What Makes a Good Redwall Book?

[Celebes]

Hello Everybeast! 

I always enjoy our OOC discussions of the Redwall series, especially with our Book Club.  I like being able to see how others view the sources that we all roleplay from, and how two rational (or insane) Redwall fans interpret the books.  So I thought I would try and start a little discussion on what elements we think "work" in a Redwall book.  Obviously, not every book is the same, but there are certain tropes that cause us to like some books, and perhaps a few overused clichés that hamper others.  Let's look at the positive right now.

Things that makes a good Redwall book for me include:

Action on the Homefront: Our brave heroes our off on an adventure.  Call them Martin, Dandin, Mathias, whoever it be, a gripping tale of adventure awaits.  Perilous encounters, foreign terrain, engaging action await in what is sure to be a turn-page adventure.  But wait!  We have to know what the heroes friends are doing back home.  Sure it is something as awe inspiring and action-packed as Mariel a-whacking gulls!  Er...wait.  No.  Friar Bucktree just pulled out a cook book to bake a flan, and instead of the recipe he wanted he found a page of riddles from the founders telling him that he can bake his flan after twelve puzzles to find it.

Alright, I'll admit I like the good riddle now and then.  I especially like getting to the answer.  But for building a place of peace and serenity, the founders sure left a lot of headscratchers.  The more memorable stories for me are where Redwall features its own gripping peace of action.  General Ironbeak's incursion into Redwall during Mattiemeo I feel was particularly well done.  Rather than just focusing on a small clique of smartie beasts finding hidden levers and runes, the whole Abbey is coming together to fight off a real threat.  I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat for both parties adventures, rather than just buzzing through a few breather pages to get back to Slagar.  Not saying that all settings need to be high drama, but I will say that the encounter was much more memorable than books were the Abbey is largely going through the routine.  We know what the routine is, let's see how other character handle shake-ups.


Believable Villains: I had a hard time with a caption for this section, but "believable" probably best sums it up.  I like villains that have character.  Ones that are well rounded.  Ones that don't rule strictly by fear, and have other emotions besides evil laugh and fer the evulz...  That's what we have Burfle for.   Calling back to the Book Club discussion on Martin the Warrior a while back, I think Clogg was a much better villain that Badrang.  Badrang was just another tyrant, enslaving everything he didn't burn and only stopping to say something cruel to a lacky.  Clogg on the other paw, we got to see how he acted through good times and bad.  Normally everything works out for the villains until the last act, but Clogg gets kicked out of Marshank in the first few chapters and has to make his way back in.  Consequently, he has to negotiate with and treat his crew a degree more humanely so that they will still follow him, and his crew seems to reciprocate some kind of loyalty, rather than just obeying out of fear.

Another thing that helps is when the big bad has a group of officers with them throughout the story, like Tsarmina and Slagar.  Seeing how they have to interact with those different personalities, rather than just yelling at their underlings like Gormad Tunn of Long Patrol, reveals a more diplomatic side of them, rather than just conquest.


Humor (at the right times): Let's face it.  Some characters take themselves way too seriously.  The mad grab for who gets to kill Gabool in Mariel of Redwall still makes me chuckle.  It seemed like Gabool had offended everyone from Cluny the Scourge to Aquamarine.  They hadn't even laid out a plan for how they were going to take a castle full of corsairs and they were already talking about the spoils, as if the battle was a forgone conclusion.  Cue Tarquin laying a claim for no reason.

Now, since humor is so subjective, its hard to know when the right times are.  Some comic relief characters don't have the fine timing of Tarquin in that scene, and are busy inserting tree puns while important plot elements are happening.  Some comic relief character just don't have any timing, and would be better if they just didn't show up, like Bowly Pintips in The Bellmaker. Sorry, but he never adds anything to the story, and anything that he contributes could have been better done by Mariel or Dandin.  Still, humor is an integral part of a good book for me, whether it be the blatant joke of Basil or more the more situational humor of Badrang and Clogg dining as "friends".


Sweeping Settings: Adventure!  New lands!  Any Redwall book that can keep me interested for two pages just setting up the landscape has found the right place.  Sea voyages and mountaineering are a great start.  I don't have much to say about this, but having well thought-out setting helps the imagination immeasurably.  It does not even have to be a far-off place.  I remember the description of Byrony's first day out from Redwall in Outcast of Redwall being incredibly vivid.  Any run in with a culture unlike Mossflower's, like the savage squirrel of the Gawtrybe, also adds novelty.  Wherever it is, it has to be clear.  Sometimes I get so distracted trying to figure out exactly what the interior of Castle Floret looks like so I can imagine the battle to the point I'm actually missing said skirmish.

