Mossflower
Feb. 18th, 2023 04:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theradicalchild
Mossflower by Brian JacquesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The second entry of the late Brian Jacques' Redwall series, occurring chronologically before its inaugural entry, opens with the fabled Martin the Warrior arriving at Kotir, home of the wildcats, with Urthclaw the mole visiting the hedgehog Stickle family as well. Gonff the mousethief serves as a deuteragonist, robbing villainous weasels whilst the other vermin animals drag Martin away in bonds, the warrior rodent failing to escape a few times. The Council of Resistance in Mossflower, or Corim, discusses the captive mice, Martin and Gonff conferring with fellow inmate Gingivere, a wildcat, and brother of the main antagonist Tsarmina.
Martin eventually receives his introduction to Corim, along with other allies such as the Skipper of otter's sea creature friend Stormfin, Chibb the avian spy, and Argulor the eagle. Another character, Bella the badger, embarks with members of Corim to her species' ancestral mountain home of Salamandastron, while an otter known as Mask aids Martin and Gonff in their escape. Martin arrives at the mountain as well and receives his iconic weapon, afterward encountering the pirate rat Ripfang. The final chapters focus on Martin and his allies' battle against Tsarmina and her minions, with a plot to flood Kotir proving key in the conflict.
All in all, the first Redwall prequel is enjoyable, given its endearing characters and well-described action, although it continues the literary franchise’s tradition, similar to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series, of certain creatures being predisposed to good or evil. Granted, Jacques does indicate that not every single animal in his series is of such disposition, as Gingivere the wildcat is a "good" creature compared with his sister the main villainess. Regardless of whatever issues the late author's series may have, I very much enjoyed the book as much as I did in junior high school and will be glad to revisit other entries of his flagship franchise.
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