The Radical Child

Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 50th Anniversary Edition by Paulo Freire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Though I considered myself far-right before I was registered to vote and voted in elections, I had doubts given the alarmism of conservative journalists like Robert Novak and the toxicity of Republicans in general--particularly their overreactions to leftist slander and propagating it instead of just ignoring it or biting back, forgetting it's their constitutional right to say things like that. In recent years, I've looked into classical philosophers, finding that most of my favorite quotes were actually spoken by leftists and even socialists like Karl Marx. Another one I looked into is Paulo Freire, whose magnum opus Pedagogy of the Oppressed I gave a gander, as I am of an "oppressed" group (autistics), and whose quote, "The oppressed, instead of striving for liberation, tend themselves to become oppressors," really resounded in me and has occurred countlessly in history with nations like America and Soviet Russia.

The 50th anniversary edition, penned by Donaldo Macedo, takes numerous shots at the "Far Right"--though most leftist American politicians use this label on those even slightly to the right of them--but he does denounce many leftists falling prey to consumerism and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren boasting about her indigenous heritage. He elaborates on Paulo Freire's life, but suggests it's bad to not teach children they're being oppressed, which figures into modern Woke indoctrination. Macedo rightfully notes how the Red Cross did nothing for Haitians devastated by natural disasters, mentions collateral damage in war, and concludes by saying that leftist and rightist educators conceal their consumerism.

Freire's preface denounces sectarianism, being too attached to sects or parties, especially religions, and says that Christians and Marxists would disagree with him, the philosopher himself being a Christian socialist. Both the Left and the Right are guilty of sectarianism, with liberation being a task for radicals.

Freire says that the oppressed must liberate themselves and their oppressors, although their fear of freedom and division often divides them, both oppressed and oppressors sometimes being in solidarity. Pedagogy is humanist and libertarian, with liberation having two stages: unveiling the world of oppression, and then making liberation a pedagogy of all. The oppressors often dehumanize others and in turn themselves, with real humanists being more identified by their trust in people than a thousand actions without trust. At all stages, the oppressed must see themselves as fully human.

He elaborates on the concept of banking education, which gives knowledge to people assumed to know nothing. Oppressors try to be humanitarian to dominate, human life holds meaning through communication, and oppression can be necrophilic. Education should be the practice of freedom, with problem-posing education basing itself on creativity. Trying to be more human, however, can result in a bigger ego and sense of dehumanization.

Freire states that dialogue is a human phenomenon, idle chatter becoming verbalism, an “alienating blah.” Dialogue needs humility, founding itself as well upon love and faith, becoming a horizontal relationship of which mutual trust between coversers is the logical consequence. Only critically-thought dialogue requires critical thinking, without which there is no communication, without which there can be no true education. Educators and politicians often don’t adapt their language to the situations of the people that they address. Epochs are characterized by complex ideas, concepts, hopes, doubts, values, and challenges when people interact with their opposites. People need to split coded situations, thematic investigators fearing change and believing it death, and codifications must represent real-life situations.

Animals are immersed in the world, with human activity being a praxis, a transformation of the world, revolutionary leaders devitalizing if they don’t think like others. The myth of absoluting ignorance implies the existence of people who decree others’ ignorance.



Freire proceeds to discuss the theories of antidialogical and dialogical action, the first being conquest, where antidialogical individuals try to conquer the oppressed.

The second is divide and rule, where oppressors divide minorities, the oppressors not favoring promoting communities as a whole but rather selected leaders. In addition, the oppressed know from experience the price of not accepting invitations offered with the purpose of preventing their unity as a class--losing their jobs and finding their names on a blacklist, where signifying closed doors to other jobs is the least that can happen. A psychoanalysis of oppressive action might reveal the false generosity of oppressors as a dimension of their sense of guilt, with which they attempt not only to preserve an unjust and necrophilic order but to buy peace for themself.

The third is manipulation, where the dominant elites try to conform the masses to their objectives. The greater the political immaturity of the oppressed, rural or urban, the more easily they can be manipulated by elites who do not wish to lose their power. One form is to give individuals the bourgeois appetite for personal success.

