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Mossflower

(Redwall #2)

Brian Jacques

4.10 · Rating details · 65,057 ratings · 892 reviews

The thrilling prequel to "Redwall". The clever and greedy wildcat Tsarmina becomes ruler of all Mossflower Woods and is determined to govern the peaceful woodlanders with an iron paw. The brave mouse Martin and quick-talking mouse thief Gonff meet in the depths of Kotir Castle's dungeon. The two escape and resolve to end Tsarmina's tyrannical rule. Joined by Kinny the mole ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 373 pages

Published November 1st 1998 by ACE Books (first published 1988)

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Best Redwall Book - In Memory of Brian Jacques

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· 65,057 ratings · 892 reviews

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Jan 07, 2013 Leila rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, humour, adventure, animal-stories, my-wow-books, children-to-young-adult

I love the Redwall books written by the late and sadly missed Brian Jacques.'Mossflower' is a wonderful and magical book among the many he wrote about Redwall. The novel begins with Bella the Badger telling of the plight of the creatures of Mossflower Wood many years ago before Redwall Abbey was built. They were oppressed by the evil Tsarmina the wildcat and her father. The young mouse Martin strayed into the wildcat’s territory and was imprisoned. Many twists and turns follow in the ensuing adv ...more

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Sep 19, 2008 Kogiopsis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fangirl-alert, childhood-nostalgia, craving-re-read-like-mad, reviewed, favorite-2014-reads

If you asked me to pick a single favorite Redwall book, I'd probably splutter at you a lot and then mutter 'Mariel, if I have to pick just one'; but if you asked me for a list of my top 5, Mossflower would definitely be on it. Early on, before I'd read the rest of the series, it was far-and-away my favorite - for the interwoven quest and siege plots (two of my favorite fantasy structures, tropey as they can be, likely because of Redwall books), for the humor, and for the absolutely glorious take ...more

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Jun 11, 2017 El rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-centurylit-late, redwall, fantasy, read-with-ears, young-adult-n-kids, swashbuckling-is-hott, library-borrow

For this Redwall prequel, I decided to get the audio version on mp3 to listen to during my daily walks. What I didn't realize until I started listening was that there is so. much. singing. What is it with fantasy novels (featuring animals or humans) that requires so much fucking singing? Remember The Hobbit? SO MUCH SINGING.

And while it's rough enough at times to read all the songs, it's worse having to listen to it. There was a lot of eye rolling as I walked, let me just say.

Before the abbey of ...more

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Feb 17, 2017 Joseph Leskey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: humanity

Shelves: z-reviewed, z-fiction, z-humor, 1st-degree-reevaluation, z-adventure

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Update (2018-05-10):
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This book is still very nice, but also rather longer than I thought…

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original review
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This book is massively well done and, as such, is wonderfully enjoyable. The plot was fun, the characters most hilarious, and the setting was… you know, a setting. There is naught to define the absolute goodness of a setting that I can think of in my current unenlightened state, but it worked well with the other aspects of the book.

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Dec 11, 2013 Juushika rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-fantasy, genre-mg-and-ya, favorite-and-formative, status-owned

July 2006 Review:

The second book in the Redwall series, Mossflower provides much of the backstory for that novel, recording Martin the Warrior's time spent in Mossflower wood and his battle to free the natives from the tyrannical rule of Tsarmina the wildcat. This text shows remarkable improvement, both in style and in setting, from Redwall and even now remains one of the best books in the series. Martin is a true hero and an enjoyable protagonist, both supporting characters and villains are wel ...more

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Feb 06, 2015 Geoffery Crescent rated it it was amazing

