Redwall

The world of Redwall is an interesting one. It lasted for more than 20 years until the author Brian Jacques passed away. He wrote several books, some even prequels to his original story, and if he forgot what he told you 20 years ago, well this is a story passed down through the ages and as we all know, stories change over time.

                The series does follow a very familiar theme. There are usually a group of adventurers off doing something and fighting bad guys while a group of evil doers attack the main setting of our plot, usually Redwall abbey. Redwall Abbey is a beautiful fortress with lots of fruit trees and fish to eat which the evil folk always want for themselves. Mice, moles, squirrels, and others frequent Redwall and make it out to be a wonderful place. It is guarded by the spirit of Martin the Warrior, sort of the patron saint. Most of the primary warriors carry his sword, and he can be seen coming to the aid of his followers. One of the most beautiful descriptions of the book is the wonderful feasts that the Redwallers partake in. If I stop and think about what these creatures are eating, it sounds awful, but Jacques always made it seem so wonderful.

The television series covered three of the several books: Redwall, Mattimeo, and Martin the Warrior. They follow the books very closely with no real deviation of plot or characters. It was actually this series that got me interested in the books in the first place. PBS stopped broadcasting during a critical part of Martin the Warrior, and I had to find out what happened! Before this time I thought the concept of Mice Warriors to be kind of silly. I have now read every single one of the books and enjoyed them.