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Redwall #15
Triss
New York Times bestselling author Brian Jacques gives us another tales of Redwall, filled with “The Knights of the Round Table with paws” (The Sunday Times) along with their friends and enemies.
All her life, Triss the squirrelmaid has suffered the tyranny of the evil ferret king King Agarnu and his daughter, Princess Kurda. But with the help of her fellow slaves, Shogg the otter and Welfo the hedgehog, Triss plans and executes a daring escape by sea. Meanwhile, in Mossflower forest, a new mystery has arisen: a pair of wandering Dibbuns has accidentally discovered what may be the long-lost secret entrance to Brockhall-original home of the warrior badgers. The threads of the story eventually come together when Triss happens upon Redwall in her flight and takes up the famous sword of Martin. The rest is Redwall history.
All her life, Triss the squirrelmaid has suffered the tyranny of the evil ferret king King Agarnu and his daughter, Princess Kurda. But with the help of her fellow slaves, Shogg the otter and Welfo the hedgehog, Triss plans and executes a daring escape by sea. Meanwhile, in Mossflower forest, a new mystery has arisen: a pair of wandering Dibbuns has accidentally discovered what may be the long-lost secret entrance to Brockhall-original home of the warrior badgers. The threads of the story eventually come together when Triss happens upon Redwall in her flight and takes up the famous sword of Martin. The rest is Redwall history.
389 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
110 people are currently reading
6728 people want to read
About the author
Brian Jacques
260 books4,300 followers 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
April 13, 2018
A warm comforting blanket of familiarity.
World: The world building has always been fantastic, Jacques is a master of painting word pictures that are vibrant and beautiful and lush. The piece of the world we see this time with the slaves and the north is pretty slightly a little bit different from the rest of the Redwall world so it’s a nice little welcome. Reading Redwall books is like coming home, you know that mum is making roast chicken for dinner and dad is in the garage fixing his car, it’s expected and familiar.
Story: The story here is exactly what you would expect from a Jacques book, it’s an adventure, it’s a battle between good and evil where the lines of right and wrong are very clearly drawn. This book has established tropes and clichés, rats are always evil, rabbits are always gluttonous, and Moles always speak as Jacques writes them. If you are okay with the established norm of Redwall then this book is for you, it does nothing new and it pushes no boundaries. The story has a little slight new flavor to it with the slave storyline and also the female protagonist but it’s the same old same old. Critics will say it’s biased and simple in it’s look at the world but hey it’s a child’s book and I love it cause I grew up with it, irks and all. There is the high adventure, the songs, the food, the legends and lore, it’s all there and it’s beautiful.
Characters: Triss is a fun character, she falls into the established ‘hero’ archetype and so do the rest of the characters in Redwall. There is the wise mouse, there is the wayward Badger, the gluttonous hare, it’s all there and their name changes and slight character changes make this a new book. It’s here and it’s the same.
A same old same old book that if you love it, you love it. If no, then this book won’t change your thoughts.
Onward to the next book!
World: The world building has always been fantastic, Jacques is a master of painting word pictures that are vibrant and beautiful and lush. The piece of the world we see this time with the slaves and the north is pretty slightly a little bit different from the rest of the Redwall world so it’s a nice little welcome. Reading Redwall books is like coming home, you know that mum is making roast chicken for dinner and dad is in the garage fixing his car, it’s expected and familiar.
Story: The story here is exactly what you would expect from a Jacques book, it’s an adventure, it’s a battle between good and evil where the lines of right and wrong are very clearly drawn. This book has established tropes and clichés, rats are always evil, rabbits are always gluttonous, and Moles always speak as Jacques writes them. If you are okay with the established norm of Redwall then this book is for you, it does nothing new and it pushes no boundaries. The story has a little slight new flavor to it with the slave storyline and also the female protagonist but it’s the same old same old. Critics will say it’s biased and simple in it’s look at the world but hey it’s a child’s book and I love it cause I grew up with it, irks and all. There is the high adventure, the songs, the food, the legends and lore, it’s all there and it’s beautiful.
Characters: Triss is a fun character, she falls into the established ‘hero’ archetype and so do the rest of the characters in Redwall. There is the wise mouse, there is the wayward Badger, the gluttonous hare, it’s all there and their name changes and slight character changes make this a new book. It’s here and it’s the same.
A same old same old book that if you love it, you love it. If no, then this book won’t change your thoughts.
Onward to the next book!
October 6, 2023
The reason this one is four starts instead of the usual five is that I struggled to really get into the story and understand what was going on until 1/3rd through, which isn't typical. It was still a beautiful story (Triss reminded me so much of my Fiona), and I loved it, but it felt almost like there was *too much* going on. There were a lot more plotlines than usual and many characters had similar names so it was hard at times to really follow the story. It wasn't very streamlined, almost like Brian was trying to do too much. That said, I still enjoyed it and look forward to reading it again during summer; it just didn't feel as succinct as the other Redwalls I've read so far.
April 25, 2017
I really enjoyed this Redwall book. It had a somewhat more developed plot than the usual and was stuffed with enjoyment.
February 2, 2025
**Written by an author of over 20 books**
One of my favorite "Redwall" books so far.
One of my favorite "Redwall" books so far.
May 25, 2017
I read these as a child and am re-reading the series out of order (as usual it seems!). What I had forgotten was how formulaic they are. This was very similar to the others I have read - different gangs of animals, good vs. evil themes, lots of endless descriptions of food and eating, animals travelling from one place to another, a battle, fighting. It did get a bit tedious, and Scarum was intensely irritating. I honestly would have pushed him overboard and/or poisoned his food, but this book is intended for children after all.
Another thing I've always wondered is how Jacques actually imagined the physical size differences between the animals - they are depicted as fairly similarly sized - but in reality an otter jumping into a boat full of shrews will surely end with a result similar to a herd of lemmings charging off a cliff, ie. mass death, but maybe I'm over analyzing.
