I just reread my review of The Sable Quean by Brian Jacques to remind myself of what I thought of it. That’s not entirely true. I know what I thought. I liked it. I always like the Redwall books. I had to remind myself what I wrote. I remembered that Jacques had just died, but I didn’t remember how I reacted or responded. What I found was uncertainty. Would there be another Redwall book? Maybe? Possibly? Yes!
The Rogue Crew seems shorter than its predecessors, but it’s not. The Redwall books take more time to read. They are not for reluctant readers. I’ve had a hard time trying to put a finger on why you have to invest more time with this series. A fellow librarian – you know who you are ;) – helped me to figure it out. Actually she helped me admit that they do require more time. You cannot just whip through them. You have to set the time aside. You must accept that they are every bit as “full” as adult novels. There is more description. The feasts are given just as much weight as the action sequences. Every meal – it is like you are at the table. Vocabulary rich!
It just seems that there is less. And I will not find fault due to circumstances, but there are fewer feasts and fewer Dibbuns. There are just as many characters, but I felt I knew them less. There is less time spent at the Abbey and more time spent with the villains. I am not certain who the hero was or rather, the character that I would think would become the unexpected hero, didn’t do all that much. I might go so far as to call this book a shadow. The outline is there, but it is not as substantial as the real thing.
The last thing I want to do is steer you away from this extra magnificent series. Granted, it is not for everyone. After all, the mice talk, sing and dance. If you love Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, or Wind in the Willows, try Redwall. It really is like The Lord of the Rings, with animals as the main characters! Now that I think about it, it is also right up there with The Chronicles of Narnia – talking animals!
It’s good versus evil where even the most unlikely of beasts can be the hero!
Tends to be a favorite with 3rd-5th grade boys, but there are plenty of female characters and heroines for the girls as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment