Redwall Readthrough - Mattimeo

Onto book three of my Redwall readthrough with Mattimeo, the direct sequel to Redwall itself.

For those who don't know, Redwall is a series of children's fantasy books by Brian Jacques famous for its use of anthropomorphic animals, good vs evil, and regional British dialects. It was hugely popular when I was a young 'un (the first book was published in 1986, the year of my birth); I do not know how popular they are now, nearly ten years after Jacques' death and the posthumous publication of the last book in the series. I probably discovered them when I was around 10; I was still joyfully enjoying being able to take the latest release from my uncles' bookshop for free in my late teens.

Obviously I am no longer in my teens, but now I am going to read them all again and share my thoughts. I appreciated Redwall more and found Mossflower awesome, but how will I go with one of my least favourite Redwall books?

Mini-Review: The abbey is at peace following the events of Redwall but even in times of peace, there is trouble. Matthias' son, Mattimeo, is growing up headstrong and spoilt - hardly the material needed for the next Abbey champion. But that's okay - Slagar the Cruel has a score to settle with Redwall, and it involves Mattimeo not growing up in the abbey at all.

With Mattimeo kidnapped by the slaver, both father and son face a difficult struggle. Matthias has to track the wily beast to who knows where; Mattimeo has to find a way to protect his friends from the fate ahead of them. But perhaps it's the woman of the family Cornflower who has the hardest task - because with Redwall's defenders away, a horde of black birds strike!

What do I recall thinking at the time: This was flat out my least favourite Redwall as a kid. There was too much happening with the plot, Mattimeo was kinda annoying, the bird thing was the most random subplot ever and the climatic battle felt dull and confused. I think this might even be my first re-read of it.

What do I think now: Young me had a lot of valid points. Three major plotlines, one of which barely had anything to do with the others, is probably going to result in inferior plotlines and so it is here. None of them are truly gripping - the birds one is actually the best. It's got more going on than I credited it with but I still think it's pretty weak.

Best Thing: Let's talk birds. When the cat's away, the mice will play, but who will play when the mice are away? General motherfucking Ironbeak and his horde of ravens, crows, magpies and rooks, that's who. In particular, they strike when Warbeak and her sparra are gone. Now, okay, they're a bit weak sauce as they kept getting beat up by everyone, particularly Sister May the infirmarian, but the main way the Redwallers keep a lid on them is by a cunning ruse wherein the aforemention Cornflower dresses up in Martin's armour and pretends to be his ghost, with Constance the badger providing the gloomy warnings. It's genius and a lot of fun, and a nice example of a woman getting shit done without having to hit people herself or take her knickers off.

Other great things include - ... uhm... hmm... Slagar's original show was fun? I do like the continuity of a minor villain from one story surviving to become the big cheese in the next (Slagar was a fox called Chickenhound in Redwall). Wow, there's really not a lot else that's actually great. 

Worst Thing: There's nothing that particularly stands out as bad per se. I'm not sure why Warbeak and all the sparrows had to fly off to guide Matthias, other than to set up the unnecessary although cool plot strand. The final battle rings implausible in terms of the numbers Matthias and friends take on. None of the heroes or villains other than Cornflower and Slagar (well, a little) stand out as cool. The book isn't bad - it just isn't good either. It's flat.

I guess worst is Sir Harry the Muse, an owl who occasionally turns up to help (if suitably bribed with shrew baking) towards the end. He spends a lot of time talking in rhyming poems. Now, something I haven't really covered so far is just how much Brian Jacques loves a poem or song. Or even better, a riddle. They're everywhere. Part of the charm. But here it feels like a bug rather than a feature. The character basically exists for Jacques to insert short poems and they're not his best work. 

Hero Watch: I rarely criticise characters or plots for feeling generic - the search for the small differences is fun - but Matthias does feel generic. He's just a nice, honourable creature who'll move mountains for his family and stand up to any evil, in a proud but nor arrogant way. He's got 90% of the same DNA as any hero and I can't see what's exceptional about the remaining 10%. Mattimeo isn't generic but his arc doesn't feel that well nailed down - he's not that much of a spoiled brat to begin with (one really annoyingly bratty inner monologue aside) and isn't that wowing once he's supposedly grown out of it.

But lets give it up for Cornflower. Hero's wife, hero's mother, she's the type of character fantasy likes to forget - but her courage and ingenuity in standing up General Ironbeak save a lot of lifes and reveals a core of steel. She, ladies and gennelmen, is the real hero of this story. Her and Sister May. Or Sissimay. You'll see why if you read.