The cover of the book was a nice misty lavender affair and I love the illustrations, it all just felt a little repetitive and predictable. I've seen other reviewers felt the same. The other peculiar thing I found was that whilst the book is called 'Triss' after the squirrel 'swordmaid', she only plays a minor part and isn't central to the book. It seems more like a introduction or backstory and doesn't read well as a novel in itself.
Another thing I've always wondered is how Jacques actually imagined the physical size differences between the animals - they are depicted as fairly similarly sized - but in reality an otter jumping into a boat full of shrews will surely end with a result similar to a herd of lemmings charging off a cliff, ie. mass death, but maybe I'm over analyzing.
The cover of the book was a nice misty lavender affair and I love the illustrations, it all just felt a little repetitive and predictable. I've seen other reviewers felt the same. The other peculiar thing I found was that whilst the book is called 'Triss' after the squirrel 'swordmaid', she only plays a minor part and isn't central to the book. It seems more like a introduction or backstory and doesn't read well as a novel in itself.
February 12, 2020
1. Mhm. You know, I've badly wanted to read Triss for years. Now that I've finally done it I'm wondering why I was so keen on picking up this one book in particular. I think I blame it on Triss being marketed (is that the right word?) as Redwall's first female Warrior, and I read the rest of these books during a period of my life where first female anything was something to be gleefully glomped on.
2. For those not in the know, Redwall is a series about cutesy animals with swords and slings fighting off less cutesy animals with rapiers and heavy accents. There are some species of animal who are always good, some other species who are always bad (I may need to re-read Outcast of Redwall to see the one maybe-exception) and the good guys are brave and the bad guys are cowardly and mustache-twirlingly evil. Redwall doesn't shy away from death- important characters die in every book, but it's not big on nuanced portrayals of morality.
3. There's also a lot of worldbuilding that's accrued over the books- different species have their own organizations, cultures and (sigh) dialects. Possibly too many dialects, but I recognize this is a book meant for children and that the funny accents may appeal to them. I certainly was a fan of molespeech when I first read one of those books and I bleeping wonder why.
4. But all of these things are series-specific, not book-specific. Triss is a decent book on its own (Redwall books are generally really entertaining- reading one for the first time isn't an experience to be missed), but it pales in comparison to my nostalgia tinged view of some of the others. Where are the Badger-led armies? Where are the heroes hopelessly outnumbered by the ravenous hordes of vermin? Where is the seige warfare? (no the paltry assault by the pirates does not count when I say seige warfare I mean "like in Mossflower") When I approach a Redwall book I approach it muttering "please let there be seige warfare please" and this book did NOT hear my pleas.
5. The Redwall books usually have multiple sets of PoVs and that's fine. But I think this book had problems emotionally connecting the reader to any of the characters. I'm usually at least a little invested? Not so much this time- events flowed thick and fast and everyone good guy was a clone of another good guy and every bad guy was a variation of another bad guy. I don't think the multiple PoVs was the heart of the problem, but I'd say the Redwall chapters were pretty extraneous. Even if they did feature both my favourite villain (the adders) and my favourite characters (those two dumb birds) in this book.
6. Triss becomes the Warrior at nearly the 80% mark, which is terrible payoff for all the foreshadowing. I'm also not convinced by the immediate "of course you're someone I can trust" camraderie thing. Redwall has never been nuanced about some species being good and some being bad, but there's usually at least non-zero interaction or an immediate crisis smoothing things along? Idek. It may just be nostalgia glasses again.
7. Aaaand yeah. About that. As a young 'un the easily drawn racial discrimination parallels flew right over my head. I am more aware of them now, and while I certainly do not accuse Brian Jacques of racism, the potential implications make me a bit queasy.
8. Most of these compliants could be put down to taste, but I also think this book is less well thought out than the other Redwall books? How precisely did
10. Honestly, it felt a lot like Jacques was painting by numbers when he wrote this one. It's like he made a list of all of plot points that made Redwall compelling and tried to make a quilt based on that checklist, while ignoring softer requirements like structure, continuity, cast relevance and heart. Something of a dissapointment, all told. I feel like I need to go re-read Mossflower or Mattimeo or The Legend of Luke to see if my nostalgia glasses have fogged visibility down to zero.
11. PS: I was very stressed about the hedgehog paradise getting attacked for a while there and very relieved when it didn't happen. But after finishing the book I sortof feel like that should have been a thing. You know I'm disappointed when I go "I wish that thing I badly did not want to happen had happened at least I would have had feelings about it."
12. PPS: While I'm not usually a fan of Redwall-style epistolary entries, that last two chapters were probably the best part of the book. More stuff happened in them than in the rest of the book, and frankly this story should have started with Triss getting the sword and moved on from there.
2. For those not in the know, Redwall is a series about cutesy animals with swords and slings fighting off less cutesy animals with rapiers and heavy accents. There are some species of animal who are always good, some other species who are always bad (I may need to re-read Outcast of Redwall to see the one maybe-exception) and the good guys are brave and the bad guys are cowardly and mustache-twirlingly evil. Redwall doesn't shy away from death- important characters die in every book, but it's not big on nuanced portrayals of morality.
3. There's also a lot of worldbuilding that's accrued over the books- different species have their own organizations, cultures and (sigh) dialects. Possibly too many dialects, but I recognize this is a book meant for children and that the funny accents may appeal to them. I certainly was a fan of molespeech when I first read one of those books and I bleeping wonder why.
4. But all of these things are series-specific, not book-specific. Triss is a decent book on its own (Redwall books are generally really entertaining- reading one for the first time isn't an experience to be missed), but it pales in comparison to my nostalgia tinged view of some of the others. Where are the Badger-led armies? Where are the heroes hopelessly outnumbered by the ravenous hordes of vermin? Where is the seige warfare? (no the paltry assault by the pirates does not count when I say seige warfare I mean "like in Mossflower") When I approach a Redwall book I approach it muttering "please let there be seige warfare please" and this book did NOT hear my pleas.
