Book: Redwall by Brian Jacques
Jun. 22nd, 2008 02:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amediaI had seen this in bookstores for a long time and wondered about it, so when it turned up at the Women's Shelter thrift shop for fifty-nine cents I couldn't resist.
It's a very curious book - the copy on the outside compares it to Watership Down, but it was more like a medieval adventure story in which the main characters happen to look like mice. The rabbits in Watership Down actually behaved like rabbits; these mice wear clothing and eat soup, salad, quince pie, and other prepared foods, and they brew and drink ale. Not like any mice I've ever seen! Some of the other animals, especially the sparrows, actually behave like you'd expect; the degree of anthropomorphism varies widely.
The basic story appears very simple: an evil rat and his army try to take over a peaceful rural abbey run by mice. Of course, it's also a coming-of-age story, and a figure-out-ancient-riddles story, and a learn-to-respect-other-creatures story, and a lot else. One very odd thing is that Redwall Abbey is entirely secular; when I think of abbeys I think of Brother Cadfael or Kwai Chang Caine, but here there are neither vespers in the chapel, nor meditation among the candles. The author also can't seem to decide whether to be egalitarian or traditional; female characters play major combat roles *except* among the mice and rats (the major species involved). Just when you think the story is just too cute for words, some fairly exciting and bloody things happen. The author isn't sentimental about killing off significant characters in gruesome ways.
If I run into any of the sequels cheap somewhere, I'd probably pick them up, but this didn't inspire me to rush out and buy the set. A light, pleasant read.
It's a very curious book - the copy on the outside compares it to Watership Down, but it was more like a medieval adventure story in which the main characters happen to look like mice. The rabbits in Watership Down actually behaved like rabbits; these mice wear clothing and eat soup, salad, quince pie, and other prepared foods, and they brew and drink ale. Not like any mice I've ever seen! Some of the other animals, especially the sparrows, actually behave like you'd expect; the degree of anthropomorphism varies widely.
The basic story appears very simple: an evil rat and his army try to take over a peaceful rural abbey run by mice. Of course, it's also a coming-of-age story, and a figure-out-ancient-riddles story, and a learn-to-respect-other-creatures story, and a lot else. One very odd thing is that Redwall Abbey is entirely secular; when I think of abbeys I think of Brother Cadfael or Kwai Chang Caine, but here there are neither vespers in the chapel, nor meditation among the candles. The author also can't seem to decide whether to be egalitarian or traditional; female characters play major combat roles *except* among the mice and rats (the major species involved). Just when you think the story is just too cute for words, some fairly exciting and bloody things happen. The author isn't sentimental about killing off significant characters in gruesome ways.
If I run into any of the sequels cheap somewhere, I'd probably pick them up, but this didn't inspire me to rush out and buy the set. A light, pleasant read.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-06-22 08:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-22 10:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-22 11:59 pm (UTC)That said, I'd recommend Salamandastron and The Long Patrol in particular. They're both a bit different from the usual, while still mostly sticking to the formula. And Salamandastron is the story of a (badger) girl's quest to find her heritage and take up her family's duties as protectors of the realm.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-23 02:26 am (UTC)I'm trying to read this now! :D
tryingtryingtrying