Picture the scene, if you will. Here's your erstwhile reviewer, aged twenty-four and about to have her first tooth removed. Gifted with three hours to kill before the dental happening, she sets off in search of vittles and something new to read, having been stuck in the waiting room so long she's already made it through the two books she brought with her. Lo, she went a wandering in W H Smith's and her gaze chanced upon Mossflower, the first and greatest of her Redwall loves, her favourite child Picture the scene, if you will. Here's your erstwhile reviewer, aged twenty-four and about to have her first tooth removed. Gifted with three hours to kill before the dental happening, she sets off in search of vittles and something new to read, having been stuck in the waiting room so long she's already made it through the two books she brought with her. Lo, she went a wandering in W H Smith's and her gaze chanced upon Mossflower, the first and greatest of her Redwall loves, her favourite childhood book, her original copy having long since departed for the Dark Forest, thanks to a combination of some overenthusiastic borrowers and one too many accidental dunks in the bath-tub. Seeking a source of comfort in those orally painful hours, she makes the purchase. But what did she discover? Was it to be nought but a pleasant trip down memory lane, or a painful discovery that it really wasn't as good as she remembered? Turns out it was neither.

There's a reason Mossflower was my favourite book as a kid. There's a reason it got me hooked on the Redwall books and a reason it's not just the best book about Martin, but the best book of the series. Because it's bloody fantastic.

Mercifully free from the Early Instalment Weirdness that plagues Redwall on re-reads but without any of the tropes that bogged down later books in the series,those that were almost suffocated by Dibbuns, songs and prophecies, Mossflower is a smart, exciting page-turner stuffed to the gills with likeable characters. These are the pre-Abbey seasons, not only are the woodlanders living wild and under constant threat, there's no cosy stronghold for them to retreat to when things get tough. Sure, it's a kid's book and you're fairly certain that things will turn out for the best but when the book opens, in the dead of Winter with the eerie Kotir and its wildcats rulers holding sway over the lands it genuinely looks like things are never going to right themselves. Tsarmina is far and away the best foe ever conceived by Jacques, she's nasty, insane and oh, let's not forget she's about five times as big as Martin the Warrior, which makes her eventual defeat at his paws all the more impressive. Her soldiers are an excellent mix of the truly evil and the punch-clock archetype, but there's room in Mossflower for more than the Vermin=Chaotic Evil that became so prevalent later in the series. And let's not forget Martin himself, fresh from his heart-break in the Northlands, the original and the greatest of all the Redwall warriors. Sure, he gets a Disney death, but let's cut him some slack because this book is dark. Dark as balls. Just read Bella's first conversation with Abbess Germaine for proof. It's a little along the lines of "everyone we ever knew is dead or dying a horrible, horrible death". And some of these deaths come straight out of left-field; even on this re-read I found myself getting all misty eyed when the Mask cops it. Boar's death is also spectacularly unexpected because he's the blimmin' hero! There are tons of well-written female characters whose motivations don't revolve solely around becoming Abbess, a couple that actually seem like they're in love rather than being paired off together in the epilogue for some reason and Gonff. Gonff is supreme. Prince of Characters.

Sure, it's all a bit twee when you remind yourself that most of the cast are soft fluffy animals and like all Redwall books it goes on about food in a way that would give George R R Martin a run for his money. If you're not a fan of anthropomorphic battle mice than nothing I said here is really going to convince you but hey, it's wonderful not to have a memory tarnished, but enhanced, by a re-read of one of your favourite books. Brain Jacques at his best.

Oh, and I was going to do my standard Evil Fat Character count but I can't because Jacques LITERALLY DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE OR DEMEAN OVERWEIGHT CHARACTERS IN ANYWAY. How's about that then, matey?

...more

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Jul 11, 2019 Catherine Hawthorn rated it it was amazing

So I saw this book in one of my favorite thrift shops, and it looked rather interesting. Finding out that it was a Redwall book and remembering one of my blogging buddies saying lots of good things about that series (I believe it was Lila Red?), I decided to pick it up.

And I'm so glad I did.

The complexity of the story was right up my alley. It was a fantasy quest story that was so squeaky clean that it made my heart sing. All the names too were really cool (except for Gingivere's. His seemed m ...more

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Jun 08, 2020 Abbie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

Much loved by yours truly, as usual.

