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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Salamandastron by Brian Jacques – Instead of the badgers saving Redwall. Redwall has to go save the badgers! Enjoy the adventure! Happy Reading!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Listen. I read a bunch of these as a kid and I LOVED them and I have very fond memories and with COVID and other life things reading has been really difficult for a very long time. So I've been reading this series and it's delightful and kind of like meeting an old friend as I slowly remember the stories. 12/10 would recommend rereading stuff you like if you're hating books like me right now.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Must keep reading...must keep reading...
Whenever I think of the Redwall series I always remember this book as being one where I didn't particularly enjoy the 'main villain' plot but enjoyed one other - for the life of my I couldn't recall what it was that I enjoyed.
Luckily it came to my quite quickly - baby Dumble! He is my favourite Dibbun I think and I always remember imagining as a child the sight of him on the back of a bird bringing the cure to Redwall! Done right that would make a good cartoon for kids I think!
The main plot of this book is, as the title suggests, based around the badger lord of Salamandastron. I am glad of the existence of some of the hares (Oxeye in particular) that made those sections much more fun to get through.
I do wonder if this was the first book as a child where I noticed the repetitive nature of the series. I'll admit that despite reading this book a short while ago I really don't remember the plot of it - whereas books like Mariel, The Bellmaker, Taggerung, Redwall, Mattimeo still have plots that stand out in my mind...
Luckily it came to my quite quickly - baby Dumble! He is my favourite Dibbun I think and I always remember imagining as a child the sight of him on the back of a bird bringing the cure to Redwall! Done right that would make a good cartoon for kids I think!
The main plot of this book is, as the title suggests, based around the badger lord of Salamandastron. I am glad of the existence of some of the hares (Oxeye in particular) that made those sections much more fun to get through.
I do wonder if this was the first book as a child where I noticed the repetitive nature of the series. I'll admit that despite reading this book a short while ago I really don't remember the plot of it - whereas books like Mariel, The Bellmaker, Taggerung, Redwall, Mattimeo still have plots that stand out in my mind...
adventurous
I first read the Redwall books years ago and I still enjoy them when I recently re-read them. I love the world building and the creativity with which these animals were anthropomorphized. The level of description is really well done and very detailed. So adventurous and so very entertaining.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Salamandastron by Brian Jacques is a story of parents and children, legacy, siege, battle, epidemic, and feasting. It’s about passing the torch. A good introduction to Redwall (almost any book will work) but can also stand solo if you just want a good story.
Reading Salamandastron, I love the Redwall books, but now I know a little about the historical and current discrimination against Scots as a language and against the Scottish in the UK, passages with comments of not understanding “Northern” speech of the falcons and eagles are concerning. It’s not subtle, it happens several times that MacPhearsome or Rocangus or Laird Mactalon say something that seems to me (as an American) understandable but very Scottish and then someone declares they didn’t understand the bird at all, but everybeast understands the moles with no trouble. I love the work that went into conveying all the dialects onto the page, it just reads strangely now to have someone keep commenting one how hard it is to understand this particular accent, especially when in the real world it isn’t just an accent, it’s a separate language that has shared roots with English.
I like the contrasts between different parent/child pairs in this book. We have Urthstripe and Mara, Ferhago and Klitch, Log-a-log and Nordo, Laird Mactalon and Rocangus, and Loambudd and Urthwyte. All their relationship dynamics are unique and shown pretty well, and it feels like a thematic decision in this particular book.
Reading Salamandastron, I love the Redwall books, but now I know a little about the historical and current discrimination against Scots as a language and against the Scottish in the UK, passages with comments of not understanding “Northern” speech of the falcons and eagles are concerning. It’s not subtle, it happens several times that MacPhearsome or Rocangus or Laird Mactalon say something that seems to me (as an American) understandable but very Scottish and then someone declares they didn’t understand the bird at all, but everybeast understands the moles with no trouble. I love the work that went into conveying all the dialects onto the page, it just reads strangely now to have someone keep commenting one how hard it is to understand this particular accent, especially when in the real world it isn’t just an accent, it’s a separate language that has shared roots with English.
I like the contrasts between different parent/child pairs in this book. We have Urthstripe and Mara, Ferhago and Klitch, Log-a-log and Nordo, Laird Mactalon and Rocangus, and Loambudd and Urthwyte. All their relationship dynamics are unique and shown pretty well, and it feels like a thematic decision in this particular book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
CW for murder, massacre, plague, death.