Mossflower

While I immensely enjoy Redwall, I do think that Mossflower is the shining gem of the Redwall series. It’s often atributed to being the “lore book” for the redwall universe and many of the future works of Jacques future works reference this book as somewhat of a template. Perhaps it’s not fair to compare them but I feel that while Redwall is an excellent fantasy story, Mossflower is a more grand fantasy adventure feeling closer to something like the hobbit.

We start out in the winter of Kotir and Martin the warrior’s arrival at the destitute remains of a once thriving community. The harsh cold winter mirrors the thoughts and pains of the woodland dwellers who are suffering under Verdauga Green eyes the cat general and his terrible kin. Martin is captured and his sword is broken by Tsarmina, Verduaga’s wicked daughter. This arc felt pretty significant to me because several things all happen together. Martin’s sword, the sword of his father is broken while Tsarmina poisons and kills her father. Both Hero and Villain are seperated from their paternal role model for better or worse. While Gingivere the more peaceful son of the warlord is also emprisioned by his sister. He is also seperated from his family and kin. All three, severed from their past tumble forward into a new destiny, their fates entwined forever by one night of events.

Winter is over and hope springs alive in a new season. Gonff the Mouse theif is captured by Kotir soldiers and imprisoned along with Martin. Gonff is an excellent character, the classic bard archetype with all of sillyness and charisma to match. He is an excellent mirror to Martin as a less heroic type of protagonist. He’s much more interested in stealing and being lazy than any of the heroics of Martin. But as the story goes on they both rub off on eachother a little bit. Gonff introduces Martin to Bella the badger, the leader of CORIM (The council of Resistence in Mossflower).

Now one of the best parts of Mossflower is the beasts. And we get a lot of them in Mossflower. We get giant eels, wicked swans, culty frogs, bats, and more! The amount and variety in Mossflower is great and I think Jacques does a great job making them all distinct. One such beast is “The Gloomer”, a weapon of Tsarmina used to track Martin and Gonff as they escape. It’s a giant half submerged, patially blind, water rat. It’s implied it feasts on anything it can get its hands on. A wet, slimey, rat version of Gollum. This is the kind creepy stuff that makes my imagination take off. The Gloomer has an intense battle with CORIM’s own weapon, a giant pike. The Kaiju creature battle ends in the Pike’s victory allowing Martin and Gonff escape.

Martin is then introduced to CORIM and decides to assist them in being rid of Kotir castle andTsarmina forever. This is where the story really moves forward, Martin learns of a way to help CORIM by locating Bella’s father the badger warrior Boar the Fighter. Martin, Gonff, and their newest friend Dinny the mole adventure into the unkown in search of Salamandastron, the holy mountain of warriors. While it does feel pretty obvious that a group of boys traveling to a mountain where warriors are made is a little heavy handed. I appriciate that like hobbits, they are peaceful unlikely heros whos heroics don’t come from bravado but from genuine concern for their fellow creatures. I appriciate that Jacques often makes a point of war being unglamouous with little ever feeling “won” by killing eachother. Instead I like that he considers Martin’s important allies to be a shy mole, and an often jovial and silly mouse. There is joy to be had through song, poetry, and good food rather than conquest and subjugation of your others.

Inbetween the chapters of Martin’s company we get to hear about two young hedgehogs who were captured and imprisoned at Kotir. CORIM must use a a spying robin and a master of disguise to rescue them. This part is important because you start to see the development of Gingivere. He starts to go from subdued and pathetic with prison life to truly yearning for a free life away from war. While his sister desires only to conquest he starts to only desire a peaceful life without any glamour. It’s something I think many people unjustly inprisoned desire. To be free and unbothered, to help and not harm.

Martin, Dinny, and Gonff proceed on their jouney while being tracked by Kotir soldiers. There is a tension built as the Heros strive to subdue and outwit their trackers while staying on the path to Kotir. I love a good chase scene and the back and forth of this chase is fun. The trio are caught unawares and captured. The Soldiers are unfortunately slain by disrespecting the domain of the swan tring to steal some swan eggs. While another is swalloed by quicksand. These intense short flashes of the cruelty of nature and not respecting it are a theme that runs throughout the many books of the series. Disrespecting nature almost always leads to some untimely demise. While the rats, stoats, ferrets, and weasels are normal enemies in Jacque’s books, often bigger predators and nature are much more dangerous. Both hero and villain alike are confronted by this peril.

The now freed Heros again run into trouble when they are fording a river they are confronted by a snake, a newt and a lizard that block their way. Often reptiles are villains in these books like the previous books’ Asmodeus. I think generally speaking Jacques Heros ere on the fuzzy side. These three reptiles are no exception. Although they look tough, they are exposed as frauds and chased off by the ferryman Log-a-log. He is an outcast shrew who escaped slavery by the cruel tyrant Ripfang. They travel downriver on his ship but get sucked down a waterfall cave and their ship is destoyed.

