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A review by sarahdm
Redwall by Brian Jacques
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"A mouse is small and can go unnoticed: but there is no limit to what a brave heart and a fearless spirit can achieve."
Just finished Red Wall. Absolute banger. I understand why its a children's classic. Not totally sure if it deserves the title of "the children's LOTR" like I have seen elsewhere, I think I would have to read a few more books in the series to confirm that. But I still really loved this.
The descriptions were so good. Anytime the author stopped to describe scenery or food, it was always a big treat. Reading the PDF I found it says "He wrote Redwall for the children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool. Because of the nature of his first audience, he made his style of writing as descriptive as possible, so that the children could see the stories unfold in their minds." I think its also really interesting that Jacques didn't actually seek publishing at first, that an old teacher took the story to a publisher for him. Jacques really seems like he would have a been a kind person.
Characters were so vibrant and alive. Was really surprised at the diversity of characters. There were even cool female warriors like Jess, Constance, and Warbeak. Side note: I think it is so funny that Jess's husband straight up does not have a name, eh is just Mr. Squirrel. Both Cluny and Asmodeus were great villains and added a bunch of tension between chapters. I also really love the big personalities like Basil, Log-a-log, and Matthias. And the fact that there are lots of different animals was nice. At once point I did have to look up what an Adder and Shrew were.
Despite the pretty run of the mill story line, this still felt like an epic adventure to me. The themes of courage and compassion are throughout. We got visions, riddles, quests, legendary swords, grand battles (also pretty gruesome). Its a perfectly wrapped up traditional fantasy novel, the only difference is it stars a little mouse.
Its something I feel like would be a great read for children and adults. Definitely gonna pick up the next book soon.
Just finished Red Wall. Absolute banger. I understand why its a children's classic. Not totally sure if it deserves the title of "the children's LOTR" like I have seen elsewhere, I think I would have to read a few more books in the series to confirm that. But I still really loved this.
The descriptions were so good. Anytime the author stopped to describe scenery or food, it was always a big treat. Reading the PDF I found it says "He wrote Redwall for the children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool. Because of the nature of his first audience, he made his style of writing as descriptive as possible, so that the children could see the stories unfold in their minds." I think its also really interesting that Jacques didn't actually seek publishing at first, that an old teacher took the story to a publisher for him. Jacques really seems like he would have a been a kind person.
Characters were so vibrant and alive. Was really surprised at the diversity of characters. There were even cool female warriors like Jess, Constance, and Warbeak. Side note: I think it is so funny that Jess's husband straight up does not have a name, eh is just Mr. Squirrel. Both Cluny and Asmodeus were great villains and added a bunch of tension between chapters. I also really love the big personalities like Basil, Log-a-log, and Matthias. And the fact that there are lots of different animals was nice. At once point I did have to look up what an Adder and Shrew were.
Despite the pretty run of the mill story line, this still felt like an epic adventure to me. The themes of courage and compassion are throughout. We got visions, riddles, quests, legendary swords, grand battles (also pretty gruesome). Its a perfectly wrapped up traditional fantasy novel, the only difference is it stars a little mouse.
Its something I feel like would be a great read for children and adults. Definitely gonna pick up the next book soon.