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Oct 19, 2007 Jing rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anyone who is looking for adventure

Shelves: advisory

This next Redwall book and one of the most famous is starting with Martin the Warrior again. After he had defeated Badrang the stoat, he is now is mossflower area which is under the rule of Tsarmina the daughter of Verduaga who also had a older brother Ungatt Trunn in another Redwall book series. These are one of the relationship this book has with others. Continuing on, martin was then captured and brought inot Kotir the stronghold of Tsarmina the cruel evil wildcat. Later on he met Gonoff wher ...more

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Nov 15, 2018 Greg rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018

2nd Read. Nostalgic fun read.

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Jul 03, 2020 Knox Merkle rated it it was amazing

This was one of my favorite books when I was little, and it’s even better than I remembered it

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Nov 26, 2013 Jana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stars

Martin, a traveling warrior mouse, is accidentally caught up in a war between the wildcat Tasrmina, who rules over Mossflower Wood, and the gentle woodland creatures starving under that rule. The creatures have formed a resistance group, but they're farmers or weavers, and lack the experience needed to fight Tsarmina's army of stoats, weasels, and other assorted nasties. Once Martin joins the resistance, they may finally have a chance to win their freedom and drive Tsarmina out.

I loved the Redwa Martin, a traveling warrior mouse, is accidentally caught up in a war between the wildcat Tasrmina, who rules over Mossflower Wood, and the gentle woodland creatures starving under that rule. The creatures have formed a resistance group, but they're farmers or weavers, and lack the experience needed to fight Tsarmina's army of stoats, weasels, and other assorted nasties. Once Martin joins the resistance, they may finally have a chance to win their freedom and drive Tsarmina out.

I loved the Redwall series as a child, and re-reading the first few books as an adult has been a very nostalgic experience for me. It's been long enough since I last read them that I don't remember exactly which characters make it to the end of the novels and which heroes get noble deaths. I did, however, remember the massive number of enemies which are slaughtered without a second thought, while the deaths of sympathetic characters are more evenly spaced and given more weight.

Mossflower has more female characters than its predecessor, Redwall, which is good to see, though many of them are placed in domestic or supporting roles while the majority of the male characters take part in battles and epic quests. I'm also uncomfortable with Brian Jacques' insistence that there are "good" kinds of animal (generally what one would think of as prey, like robins, squirrels, mice, and otters) and "bad" animals (predators like foxes, weasels, wildcats, etc.) which he has used as a running theme for every book I've read within the Redwall series. (Full disclosure: I've read most, but not all, of the twenty Redwall books.) There's usually a casual mention of a "good" predatory creature, which in Mossflower is portrayed by the wildcats Gingevere and Sandingomm, but that hardly feels inclusive. Even as a child, this felt odd to me, and it feels no less odd as an adult.

There are some pacing issues here, as well. A chapter might include three or four points of view, each taking place at a different point in time, which was slightly confusing. It's sometimes difficult to tell whether events are simultaneous or occurring in a sequence. The dialogue and concepts are simplistic, written to a specific audience, and the hero-villain dynamic is very clearly delineated. However, Jacques does write heroes and their battle scenes well, with enough detail to make events clear to young readers without becoming too gory or gruesome.

At heart, these are fun books with clear moral messages about good triumphing over evil and the benefits of living in a positive community. They're a great way to introduce children to commonly-used fantasy tropes and the wider possibilities of the fantasy genre as a whole. Recommended for 5th-graders and older, including their parents. ...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Chris added it · review of another edition

Shelves: reread-2011, sff, hour-before-bed

When Brian Jacques passed last month, it was a gut-punch for me. I can't tell you how many times I read his first few books, how eagerly I awaited the new hardcovers each year. I can't say I've read them all-- the point came, round about book seven or eight, when I'd figured out the formula, and they started getting old. But when I was just the right age, these were perfect.

