a thing that will happen soon. Once I get up the nerve to continue. Because I like to be a completist, I really am pretty certain that this is a reading project I want to undertake. I do, however, have some reservations.

In the Abbey kitchens Cornflower stirred the oatmeal and checked on the bread baking in the oven. She smiled to herself. What would Matthias have thought of it all?

Last night's heroine. This morning's cook!
(p304)

Sigh.

This book had no business being this fantastic. This seriously blew me away. I think it's past time it gets a faithful, quality adaptation.

So many fun characters. Constance is objectively superior, though.

It’s taken me several years to get to this book, mainly because I add books faster than I can read them. It was definitely worth the wait, as the exploits of Matthias the Mouse kept me cheering the little dude all the way through the end. While this would probably be labelled as a middle-grade book, I say phooey to that, for it can be a reading for all ages, with heroes and villains galore.

Redwall Abbey is the home base for a group of mouse monks, led by a gentle Abbott who doesn’t believe in killing other creatures. One day a little orphaned woodland mouse named Matthias arrives at the abbey and is taken in to learn the ways of monastic life. But any plans for peace fall apart quickly because Cluny the Scourge is determined to take over the abbey with his scroungy lot of rats, weasels, ferrets, and stouts. Cluny is a huge rat with a long tail to which he has attached a poisonous barb. He does not hesitate to use that tail to inflict pain on anyone, including his own staff members. While he has a huge army, they serve him more from fear than from loyalty.

The defenders of Redwall include Constance the Badger, who is brave and is greatly feared by the sniveling rats. Basil the Hare, with his pip-pip, cheerio attitude is also a defender. He uses his wits to outsmart the evil ones while drilling the little mice in the ways of appropriate siege defenses. And the Otters are also on the side of good, with their earrings-in-the-ears, calling to mind a crew of Nelson’s sailors. And the moles and voles are there to dig and to prevent any enemy tunneling. Other creatures fall in the middle, either because they want to see who will succeed or because they have other motives. Sparrows, for instance, with their warlike cries and the shrews with their union rules. There’s also a huge vegetarian cat and a ravenous owl plus a mother and son fox team who try to outwit everyone. But worst of all is Asmodeus the Adder, who doesn’t care about any of the wars and uses chaos to get more meals.

This was such a fun read with its easy descriptions and its various characters. This isn’t WATERSHIP DOWN or ANIMAL FARM, just a good old-fashioned chivalric adventure with furballs instead of humans. The illustrations by Troy Howell are wonderful, bringing to life each personality and making me wish my local creatures could lift a sword every once in a while.

Book Season = Winter (pathway to eternity)

Really loved it!

When I was in Elementary School I LOVED REDWALL! Redwall was the book that got me into reading when I was a kid. Brain Jacques (pronounced Jakes) was my favorite author. Not only did I love animals (I had a zoo on our front porch consisting of catfish, snakes, crickets, salamanders, two Chinese hamsters, tadpoles, a rabbit, frogs, a snapping turtle, you name it I had it) but I also loved the Medieval Ages, SO put these two loves together and BAM! Redwall!

I loved Matthias. He was an awesome character and he became the "bar-set-high" I matched all other characters to. If the book I read wasn't as good as Redwall, I tossed it. The only other series that ranked up there for me as a kid was the Boxcar Children, the Nightwing series, and Harry Potter. (Possibly a few others but I can't think of them atm).

Before Brian died, my mother wrote to him thanking him for what he did for me. He sent back a long letter, signed; a picture, signed; and a bookmark, signed. Oh, I was happier than a pig in crap! This only made me love him even more than I already did. When I was a teenager and I heard he died, it was like a family member died. In his honor, I bought every one of his books in hardcover, and I read them all again.

Redwall is magic. Pure magic. If you have not read these books you need to. If you are a teacher reading this, take The Little Prince off your list, that you've been reading for ten years in a row, and have your students read Redwall. They will love it!

This was a pretty good read. When Redwall abbey is under attack by cluny the scourge and his horde of vicious rats, it is up to a young mouse named Mathias and the other woodland creatures to stop them. Will they succeed? Be sure to read this book and find out. I reccomend this book to fans of fantasy and ya books. Definitely check it out.

I read this 7 or 8 years ago and thought I'd re-read it to see if I like it any better (since everyone seems to love this book).

It is a good book that I didn't enjoy all that much.

I think there are children's book and YA books that can be enjoyed equally by children and by adults but I don't think this is one of them. I think this is a 5 star book for a 12 year old but it just doesn't do that much for me. Good characters and good plot but the lack of depth bothered me as an adult reading the story.

I would recommend this to most any pre-teen and teen.

