Redwall (novel)

This article is about the first novel. For the series, see Redwall.
Redwall

UK first edition cover
Author Brian Jacques
Illustrator Gary Chalk
Cover artist Pete Lyon
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series Redwall
Genre Fantasy
Publisher Hutchinson (UK) & Philomel (US)
Publication date
1986
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 311 (UK Hardback) & 351 (US Hardback)
ISBN 0-09-165090-9 (UK Hardback) & ISBN 0-399-21424-0 (US Hardback)
OCLC 13395159
Followed by Mossflower

Redwall is a fantasy novel by Brian Jacques. Originally published in 1986, it is the first book of the Redwall series. The book was illustrated by Gary Chalk, with the British cover illustration by Pete Lyon and the American cover by Troy Howell. It is also one of the three Redwall novels to be made into a TV series.

Plot summary

A young mouse named Matthias dreams of times of adventure rather than a life of quiet servitude, but he is counseled to patience by his elders. Redwall is a fixture in the local community, set in the heart of Mossflower Woods, and was designed to be a place of refuge for the beasts of the forest in times of trouble.

Trouble arrives in the form of Cluny the Scourge in the Summer of the Lain Rose. Cluny is an evil, infamous rat, owning an extra-long tail with a poisoned barb on the end, and commander of a horde of vermin. He has only one eye, having lost the other in a battle with a pike, which he killed. The foebeasts arrive at the beginning of the book and make their headquarters at the Church of St. Ninian, to the south of Redwall, with the intention of taking the Abbey for themselves. The Abbey inhabitants, who refuse to back down, make ready to defend themselves if necessary; most of the inhabitants of the surrounding area are now within Redwall. None of them are particularly martial, but Redwall folk, and indeed much of the Mossflower population, are generally slow to anger but fierce fighters when roused; they are able to make an effective defense. Matthias, fearing that Cluny will still overrun them, begins a quest to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior, which is supposedly hidden somewhere within the Abbey. He is helped particularly by Methuselah, an ancient and grizzled mouse, who is the abbey recorder. Matthias is a brave-hearted young mouse, if small in stature, and as the story continues, his natural leadership abilities begin to emerge.

US cover of Redwall

Clues to the location of Martin's sword, as well as his shield and the sword's scabbard, have been built into the Abbey. Matthias recovers the shield and sword scabbard, and with Methuselah's help eventually divines where the sword is hidden. Unfortunately, it isn't there any longer, having been stolen by a wild sparrow tribe that dwells on the Abbey roof and then by an adder named Asmodeus, who appears throughout the novel to pick off wandering creatures. When trying to escape from the lair of the Sparra tribe with the help of Jess Squirrel, Matthias is attacked by the king of the sparrows. The two of them end up falling from the Abbey roof, resulting in the sparrow's death. After recovering, Matthias continues to the lair of the gigantic snake Asmodeus, acquiring several allies along the way: Log-a-Log, one of a local band of shrews; Basil Stag Hare, wandering do-gooder and general cad, and Warbeak Sparra, the new queen of the aforementioned sparrow tribe. He also befriends Captain Snow, an owl, and Squire Julian Gingivere, a cat. Matthias and Log-a-Log succeed in retrieving the sword from Asmodeus Poisonteeth's cave, killing the snake in the process, and Matthias rushes back to Redwall to save his friends after being alerted to the fall of the abbey by the Sparra tribe.

Cluny, in the meanwhile, has been attempting to gain entrance to the Abbey. He deals with traitors Sela the vixen and her son Chickenhound, who kills Methuselah. Cluny's horde tried to dig a tunnel under the Abbey walls, but Constance the badger pours boiling water into the tunnels. The horde of rats try a battering ram, but Jess Squirrel poured oil on it so the rats cannot grab onto it; Silent Sam threw down a barrel of hornets to chase the rats away. Cluny commands his horde to climb over the walls via a siege tower, but Cornflower throws a lantern on the tower. Cluny calls the flames small, and forces the rats into the fire. The tower topples and is engulfed in flames, which kills all the rats inside. After numerous attempts and failures, Cluny forces Plumpen, a captured dormouse, to open the gate by threatening his family. Plumpen complies and Cluny finally invades the abbey, taking all the Redwallers prisoner. His victory is short-lived, however; soon after he takes over the Abbey, Matthias returns. Matthias, his new allies which are the shrews of Mossflower and the whole Sparra tribe, and the assembled Redwall population turn on their captors. Cluny strikes his poison-barb tail at Abbot Mortimer, and next targets Friar Hugo. Matthias himself defeats Cluny by dropping the Joseph Bell on him, crushing him and cracking the bell in the process. However, a great deal of damage is done and there are many casualties. Abbot Mortimer, who was slashed by Cluny's poisoned barb, dies after proclaiming Matthias Warrior of Redwall and Brother Alf the new Abbot of Redwall.

The novel closes with an epilogue. Matthias has married the fieldmouse named Cornflower and she has given birth to their son, Mattimeo, an abbreviated version of his full name: Matthias Methuselah Mortimer. Also, Brother Alf is now the Abbot, and John Churchmouse, a resident of the Abbey, is now the Abbey recorder. The cracked Joseph Bell was made into two bells: the Matthias Bell, and the Methuselah Bell.

Characters in Redwall

Discrepancies

As Redwall was the first book set in the Redwall world, many of the defining traits of the world had not yet been hammered out, and are different than in all subsequent books in the series:

The world

Species discrepancy

Awards and nominations

Winner:

Nominated:

Book divisions (English)

Publication history

Select print publications:

Adaptation as a graphic novel

Redwall: The Graphic Novel

Redwall: The Graphic Novel cover
Author Brian Jacques, Stuart Moore
Illustrator Bret Blevins, Richard Starkings
Country United States
Language English
Series Redwall
Genre Fantasy
Publisher Philomel
Publication date
4 October 2007
Media type Print
Pages 143
ISBN 0-399-24481-6

Redwall has been adapted into a graphic novel titled Redwall: The Graphic Novel.

Translations

References

  1. "Redwall.org". Archived from the original on July 9, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2006.
  2. Q&A with Brian Jacques, page 3, redwall.org. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  3. Q&A with Brian Jacques, page 4, redwall.org. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 "Brian Jacques at Puffin.co.uk". Retrieved August 4, 2006.
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Redwall (novel)
Preceded by
Salamandastron
Redwall Series
(chronological order)
Succeeded by
Mattimeo
Preceded by
none
Redwall Series
(publication order)
Succeeded by
Mossflower
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