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.