On the evening of Saturday, February 5, 2011, the brilliant author, Brian Jacques, passed away. I found it only fitting that the next book on my shelf to read was Jacque's 21st novel of Redwall. I had mixed feelings when I realized that The Sable Quean might very well be the last Redwall novel I would have the pleasure of reading. I checked the Official Redwall website to find that The Rogue Crew was set to be published in 2011. I wonder if that will still happen.
The series began in 1986, when I was a high school freshman, with Redwall. Matthias, an awkward novice mouse of Redwall Abbey, must come of age and follow the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior to save the Abbey from the evil Cluny the Scourge. And I was utterly unaware. I didn’t discover the book until 2003 or 04 as boy after boy trouped into the Children’s Department seeking Redwall and Mossflower, its prequel. I discovered the series had quite the following and dove right in to see the magic for myself.
Jacques went on to publish a new addition to the series nearly every year up to 2011 – I hope.
It has been a challenge to keep up with Jacques. It always seemed that I was finishing the series only to find another one on the New Book shelves. It would not be necessary to read them in publication order. If you’ve read the first two, you have everything you need to enjoy the rest. I find it nearly mind-numbing that Jacques has continued to write so many Redwall books and each shines. I have yet to grow tired of them. I long to attend a Redwall feast and try the meadow cream, pasties and strawberry fizz that the Long Patrol Hares scoff themselves silly with!
I cannot determine which characters are my favorites. The aforementioned Hares are hilarious warriors – wot wot! The great Salamandastron Badger Lords can be both bloodwrath-filled berzerkers or gentle leaders. My favorite dialect in the series is supplied by the gentle, humble moles, burr oi! In the end, I personally always fall for the Dibbuns – the young ones, the h’infants as it were. And those are only the good guys.
The bad guys consist of rats, stoats, weasels, foxes, snakes, cats and the like. In this entry to the Redwall books, there are two evil leaders who happen to be sables. There is the Sable Quean, Vilaya, and her right-hand “man”, Zwilt the Shadow. Vilaya wants to take Redwall Abbey for her own personal residence. With the help of Zwilt and his gang of Ravagers, she kidnaps the Dibbuns of Redwall Abbey to hold hostage in exchange for the Abbey.
Who saves the day? Blademaster Buckler Kordyne, Hare extraordinaire of the Salamandastron Long Patrol and his best friend Subaltern Meliton Gubthorpe Digglethwaite, better known as Diggs, the tubby hare. They will be joined by a warrior mole, a stone-slinging badger, a runaway shrew and many others in their quest to find the precious Dibbuns.
If you can’t find The Sable Quean on the shelves, satisfy yourself with any of the others and be happy that there are so many to choose from!
No comments:
Post a Comment