Mossflower was my favorite of the lot as a kid, and upon reread, I can still see why. Tsarmina is a terrific kid's villain, ...more

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Sep 19, 2019 Anna rated it it was amazing

It has been quite some time since I gave a book five stars. This world, Redwall, is imaginative with many varied and loveable characters. I will certainly continue with this series. Not dissimilar to Warrior Cats by Erin Hunter however with mice, and other delightful 'woodland' personalities. ...more

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Dec 18, 2011 Jenny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reread, favorites

I remember my dad coming home with another box of used books. Before he resold them, he'd let me look through them. I saw these two books on the top of the pile. One was called Mossflower, and the other was called Mattimeo. They caught my eye because they're pretty covers but also because they have animals on them. I was curious and read the back to see what the books were about. I liked how the cover of Mossflower said, "Before Redwall Abbey was built, there was no freedom for woodlanders..." I I remember my dad coming home with another box of used books. Before he resold them, he'd let me look through them. I saw these two books on the top of the pile. One was called Mossflower, and the other was called Mattimeo. They caught my eye because they're pretty covers but also because they have animals on them. I was curious and read the back to see what the books were about. I liked how the cover of Mossflower said, "Before Redwall Abbey was built, there was no freedom for woodlanders..." I've always loved a good story of rebellion, so I was intrigued. It was funny that the cover of MF said it was the prequel to Redwall, and the cover to MM said it was the sequel. I figured, "Okay, now, I have to get this book that's in the middle," and that started my long journey with Brian Jacques and his wonderful Redwall series, of which I've since read every single book.

I'm going to maintain my rating of this novel. This is now the third time I've read the book in a traditional format, and I've listened to the audio book version, read by Mr. Brian Jacques himself (which I highly recommend, if you get the chance--his Liverpool accent makes everything better).

At first, I was a little disappointed that I'd chosen this book as my next reread. It seemed really slow and not entertaining, and I figured I'd outgrown this series. I started it when I was in high school, so I was always older than the target age range, but I hadn't read much fantasy then, and I really enjoyed the concept and Jacques' writing style. Last month, though, I was thinking that even our favorites can lose that appeal for us over time.
Then, I read further and remembered why I love this book so much. It's charming and cute. Jacques tells a good story that builds appropriately. The characters have great personalities and feel real. I love the relationships they have or build throughout the novel, and I love the concept. It's interesting to see how Jacques was clearly inspired by other children's fantasy writers and then how he diverges from the tropes and his predecessors to make something unique.
My only complaint this time around is that there's A LOT going on in the story. I think Jacques wanted to include all his inventions, but he did a little too much. I wish he'd focused more on the main plot line of the woodlanders trying to defeat Tsarmina, the Queen of the Thousand Eyes. But he has these side stories that introduce different animal groups, and it's a little unnecessary.
The one thing I found funny this time is that this book is pretty violent for a children's book! I would say the target age for this is 7-12, and there are some graphic moments of necessary and unnecessary slayings. I never thought of it that way before, but being an adult reading this, I'm thinking, "Geesh! What a way to introduce kids to the violence of warfare and rebellion." I think it's realistic, and our heroes and heroines are animals, after all, but some of the scenes are a little surprising in their light brutality.

Overall, I'm glad I reread this book! I got into it again and was excited to move forward and remember the plot as I read further. I enjoyed getting reacquainted with Jacques' world and the characters, especially Martin the Warrior, Gonff, and Young Dinny. I still recommend this series--the later books become REALLY repetitive, but the earlier ones are original and have interesting plot lines, stories, and characters. Also, they'd be fun to read aloud or to have your kids read aloud. There are dialects that would be entertaining. I'm not sure I'll reread another book in the Redwall series, but after rereading Mossflower, I think I might! ...more

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Feb 12, 2015 Zachary Barnes rated it it was amazing

Shelves: recommended

In the spirit of #TBT, I decided to review MOSSFLOWER by Brian Jacques. Why? Probably because this series is the reason I'm a writer. During my formative years, I read and re-read the Redwall books more than Mr. Jacques' editor did, and then some... And if you didn't partake of this wonderful, creature-filled world, then you are seriously missing out.

Of all the countless stories Brian Jacques told, MOSSFLOWER is my favorite. Most likely because it predates REDWALL, and I'm a super sucker for goo In the spirit of #TBT, I decided to review MOSSFLOWER by Brian Jacques. Why? Probably because this series is the reason I'm a writer. During my formative years, I read and re-read the Redwall books more than Mr. Jacques' editor did, and then some... And if you didn't partake of this wonderful, creature-filled world, then you are seriously missing out.