5. The Redwall books usually have multiple sets of PoVs and that's fine. But I think this book had problems emotionally connecting the reader to any of the characters. I'm usually at least a little invested? Not so much this time- events flowed thick and fast and everyone good guy was a clone of another good guy and every bad guy was a variation of another bad guy. I don't think the multiple PoVs was the heart of the problem, but I'd say the Redwall chapters were pretty extraneous. Even if they did feature both my favourite villain (the adders) and my favourite characters (those two dumb birds) in this book.
6. Triss becomes the Warrior at nearly the 80% mark, which is terrible payoff for all the foreshadowing. I'm also not convinced by the immediate "of course you're someone I can trust" camraderie thing. Redwall has never been nuanced about some species being good and some being bad, but there's usually at least non-zero interaction or an immediate crisis smoothing things along? Idek. It may just be nostalgia glasses again.
7. Aaaand yeah. About that. As a young 'un the easily drawn racial discrimination parallels flew right over my head. I am more aware of them now, and while I certainly do not accuse Brian Jacques of racism, the potential implications make me a bit queasy.
8. Most of these compliants could be put down to taste, but I also think this book is less well thought out than the other Redwall books? How precisely did
10. Honestly, it felt a lot like Jacques was painting by numbers when he wrote this one. It's like he made a list of all of plot points that made Redwall compelling and tried to make a quilt based on that checklist, while ignoring softer requirements like structure, continuity, cast relevance and heart. Something of a dissapointment, all told. I feel like I need to go re-read Mossflower or Mattimeo or The Legend of Luke to see if my nostalgia glasses have fogged visibility down to zero.
11. PS: I was very stressed about the hedgehog paradise getting attacked for a while there and very relieved when it didn't happen. But after finishing the book I sortof feel like that should have been a thing. You know I'm disappointed when I go "I wish that thing I badly did not want to happen had happened at least I would have had feelings about it."
12. PPS: While I'm not usually a fan of Redwall-style epistolary entries, that last two chapters were probably the best part of the book. More stuff happened in them than in the rest of the book, and frankly this story should have started with Triss getting the sword and moved on from there.
December 4, 2014
Definitely not Mr. Jacques' best work, but an entertaining read overall. I didn't feel the emotional connect with most of the characters, as there was such a large cast list that I didn't feel like anyone got enough page time to really build that connection. Triss' connection to Martin seemed a lot like everything else in the book, like it was crammed into the story too quickly. Ultimately I felt as though this book should've had another 200 pages or so to adequately cover all the characters and storylines that Mr. Jacques had going.
The ending feels really cheap and rushed and the one good character who dies does so in such a way that I'm left without the dramatic sense of the depth of their passing and within three pages his friends are laughing and joking around as if they've forgotten a close friend has just died. The bad guys all die so quickly and without any real fight that it's rather dissatisfying when everything is said and done. The epilogue wraps up what should've been another 100 pages of narrative in about 20 pages, detailing the fulfillment of the titular character's promises made at the first of the story and the overall effect is very unfulfilling as we watch the majority of the tension in the story get swept under the rug with a quick second-hand account of the events that finish off the story (and a surprise romance that's ham-fistedly jammed into the narrative within the last 7 pages that feels so contrived as to be unbelievable). The whole last 100 pages of the book I was wondering how Mr. Jacques was going to be able to tie everything together and whether or not he'd be able to pull it off convincingly. Being a high school teacher, I give the book itself a solid B-, but the conclusion was so lackluster and rushed that it would pull the whole book down to a C- if I were grading this as an assignment.
The really frustrating part is that there is the usual set of adventures at the beginning of the story that really don't add to anything in the story itself (i.e. the shark that Scarum catches, the lizards in the sand, Wulfo and the Island of Peace, the pinecone slinging squirrels) all of these things were nice flavor, and they added to the atmosphere of the story, but nothing else came of them and all they did was take up a little bit of story time. In the end it would've been far more interesting, I feel, if the climax had had more to do with Riftan and the freeing of the slaves. The three headed adder was a cool idea, but it was introduced so late in the story that it didn't get the development it needed, there was no scary mystique that surrounded this snake as say Asmodeus from the original book. There were so many things that didn't add to the overall story as much as they could have that distracted from those things that really did relate to the core story that in the end we are left with a rushed and fragmented story with some staggering plot holes at some points.
In the end, it is a nice return to a comfortable world, but it doesn't rank among the higher versions of Mr. Jacques' better works.
The ending feels really cheap and rushed and the one good character who dies does so in such a way that I'm left without the dramatic sense of the depth of their passing and within three pages his friends are laughing and joking around as if they've forgotten a close friend has just died. The bad guys all die so quickly and without any real fight that it's rather dissatisfying when everything is said and done. The epilogue wraps up what should've been another 100 pages of narrative in about 20 pages, detailing the fulfillment of the titular character's promises made at the first of the story and the overall effect is very unfulfilling as we watch the majority of the tension in the story get swept under the rug with a quick second-hand account of the events that finish off the story (and a surprise romance that's ham-fistedly jammed into the narrative within the last 7 pages that feels so contrived as to be unbelievable). The whole last 100 pages of the book I was wondering how Mr. Jacques was going to be able to tie everything together and whether or not he'd be able to pull it off convincingly. Being a high school teacher, I give the book itself a solid B-, but the conclusion was so lackluster and rushed that it would pull the whole book down to a C- if I were grading this as an assignment.
The really frustrating part is that there is the usual set of adventures at the beginning of the story that really don't add to anything in the story itself (i.e. the shark that Scarum catches, the lizards in the sand, Wulfo and the Island of Peace, the pinecone slinging squirrels) all of these things were nice flavor, and they added to the atmosphere of the story, but nothing else came of them and all they did was take up a little bit of story time. In the end it would've been far more interesting, I feel, if the climax had had more to do with Riftan and the freeing of the slaves. The three headed adder was a cool idea, but it was introduced so late in the story that it didn't get the development it needed, there was no scary mystique that surrounded this snake as say Asmodeus from the original book. There were so many things that didn't add to the overall story as much as they could have that distracted from those things that really did relate to the core story that in the end we are left with a rushed and fragmented story with some staggering plot holes at some points.