The fourth is cultural invasion, which, like divisive tactics and manipulation also serves the ends of conquest. Here, the invaders penetrate the cultural context of another group, disrespecting the latter’s potentialities. They impose their own view of the world upon those they invade and inhibit the creativity of the invaded by curbing their expression. Many well-intentioned professionals find their educational failures ascribed to their own violent “invasions” that can border on dehumanizing. A good determination of a developing society is that it is “being for itself.” Revolutionary leaders require their people’s adherence to carry out their uprisings. Revolutionary leaders differ from the dominant elite in not just objectives but procedures.

Freire proceeds to discuss subjects who conquer others and transforms them into “things,” cooperating to transform the world. He cites Ché Guevara and affirms that revolutions can love and create life.

Leaders must unite the oppressed as their oppressors keep them divided, and attempts to unify them based on activist slogans just juxtaposes individuals.

In antidialogical action, manipulation helps conquest and domination, whereas in dialogical, the organization of people does the exact opposite.

Cultural action is always systematic and deliberate, operating on social structure either to preserve that structure or transform it. In cultural synthesis, one can resolve the contradiction between the worldview of leaders and that of their people to benefit both. Oppressors elaborate their action without their people and stand against them. However, people that internalize the images of their oppressors construct the theory of their liberating action. Only by encountering revolutionary leaders, in communion, can people build their cultural synthesis.

The afterward notes that Freire helped advance democratic movement in Brazil, teaching illiterates to read and write in only forty hours of inexpensive instruction, Freire considering critical education in schools or social movements intellectually demanding and politically risky.

The 50th anniversary edition proceeds to various modern philosophers answering various questions about how modern schools based on Freire's philosophy would look, including Noam Chomsky, who believed that instruction should reject the notion of education as pouring water into vessels in favor of engaging students in active quests for understanding in faculty-student cooperative environments. Others such as Valerie Kinloch say that such schools would include open spaces for people to analyze current events and examine ways to combat oppression and inequality to dismantle racism, classism, sexism, inequality, and capitalism. Some like Peter McLaren complain about white supremacy, and Margo Okazawa-Rey say that neoliberalism and conservatism have engulfed colleges, but the reverse applies today given modern university indoctrination and suppression of campus speech, hence the oppressed becoming oppressors.

The 50th anniversary edition concludes with the foreword to the original version, focusing on the 1929 United States stock market crash that affected the world, Brazil included, with Freire's methods being alien at the time.

All in all, I enjoyed this book, even if the introduction was a bit off-putting at times (though it was fair and balanced), and Freire's philosophy really resonates with me as an autistic. His warning about the oppressed becoming oppressors definitely applies in the modern world, with many fringe groups seeking to force the general population to comply to their will and values--exacerbated by the Woke movement--but the oppressors and those who are genuinely oppressed (not those gaslit into believing they are) definitely need to communicate effectively, with bad dialogue being still the worst problem in the modern world. Overall, highly recommended read.

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The Legend of Whomper, Book 1 by Chris Farrington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There have been times when I’ve often gotten burned out on traditional textual literature without illustrations, so I figured I would alternate between reading them and graphical novels like this by Chris Farrington, whom I highly respect as an artist in the furry fandom and had commissioned a few times in the past. The titular fox hero, Vulpie Whomper (who doesn’t look vulpine but is cute nonetheless), has trained for years to master the war hammer and embarks upon quests to prove his worth. Each chapter (one divided into two parts) follows his various trials.

Whomper’s first trial opens with his initiation into the Brotherhood of the Hammer, after which he must visit several secret cities and prove the supremacy of his order’s weapon. A thief curses him with kleptomania, and when he gets the curse lifted, he chases after the culprit following a visible knife symbol (though this is unclear) to deal justice.

His second trial opens with guards of the Bridge to the Sky initially denying him entry, after which he must defeat a monster.

The third has him join Dextrose, a furred warrior whose specific species is unclear and seems somewhere between horse and kangaroo, as they battle slugs tormenting a town.

The fox’s fourth quest sees him seeking a town’s serial killer but ends without the said murderer subdued, Whomper needing to find another way to apprehend him.

In his fifth, he encounters a weasel thief ostracized by his fellow purloiners.

The two-part sixth quest sees him battling the slave-collecting Warmachine, piloted by two members of the vengeful Komodo Clan.

The seventh has him partner with a dragoness named Skyla Thornweaver, who remains with him for the rest of his adventures as they battle a new enemy, Gryzor.