Of all the countless stories Brian Jacques told, MOSSFLOWER is my favorite. Most likely because it predates REDWALL, and I'm a super sucker for good world-building. You see, in REDWALL, there's this awesome sword that the mouse protagonist must find to defeat Cluny the Scourge, who is as evil as his name suggests. It's the sword of an ancient, honored warrior... and MOSSFLOWER is the story (well, part of it) of that warrior! Martin is his name, and kicking vermin butts is his game.

This novel is a conflation of probably the two best tropes in fantasy: the "quest" and the "siege". The quest is about finding a warrior fit enough to take down Tsarmina--the wildcat patricide who lords over Mossflower woods. And the siege, well, there's actually two of them, are both pretty rocking. Oh, and there's a ship named *Bloodwake* and food is called 'vittles'. Epic stuff.

But those aren't the reasons I love MOSSFLOWER. I love it because of its themes.

Martin has a sword. It's reforged from the shard of a meteorite. But that just makes it a better tool. The sword is neither good nor bad, though it can be *used* for good or for bad. The first REDWALL book made a pretty clear distinction between the good guys and the bad guys. Good guys = friendly, cute creatures. Bad guys = rats and gross creatures (adders, ferrets and the like). But MOSSFLOWER deals with morality in a more evenhanded fashion. Martin could choose to use the sword to rule over Mossflower like his enemy does, but he elects to help others instead. On the other hand, there are a few 'villianous' creatures who end up being decent people, like Tsarmina's wildcat brother. All in all, it's a much more realistic look at storytelling (as realistic as talking animals can be, that is...)

So if you haven't been paying attention, this book is great. Read it. ...more

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Dec 09, 2008 Debbie rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: fantasy fans of all ages

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, animals, young-adult-lit

Book 2 in the Redwall series (prequel to Redwall)

In this prequel to Redwall, we meet Martin the warrior and understand how his heroic deeds, as well as his ability to form alliances, leads to the creation of Redwall Abbey.

The Corim, the governing council of the woodland creatures, tries to protect themselves against the evil Kotir, malicious wildcats determined to rule all the animals. Tsarmina is the cruel and mentally unstable ruler of the Kotir.

When Martin the Warrior has a run-in with Tsarm ...more

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Jun 14, 2016 Leslye ♥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, middle-grade

This is the second book in the Redwall series, but it is actually a prequel to Redwall. It is the story of how Martin the Warrior, a legendary hero, came to Mossflower Woods. Tsarmina, an evil wildcat, is ruling the land with an iron fist. There is no Redwall Abbey here. Instead there is a rundown fortress called Kotir where the bad guys (mostly rats and weasels) live. It's a story about how the good and honest creatures of the woods set out to free themselves from the tyrannical rule of Tsarmin ...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Henry Martin rated it liked it

After finishing Redwall, I wanted more. The prequel Mossflower seemed a pretty reasonable choice.

I did enjoy the read, nevertheless, while the writing was excellent, the storyline was not as good as Redwall. Jacques still does an amazing job in creating a fascinating world of woodland creatures, but the story just didn't grab me the way I hoped it would. ...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy

This will always be one of my favorites. We first met in the Florida library when I was 10. We reunited when I was 13 and facing my own wildcats in the form of high school bullies. We then parted ways for over a decade when I was 18, until last year. Martin & Gonff are childhood heroes with a tale that translates for any age group.

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Jul 14, 2014 Olivia rated it it was ok

Shelves: children-s, fantasy

2.5 stars

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Apr 10, 2017 Alexa rated it really liked it

Took its sweet time getting started, but it sure was epic once it did! Also, Gonff is amazing.

