Children and adults - READ ! (Brian Jacques in general)

Member Name: kyrgyzvodka

Product:	Brian Jacques in general
Date:	31/08/01 (179 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent storylines and characters, Series has real depth and follows on well, Both adults and kids will enjoy!

Disadvantages: Read order of books a little muddled, A little violent and long for younger children

A great series of books for both children and adults!
Introduction:-

I have to say I’m quite surprised there is so little about Brian Jacques and his works on Dooyoo, as in my opinion he is an excellent children’s author who is already widely read and respected! However, I will consider it my privilege to enlighten anyone who cares to read this about his excellent books - namely the Redwall series that he is known for most. Jacques has already picked up accolades for his wonderful works - his books ‘Redwall ’, ‘Mossflower’ and ‘Salamandastron’ have been awarded the Lancashire County Libraries Children’s book of the year award on differing occasions, and along with ‘Mossflower’ have been nominated for the more prestigious Carnegie Medal. The series was also recommended as part of the National Year of Reading’s ‘Dads and Lads’ campaign launched in 1998, showing that it was suitable for and could be enjoyed by both the young and young at heart J. As there are so few Jacques books listed on Dooyoo at the moment, I’ll funnel my efforts into a general summary of the series to start with, then review individual books as their titles are posted.

Redwall Abbey: The centre of the series:-

Jacques started his series with the title ‘Redwall,' a story about a peaceful abbey inhabited by woodland creatures whose peace was suddenly disturbed by a visiting warlord, who put the Abbey under siege in an attempt to capture it for a seat of power. All books in the series contain a large part about the Abbey, the creatures there and its history: understanding the Abbey and its role in the books is essential if you wish to enjoy and fully understand the stories.

In the books, Redwall is an abbey named due to its red sandstone walls, and has stood for many seasons, set against the picturesque setting of Mossflower Wood. It is inhabited by a vari
ety of woodland creatures (humans never feature in any of Jacques’ books) who live as a peaceful order, living off the land and never resorting to violence as a solution to a problem unless it is necessary. In the plot line the abbey was founded long ago by a fierce and deadly warrior mouse named Martin, whose spirit inspires and guides the abbey dwellers in times of crisis as a ghost-like figure in their dreams. Key roles and characters in abbey life include the Abbot or Abbess, Cellar Keeper (traditionally a hedgehog), Foremole (chief of the resident mole tribe), Kitchen Friar, a Badger Mother who helps with the running of the abbey and finally an Abbey Warrior. The Abbey Warrior can be any animal, but is usually called upon by the spirit of Martin in a time of crisis to take up his ancient sword and protect the abbey or friendly creatures under threat.

Other main groups of characters:-

Outside the abbey’s walls, there are a number of other characters or species of animals that usually turn up in the story line at sometime or another, each with their distinguishing characteristics. Lines between good and evil characters and species are clearly drawn, with stereotypically cunning or disgusting creatures such as foxes, rats, stoats and weasels instantly being identified as nasty pieces of work! All traditional woodland creatures are characterised as being good - think the Animals of Farthing Wood without the foxes and you’re halfway there! The plot will usually involve characters from the seaside mountain fortress of Salamandastron - an extinct volcano. This is inhabited by a lone warrior Badger and guarded by a force of fighting hares know as the Long Patrol - cunning, quick and deadly fighters. These animals are the guardians of the shore and surrounding lands, and will always take up arms against threatening evil forces, usually know as ‘vermin.' Vermin are portrayed in one of two ways - either as dopey and reliant up
on strong leadership, or cunning and very clever. Both types of vermin share the same character trait in that they are bloody thirsty, immoral and killers without remorse. Vermin can manifest themselves in many forms - as sea rats and corsairs, roaming bands of thieves or usually in a tribe or army under a central dark figure.

Another group of good creatures are the otters : living in either family holts or crews under a Skipper, they are known for their swimming skills, being powerful unarmed fighters with their tails, skill with slings and javelins and good chef’s, cooking a very hot and spicy soup!

