Redwall Readthrough - Salamandastron

The Redwall readthrough continues here with Salamandstron, the first book set mainly in the fire mountain of the fighting badger lords.

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've noticed the series trending a little darker, so it'll be interesting to see if that occurs here with Salamandastron, a book I remember having a fairly harsh dynamic in places.

Mini-Review: Oh lord. Normally I enjoy doing the old blurb-esque synopsis style mini-review, but there is just so much going on here - although all strands do start in the same place. That place is with Feragho the Assassin and his horde - the Corpsemakers - as they journey up from the south-west, where once they ruled after slaying the resident Badger Lords. Feragho is journeying to Salamandastron - where Lord Urthstripe and his adopted daughter Mara are at loggerheads -and its rumoured treasures, but some deserters from his horde are heading towards Redwall.

And from there is just becomes a giant enjoyable multi-arc mess full of quests, daring escapes, battles, and not enough feasts..

What do I recall thinking at the time: When I first read it, my favourite thing about the series was fighting hares and otters, so we're halfway to greatness already. Plus I enjoyed some of the growing up themes (although not all). Very solid book.

What do I think now: I think Salamandastron contains some of Jacques' finest moments but, although enjoyable, if I was Jacques' editor I'd be asking him which plot arc he was deleting - maybe two of them. Don't get me wrong, they're all fun enough, but it's just a little too much as a whole.

Best Thing: Feragho's siege of Salamandastron is Jacques' best extended combat set-piece in the series up to the point of reading. The chess match of ploy and counter-ploy is fascinating, with some of Feragho's plans coming very close to ending things and some getting smashed out of the park. The combats are incisive, enthralling reading. The characters involved are lively and memorable. Everything about it is top notch, with the infiltration and fate of Farran the Poisoner maybe being the highlight. Maybe. Special shout outs in this section also to Sergeant Sapwood, stereotypical NCO extraordinaire, Lord Urthstripe's berserk moments, the plots to kill Feragho, and the general barbaric, mystic splendour of the mountain.

Delving into the culture of the Guosim was fun too, with the shrews coming off at their most interesting and sympathetic as a result too. Their sojourn on Urthwyte's island and mistaking of the white badger for a ghost was a neat touch too.

Greatest of all though was Pikkle's eating contest with Tubbygutts. It had far too big an effect on me as a kid.

Worst Thing: Well we've got an easy winner here. At the beginning, Samkin the squirrel and Arula the mole are busy playing around and get punished for it, because their toy is a bow and arrow aka a lethal weapon. And when after they nearly hit someone for the second time, their punishment is a night of helping clean the infirmary, and everyone thinks they were being too hard on them.

Yo, Redwall dwellers? Shut the fuck up.

Lethal weapons are not toys. Teenagers shouldn't have them near adult supervision. If they do, they should get punished just for that. I project to be a very laissez-faire parent but not when it comes to ways kids can kill other people. Actually using them willy-nilly, not knowing where the projectile will go? I can not describe how angry I'd be. I'd have kicked them out of the fucking Abbey before this story even happens. I am flabberghasted and enraged by this incident and will award it "most irresponsible thing in a kid's book".

In a distant second place, it's the whole plague/Thrugg/Dumble storyline. I quite enjoy parts of it but it adds nothing but word count. I will also give this an award, that of "most pointless secondary plot" and I've read the whole Wheel of Time thank you very much. 

Hero Watch: I wish we'd seen more of Urthstripe and Mara, got to see a bit more of their relationship and expectations of each other. But even apart, they're great characters. Mara is calm, understanding, even a little naive, until events press her buttons at which point she's violently decisive. Urthstripe, at least in the context of the siege, is just a nutcase. He takes everything personally, takes every possible opportunity to tip something deadly on the vermin, and just generally feels like a saga hero brought to life.

By comparison, there really isn't a whole lot of interesting about Samkin, Arula, or Thrugg. They're just good honest creatures enjoying an adventure. We don't even get to see a real growing up arc for Samkin, which is just nuts. Oh well.

Villain Watch: Feragho is the most competent villain since Cluny. His mix of charisma and know-it-all savvy keeps his horde under control, he's a good tactician, and he can mix it up close and personal. His son Klitch is an interesting one too (more on him later), and it's nice to see a vermin family relationship - mostly rivals, but with some fellow feeling. A shame we didn't get more of Urthstripe and Mara to counteract it.

Other Notes: 

1) Early in the book, we see a pair of vermin admitted to both Salamandastron and Redwall - Klitch and his lackey Goffa into Salamandastron, and... eh, I can't remember their names and don't care to, but the disease infected deserters from Feragho's horde into Redwall. That the creatures of Redwall, or Mara, might see these creatures as good and deserving of charity is a step forwards. That they're proven dead wrong is a step backwards. Klitch's attempt - and his charm in doing so - is a step forwards in terms of the intelligence and sophistication of Jacques' vermin though.

2) The way Klitch plays on Mara's youthful rebelliousness is interesting too. While the series has always been happy to play to the idea that the young know what's up and are needed in times of strife, this is the mostly openly old vs young the series has been. Sadly, this is mostly background material that goes unexamined, and seems to mostly end with an affirmation on the value of the elders, which isn't something I'm against but does seem odd given the beginning.

3) Back to the not thinking through the introduction fully and then writing the article thing - lordie, this book is a mess. It's enjoyable, it has great moments, but it just has so much pointlessness. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this could be made a better book by simply removing everything to do with Redwall from the book. I wonder if anyone mentioned this at the time - did people think you couldn't have a Redwall story without Redwall?