Redwall

Reading some of the reviews on multiples sites, some reviews stated that the plot was weak and peoples most remembered pieces were from the descriptions of food and how delicious it must be.

I picked this book up thinking it was middle readers, so when I came across cursing and using Satan and Asmodeus's name I was shocked. This did not deter me, however. This made me dive in further. I do not believe this book was meant for children. It was brutal in its description of battle wounds. This book had be hanging on with an iron grip. I wanted more. This had been the first book I have read in a long time that has had me this interest. So, I went out and bought all of them, all 22 of them.

As for the characters, I ate up Matthias's character arc like that fish at their feast. He went from a little mouse in an abbey doing little mouse chores going about his day in peace to being a sword gripping adventurer by the end. There were times when I could tell that Matthias was questioning his previous morals when he was only a church mouse. He was willing to kill, harm another creature despite his Fathers beliefs. Constance was a beast as well. She was cozy at times, but willing to smack some sense into her family when she needed and then tear rats in two another. I love Constance, I believe she is my favorite character. Cluny was an average villain and boy did he carry that title of Scourge. He had no problem killing off any of his crew if it meant getting his way. Killconey was an upsetting disappointment. I held onto their character as often times they were gendered as both male and female. I ultimately decided that Killconey was genderfluid, as I walk that sharp edged blade myself, I found myself a comfort character. I was saddened when they died and was brushed aside so quickly. I hoped they would have escaped and survived.

All in all, I loved this story and I plan to binge out the rest of the series.

So I was super excited to lose myself in the mouse world of Redwall. I was anticipating a return to my youth, that I would be carried back by the Rats of Nimh to Narnia. The Last Unicorn, sadly this was not. I am either too old or the book is too old, for I found myself shaking my head many many times. My first problem is how these mice are lauded for their refusal to hurt any other creatures, and then on the very same page slay a trout and roast it for dinner. And then there is Cornflower, you just want to shake her and explain that the woman's movement arrived in the 60s and she can stop simpering around serving everyone with downcast eyes. I did GREATLY enjoy Constance the Badger, Methuselah the scholar Mouse, The weird snow Owl and the aristocratic Cat, I am only human after all. Matthais was meh, a little self-important I daresay. I must also point out that many, many danger Rats were slain while following orders from Cluny the Scourge, while their were fewer Mouse casualties, and while the rats had it coming of course, I was still uncomfortable when they were drowned in boiling water. They were only following orders after all. Would it not have been better to try more diplomatic manoeuvres rather than this wholesale slaughter?
I also did not like the clear demarcation of good and evil. Sure it suits the genre and it would be hard to do without, but I just cannot believe that all rats, foxes and ferrets are terrible creatures. And the foxes, that issue is never really resolved. I don't think there is anyway rats could subdue a determined fox, no matter how well organized they might be, sure we are not expecting realism here but anyone trying to visualize a fox being kowtowing to a rat with a sharp tail will be equally flummoxed.
Also WTF on the quicksilver conversion of Warbeak from being enslaved captor to staunch ally? No way. I just did not like the hierarchy, the villainization of rats and foxes, and the multifold contradictions to morality and plausibility.