In the end, it is a nice return to a comfortable world, but it doesn't rank among the higher versions of Mr. Jacques' better works.
October 29, 2019
Good ol’ RedWall. Always fun to return for another swashbuckled visit. This one’s no exception!
January 4, 2015
(mild spoilers)
My favorite part of the book was anything with the Freebooters, probably the most likeable group of villains in Redwall. Not only are they the only vermin group to actually mourn their captain’s loss, and seem genuinely devastated by his death, but they also write a poem about him. Captain Plugg is also great, in that he is very self-conscious about the loss of his tail and sticks it on with resin, but then in the heat of the moment, when he gets overexcited, he pulls it off and waves it around his head. Do we have fan art of that moment? We need fan art of that moment. Finally, Grubbage takes a place next to Blaggut in the friendly vermin category, as it is stated that he stays on with the Redwallers after the rest of the Freebooters are defeated.
Really, the Freebooters were the best part of the book. I also quite liked the fact that the rescue of the slaves was written in journal entry form, which was a nice departure from the usual.
Log a Log’s comment to Triss about justice versus revenge was really good, too, emphasizing the fact that Jacques has his good characters fight and kill honorably and justly.
So, Triss is the first female carrier-of-the-Sword-of-Martin, and Kurda is the second female main villain. That’s pretty cool.
Scarum is by far the most annoying, unlikeable hare in the Redwall series. Jacques took the gag of the “bottomless stomach” that he uses with his hares and amped it up to eleven. Not only that, but Scarum and Sagax (and Kroova to an extent) are completely unnecessary characters. In fact, once they join up with Triss and Shogg, they’re barely mentioned at all (that is, Kroova and Sagax are. Scarum is the annoying comic relief mentioned far too often).
What is it with Jacques and anticlimactic endings? The adders spend three quarters of the book terrorizing the forest and die in three sentences, one for each adder. They were also far more dangerous and killed more creatures than did Kurda and Co., and yet Kurda got a more extensive death scene.
While the addition of the adders and Brockhall was interesting, it seemed a bit strange to have that the focus of the book, while the rescue of the slaves from Riftgard only takes up one chapter at the end. It’s more original than the usual Redwall fare, but it just seemed out of place.
My favorite part of the book was anything with the Freebooters, probably the most likeable group of villains in Redwall. Not only are they the only vermin group to actually mourn their captain’s loss, and seem genuinely devastated by his death, but they also write a poem about him. Captain Plugg is also great, in that he is very self-conscious about the loss of his tail and sticks it on with resin, but then in the heat of the moment, when he gets overexcited, he pulls it off and waves it around his head. Do we have fan art of that moment? We need fan art of that moment. Finally, Grubbage takes a place next to Blaggut in the friendly vermin category, as it is stated that he stays on with the Redwallers after the rest of the Freebooters are defeated.
Really, the Freebooters were the best part of the book. I also quite liked the fact that the rescue of the slaves was written in journal entry form, which was a nice departure from the usual.
Log a Log’s comment to Triss about justice versus revenge was really good, too, emphasizing the fact that Jacques has his good characters fight and kill honorably and justly.
So, Triss is the first female carrier-of-the-Sword-of-Martin, and Kurda is the second female main villain. That’s pretty cool.
Scarum is by far the most annoying, unlikeable hare in the Redwall series. Jacques took the gag of the “bottomless stomach” that he uses with his hares and amped it up to eleven. Not only that, but Scarum and Sagax (and Kroova to an extent) are completely unnecessary characters. In fact, once they join up with Triss and Shogg, they’re barely mentioned at all (that is, Kroova and Sagax are. Scarum is the annoying comic relief mentioned far too often).
What is it with Jacques and anticlimactic endings? The adders spend three quarters of the book terrorizing the forest and die in three sentences, one for each adder. They were also far more dangerous and killed more creatures than did Kurda and Co., and yet Kurda got a more extensive death scene.
While the addition of the adders and Brockhall was interesting, it seemed a bit strange to have that the focus of the book, while the rescue of the slaves from Riftgard only takes up one chapter at the end. It’s more original than the usual Redwall fare, but it just seemed out of place.
August 29, 2022
"If I could give this book zero stars, I would. It was by far the worst of any of the Redwall books. There was a character who was pretty darn close to being literally intolerable and it's a wonder I didn't give up on this book solely because of him. The titular character, Triss, had exactly zero personality. Every single other character in this book, of which there were far too many, had more backstory, motivation, and characterization than her. And to top it all off, if you ever have the misfortune to read this book and you're wondering how he's going to wrap everything up in the few pages you can tell are left, I am sorry in advance for the way he ends up doing it. Had I known the book was going to be this bad, I probably would have skipped it. But because I'm trying to read all of them with my fish friends, we of course read this one too. And while my fish friends always find something to enjoy about the stories, if I were to make my own recommendation about this book, it is that it should be skipped by anyone reading the Redwall series. I actually can't believe how bad it was."
August 14, 2023
never been this devastated by the death of a redwall villain....captain plugg firetail i will never forget u 💔 slitfang and scummy you live on in my heart you should've had a chance to live at redwall like grubbage (also my beloved) GOD WHY COULDN'T YOU TAKE SCARUM
August 18, 2024
Although this is the first Redwall I listened to and I find it very enjoyable, it is not among my favorites of the Redwall series. So far, the top two spots belong to Mossflower and High Rhulain.
February 9, 2023
Did Brian Jacques have a garden that was ravaged by rabbits?
