Redwall (Redwall, #1)

by Brian Jacques

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

When I was growing up, Redwall was very popular. I remember my peers carrying around the books, but they never really interested me. I think it’s because I’ve never really been into animal protagonists, as a rule. I added this to my TBR from a bit of a nostalgic impulse, wondering what all the hype was about back in the late 90s.

I think I can see why people liked Redwall. The storytelling and world building is decent. It feels very much what a siege could feel like from epic fantasy, but bringing it down to animal protagonists makes it feel more accessible. It feels like an older story in a middle grade novel. I honestly had a hard time getting into the groove of it. It didn’t have the whimsy I’m accustomed to in middle grade novels, but that’s good. It’s a different feel, which means that Redwall would appeal to readers who don’t care for the lighter, fluffier books.

There were a lot of characters in Redwall, and outside of Matthias and Cornflower, I’ll admit that I didn’t keep track of them very well. This was a full cast recording, and the narrators did a great job creating the atmosphere, but there was a lot going on. There was a lot going on, but at the same time, it moved at a snail’s pace.

My biggest takeaway is that I was bored. It surprised me, because when I pick apart the different elements, there’s a lot in Redwall I should have enjoyed. There’s the medieval-esque setting and the deep fantasy feel to the novel. That screams my aesthetic. And it kills me because I know there’s nothing wrong with it. The formula of the story works, the characters are all varied and likable enough. The pacing isn’t that slow because there’s a lot of POVs and they split at the right times. From a technical perspective, Brian Jacques did everything right here. There is nothing I can say against this book except that I personally didn’t enjoy it.

So on that note, I won’t be reading the rest of the series. I think this book is solid. I think young readers would enjoy it, somewhere between MG and YA to be honest. It’s a little dry, but it’s a decent book, honestly. Just not for me. I would definitely recommend it for the right reader!