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Redwall

Redwall (Redwall Series #1) by Brian Jacques, Gary Chalk ... 
Redwall by Brian Jacques was published in 1986 by the Hutchinson Publishing Company in the UK. This is the first book published in the Redwall series, a twenty-two book children's fantasy series that has been made into a children's cartoon aimed at older (middle grade) children. It has won the Lancashire Libraries Children's Book of the Year Award, the Western Australian Young Readers' Award, and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal.

The first book follows the life of a young mouse named Matthias who is an orphan living in the Redwall Abby when Cluny the Scourge, a tyrant sea rat, arrives and demands the Abby's surrender and enslavement. Matthias, inspired by the stories of the legendary Martin the Warrior, leads the Abby against the evil rat and his army. During the siege, Matthias must search for Martin's legendary sword which has gone missing while also learning what it means to be a warrior and gaining new allies along the way.

I know this doesn't sound like much of a plot summary but I love this series and don't want to spoil too much. It is a children's book about anthropomorphic animals and the middle ages society that they live in. As the first book published in the series, there are some world building elements that don't match with the rest of the series but it does not distract from the overall story. Even though this concept sounds silly, Jacques didn't think it would be published, this book is brutal. It does not care that the audience is younger. There is death. There is murder and kidnapping and arson. The Abbey members boil some of Cluny's horde in hot porridge. The sparrow king seized the throne by sending his brother to his death. Assmodaus the snake eats several of the characters. A friend of mine described this book as the original Game of Thrones. Others have compared it to Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, Grahame's Wind in the Willows, Erin Hunter's Warriors, and Adam's Watership Down.

Out of all of my books, this is the one that I have re-read the most. It is simplistic in it's plot of good and evil. It is predictable in it's class and species representation of the animals and characters. And the book, and series, never tried anything new. But Redwall and the Redwall series are some of the most relaxing adventure stories I have ever seen. Also, it's meant for children. If you have a problem with children's fantasy books, please see the post I did on this subject a few weeks ago. 

I highly recommend this book and this series, especially in such a volatile time. Ignore the need for "meaningful" literature and enjoy a smooth adventure of good defeating evil. 

I should also mention, food is highly important in this series and will make you want to bake. You may want to have some cookies on hand if you give this book a try.

Until next time, travelers.

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