Good lord, it seems with every Redwall book I've read, the rabbits have continually been getting more and more food obsessed, to the point where they not only eat absurd amounts of food, but also eat everyone else's food, steal it from other people, and ruin entire events and even villages because they just NEEEEEED food so much. In Triss, Bescarum does exactly that, and even writes a letter at the end essentially scolding everyone for starving him. It was a really weird, distracting theme throughout this whole book, and as I look back, that is mainly the singular feature I remember most about it.
The rest of the book isn't horrible, but it essentially adopts Brian's typical formula. Personally, I couldn't really get into this one from the beginning, as it starts with two different protagonists that take off on their 'adventures' without you getting to know them at all, or in one of their cases, not even a very good reason for leaving. And for the entire book, you essentially follow them in a prolonged boat chase that doesn't have many memorable moments aside from the aforementioned rabbit causing issues.
The villain on the Redwall side - three snakes tied together by a mace, their tails apparently eternally rotting so badly they leave a cloud of stink around them - was poorly executed and didn't have much purpose, as the Redwallers essentially cause the issue by insisting they get into Brockhall, which I thought was going to be mysterious and amazing (but wasn't). Triss' villains were just mean, and often bumbling or drunk. They didn't actually accomplish anything.
The ending, too, was strange, as after everything is summed up, you're then presented with a stack of letters and journal entries, revealing that, hey, you're going out on another adventure, freeing a bunch of slaves, and then coming all the way back to where the book ended.
For me, a little confusing and stale. On to Loamhedge!
Good lord, it seems with every Redwall book I've read, the rabbits have continually been getting more and more food obsessed, to the point where they not only eat absurd amounts of food, but also eat everyone else's food, steal it from other people, and ruin entire events and even villages because they just NEEEEEED food so much. In Triss, Bescarum does exactly that, and even writes a letter at the end essentially scolding everyone for starving him. It was a really weird, distracting theme throughout this whole book, and as I look back, that is mainly the singular feature I remember most about it.
The rest of the book isn't horrible, but it essentially adopts Brian's typical formula. Personally, I couldn't really get into this one from the beginning, as it starts with two different protagonists that take off on their 'adventures' without you getting to know them at all, or in one of their cases, not even a very good reason for leaving. And for the entire book, you essentially follow them in a prolonged boat chase that doesn't have many memorable moments aside from the aforementioned rabbit causing issues.
The villain on the Redwall side - three snakes tied together by a mace, their tails apparently eternally rotting so badly they leave a cloud of stink around them - was poorly executed and didn't have much purpose, as the Redwallers essentially cause the issue by insisting they get into Brockhall, which I thought was going to be mysterious and amazing (but wasn't). Triss' villains were just mean, and often bumbling or drunk. They didn't actually accomplish anything.
The ending, too, was strange, as after everything is summed up, you're then presented with a stack of letters and journal entries, revealing that, hey, you're going out on another adventure, freeing a bunch of slaves, and then coming all the way back to where the book ended.
For me, a little confusing and stale. On to Loamhedge!
October 10, 2025
I specifically remember copying down the royal script of Riftgard as a middle schooler and becoming proficient at writing in it, I was so happy to read Triss again as an adult.
While a few parts of this book felt a smidge meandering at times, Brian Jacques always wraps things together in an unbelievably satisfying way. Triss didn't truly shine until the third act but she shone brightly when she did. As far as other protagonists, Scarum might be one of my favorite hares across the whole series. The Freebooters were hilarious and lovable - I'm so glad Grubbage was specifically spared.
Ending this book through journal entries was a new way to close a Redwall story, but I really enjoyed it. If I could close this review with the Riftgard script, I would.
While a few parts of this book felt a smidge meandering at times, Brian Jacques always wraps things together in an unbelievably satisfying way. Triss didn't truly shine until the third act but she shone brightly when she did. As far as other protagonists, Scarum might be one of my favorite hares across the whole series. The Freebooters were hilarious and lovable - I'm so glad Grubbage was specifically spared.
Ending this book through journal entries was a new way to close a Redwall story, but I really enjoyed it. If I could close this review with the Riftgard script, I would.
June 3, 2020
Not my favorite of the Redwall books, but better than I remembered it. Sagax is excellent — he has a great name, a great character arc, and a great personality. Scarum is just as annoying as I thought I recalled him being. As for the rest, they're as lovable as most Redwall characters.
I would also like to note that I think this is the first Redwall book, chronologically or in publication order, to have a female be the one destined to weild Martin's sword. So that's kind of cool. We've seen an abundance of female fighters as both main and minor characters, but this seems like a Significant Thing.
I would also like to note that I think this is the first Redwall book, chronologically or in publication order, to have a female be the one destined to weild Martin's sword. So that's kind of cool. We've seen an abundance of female fighters as both main and minor characters, but this seems like a Significant Thing.
January 1, 2023
I absolutely adore this book, it’s my first Brian Jacques book, and I love his world building and characters. He has a talent for quickly making distinctions to make memorable places and people.
Of course all the people are animals, which is a fun change up over general fantasy. This story ranges across an ocean, to Redwall Abby, and in plenty of surrounding places, and even without looking at the map it was very easy to build a sense of scale and location.
My favorite part was the exploits of the Dibbuns, who are the young animals who live at Redwall Abby and are absolutely hilarious and of a lot to lighten up the atmosphere.
I’m looking forward to reading more of his work!
Of course all the people are animals, which is a fun change up over general fantasy. This story ranges across an ocean, to Redwall Abby, and in plenty of surrounding places, and even without looking at the map it was very easy to build a sense of scale and location.
My favorite part was the exploits of the Dibbuns, who are the young animals who live at Redwall Abby and are absolutely hilarious and of a lot to lighten up the atmosphere.
I’m looking forward to reading more of his work!
October 19, 2022
I have now officially read as far in the series as an adult as I did as a kid, so this is the last book that gets the full nostalgia treatment (even though I don't remember jack squat from most books). This novel has a few too many characters, so that the inevitable deaths of [redacted] and [redacted] feel a bit safer than the usual sacrificial lambs. But I do like the blending of locations, narratives, and lore; kind of a greatest hits of some of the first fifteen.