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Dec 02, 2017 Bodosika Bodosika rated it liked it

Not too bad but not good enough... 3star

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Sep 25, 2020 F.D. Gross rated it it was amazing

A prequel to the Redwall series. And a damn good one at that. The fabled Martin the Warrior makes his debut in this second installment. A book split into three parts, each section has its own ups and downs throughout, focusing on the pinnacle ideas that tyranny and freedom can relate to in today’s society. A big thumbs up to Jacques and his quirky yet memorable characters. Martin, Gonff the this, and Dinny the mole, each of these personalities lent their personas to the overall enjoyable atmosph A prequel to the Redwall series. And a damn good one at that. The fabled Martin the Warrior makes his debut in this second installment. A book split into three parts, each section has its own ups and downs throughout, focusing on the pinnacle ideas that tyranny and freedom can relate to in today’s society. A big thumbs up to Jacques and his quirky yet memorable characters. Martin, Gonff the this, and Dinny the mole, each of these personalities lent their personas to the overall enjoyable atmosphere of Mossflower, the country where Redwall was born. I do wish however I had read this book before the first book, because it really shows what happens in the seasons before the Redwall Abbey was built. Moss flower laid the ground work which led to the epic novel that is so well known. There is so much to cover, I will only focus on the best parts.

Martin the warrior, however tiny of a mouse he was, was in fact the traditional hero who would stick his neck out for any and all creatures. A big heart, yet little stature. Throughout the story, you will get to see his transformation from becoming enslaved to escaping tyranny and then eventually questing to find a legendary hero that would aid in the monarchy of Kotir, the castle fortress ruled by the evil queen Tsarmina. But what Martin doesn’t know is that in reality, he is on a quest of transformation, and any outside help he can muster for the cause is really all from him. His determination alone allows him to become the hero that saves the day in the end. Symbolism couples with this little hero as well. In the beginning, his sword is shattered. As a token of memento, he wears the broken hilt of his father as to ever remind him of his vow to kill the queen of Kotir.

Tsarmina, the evil self-proclaimed queen of Mossflower, is quite the ballistic type personality that grows on the reader, even though she is the main antagonists of the story. As you progress through the story, the reader will start to see paranoia and insanity slowly take over her, and it is quite entertaining to watch. The story has some good comedic quality throughout. One of these core laughable traits of the story is how she conducts her army and captains. Through her short lived reign, she promoted over a five or more captains due to blunders which ended in death or displeasing the queen. She as a villain was true to her nature, instilling fear as a means to control her weasel and rat army.

It was certainly interesting to see how all the woodland creatures came together and interacted throughout the tale. On any given chapter, you could see how squirrels and otters got along, fighting alongside one another, and badgers and shrews cooking meals for the warriors defending their realm. At one point, a pact of leaders formed a group called Corim, a sort of alliance between many creatures to protect the land. This particular idea of the story reminded me a lot of Lord of the Rings, plus the multitude of complex dialects certain creatures spoke. Yet another great aspect of the story. Although sometimes hard to understand, the mole speech was down right difficult to get. However, once you figured out the cadence of the words, the flow made sense and made the story that more enjoyable. One of favorite dialects by far were the hares. “Jolly good show, if I do say so myself. Wot!” Sometimes the speech almost fits the type of animal perfectly and I think Jacques was brilliant in understanding this comparison. So if I were to compare what this story related to, I would say it is the LOTR of woodland creatures. Rat’s versus mice, cat’s versus badgers, fox’s versus otters. The list goes on and on. And you could easily substitute how an orc or elf would fit in. Mind you, there are no humans in these stories. Just imagine medieval life, but without us. Perfect.

Regardless, this series is a win for me thus far. I’ll keep reading it, probably pick up the next book after the halloween season. Now it’s time to read some scary books.

5 out of 5 stars
F. D. Gross ...more

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Aug 09, 2020 Zoe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Just as good as the first one!

