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When I was about 8 years old, having devoured Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and Dick King-Smith in quick succession, I was on the lookout for meatier fare, which I found in the form of Jacques’ Redwall series.
The books are set usually in the sandstone abbey of Redwall, located in the forests of Mossflower. Within this abbey a collection of mice, hedgehogs, otters voles and squirrels carry out a peaceful life, which primarily seemed to consist of eating a great deal, and fighting off invaders in the form of vicious ferrets, stoats, wildcats, foxes and weasels.
I can still remember the first one I read, the eponymous Redwall, which was Jacques’ first book in the series. The whole world came to a halt as I consumed page after page, reading of the heroic mouse Matthias’ efforts to halt the evil rat Cluny the Scourge in his attack on Redwall abbey. Four hundred pages of riddles, sieges, and some very bloody battles, and it was over far too soon. I went through the next books like Jordan goes through fake eyelashes. One family holiday I remember taking nothing but Redwall books.
The books appealed to me primarily that, like Dahl or Dick-King Smith, they assumed a childish sense of wonder of a magical world while possessing the gory battle scenes that are fun to read even now. My favourite battle scene, and indeed one of my favourite scenes in literature, is the last stand battle made by Urthstripe the Badger lord and forty loyal hares at the badger mountain Salamandastron, in the book also called Salamandastron. Though the conclusion is forecast early, the grim battle scenes possess a breathtaking urgency that riveted me to the spot, and the injection of grim black humour.
For all the feasts and battles in which seemingly thousands of baddies but only a few goodies die there is still the blunt, unavoidable lesson that in war many of those you love will perish. It was quite a shock seeing such a message but it made them all the poignant (though I will admit that a few books, namely Outcast of Redwall and The Bellmaker made me throw the book across the room when a particular character died).
The Redwall series attracted some criticism, mainly that some animals were always good and some always bad, and that the books, of which there are over twenty, followed a set formula. Although this is true, the escapism they provided has enchanted and will continue to enchant generations of children. Their addictiveness means that one is not enough and so it is necessary to buy the whole series; parents and older siblings be warned, this can be quite a drain on your budget! I was lucky enough to meet Brian Jacques at the Edinburgh Book Festival way back in 2002; he signed my books and joked for a few seconds, enough to make my 11 year self grin from ear to ear. He will be very much missed.
Martin the Warrior was my favourite book character for an embarrassingly long time.
'Mossflower' would shine bright for me as a child, looking back now, it conjured such vivid and expressive visions that half the time I'd feel as if I were tagging along.
"The passing of Brian Jacques last Saturday of a heart attack, aged 71, has left me genuinely distraught." My feelings exactly. I loved Redwall so much at junior school and for the first couple of years of senior school. Until I found Terry Pratchett, if there was one author I'd say I felt undying loyalty to, it was Jacques. I genuinely cried reading The Taggerung, The Legend of Luke and The Bellmaker. I may have to read the entire collection over again when I get home for Easter in his memory.
Have to admit, I was hooked on his books for a long time, even bought 'Taggerung' long after I had moved on the series. It's a huge shame, huge shame.
I followed a similar path to you Michael, having finished with Dahl and Blyton I'd fliited between lesser offerings and even flirted with the brand new series of books that had just been realesed - the Goosebumps series. But none were a match for Blyton et al. Then one day those magical big silver boxes on wheels turned up in the school hall, replete with books that were new, shiny, and unavailable in the school's 'library'.
Pure chance took me to Redwall but I've read everything since. I used younger relatives as an excuse to buy the books (and read them first) even as I reached an age where I shouldn't.
I don't think it matters if his books were formulaic (read pretty much any sci-fi trilogy), they genuinely inspired children of most ages to read independently and use their imagination. I spent a whole summer in Thackley woods alternating between playing Gonff, Martin, and Dinny with my friends. That was obviously a time when kids actually played out, largely owing to the fact that all games consoles were still a bit shit.
Brian Jacques, what a fantastic story teller. Thanks for the review Michael.
Dan
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