Mossflower: Book Review

Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Mossflower by Brian Jacques, Penguin Group, 1988
Genre: Fantasy

Mossflower is the second Redwall book and is the prequel to Redwall. This story is a tale about Martin the fabled warrior that is scarcely described in Redwall. Martin is captured by Kotir soldiers for carrying a weapon. When Martin gets presented to Verdauga or Lord Greeneyes who is basically on his death bed, the eventual new Queen of a Thousand Eyes Tsarmina breaks Martin’s father’s rusty old sword and jails Martin in the cells beneath Kotir. Martin vows that he will pay Tsarmina back for breaking that sword. Martin eventually gets away and starts plotting with the woodlanders on how to take down Kotir, the castle where Tsarmina resides with her stoat and weasel army. Bella of Brockhall, a badger, decides Martin should go off and search for her father Boar the Fighter who lives far off at Salamandastron to help them. Martin sets off with his mouse-thief friend Gnoff and a mole named Dinny. They encounter many obstacles on their way to find Salamandastron. While they are away Skipper the otter, Lady Amber the squirrel, and Bella start to plot to destroy Kotir. In the end Martin faces off against Tsarmina and fights valiantly almost to the death.

The book cover reads “Packed with action and imbued with warmth…Richly inventive.”-Kirkus Reviews.

Brian Jacques likes to write about talking animals that do exist. I have read other fantasy books like the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and The Fellowship of the Ring. In all of those books there are unreal beasts like centaurs, dragons, griffins, hobbits, elves, and such. The characters in this book are different then characters in other fantasy books I’ve read.

I think Brian Jacques tries to fit a lot of content into his book without boring the reader with description. I have read some J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and sometimes he will bore you with a little too much description. All the description in Tolkien’s books makes them a longer read. There are some times in Mossflower where you have to read a sentence twice, that’s when the moles talk. The moles have excessive drawls which also make for a somewhat difficult read.

“It was the sword! Double edged, keener than a razor, it lay glittering and twinkling, a myriad of steely lights. Its tip was pointed like a mountain peak in midwinter, the deadly blade had a three-quarter blood channel. It was perfectly balanced against the hilt, which had been restrapped with hard black leather and finished with a ruby-red pommel stone and curving scrolled crosspiece where it joined the marvelous blade.” (316) [description of Martin’s re-forged sword]

I liked how Mossflower was so intriguing to me. I had dropped this book twice in the past year or so but this time it was much more interesting. I never imagined a book about a bunch of wood land creatures would be so interesting.