The shrews are also often a central part of any Redwall story line - they usually live in tribes named G.U.O.S.I.M (Guerilla Union of Shrews in Mossflower), or a river traveling varient with a couple of extra s’ (standing for Southern Stream Shrews!). The Guerilla part of their name hints well on their nature - they are constantly argumentative, stubborn and arrogant, but will fight with ferocity and unite for any good cause, using their tribal weapon, the rapier.

Finally, the last good species of animals that feature prominently in Redwall stories are the hedgehogs. These can again be roughly divided into two groups: the more peaceful type and the warlike type. Hedgehogs are generally portrayed as slightly slow witted yet methodical, but are far from stupid creatures and show logic and cunning beyond that of many creatures given time, as well as being excellent fighters if pushed.

Plot and plot devices:-

Redwall plots usually follow a tried and tested theme, but with many variations imposed upon it. This usually entails a malevolent force (usually of vermin) threatening a group of good creatures upon some evil scheme, and the gathering of a force of good creatures or the discovery of a hero to save the day. Although (as you would imagine!) it is fairly taken as read that good will pull through, this does not
make the story monotonous as in some children’s books. Like in the Harry Potter series, victory is usually shown to have a price, and on many occasions you are in suspense wondering who’s life will be laid down to free the land. Jacques, in a similar fashion to J.K Rowling also throws in some good plot twists that keep you gripped to the book and eager to read on. Characters often go questing, usually from the abbey in a bid to rescue a comrade or to recover a lost important item. Jacques also uses puzzles well as a device, weaving them into the plot as an important mystery that the characters must solve in order to discover a secret find or important information. Through plays on words and riddles, Jacques draws the reader deeper into the plot as they try to work out the solutions before the characters do - I’ve found myself totally stumped on many occasions, succumbing and naughtily turning over a few pages to find the answer!

Generally I would say that the books are fun, exciting, fast paced and satisfying reading, if a little on the predictable side after you have read quite a few. However, those who enjoy the books will not mind this in the slightest! Jacques always maintains tension and drama well keeping you gripped to the book, yet there are places where the action dies down a little, giving you the chance to put it down and take it up again a little later.

Order of books and understanding the timeline:

Jacques has written the Redwall series so far in a different order to the one in which the books should be read - making it quite difficult for a first time reader to understand what is going on if they pick up the wrong book! For example, the first book in the series story line wise is The Legend of Luke, but the first book Jacques wrote was Redwall! This myriad of prequels confused me to start with, but after reading a few books I was able to make sense of the correct order and a timeline on which to place t
he books and characters accordingly. When I get round to rereading or skimming through the series in its entirety, I’ll update this and put in the correct reading order for the series (so anyone interested can read it and understand everything!).

Targeted Audience and Suitability of books:-

The Redwall series in my opinion is targeted and most suitable for 11-14 year old - children any younger may find them heavy reading, as each book is roughly around 400 pages of size 12 print. Younger children may not enjoy or be scared by the violence - Redwall books are quite violent due to the fighting nature of many of the characters. However, none of it is particularly graphic in a gory or E.R sense (:P), instead being a little thrilling and in context. To make up your own mind, here is a short extract from the latest title, The Taggerung.

‘The shaft buried itself in the otter’s chest, but he kept coming, his might wrath unstoppable. Vallug was reaching for another arrow when the great sword flashed downward. Tagg’s shout was the last thing the ferret heard in his life. ‘For my father!’ ‘

Although these books are written as children’s books, don’t be put off reading them! Many people laugh at the idea of books about talking hares and fighting shrews, but the series is really enjoyable and surprisingly addictive, and I’ve gone straight to the library to get out each new book ever since I started reading them as a wee year 8 :P There are many nice details that really attract me to to the books - from the great illustrations on the covers to the maps in the front cover - you always have reference to any area the characters are in, which helps you to visualise the whole world of Redwall with relative ease. Anyway, this opinion is a mammoth beast of text, so I will stop now before you all fall asleep! Thanks for reading, sorry if it sounds too much like an English lit analytical es
say (:-S), I didn’t mean it to be like that! Do give the books a try, start with The Legend of Luke or Redwall...they’re great for anyone from 11 to 111 J (Cheeesy line alert!) I’ll update, edit it and get rid of all the chaff soon. Price is for a hardback.
Craig :)



*finally shuts up....*

Summary: