Triss

Triss by Brian Jacques
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this yarn of Redwall, the titular squirrelmaid Triss works as a slave for the Pure Ferrets, among them Princess Kurda, considered skilled with the blade. Meanwhile, two younglings disappear from Redwall Abbey, while a ship called the Stopdog, its main crew consistent of Sagax the badger, Scarum the hare, and Kroova the sea otter, sails, with occasional encounters with the vermin typically antagonistic in the Redwall universe. Triss also plots escape with her fellow slaves, and the Skipper of otters at Redwall takes on a big leadership role, being a descendant of the warrior Taggerung, also helping find the Dibbuns, the children of Redwall, a few times with help from the current Log a Log, Groo.

A jet stone inscribed with ancient lettering fascinates the Redwallers, culminating in a treasure hunt throughout the book. Plugg Firetail the fox serves as a secondary antagonist, his ship being the Seascab and his followers the Freebooters, and eventually battles the Pure Ferret prince and princess. Scarum also acts as a nuisance throughout the tale, with a running gag about his unending hunger. A hamster named Mokug plays a minor role, initially termed a “golden mouse”, although he doesn’t receive much mention later. Another riddle in the identity of “poisoned gold” emerges at Redwall and eventually receives resolution. The Redwallers and vermin additionally have a common enemy in a serpent family.

Other battles erupt in the latter portion of the book, with an ending largely composed of narrations from various characters featured within the text, which gives decent closure to the story. Overall, this is another enjoyable tale of Redwall, even if it’s somewhat formulaic, given the retained themes of escaping slavery, and the depiction of specific animals as inherently good or evil, creatures such as otters, mice, badgers, hares, and squirrels depicted as the former, and others such as ferrets, rats, stoats, weasels, and foxes as the latter. Fans will be sure to eat this story up, and those who haven’t read any in the series can rest assured they needn’t have read other books to enjoy this one.

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