Whomper’s eighth quest sees him and Skyla entering Brotherhood of the Arrow territory and battling pig-men bandits.

His ninth has Skyla kidnapped by a rodent princess, Grisella, whom he must rescue.

The tenth has Whomper going to a raccoon-populated city with a zombie problem, where he confronts Gryzor and the necromancer who created him.

The final chapter concludes the graphic novel with Whomper meeting a goat sage called the Edgemaster, under whom he begins apprenticeship after battling an ancient evil known as Xilix while having a final confrontation with Gryzor.

Overall, I found this a cute and enjoyable graphic novel, with my instincts about giving it a read well justified. While the animal characters are incredibly adorable (even if some of their species are vague, given the artist’s style), it isn’t one hundred percent family-friendly, given some occasional blood, albeit not excessive. Some plot points like that in the first trial seem to come out of nowhere, and the typical grammar and punctuation errors associated with standard comics abound. However, I highly recommend this graphic novel to those in the furry fandom seeking a fun and quick read.

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Exodus: A Military Archaeological Space Adventure by Craig Martelle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The fourth installment of Craig Martelle and Brad R. Torgersen’s Zenophobia series opens with a probe flying through space and the Tigroid Sankar cramped in a holding cell. In the meantime, the enemy vessel Direwolf is stranded in Hinteran space, with another Tigroid, Arbai, wanting to meet the head of the Golongans, another race the aliens had contacted. Next, Doctor Muni analyzes a server in her Oteran computer lab, with a signal leading her to call General Chayken. Arbai eventually meets Commissioner Sachim, while Chayken meets Sankar and wishes to remove the price on his head.

Arbai meets Sachim and wants to help his rebellion as the members of the Veracity Corporation worry about their companion Sankar, fearing he is dead. However, he reunites with them, after which they fly to Golongal and battle Arbai’s forces. Another Tigroid, Ausha, reveals her backstory as a Cadet-Trainer, after which comes a meeting with Commodore Qlovys at a hidden shipyard. The Bilkinmore reenters Golongan space, with its passengers eventually joining the battle among rival factions like the Golongan Peoples Revolution, intelligent machines led by The Overseer, and various religious factions.

Although this entry of the Zenophobia series, like its predecessors, shows promise, given its animal-populated cast, vibrant setting, and intricate backstory, it disappointed me. For instance, a synopsis of prior entries, a list of dramatis personae, and clear indicators and reminders of the species of the various characters would have been welcome. The absence of the Amazon Kindle X-Ray feature hampers the fourth installment as it does previous entries. Thus, I found myself rereading pages, given some confusing dialogue and sudden scene or perspective changes within chapters. Most who enjoyed the last books may appreciate this one; however, while I mostly like books with anthropomorphic characters, I found it inaccessible.

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Dune by Frank Herbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first written installment of the late author Frank Herbert’s Dune franchise opens with Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam visiting Jessica on the Atreides homeworld of Caladan. Her son Paul is the prophesized Kwisatz Haderach, with the Reverend Mother upset Jessica didn’t birth a girl, and she tests Paul with the gom jabbar, a needle with poison on its tip. The Houses of Atreides and Harkonnen have been bitter enemies for generations, with the latter holding the desert world of Arrakis in fiefdom for fourscore. Family patriarch Baron Vladimir Harkonnen plots with his nephews to lure the Atreides into a trap in the desert world.

The Atreides prepare to move to Arrakis, with an assassination attempt upon Paul. His father, Duke Leto, informs his son of a plot by the Harkonnens to have Paul distrust his mother. The Atreides are targeted by the Harkonnens on Arrakis, with Paul ultimately discovering his true lineage. The spice melange, found exclusively on Arrakis, is considered valuable as water and key to defeating the Harkonnens. Paul and Jessica ultimately take refuge with the world’s native inhabitants, the Fremen, with the Atreides son learning skills like how to ride sandworms.

The Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, Shaddam IV, is eventually involved in the plot against House Atreides, shortly after which the narrative ends. Herbert follows the main text with appendices explaining things such as the ecology and religion of Arrakis. He also includes a helpful dictionary on terminology exclusive to his Duniverse, with newer incarnations of the novel adding an afterword by his son Brian Herbert. Overall, the first written tale of the Duniverse is enjoyable, with good action and its influence on future science-fiction franchises such as Star Wars, even if it sometimes delves into human interest.