Villain Watch: I'm a little torn on whether Slagar is a great villain or not. On the one hand - great backstory, love all the cunning and showmanship. On the other hand - he's basically just a jumped up slaver with a small band of vermin, no great shows of prowess, and with a really cartoony sense of betraying everyone. It feels like the journey is the true adversary for Matthias and Mattimeo here. Pin me down and I guess he's okay.

General Ironbeak is a real doofus though, one moment hanging on his seer's every word, the next being all "no it can't be I don't want it to be". Also, let's be honest, he does have one of the worst fighting records of any Redwall villain. Something that I am beginning to "ho hum" about in the series is how many of the villains are built up as these great terrifying forces that in all honesty would struggle taking the skin off some broth. Ironbeak is one of them.

Other Notes: 

1) I guess I should remark on how Jacques had the villains hide out in the abandoned Loamhedge Abbey and the fun way it makes the world feel like a dynamic place with a history? It's smart worldbuilding for sure.

2) There's something fun about a series where the chronological order goes Second Published, First Published, Third Published (and fourth published will go before first iirc). It reminds me a bit of what Gemmell and Pratchett did in terms of filling out bits of their series as they saw fit - Robert Rankin to an extent too - and it's not something I've really seen outside British authors. Coincidence, or some small cultural tradition getting gently removed by chronological series?

3) Speaking of places inside fantasy - and this has nothing to do with the book - I noticed when browsing the very comprehensive Redwall fandom wiki that Jacques is in the vexing ranks of fantasy authors who have a beef with fantasy. To wit:

"I do not like the term 'fantasy'. It smacks of swords and sorcery and dungeons and dragons, and this is not at all the feeling of my books. I like to think of my books as old fashioned adventures that happened 'Once upon a time, long ago and far away...'; in fact, good yarns is how I describe them." (Undated Random House interview)

My beef with that (least important to most important) 

a) The snobbishness - "Ooh, fantasy's this thing, I don't like this thing, I'm not fantasy". Give over. If nothing else apart, if someone sticks a label on you, maybe think about what it really is, not what it "smacks of". Want to know how many old fashioned adventures and good yarns are in the fantasy genre?

b) The lack of gratitude - I'm imagining a lot of Redwall fans found their way to the series thanks to fantasy. I'm imagining publishers and booksellers took it on because they knew books like Lord of the Rings and Watership Down had established a market for books like this. Jacques sailed down a high tide that came from others' efforts - not taking away anything from his skill, 99% of good authors are in this boat and 99% of would be authors never make it to that boat - and those efforts were in the fantasy genre.

c) The lack of self-awareness - The most important single physical artefact in the series is, in fact, a sword. Creatures claiming or having supernatural powers are far from unknown - Mattimeo has Ironbeak's seer Mangiz, Slagar faking magic powers, and evidence of prophetic visions from Germaine; Mossflower has Boar's knowledge of his own fate; Redwall has the spirit of Martin the Warrior. Both Redwall and Mattimeo feature quests underground, and in Redwall, Matthias fights a giant poisonous snake i.e. a dragon. Everything Jacques says fantasy smacks of he has! He has in abundance! His books feel like fantasy by his own definition and that he didn't get that is just bemusing.

How people view the fantasy genre doesn't bother me that much; I have no huge need for it to be popular or respected, as long as there's a core who love it that I can find. The only real reason to wish for the genre's popularity is so that those involved got paid fairly, and if we dream of getting so popular we all get paid very well, I'd worry that the pay of our collective dreams would warp the creativity behind it. But insofar as it bothers me, and insofar as it bothers people I'd wish to be unbothered, statements like Jacques are irksome and unhelpful.

The bit that really bothers me is the complete lack of self awareness verging on hypocrisy. Swap out the mice, otters, rats, cats, foxes and snakes for hobbits, dwarves, orcs, elves, goblins and dragons and you have some of the most stereotypical fantasy the world has ever seen - so stereotypical it's actually rare. Obviously it's a big swap but one big swap doesn't take you out of a genre. Not fantasy because its old fashioned adventure? We built this city on old fashioned adventure. 

Jacques' work couldn't be more fantasy if he'd tried and if he'd spent less time being snobbish about the label and more time understanding the company he'd been placed in, he'd have probably understood. Maybe.

Anyway, sermon over. Tune in soon for the next installment - Mariel of Redwall, featuring our angriest protagonist yet.