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Nov 13, 2012 Kelsey Hanson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, favorites

This is another old favorite of mine that I rediscovered on audiobook. Like Martin the Warrior, the audiobook features a full cast including the author Brian Jacques who is a masterful storyteller and his radio experience is clearly evident. I always feel like I'm reviewing the entire series when I review a Redwall novel but here goes. Yes, it's forumlaic. Yes, all of the books have a similar theme. Yes, the good guys are pretty easy to spot from the bad guys, but I DON'T CARE! Haha.
Eh ahem. Se ...more

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Sep 30, 2018 Michelle Sedai of the Brown Ajah rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I didn't really connect to this one as much as the original. Even though I can't remember as much as I'd like from the original Redwall, having read it 6 years ago now, I distinctly remember loving Warbeak and couldn't really say the same for any particular character this time around. ...more

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Jun 22, 2015 Chelsea rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, classics

Continuing my new purpose of writing about books that influenced me as a child, I had to get started on Mossflower. This book! This series! Chronologically this is not the first of the group, but it is the first one I read. Brian Jacques did such a long and great series of short books geared tower young adults/children. I’ve read all of them, and I recently enjoyed reading them again. I was so sad when he died, considering he filled my childhood with such wonder. It was a series with fascinating Continuing my new purpose of writing about books that influenced me as a child, I had to get started on Mossflower. This book! This series! Chronologically this is not the first of the group, but it is the first one I read. Brian Jacques did such a long and great series of short books geared tower young adults/children. I’ve read all of them, and I recently enjoyed reading them again. I was so sad when he died, considering he filled my childhood with such wonder. It was a series with fascinating animal characters who had general but interesting personalities, and a through line of certain themes and relations between the books. This was the first really long series I started. I also saw the animated show. It wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t that bad either, in my opinion. There’s only one general criticism I have of the series, but I’ll talk about that in a bit.

Mossflower is the major location for the series. The majority of the books take place there. Martin the Warrior is the most famous of characters, and he becomes a messiah like figure later on, his ghost appearing in some cases. One of the major characteristics of him is that he’s a mouse, who typically are small and not particularly warlike most of the time, but he’s very dangerous. When Martin arrives in Mossflower, he’s coming from a traumatic background that they get into with greater detail in other books. He is immediately accosted by the corrupt army of the leader in the are, the aging warlord wildcat Verdauga Greeneyes. They are robbing the people blind and letting their criminal bully minions do whatever they want. The people wish to rebel, but they have no real focal point or person to rally their cause. Enter Martin. This is a very Robin Hood like story. Verdauga dies, poisoned by his daughter Tsarmina and her vixen companion Fortunata. Fortunata masquerades as a healer. Tsarmina is cruel and vicious and wants to have all the power, and she blames the death on her gentler, kinder brother Gingivere. She establishes herself quickly as the villain by the murder and breaking Martin’s family sword.

While imprisoned, Martin meets the clever and cheerful mouse thief Gonff. They become close quickly, and they are rescued by the Corim, a group dedicated to getting their lands back. Loamhedge is introduced here too as an abbey where they had to flee from because of the plague, and Abbess Germaine is the main character from there. We also meet the badger Bella, who is a ringleader and swears only her father Boar, the Badger Lord of Salamandastron, can save them. Salamandastron is also a major location in the series. Martin, Gonff, and Young Dinny the mole head off to find Boar. They also meet the shrew Log-a-log, a character that is mostly a title we see a lot of in the series. They have a series of adventures on the road, partly why people compare this to The Hobbit’s journey. They have a greater goal, but there are pit stops as they nearly die frequently. My personal favorite is the terrifying eel Snakefish who they nearly get eaten by in a pit, but they actually end up helping to escape.

They make it to Salamandastron and meet Boar, and he helps fix Martin’s sword. The Badger Lord and his dangerous hares are also major characters in the books, so this is one of the earlier starts to them. Boar is killed in a duel with his great enemy, so Martin has to accept he is the hero who must save Mossflower. They return after taking over a slave ship and sailing back with the freed slaves, and Martin kills Tsarmina. There’s an interesting part where they nearly drive Tsarmina mad by slowly flooding the castle, and no one believes her when she keeps claiming she can hear water. Having her break down reminded me a bit of Lady Macbeth. Martin nearly dies in the final battle but he does survive. He goes to be a Redwall legend as this courageous warrior who helped them get their land back.