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Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Author E.K. Johnston dedicates this canon Star Wars book to the Royal Handmaiden Society and writes in her acknowledgements section that she wanted to write a Star Wars book, receiving input from the Lucasfilm Story Group to formulate a story about Ahsoka Tano, who in The Clone Wars CG series left the Jedi Order towards the end of the conflict that rages between the second and third Episodes of the film franchise. The novel opens with a look at the past, when Ahsoka Tano exchanges taunts on the burning planet Mandalore with the former Sith Lord Maul, thought dead after The Phantom Menace but confirmed alive with prosthetics in The Clone Wars.

Given the decimation of the Jedi Order after the Clone Wars concluded with Chancellor-turned-Emperor Sheev Palpatine’s Order 66 to have the clone soldiers turn against their former Jedi commanders, protagonist Ahsoka feels alone but actually appreciates solitude, living in the Outer Rim of the galaxy near the Fardi family on the world Thabeska under the alias Ashla, as the first Empire Day indicating the anniversary of the Republic’s transition into the Galactic Empire comes. She quickly involves herself in technological repair work, occasionally missing the droid R2-D2 and her former master, Anakin Skywalker.

However, Imperial Stormtroopers seeking survivors from Order 66 quickly force Ahsoka to resettle on Raada, with occasional Jedi mind tricks furthering her survival. One of her friends, Kaeden, an orphan with nothing to his name, is captured by soldiers and interrogated about the former Jedi’s whereabouts, with another antagonist, the Sixth Brother, spearheading the search for her. The story concludes with Ahsoka recruited by Alderaan Senator Bail Organa into the Rebel Alliance and her adoption of the name Fulcrum. Overall, this canon Star Wars novel is enjoyable, despite minor confusion regarding character fates and their names, but is recommended easily to series fans.

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Empire's End by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the final installment of author Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy of canon Star Wars novels, the remnant of the shattered Galactic Empire has gathered on and over the remote planet Jakku, where they attempt to make their last stand against the New Republic. The novel opens with an intro set aboard the Second Death Star above Endor, where Admiral Gallius Rax talks to Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine. When the main chapters commence, Norra Wexley and her companions attempt to lure bounty hunter Mercurial into a trap due to his dealing with Imperial Admiral Rae Sloane, with fellow bounty hunter Jas Emari headed to Jakku.

Han and Leia continue to anticipate the birth of their first child, realizing that the New Republic looks weak after the events during Liberation Day on Chandrila, which harbors the Galactic Senate. Temmin Wexley wants to join his mother Norra on her forthcoming mission to Jakku, although she refuses initially. Disaster strikes when the spaceship Moth enters the airspace above the planet, where the Imperials shoot at the vessel; Norra and Jas escape in an escape pod that lands on Jakku, where they wander its wastes. Afterward, Han Solo plots to penetrate the Imperial blockade to rescue them.

As with its predecessors, the third Aftermath novel features several Interludes between the main chapters. The first features the Wookiee Lumpawaroo, son of Chewbacca, traversing the jungles of Mount Arayakyak, the Cultivating Talon, on his homeworld of Kashyyyk. Another occurs in Theed City on Naboo, where a youngling meets Jar Jar Binks, one on Tatooine with a Huttlet named Borgo, and one on the planet Christophsis, where fledgling Jedi seek kyber crystals necessary to the construction of their lightsabers; the Galactic Empire also used the minerals to power the lasers of both Death Stars.

On Jakku, Imperial stormtroopers hold Jas and Norra prisoner, although Sinjir comes to the rescue. Part of the plot further involves Niima the Hutt, with whom Rae Sloane interacts. Meanwhile, Chancellor Mon Mothma faces electoral competition from Senator Tolwar Wartol, with the legislature initially opposing intervention in the Imperials amassing on Jakku; however, suspicion of corruption emerges among the dissident votes. The battle for Jakku transpires late in the novel; the fate of the Imperial remnants is ultimately settled, with the father and son Brendol and Armitage Hux traveling beyond the galaxy to ponder the Imperials’ next course of action.

