Climbing the WQ Scale

REDWALL tells the story of a young mouse named Matthias, who goes on a quest to protect his beloved home, Redwall Abbey, from Cluny the Scourge, an evil searat bent on getting his greedy, filthy paws on Redwall Abbey. To do so, he must find the sword of Martin the Warrior -- Redwall's founder-champion. Along the way, Matthias makes many new friends including a hare with a bottomless pit of a stomach, a champion tree-climbing squirrel and her baby, a horde of quarrelsome but brave and good shrews, and many many more. In the end, he not only defeats Cluny and finds the legendary sword, he also becomes the warrior he was destined to be!

The first of the Redwall Tales, Redwall takes its reader into the heart of Mossflower country and introduces him or her to the many beloved characters in the world made by Brian Jacques. One of the greatest strengths of Mr. Jacques is his ability to create such lovable characters, you actually feel as though you've become friends with them in real life. Matthias is a wonderful hero -- brave, endearing, and courageous. But his friends are also just as wonderful, from the strong but motherly badger Constance, to the hilarious hare Basil Stag Hare (good show old boy, wot wot?), the characters will find permanent places in your hearts for sure. And the way these characters help each other and stand true to their friendships makes one almost ashamed of the way humans treat each other.

Redwall is full of beautiful, flowing prose. So captivating are the descriptions, you can't help but believe Redwall was real. And the food! Nobody describes food the way Mr. Jacques does!! So sumptuous are the meals described, it's enough to entice certified meat eaters to turn vegetarian!

There are many novels that tell the story of good vs. evil -- but few will give you the rollicking good time Redwall does. Overall, Redwall is definitely worth more than 5 stars.