4.5 stars

I had never heard of Redwall until my co-blogger, Celeste, suggested it to me, but after finishing a recent buddy read of said story with Celeste and TS, I am confident in saying that I would have adored this as a child. And despite that childhood being in the rear mirror, I still loved this as an adult and can't wait to explore more of this world.

DNF 25%
Nie wiem czy to nie jest na nią czas czy o co chodzi, ale porzucam.
Chętnie bym wróciła gdyby był audiobook

This is a delightful read. It is a book that is timeless.

Although geared toward a younger audience, it is thoroughly enjoyable for all ages.

Brian Jacques was very clever in including his little puzzles and mysteries to work out with the characters. It has echoes of early Holmes mysteries and can be compared to Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.

I will return to this one in the near future and enjoy it with my son. Definitely worth experiencing at least once in life.

4 Stars

I do not hold children's tales to the same standards that I do other types of literature. For me, what is essential for these stories is a ripping good yarn, written in an engaging way, which will transport the child beyond the narrow confines of the printed page and open the infinite horizon of imagination to her. Redwall is all that and much more. Mind you, it's no The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter; it does not have even the depth of Watership Down; but it is a blood-and-thunder story written in the classic mould, and it will keep you glued to your book until you turn the last page.

Redwall Abbey is a haven of peace in the countryside. Run by a group of mice-monks, it provides sanctuary and sustenance to a country where once, "nature red in tooth and claw" ruled. Martin, the great warrior mouse, was instrumental in saving the abbey from attack by various predators: however, after he was seriously wounded and nursed back to health at the abbey, he abandoned the way of the warrior. The Order of monks at the abbey also found their vocation as healers, respected across the country, even beyond Mossflower Wood where it is located.

As the story opens, we meet Matthias, the novice, who wants to become another Martin. Though he is dissuaded by the chief abbot, he gets his chance to play at warrior when the abbey is attacked by Cluny the Scourge, a one-eyed rat warlord, and his motley crew. In the ensuing defence of the place, Matthias succeeds in finding his true vocation as a warrior.

The tale runs in two parallel threads. One is the repeated attacks Cluny mounts on the abbey, and the resistance of the monks and their supporters. The other is the quest Matthias undertakes to recover the legendary sword of Martin. Ultimately, both these threads meet in a highly satisfying apocalyptic battle where good triumphs and evil is defeated for ever.

The story has very few surprises and runs on predictable lines. Where the author has scored, however, is in the creation of characters. The various animals inhabiting an English countryside take on personalities based on common caricatures found in English novels: Basil Stag Hare and John Snow the owl are battle-scarred army veterans (Basil's language makes one suspect he is India-returned); the cat, Squire Julian Gingivere, is a jaded aristocrat; the digger moles speak language resembling a Scottish dialect; the sparrows speak a type of pidgin reminiscent of an aboriginal tribe. Even the behaviour of these animals (the chaotic tribalism of the sparrows, the socialism of the unionised shrews) are sly parodies of human societies which may be a bit objectionable in our current hypersensitive society, but it's all done in good fun.

Cluny's repeated attempts to take the abbey, and his repulsion each time, makes for enjoyable reading. So does Matthias's quest - a typical hero's journey across an inhospitable landscape, solving riddles, making pacts with unlikely allies, and ultimately facing down a truly horrific enemy. The villains - Cluny; the king of sparrows, Bull Sparra; Chickenhound the villainous fox and the truly evil adder, Asmodeus - are really loathsome: and the heroes - Matthias; Constance the badger; Jess the squirrel; Basil Stag Hare et al - are people you can really root for.

This book took me back to a time when reading each book was an adventure in itself. Perfect fare for young bookworms!

Yup, I had a mad love for all things Redwall during middle school. Somewhere around the eighth title in series the repetitiveness of the stories finally got to me, and I ended up gifting my whole collection to my younger sister. Maybe some day I'll be able to go back to them.

Redwall, the original book of the series, is a bit of a standout in that Jacques hadn't finalized the borders of his fantasy world when he wrote it, so there are references to humans and a smattering of other things inconsistent with the rest of the series. It remains a great story - part riddle-and-treasure hunt, part medieval siege, the sort of thing likely to appeal to anyone who liked Treasure Island.

Jacques deals well with ideas of symbolism, heroism, tragic death, noble sacrifice, gender equality, and civil order in these middle-grade talking-animal fantasy epics, without resorting to philosophy or theism - just straight gut-appeals to the moral nature of the human spirit.

He's also brilliant with personalities and friendships. Even if the same dozen or so characters are reincarnated with new names book after book, they are well-written each time.

The Redwall series is recommended reading for anyone who enjoys rollicking medieval adventure stories.