Overall, the conclusion to the Aftermath trilogy is an enjoyable read, with fans of the Star Wars franchise sure to delight in the old and new characters central to the series, with plenty of science-fiction action towards the end. There’s also occasional insight into the political mechanisms of the New Republic, without offending anyone in real life with certain ideologies. The mention of Grand Admiral Thrawn is a nice nod to the now-non-canon Legends chronology, too. However, those deeply unversed in the series might not grasp the appearances of the various alien species, and reminders would have been welcome. Regardless, the trilogy did well to begin to fill the temporal gap between Episodes VI and VII of the Skywalker Saga films.

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Life Debt by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In book two of the Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy by Chuck Wendig, the Galaxy is in chaos, and the New Republic is fledgling. Norra Wexley chases Imperial deserters, and Han Solo and Chewbacca plot to free the Wookiees of Kashyyyk from slavery under the Empire. Meanwhile, Imperial remnants under the command of Grand Admiral Rae Sloane plot a counterstrike against the new government. However, Han and Chewie go missing, and Leia Organa hires Norra, Sinjir, Jas, and others to seek the missing smugglers. A prelude three decades before the main action opens the book, featuring characters like Galli.

The main chapters open on Chandrila, with Princess Leia distraught as Han Solo informs her that Chewbacca is missing, with his homeworld of Kashyyyk still under Imperial authority. As with the book’s predecessor, occasional interludes pepper the main chapters, the first focusing on the technical proxy Emperor, Mas Amedda, with the New Republic refusing his surrender. Other interludes focus on a pirate leader referred to with gender-neutral pronouns such as “zhe,” with the survivors of the destruction of the planet Alderaan getting their chapter as well.

Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, the commander of the Imperial Navy and de facto leader of the Galactic Empire, speaks to the Galaxy and is interested in Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax, who forms a Shadow Council. The Imperials intend to keep Kashyyyk and bombard the planet when Wookiees rebel, with Brentin Wexley found, though his loyalties are ambiguous. The action climaxes on Chandrila during Liberation Day when the ex-Imperials execute a terroristic plan, then relocate their operations to the Outer Rim world of Jakku.

The second Aftermath novel ends with an epilogue that follows the youngling Galli again as he’s recruited into the Galactic Empire, proving to be another engaging canon Star Wars novel that continues to fill the gap between Episodes VI and VII. The mix of old and new endearing characters and action will keep fans of the science-fiction franchise hooked from beginning to end, provided they have read the preceding book in the trilogy. While I could visualize most of the characters from the Original Trilogy of films, like Han and Leia, many of those new in the Aftermath books could have used reminders about appearances. Regardless, I enjoyed reading the sequel and look forward to the conclusion.

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BEASTARS, Vol. 21 by Paru Itagaki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The penultimate entry of mangaka Paru Itagaki's Beastars series opens with a synopsis of recent events and visual depictions of the dramatis personae. Protagonist Legoshi, the gray wolf, wins the trust of the Doku-gumi populated by Komodo dragons, becoming an official turf war contender, the leonine Shishi-gumi keeping watch on him while facing the Madara-gumi composed of jaguars. The lupine's next opponents are the vixens of the Inari-gumi; however, Legoshi struggles due to his reluctance to battle females, ultimately settling on dressing in drag to battle on equal terms, which he finds difficult.

During the war, rain begins to precipitate despite no prior indicators of cloudy weather, a so-called "sun shower" that extinguishes all torches in the black market. The main antagonist Melon, the offspring of a male gazelle and female jaguar, has flashbacks of when his mother wanted to take baths with him, which involves a childhood trauma of seeing the backprints on her fur resembling swarming insects. Meanwhile, Louis continues his press conference as the new president of his adoptive father's business, the Horns Conglomerate, where he openly speaks about the black market and accuses members of the press of having been to it alongside other carnivores in the city.

Consequentially, the madness transpiring in the black market begins in the city streets, with a battle for supremacy between carnivores and herbivores. The rain causes a blackout that gives the former group an advantage, with the current Beastar, Yahya, the horse, walking between them as a gesture to the carnivores. The power does return, with Legoshi continuing his battle with Melon; the Shishi-gumi also use Legoshi's rabbit trainer, Kyu, as bait, in which case she attempts to escape. Louis is eventually forced from his address for inciting riots, although the Shishi-gumi come to his rescue, the police giving chase as well.