November 19, 2024
A squirrel AND otters? Say less. What a sweet little adventure. Would definitely be a fun one to read to kids someday.
August 8, 2024
Probably one of my favorite RedWall books…Triss is so courages, daring, and brave! Have the hardback copy on my bookshelf.
July 5, 2022
Not his best work but still a fun read. The ending felt rushed when it could really have been a third of the book.
November 24, 2022
This was pure nostalgia, no notes, pure joy to relive my childhood in Mossflower country!
July 24, 2012
Another amazing book from Redwall! Unfortunately, they will never be any new ones. Quite recently, Brian Jacques passed away and part of my childhood died with them. The Redwall books literally got me through my horrible middle school years. Jacques was the first person I ever wrote fan mail to (he didn't reply but I got a lovely packet from the Redwall people with a cool bookmark). I started with either Redwall or the sequel of Mattimeo and continued reading endlessly from there. I thought I hadn't previously read Triss... maybe I just hadn't finished it. But it was a familiar and comforting story to return to.
Triss is the tale of a female squirrel who is a slave at the kingdom of Riftgard, ruled by evil ferrets. When she and her two friends escape, Triss swears she'll return to free the slaves. Simultaneously, a badger lord's son and two friends set off on their own adventure and of course both parties meet up at Redwall Abbey whose occupants are currently battling a three-headed adder snake that is terrorizing the local Mossflower woods. When the ferrets of Riftgard follow the escaped slaves, all the story lines of the badger, the slaves, the ferrets, the Abbey, and the snakes tangles up into one plot and the excitement is unbelievable!
Two problems with this story involving characters:
1. The Abbeybabes of Redwall: These tiny terrors are a headache to read. They're running here, they're running there, and they're getting into everything. And, you can't understand a word they are saying:
"Burr, straight in ee barff oi apposes" (82).
"It not fair! Roobil be a molebabe an' 'im gotta likkle tail, but I bee's a mousebabe wiv a long tail. Not fair, Farver Habbit" (110).
And so it continues, but even these tykes cannot compare to the horridness of the character Scarum the hare.
2. Scarum is a gluttonous, lying, proud hare who goes with the badger and an otter to have adventures far from home. He is constantly eating everything and gets into the most horrible trouble. The Abbeybabes couldn't have a chance in competing with him. He's smug and lazy, and I cannot stand him!!! Oh, and he won't shut up!
"You, sah, are a flippin' grubswiper, a pirate! Huh, deprivin' a poor young 'un like me vittles. You'll stunt my growth. I'm warning you, if I die, it'll be your rotten fault" (46).
"Might have for you rotten lot, but it took quite a bit out of me, wastin' my artistic an' poetic talents on a pack o' soup-guzzlin' buffoons, wot. I say there, Furrel, you charmin' molemaid, keep pourin'. This blinkin' beaker's only half full - keep goin', me pretty one" (333).
"I, er, spotted it in the kitchen an' just took a small nibble, nothin' too drastic, wot... Yes, sah, barely a smidgen. Don't know what happened to the rest of the confounded trifle. I expect those moles guzzled it. Small types, but incredibly greedy, those molechaps..." (345).
That hare drives me bonkers. I practically skimmed through his parts because I didn't want to read whatever lies he was currently saying. I found him neither funny nor cute and his floundering about ruined the book a bit for me.
Overall, it's not the best Redwall book in my opinion. However, it is a good read and gives you some nice Redwall history that I and some other folks enjoy learning. The ending was very majestic and one of the good creatures dies in an honorable, moving scene. It was nearly tear-inducing!
Works cited: Jacques, Brian. Triss: A Tale from Redwall.
New York: Penguin Group, Inc, 2002. Print.
Triss is the tale of a female squirrel who is a slave at the kingdom of Riftgard, ruled by evil ferrets. When she and her two friends escape, Triss swears she'll return to free the slaves. Simultaneously, a badger lord's son and two friends set off on their own adventure and of course both parties meet up at Redwall Abbey whose occupants are currently battling a three-headed adder snake that is terrorizing the local Mossflower woods. When the ferrets of Riftgard follow the escaped slaves, all the story lines of the badger, the slaves, the ferrets, the Abbey, and the snakes tangles up into one plot and the excitement is unbelievable!
Two problems with this story involving characters:
1. The Abbeybabes of Redwall: These tiny terrors are a headache to read. They're running here, they're running there, and they're getting into everything. And, you can't understand a word they are saying:
"Burr, straight in ee barff oi apposes" (82).
"It not fair! Roobil be a molebabe an' 'im gotta likkle tail, but I bee's a mousebabe wiv a long tail. Not fair, Farver Habbit" (110).
And so it continues, but even these tykes cannot compare to the horridness of the character Scarum the hare.
2. Scarum is a gluttonous, lying, proud hare who goes with the badger and an otter to have adventures far from home. He is constantly eating everything and gets into the most horrible trouble. The Abbeybabes couldn't have a chance in competing with him. He's smug and lazy, and I cannot stand him!!! Oh, and he won't shut up!
"You, sah, are a flippin' grubswiper, a pirate! Huh, deprivin' a poor young 'un like me vittles. You'll stunt my growth. I'm warning you, if I die, it'll be your rotten fault" (46).
"Might have for you rotten lot, but it took quite a bit out of me, wastin' my artistic an' poetic talents on a pack o' soup-guzzlin' buffoons, wot. I say there, Furrel, you charmin' molemaid, keep pourin'. This blinkin' beaker's only half full - keep goin', me pretty one" (333).
"I, er, spotted it in the kitchen an' just took a small nibble, nothin' too drastic, wot... Yes, sah, barely a smidgen. Don't know what happened to the rest of the confounded trifle. I expect those moles guzzled it. Small types, but incredibly greedy, those molechaps..." (345).
