I really have nothing to do...
So, hm. Hello there. As you can see, I'm going to be ranting about some books today. The series is Redwall. For those of you who don't know, Redwall is a fantasy series about talking animals. It can be dark, funny, cool, and always extremely peculiar, as you will see in the titles (weird is a very good thing!). I'll be sorting all 22 books in the series into five different tiers. Be warned, I started reading the series in grade three or four (I started in the middle of the series so it was extremely confusing), so I don't exactly have a fresh image in my mind. Alright, here we go!
Minor spoilers follow, although I won't give too much away.
The books I give priority to are generally the ones that are unpredictable. The books can be a bit repetitive, but there are quite a few that stray from the formula, and those are the ones I am ranking high up.
And yes, this will be controversial.
Tier One: Legitimately Amazing.[]
- Outcast of Redwall: the ending. Just, why?! WHY?! I'm ranking this one first because of its morally gray protagonist/titular character (who is the protagonist? Veil? Byrony? Sunflash? All three?), beautifully written story of family, and, of course, THE ENDING. WHYYYYY. Sunflash, Skarlath, and Veil are all amazing characters! I firmly believe that if the Abbey members had treated Veil better he wouldn't have become the troubled adolescent he was. Also, I want to put "Justice for Skarlath" on a T-shirt, anyone with me? Skarlath and Sunflash had such a sweet relationship, Skarlath didn't deserve to... you know.
- Mossflower: a near-perfect book on several accounts. Probably my favourite of the Martin books. AMAZING villain, interesting plot, interesting characters. I really enjoyed the villain's family dynamic; her fair but dying father, her sweet brother, and her, a ruthless tyrant. This is by far the best book of the original trilogy, and anyone who thinks otherwise can fight me! (Politely, though.)
- Mariel of Redwall/The Bellmaker- where to even start? Mariel of Redwall was one of the first Redwall books I ever read, and I instantly fell in love with it! Maybe it was the strong protagonists (Mariel is awesome, and I've always loved Saxtus and Dandin), or maybe it was the epic fight scenes. Maybe it was because I cried when Mariel and Joeseph were reunited... aww. Anywho, Mariel of Redwall is an amazing book, and I guess that's why the author made a direct sequel. The Bellmaker was my favourite book for YEARS. An awesome storyline, same great characters.. an amazing book through and through. Also, Blaggut is such a good character, I wish we saw him more.
- The Long Patrol- I'm a sucker for military plots oof. I found the almost tragic beginning really interesting (poor Russa.) I found Tammo's storyline interesting, and I love the whole fish-out-of-water vibe he retains throughout the book. Although I'd have to deduct some points for an average/mediocre villain.
- Marlfox- the opposite of TLP: STELLAR villains, decent heroes. The Marlfoxes, specifically Lanturn, were to me the most memorable ones in the series. Like the wildcats in Mossflower, they had such a cool dynamic, except most of them are inherently villainous, unlike Mossflower. The book itself is also amazing; a cool, almost creepy plot. An epic quest. AND, there's a theatre troupe! Seriously, this book is amazing.
- The Pearls of Lutra-
- High Rhulain- wip