28 Books -- Day 16

Redwall by Brian Jacques (1986)

 

"It was the start of the Summer of the Late Rose. Mossflower country shimmered gently in a peaceful haze, bathing delicately at each dew-laden dawn, blossoming through high sunny noontides, languishing in each crimson-tinted twilight that heralded the soft darkness of June nights. ... The first mice had built the Abbey of red sandstone quarried from pits many miles away in the north-east. The Abbey building was covered across its south face by that type of ivy known as Virginia creeper. The onset of autumn would turn the leaves in to a cape of fiery hue, thus adding further glory to the name and legend of Redwall Abbey." (and so it begins...) 

Since I skipped posting yesterday, I thought I would concentrate today on the series with the most number of sequels in my collection. I have 14 of them, and there are others that I don't have. And they're not really sequels either, after the first couple ... just additional stories in the Redwall Universe.

 

Time was I had a thing for mice. Or representations thereof. The real ones run too fast and make too much mess! So when I was student teaching in my Middle School library and was put in charge of that semester's book fair, and came across a book about a world which was populated by Abbey dwelling mice... well, what's not to love?!

 

And there's more than mice at the Abbey. All kinds of creatures designated "good" in this universe live there ... moles, squirrels, hedgehogs, badgers, voles, otters, rabbits and hares, and all the mice -- fieldmice, hedgemice, dormice, and even some churchmice. ["Bad" creatures are ones like rats, stoats, weasels, frogs, and foxes.]

 

Redwall Abbey is a sanctuary for all who need help, or seek to live a life of peace and harmony. But as is the way with all good fantasy folk, when need be, it's dwellers can become great warriors dedicated to the protection of the Redwall way of life.

 

Redwall is the tale of a small mouse named Matthias, and how the legend of the great warrior mouse Martin changed his life forever. And there's an evil rat called Cluny the Scourge!! Hardy band of warriors. Epic journeys. Great battles...

 

So if you ever hear anyone giving forth with the great battlecry of Hares and Badgers ... EULALIA!!!!! grab a sword and join in the fray. Redwall always puts on a hell of a feast when victory is won!!