Welp, as usual, I put way too many words into these things, I'll stop here for now.  Sorry readers.    What makes a good Redwall book for you?  Is there a book in particular that hits all your high points?  Let me know where you disagree!  

[Barkfur]

i agree. as basing all the books off your template i think that loamhedge would be a good book. after all, we have a war on three fronts, horty and his crew questing to find sister amyl's secret, and martha and the dwellers of redwall holding off badredd's (and later raga bol's) groups of vermin and lonna bowstripe's path for revenge. it has excellent humor (anyone remember the part when horty said he would kiss the guoraf's cook for making excellent scoff but when he found out that the cook was a grizzled old male he quickly claimed that he said nothing?). decent villains as in raga bol wanted to conquer redwall. (let's face it, burrad and skrodd were both better villains than raga bol .) . and for new lands, loamhedge abbey isn't exactly new but it still gives us more insight on the site.  

[Isaiah]

Atmosphere has always been the thing Redwall as a series succeeds with most for me. I've read a lot of fantasy series' and none of them have made me wish I could actually travel to that universe more than Redwall. Sure, the Shire is nice, but I'd much rather have the ability to go to Redwall Abbey. And that became a large part of the reason I started role playing, it allows me to go just a little bit further in pretending I'm actually there. In my opinion, the series created such an immersive atmosphere in two ways:

Food! This is what separates Redwall from a lot of other fantasy series, and I think it's part of why we all love it. The pages of descriptions of feasting that neither breaks the pacing nor seems out of place. I can't deny that the detailed descriptions of foods is a large part of the reason I've always wanted to be at Redwall. It's something that makes the series unique, and goes a long way towards creating a deep and immersive universe. It's also handled in such a way that it isn't a drag. At least in most books, I find myself looking forward to the feasts.

Settings! Generally, Jacques is very descriptive without going too far and landing in purple prose territory. The way he describes the world and the settings makes it all come alive in a way that makes the copious amounts of food description make sense. I think we all have a very clear picture of Redwall Abbey in our heads. We may not know the exact layout, but we have the imagery. The imagery in this series is always beautiful. Redwall Abbey, Salamandastron, Mossflower Woods... They're all places you wouldn't mind visiting to take pictures or spend a vacation.

The world is just so enticing for many reasons. Which is why I've spent so many hours reading and writing about it. It's also why my childhood dream was to build a replica of Redwall Abbey and do... something with it.

[Celebes]

Barkfur I don't actually remember Loamhedge too well, but I'm sure I'll get to it again through the audiobooks. I do appreciate anytime the lore of certain areas are expanded, like Loamhedge or Southsward over the course of several books. Even good old St. Ninian gets to make several appearances. I suppose that leads to another element I appreciate.

Continuity: I love sequels in the series. The Bellmaker and Mattiemeo were incredible books for many reasons, and I think a lot of those came from the fact that they already had an established cast. Book 1 wasn't about getting to know the characters and establishing relationships, those were already established. Right away the novel is able to delve into deeper characterization of creatures we already know.

Isaiah I also am always impressed with the vivid descriptions of edibles. It seems to be one of those stand out things that people remember about the books if nothing else. Not just the feasts, either. Packed rations and random camp meals also get the same lavish treatment. Pretty much, unless your a vermin, you're guaranteed to have a gourmet meal anytime you sit down for a break.

[Burfle, Brookfill & Madrigal]

Was that meant to be a real life replica Isaiah? Because that would be a lot of sandstone you'd have to mine XD

I also appreciate Celebes' recognition of my cartoon villainy. Anyway, onto my actual thoughts:

I definitely agree with a lot of if not all of the above points. You definitely cannot fault Brian Jacques for his descriptions of the world of the books, and the food therein especially. I would have some points of contention with the action on the homefront though, albeit with recognition that fighting against invaders did make for a more exciting time. Nevertheless I still enjoyed some of the more "relaxed" quests that would take place at the abbey. The exploration under the wall from Long Patrol comes to mind, as does the search for the pearls in Lutra.