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thepancreas11's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, yeah! We're goin' down to badger town! We're gonna lose our dang minds in badger rage and give them weasels what for! Along the way, some hares are gonna eat their faces off, and Redwall Abbey's gonna be super peaceful and then absolutely rocked by scandal. Our hero's gonna ride on a shrew boat, and our bad guy is going to be pretty bad at battle strategy. If we're lucky, Martin the Warrior is going to possess a nun and give us some riddles to solve!
Look, if you're this far into the series and looking for nuance, you're going to have to keep looking. These are children's books, and they've got a winning formula. There's no need to push the boundaries. Sure, "Mossflower" had some cool things to say about PTSD, and "Mattimeo" truly examined the dynamic between famous parents and their children. Yeah, there have been more exciting characters and more emotional moments and even more clever set pieces. It doesn't matter. I had almost as much fun reading this as any of the others. Yes, I'm badger-biased, but let's face it: these books can survive on their idea alone--for the most part. It's vermin fighting woodlanders. They've got weird accents and delicious food and a really shiny, really strong sword.
Would I like them to try to say more? Meh. They're a pretty good palate cleanser between "In Flanders Field" and "Beloved", and they seem to have enough morality to them. Treat the people around you like crap, and you're going to eat your just desert. Good enough for me.
Look, if you're this far into the series and looking for nuance, you're going to have to keep looking. These are children's books, and they've got a winning formula. There's no need to push the boundaries. Sure, "Mossflower" had some cool things to say about PTSD, and "Mattimeo" truly examined the dynamic between famous parents and their children. Yeah, there have been more exciting characters and more emotional moments and even more clever set pieces. It doesn't matter. I had almost as much fun reading this as any of the others. Yes, I'm badger-biased, but let's face it: these books can survive on their idea alone--for the most part. It's vermin fighting woodlanders. They've got weird accents and delicious food and a really shiny, really strong sword.
Would I like them to try to say more? Meh. They're a pretty good palate cleanser between "In Flanders Field" and "Beloved", and they seem to have enough morality to them. Treat the people around you like crap, and you're going to eat your just desert. Good enough for me.
joanna_banana's review
3.0
Of the Redwall books I’ve read again to my daughter, this one ranks more highly. Like Mattimeo there are some really sweet parent-child relationships (and not so sweet ones!!) giving the book more depth and emotion than just adventuring and fighting. There were more plot lines and characters too making the story more compelling. I enjoyed the story line of Thrugg and Dumble the most; though, Mara and Pickle with the shrews was pretty great too. 8 year old really enjoys these read aloud.
raechrae's review
2.0
I read this one so long ago its hard to remember but I know we travel outside of Redwall's walls and travel to the mountain where there were brand new adventures
shivary's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
percystjoan's review
5.0
every time i think 'surely brian jacques has said all there is to say about the atrocities of war in these middle grade books' i am proven wrong. pennybright standing in the midst of her wrecked home filled with bodies just tremulously going 'oxeye sir i want to go out into the sunlight i don't want to be here' was genuinely heartbreaking! and 'creatures who a moment before had been yelling and slaying stood weary and quiet, as if shamed by the indignity of war. bodies of friend and foe alike lay strewn on the rocky steps like leaves after an autumn gale' belongs in a prize-winning historical literary fiction GOD DAMN MR JACQUES!!
also i am so deeply attached to mara, the fulfillment of her character arc and her finding her home at redwall and getting closure with lord urthstripe despite him dying before they could talk properly just utterly wrecked me. and like i was still recovering from that and then you get hit with 'dumble grows up to become the abbey recorder but he still sleeps out in the orchard every night waiting for the day his friends the falcons will return' and like HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THAT
also i am so deeply attached to mara, the fulfillment of her character arc and her finding her home at redwall and getting closure with lord urthstripe despite him dying before they could talk properly just utterly wrecked me. and like i was still recovering from that and then you get hit with 'dumble grows up to become the abbey recorder but he still sleeps out in the orchard every night waiting for the day his friends the falcons will return' and like HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THAT
franktt89's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
After struggling with House of Leaves for months and leaving it unread, I was in need of a break.
Redwall was a series I read when I was younger and I never had access to Salamandastron.
This was a great break from complicated plots and just relax. I've always skipped over the feasts and relied on context clues to breeze past the over the top accents.
I'm surprised by the description of the many deaths in the book. Glad main characters didn't have plot armor.
Redwall was a series I read when I was younger and I never had access to Salamandastron.
This was a great break from complicated plots and just relax. I've always skipped over the feasts and relied on context clues to breeze past the over the top accents.
jordandeanbaker's review
4.0
Redwall stories are like Taco Bell. Take the same 5 ingredients and rearrange them to create a dozen similar yet different dishes… and they’re all fantastic.
csmall73's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
numinousspirit's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0