My only real complaint in the series, and this is something many people bring up, is how black and white the characters are. In this case, it’s specific to the species they are. I get it’s easier to go “well all mice are peaceful but have inner strength” and “all rats are inherently vermin.” But it did often feel like the characters were too two-dimensional because of it. Later in the series he does redeem some of the evil species characters, but it’s rare. He was capable of making complex characters, Martin certainly was one, but too often the bad guys were just evil. Nothing else. Evil. It also doesn’t feature too many strong female characters; don’t get me wrong, Bella and Gonff’s love interest Columbine were interesting! It just took awhile before a woman was the lead character and a badass. Anyway, overall this book is a delight. I’ve read it multiple times over the years, and it’s always entertaining. I forget how many little adventures they had on the road. Revisit it if you only read it during childhood. It holds up! ...more

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May 16, 2020 Will rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The writing is noticeably flawed in this one (my dude never met an adverb that wouldn't set his world on fire), but it's still just romp city. Jacques gets more comfortable with his secondary characters, as well as settling in for the long haul on building the world's lore (in retrospect, the ending feels very much like when Marvel would do the post-credits stingers, and it is good and sly. On cruise control through this series thus far, although I remember almost nothing about the next book, an ...more

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Nov 11, 2019 Nate Adams rated it it was amazing

As good or better than when I read it as a kid.

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50 books to read ...: Mossflower	3	20	Feb 09, 2019 05:26PM
Wouldn't this book make a good animated TV series?	19	65	Aug 28, 2015 02:18PM
What do you think of Lord Verduaga? And do you wish there could be a bit more background story to him?	3	21	Jun 15, 2015 03:35PM
Interesting	21	62	Dec 14, 2012 11:08PM

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About Brian Jacques

Brian Jacques

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Brian Jacques (pronounced 'jakes') was born in Liverpool, England on June 15th, 1939. Along with forty percent of the population of Liverpool, his ancestral roots are in Ireland, County Cork to be exact.

Brian grew up in the area around the Liverpool docks, where he attended St. John's School, an inner city school featuring a playground on its roof. At the age of ten, his very first day at St. Joh Brian Jacques (pronounced 'jakes') was born in Liverpool, England on June 15th, 1939. Along with forty percent of the population of Liverpool, his ancestral roots are in Ireland, County Cork to be exact.

Brian grew up in the area around the Liverpool docks, where he attended St. John's School, an inner city school featuring a playground on its roof. At the age of ten, his very first day at St. John's foreshadowed his future career as an author; given an assignment to write a story about animals, he wrote a short story about a bird who cleaned a crocodile's teeth. Brian's teacher could not, and would not believe that a ten year old could write so well. When young Brian refused to falsely say that he had copied the story, he was caned as "a liar". He had always loved to write, but it was only then that he realized he had a talent for it.
He wrote Redwall for the children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool, where as a truck driver, he delivered milk. Because of the nature of his first audience, he made his style of writing as descriptive as possible, painting pictures with words so that the schoolchildren could see them in their imaginations. He remained a patron of the school until his death.

Brian lived in Liverpool, where his two grown sons, Marc, a carpenter and bricklayer, and David, a professor of Art and a muralist, still reside. David Jacques' work can be seen in Children's hospitals, soccer stadiums, and trade union offices as far away as Germany, Mexico, and Chile (not to mention Brian's photo featured in most of his books).

Brian also ran a weekly radio show on BBC Radio Merseyside, until October 2006, where he shared his comedy and wit, and played his favourites from the world of opera - he was a veritable expert on The Three Tenors.

When he was wasn't writing, Brian enjoyed walking his dog 'Teddy', a white West Highland Terrier, and completing crossword puzzles. When he found time he read the works of Mario Puzo, Damon Runyon, Richard Condon, Larry McMurty, and P.G. Wodehouse. He was also known to cook an impressive version of his favourite dish, spaghetti and meatballs.

Sadly, Brian passed away on the 5th February 2011. ...more

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“Pick-a-lock, Pick-a-lock, you'll regret the day,
When you took a mouse thief and locked him away,
Silly cat, look at that, it's two for one,
A thief and a warrior, by dawn will be gone.” — 43 likes

“There is no greater evil than killing. I don't care whether they call it war or justice. Life is precious.” — 33 likes

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