That hare drives me bonkers. I practically skimmed through his parts because I didn't want to read whatever lies he was currently saying. I found him neither funny nor cute and his floundering about ruined the book a bit for me.
Overall, it's not the best Redwall book in my opinion. However, it is a good read and gives you some nice Redwall history that I and some other folks enjoy learning. The ending was very majestic and one of the good creatures dies in an honorable, moving scene. It was nearly tear-inducing!
Works cited: Jacques, Brian. Triss: A Tale from Redwall.
New York: Penguin Group, Inc, 2002. Print.
June 4, 2021
And here we have our first 1-star Redwall book.
This book leads off with the escape of Triss and her cohorts from slavery with the promise to return to free the slaves they left behind and here in is the biggest issue with this book: she doesn't do it through the course of the story. One the final "chapter" of the book (epilogues of writings from Redwall recorders and letters from others not withstanding), she sets out with new friends to go free the slaves. One could forgive this if she had been intentionally marshaling might for an attack on the slavers' stronghold, but every action throughout the book seems to be accidental with no plan towards actually realizing her promise.
Eventually, we find out that she does free the slaves, but only in the epilogue, which while fulfilling the promise to the slaves, doesn't fulfill the implied promise to the reader of Triss being a liberator as we are told second hand that she actually did it. That was what this story should have been, and it wasn't. It wasn't about anything.
Worse still, even IF Jacques had fulfilled the promise to his readers of a liberation story, it would have been nearly the same sequence of events as Martin the Warrior meaning Triss was a doomed venture before Jacques ever set pen to page.
Beyond just an unrealized plot, this book lacks any personality. Every one is drawn from Jacques's bag of stock characters, even the single personality that leaves a lasting impression: Scarum. Like all hares in the Redwall series, Scarum has a massive apetite, but while it is attempted to be played for comedic effect (an attempt fully realized in Basil in Redwall), Scarum goes overboard into one of the most egregious displays of gluttony ever seen. At multiple points throughout the book, Scarum's gluttony endangers the lives of his friends and others. It's not funny; it's a massive character defect played for laughs. In the setting and situations his eating-disorder comes out strongest, it isn't any better than a drinking problem and, again, is played for laughs and is meant to leave the reader shaking their head with naught but a tick of the tongue and an "Oh, Scarum!"
Any lasting impression this book leaves is a negative one and while I can typically find the high point of a book (see Martin the Warrior and Outcast of Redwall), Triss leaves nothing of importance behind.
This book leads off with the escape of Triss and her cohorts from slavery with the promise to return to free the slaves they left behind and here in is the biggest issue with this book: she doesn't do it through the course of the story. One the final "chapter" of the book (epilogues of writings from Redwall recorders and letters from others not withstanding), she sets out with new friends to go free the slaves. One could forgive this if she had been intentionally marshaling might for an attack on the slavers' stronghold, but every action throughout the book seems to be accidental with no plan towards actually realizing her promise.
Eventually, we find out that she does free the slaves, but only in the epilogue, which while fulfilling the promise to the slaves, doesn't fulfill the implied promise to the reader of Triss being a liberator as we are told second hand that she actually did it. That was what this story should have been, and it wasn't. It wasn't about anything.
Worse still, even IF Jacques had fulfilled the promise to his readers of a liberation story, it would have been nearly the same sequence of events as Martin the Warrior meaning Triss was a doomed venture before Jacques ever set pen to page.
Beyond just an unrealized plot, this book lacks any personality. Every one is drawn from Jacques's bag of stock characters, even the single personality that leaves a lasting impression: Scarum. Like all hares in the Redwall series, Scarum has a massive apetite, but while it is attempted to be played for comedic effect (an attempt fully realized in Basil in Redwall), Scarum goes overboard into one of the most egregious displays of gluttony ever seen. At multiple points throughout the book, Scarum's gluttony endangers the lives of his friends and others. It's not funny; it's a massive character defect played for laughs. In the setting and situations his eating-disorder comes out strongest, it isn't any better than a drinking problem and, again, is played for laughs and is meant to leave the reader shaking their head with naught but a tick of the tongue and an "Oh, Scarum!"
Any lasting impression this book leaves is a negative one and while I can typically find the high point of a book (see Martin the Warrior and Outcast of Redwall), Triss leaves nothing of importance behind.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2012
Treetops and timber! Another fun and epic tale of Redwall.
Long after the events in Redwall, Triss tells the tale of the heroine Trisscar, and escaped squirrelmaid slave who will soon become the only Redwall Abbey heroine called up to wield the sword of the legendary co-founder of Redwall and the protector of Mossflower Woods, Martin the Warrior.
Triss makes a wonderful collection to the Redwall Book Series and it introduces a brand new set of lovable heroes, villains, and abbey-folk. Despite it being in the Late Years of Redwall Abbey, the plot shedslight to the history of the Redwall world as it explores the nearly lost Brockhall, an ancient home and seat of badger lords in Mossflower Woods.
Triss, as do many of the Brian Jacques's Redwall books, brings the readers in an action-packed and legend-filled adventure around the Redwall world through exciting narratives, funny dialogue, great characters, and creative poems/songs.
If you're a Redwall Book Series buff, Triss would be a wonderful and historical addition to your personal library. If you're new to the world of Redwall, Triss would serve to be a nice starting point - though, as it is quite late in the plot's timeline, you may want to consider starting from the usual point-of-origin: Redwall.
The narrative for Triss, like all Redwall books is catered to the pre-teen fantasy reader. Nevertheless, like most Redwall books, the timeless plot and ingenious writing style of Jacques presented in Triss can be enjoyed by readers of even the older ages.
For Redwall!
Long after the events in Redwall, Triss tells the tale of the heroine Trisscar, and escaped squirrelmaid slave who will soon become the only Redwall Abbey heroine called up to wield the sword of the legendary co-founder of Redwall and the protector of Mossflower Woods, Martin the Warrior.