I really think bats are interesting, so I love this next part. The Heros are rescued by Bats and are taken to Batmount Pit. It turns out the cave they fell in is inhabited by peaceful, blind, and friendly bats. I really like the names for the bats. Lord Cayvear, Wingfold, Rockhanger, they all sound very batlike. I think this theme for naming is creative and I like that Jacques leans into the names as thematic hints about the natures of the characters. Unfortunately our favorite bard Gonff was killed in the waterfall accident never to be seen again. In return for being rescued the Heros help Lord Cayvear by making a rock avalanche that wards off an owl that was attacking the bats.

The best part about Mossflower is that the action and suspense is kept tight and engaging. Martin, Dinny and Log-a-log continue to Salamandastron where they reach a swamp. In this swamp they are captured by Wicked and culty Toads who reviere and fear the great eel. In order to appease the eel’s hunger the Heros are thrown into the pit of the eel in ritual sacrifice. They are able to climb to a small cave to safety and run into a lost friend Gonff! (He’s alive!) The Heros strike a deal to free the eel in exchange for not being eaten. The Heros escape trying their best to ignore the screams of the toads.

Free from the swamplands the Heros finally bank it to the great and holy mountain of Salamandastron. They find a long dead searat who bares the mark of being a slave themselves. Often in Jacques works the theme of slavery and freedom come into play. Particularly Sea rats being slavers for their great war ships. Martin’s own father Luke dissapeared fighting these sea rats. Jacques can be a bit too black and white in his distinction of rats being the bad slavers and the woodlanders being the good freedom loving folk. I have to give some leeway as these are meant to be kids books. I do appreciate that he portrays the woodlanders as gentle and multicultural in nature. They don’t seem interested in nations or borders but mostly in fine food and friends. That’s a good quality theme throughout. That being said, often any of the evil races are generally evil. Luckily this trend is addressed later in other books that I recall was done well. We’ll find out more as I read on a bit further through the series. It’s somewhat of a weakness in the fantasy genre in general; you gotta have some villains, so I can’t complain too much.

Mysticism and prophacy are usually part of any redwall book. The previous book had many appearances and visions of Martin the warrior. When the party of Heros is guided by Boar the fighter’s rabbit soldiers to his mountain hold one he mentions that he knew they were coming and that their arrival was prophesized. Boar is reluctanat and evasive about joining the fight to protect Mossflower. He is destined to fight Ripfang the rat slaver. Instead of joining Martin and friends he reforges Martin’s sword anew. Forged from a meteorite it is an awesome weapon and a symbol of a Martin’s renewed courage and determination as a warrior. With the new sword he is empowered to save all of Mossflower. Boar shows him the wall of prophecy and his own friends and himself carved into the wall, as well as boars own battle to come with Ripfang. Who predicted these events, it never says. The characters follow the prophecy and choose the destiny shown upon the wall.

I enjoy the lore around the badgers making a warriors pilgrimage to this holy mountain. It’s an interesting idea and I think it has something of a samurai’s spirit about it. Each warrior must come and prove himself and also see the reat wall of prophecy in Salamandastron and learn his coming fate.

Ripfang arrives to seige Salamandastron and Boar, the rabbit soldiers, and Martin and friends prepare for battle. Boar tells Martin of a secret plan that Martin must follow which he swears to do. The battle comences and at the peak Boar tells his friends to run and capture Ripfang’s ship Bloodwake. As destiny foretold Boar stays behind and fights Ripfangs hoard to the end Killing Ripfang in the process. With a new ship and a crew of woodlanders who are Log-a-logs lost friends they set out for Kotir.

The finale is really good in this book; during Martin’s adventures CORIM built underground tunnels that syphened the water into the basement of Kotir. The build up and hints of water slowly filling the keep is done really subtly and sets the mood for the finale. Tsarmina who has been going mad with power and is crazed with paranoia after her brother and the prisoners escape slowly starts to crack under the fear of hearing water. Tsarmina going crazed from hearing water drips reminds me of Hook hearing the tick tock of the crocodile and slowly going insane.

With Martin’s new Allies, the woodlanders start their seige with balistas. This weakening of the walls from water and the artilley fire make the castle crumble. Tsarmina makes it to shore from the lake that used to be Kotir and she and Martin have their destined battle. Tsarima is beaten and her soldiers are allowed to leave peacefully if they leave their weapons. The enemies are even fed and clothed before being sent away. Jacques again takes careful consideration when talking about the Heros. Winning isn’t through death but rather deescalation of hostilities. The victors and friends join the newly freed Gingivere in a new settlement while plans are drawn up by the Abbess for a new safe haven for all woodlanders. A little place called Redwall!

Overall I think this was a wonderful book. Plenty of adventure and fun. It distinguishes itself as the second great book of Jacques redwall series. I think this one proved his writing wasn’t just a single trick but a whole flushed out world ready for adventure. I think it’s a perfect jumping off point for anyone interested in the series.

Overall I give Mossflower: A+