The twenty-first volume ends with Legoshi and Melon's battle undecided, with Itagaki afterward including story panels where she ponders the conclusion of her manga, along with brief bios of the Inari-gami and Madara-gami. Following these is a Japanese word chain game and a list of the background music the mangaka listened to while producing her series. In summation, this entry of the Beastars series is enjoyable as its precursors, with endearing characters, action, and twists. However, as before, Itagaki ignores the gray area between carnivores and herbivores since omnivores do appear outside the human race in the animal kingdom.

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BEASTARS, Vol. 19 by Paru Itagaki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Like its precursors, the nineteenth volume of the Beastars manga opens with a synopsis of recent events and a visual summary of the chief characters. The main action continues Legoshi the gray wolf’s training with the rabbit Kyu, which he is reluctant to go through given his reluctance to fight back against females. Then comes the revelation that Gohin, a giant panda, who had trained Legoshi before, had rescued Kyu from the black market, after which the wolf and rabbit concur that Melon, a half-leopard, half-gazelle, must be defeated, with a backstory involving his leopard mother revealed as well.

The lion-populated black-market gang, the Shishi-gumi, wish to off Melon, choosing one of their members, Agata, to assassinate their leader. Coincidentally, the melon fruit from which the half-herbivore, half-carnivore received his name becomes popular in the city where the manga occurs, with Legoshi informing the current Beastar, the horse Yahya, that he wishes to confront the gang leader on the forthcoming Meat Day when rival mafias in the black-market engage in turf wars. Legoshi informs his friend, the red deer Louis, of his inventions to confront Melon, during which he hears unfortunate news of his adoptive father, Ogma.

Louis later goes to the Wisdom Soul Festival, where herbivores pray for protection from carnivores. There, he reunites with Haru, who notes that her relationship with Legoshi changed her perspectives and that she had promised Melon at her university to let him devour her. Legoshi then tries to sign up for the Mead Day turf wars. However, he must compete with Melon in a quiz show-like setting and answer questions correctly about animal society or risk death. The nineteenth volume concludes with Kyu attempting to write a letter to her rescuer Gohin, and how her attempt to attack a giraffe with his neck in a cast proves a turning point in training Legoshi.

After the main narrative are anecdotes of Legoshi’s “sideburns,” Louis perusing Ogma’s photographs, the Wisdom Soul Festival, Itagaki’s work-at-home attire, and two of Legoshi’s former roommates taking jobs. Overall, this volume of the Beastars manga is enjoyable as its predecessor; its animal characters are developed well alongside plenty of action. However, the story of Kyu training Legoshi somewhat parallels that of Gohin training him, and the mangaka, as before, ignores the gray area between carnivores and herbivores the real world knows as omnivores. Regardless, I recommend Volume 19 to those who have read and enjoyed the preceding entries.

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High Rhulain by Brian Jacques
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The late Brian Jacques dedicated this entry of his Redwall series to his friend Alan Ingram, whom he terms the guardian at the gate of the eponymous Abbey. A poem about autumn follows, with plenty of poetry, as always, throughout the book. Its action opens on Green Isle, where the Warlord of the Green Isle Cats reigns. Riggu Felis, the mentioned monarch, has a pine marten aide named Atunra and children Jeefra and Pitru. Meanwhile, back at Redwall Abbey, the young Lycian the mouse is Mother Abbess, with another of the primary protagonists, Tiria the young otter, daughter of the Skipper of otters, introduced, being skilled with a sling.

Outside Redwall, water rats patrol, capturing an eagle whom Tiria emancipates. Jacques eventually reveals the backstory of Green Isle, where the otterclan Wildlough reigned until the cats came into power. Fights occasionally erupt between the vermin and the “good” creatures, with the riddle of the Geminya Tome perplexing Redwallers. Tiria further receives a visit from Martin the Warrior, a trend in prior installments. The ottermaid eventually begins a trip to Green Isle with the help of friends, the Long Patrol, and their Badger Lord, coming into play as well.

Overall, this is another enjoyable Redwall book, even if it recycles elements from its predecessors, including the predisposition of specific animals as good or evil and the visitations from Martin the Warrior. There’s also the issue of the lack of clarity at times as to the species of various characters, with little reminders throughout the text, and the Amazon Kindle’s X-Ray function doesn't work for the book. Furthermore, within each chapter, the action constantly shifts between sets of characters when the author could have segregated them in each of the book’s subsections.

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