Triss makes a wonderful collection to the Redwall Book Series and it introduces a brand new set of lovable heroes, villains, and abbey-folk. Despite it being in the Late Years of Redwall Abbey, the plot shedslight to the history of the Redwall world as it explores the nearly lost Brockhall, an ancient home and seat of badger lords in Mossflower Woods.
Triss, as do many of the Brian Jacques's Redwall books, brings the readers in an action-packed and legend-filled adventure around the Redwall world through exciting narratives, funny dialogue, great characters, and creative poems/songs.
If you're a Redwall Book Series buff, Triss would be a wonderful and historical addition to your personal library. If you're new to the world of Redwall, Triss would serve to be a nice starting point - though, as it is quite late in the plot's timeline, you may want to consider starting from the usual point-of-origin: Redwall.
The narrative for Triss, like all Redwall books is catered to the pre-teen fantasy reader. Nevertheless, like most Redwall books, the timeless plot and ingenious writing style of Jacques presented in Triss can be enjoyed by readers of even the older ages.
For Redwall!
July 23, 2023
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.
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.
July 15, 2014
Ah, another tale from Redwall. I'm a huge fan, have been for a while, but it seems that almost all of them are the same - with quests, feasts, an Abbey riddle, an evil and cunning enemy (or two), but each book has it's own special flair. Triss is no exception, it is truly a good book, although if you've read the other 14 Redwall books, it feels as if you're almost reading the same thing again. Which isn't nessecarily a bad thing.
Triss is three stories that all come together, quite expertly, in the end. It begins in the northern stronghold of Riftguard, where the ferret King Agarnu and his two children, Kurda and Bladd rule. They are preparing to set out on a journey to find the remains of Agarnu's father, Sarengo, when three slaves escape...
Back in Salamandastron, a young badger, Sagax and a young hare, Scarum, set out on the adventure of their lives. They meet up with Kroova and an old stolen ship and set sail for the seas...
And at Redwall, there's the mystery of Brockhall and a strange, malevolent presence in Mossflower Woods to be dealt with...
What I absospiffinglutely love about this book is the abundance of strong FEMALE characters. The past books have had a lack of both female goodbeasts and especially female villians (there was only one female archvillian in the entire series, and that was Tsarmina in Mossflower, unless you count Silth in Marlfox, but I really think it was Mokkan who was the worst bad guy). Oh, but Triss solves all of this, as the main character (Triss) and the main VILLIAN (Kurda) are both females! And lots of other female vermin too, Tazzin, Sesstra, Riggan...simply teeming with them.
The characters are also quite funny, too. Scarum is like every other token hare you read about in the books, jolly, with a huge appetite. But one of the most amusing characters is Kurda's woefully
stupid brother, Bladd.
Well, the book is a good one, full of excitement, adventure, and tragedy. It reads just like the past 14, but in my opinion it's better than Taggerung. Read it, or get it for your kids.
Triss is three stories that all come together, quite expertly, in the end. It begins in the northern stronghold of Riftguard, where the ferret King Agarnu and his two children, Kurda and Bladd rule. They are preparing to set out on a journey to find the remains of Agarnu's father, Sarengo, when three slaves escape...
Back in Salamandastron, a young badger, Sagax and a young hare, Scarum, set out on the adventure of their lives. They meet up with Kroova and an old stolen ship and set sail for the seas...
And at Redwall, there's the mystery of Brockhall and a strange, malevolent presence in Mossflower Woods to be dealt with...
What I absospiffinglutely love about this book is the abundance of strong FEMALE characters. The past books have had a lack of both female goodbeasts and especially female villians (there was only one female archvillian in the entire series, and that was Tsarmina in Mossflower, unless you count Silth in Marlfox, but I really think it was Mokkan who was the worst bad guy). Oh, but Triss solves all of this, as the main character (Triss) and the main VILLIAN (Kurda) are both females! And lots of other female vermin too, Tazzin, Sesstra, Riggan...simply teeming with them.
The characters are also quite funny, too. Scarum is like every other token hare you read about in the books, jolly, with a huge appetite. But one of the most amusing characters is Kurda's woefully
stupid brother, Bladd.
Well, the book is a good one, full of excitement, adventure, and tragedy. It reads just like the past 14, but in my opinion it's better than Taggerung. Read it, or get it for your kids.
February 22, 2015
Triss was bottom of the barrel Jacques. This book really suffered from his unbelievable number of characters. It's absolutely silly to name a character and a page later to kill them off. Jacques will do this time and time again. This time, operating with three different storylines, Jacques requires the reader to have a playbook on hand at all times to navigate through the plethora of animal names. Furthermore, the names are not memorable as he has, to this point, exhausted the familiar names of the past and gone to acid-induced names that are ridiculous and unmemorable.
This book moves along fairly quickly, because he cuts out the number of feasts that this group of animals have. Still, there is a character who makes up for that blessed reduction with unending demands for food. Scarum is a terrible character who is insufferable for his yearning for food.
Overall, this book is really pretty bad. Still, I'm reading this books just to finish them and be finished with the series. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel soon!
This book moves along fairly quickly, because he cuts out the number of feasts that this group of animals have. Still, there is a character who makes up for that blessed reduction with unending demands for food. Scarum is a terrible character who is insufferable for his yearning for food.
Overall, this book is really pretty bad. Still, I'm reading this books just to finish them and be finished with the series. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel soon!
January 25, 2017
This was an old favorite that came to mind while reading the Odyssey. Brian Jacques is far from perfect— heavy stereotyping, which simplifies some characters a bit, along with some winks and nods along with most of the jokes— but he's a brilliant storyteller with a vivid way of putting forth his imagination.
June 15, 2009
Interesting premises, although it wasn't as memorable as the rest of Jacques' other literary triumphs. Triss did not particularly stand out as an heroine, and I found myself just slightly bored towards the end.
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