Frogs and Fishes

Merill of Redwall, Brian Jacques

A Map to Terramort (in a rhyme)

“ ‘If I were fool of any sort,
I’d leave Redwall and travel forth,
For only fools seek Terramort,
Upon the pathway leading north.
This trail brings death with every pace;
Beware of dangers lurking there,
Sticklegs of the feathered race
And fins that in the ford do stir.
After the ford, one night one day,
Seek out the otter and his wife
Forsake the path, go west lands way,
Find the trail and lose your life.
When in the woods, this promise keep,
With senses sharp and open eyes,
‘My nose shall not send me to sleep’
For the buried ones will surely rise
Beat the hallow oak and shout,
‘We are creatures if Redwall!’
If a brave one is about,
He’ll save any fool at all.
Beware the light that shows the way,
Trust not the wart-skinned toad,
In his realm, no night no day.
Fool, stay to the road.
Where the sea meets with the shore,
There the final clue is hid;
Rocks stands sentinel evermore,
Find it as I did.
The swallow who cannot fly south,
The bird that only flies one way,
Lies deep beneath the monster’s mouth,
Keep him with you, night and day
His flight is straight, Norwest is true,
Your fool’s desire he’ll show to you.’ “

Mariel of Redwall, Brian Jacques

A Ballad of Hares on Long Patrol

“Oh, it’s hard and dry, when the sun is high,
And the dust in your throat.
When the rain pours down, near fit to drown,
And soaks right through your coat.
But the hares of the long patrol,my lads,
Stothearts they walk with me,
Over hill and plain, and back again,
By the shores of the wide blue seas.
Through mud and mire to a warm campfire,
I’ll trek with you, old friend.
O’re lea and dale, in a roaring gale,
Right to our journey’s end.
Yes, the hares of the long patrol, my lads,
Love friendship more than gold.
We’ll share good days, and tread long ways.
Good comrades brave and bold.”

Tarquin Longleap Woodsorrel

Mariel of Redwall, Brian Jacques

My Extended Reading List

• Redwall, Mariel of Redwood, Brian Jacques
• H.M.S. Surprise, Patrick O’ Brian
• Tales of The Wold Newton Universe, Philip Jose Farmer
• The Mad Goblin, Philip Jose Farmer
• Time's Last Gift (Wold Newton Prehistory) , Philip Jose Farmer
• Tales of Three Hemispheres, Lord Dunsany (epub)
• Idle Days on the Yann
• A Shop in Go by Street
• The Avenger of Perdondaris
• The Hyborian Age, Robert E. Howard (epub)
• The Great God Pan, Arthur Machen (epub)
• The Dammed Thing, Ambrose Bierce (epub)
• The Invisible Man a Grotesque Romance, H. G. Wells (epub)
• Allan Quatermain, H. Rider Haggard (epub)

Captured

“I am Slagar the Cruel. You are my slaves now.” The silk mask sucked against his face as he spoke. “When I say walk, you walk. If I say run, you run. If I decide you may live, then you will live. If I take it in my head that you may not live, then I will see to it that you die.”

Mattimeo, an Introduction

It has been a while since I read anything from the Redwall collection. Mattimeo is the third volume in Brain Jacques’ Redwall series. The Redwall series give me fodder for future fantasy skirmishes and war games.

Novel Prelude:

“Slagar the Cruel, a demented fox, is determined to vanquish peaceable Redwall. Gathering his mercenary bands of rats, stoats, and weasels, he advances upon the abbey with a cunning scheme-rather than making courageous battles plans he will steal the children of Redwall from under their parents very noses. His prize captive will be Mattimeo, the headstrong son of Matthias, the fearless warrior mouse.

A Wikipedia Article on Fictional Hare and Rabbits

Wikipedia has an interesting compilation of fictional rabbits and hares, albeit they seem to have missed more than a few hares that are mentioned in Brian Jacques, Mossflower. How could they have missed such a cast of hares with the likes of Trubbs, Wother, Ffring, Harebell, Honeydew, Willow, Buffheart, his wife, Lupin, and their two children, Starbuck and Breeze? This is a shameful outrage. What will these hares think?

A Mossflower Prologue

“Late autumn winds sighed fitfully around the open gatehouse door, rustling brown gold leaves in the fading afternoon.

‘Come in, little one, and close the door’

The mouse did as he was bidden.

‘You said that you would tell me a story, Miz Bella.’

The badger nodded slowly.

‘Everything you see about you, the harvest that has been gathered, from the russet apples, to the golden honey, is yours to enjoy in freedom. Listen now, as the breeze sweeps the last autumn leaves off into the world of winter. I will tell you of a time long ago before Redwall Abby was built in Mossflower.’ “

And thus starts another adventure of Matthias the Warrior, the mouse who had helped save the Redwall Abby from the clutches of the fiendish rat, Cluny the Scourge. Mossflower is second in a long series by Brain Jacques about Matthias the Warrior, mouse, the Redwall Abby and its occupants. What a poetic start of one very noble and gallant mouse.

Mossflower, Brain Jacques

Redwall Character Wiki

There are many wonderful characters represented within pages of Redwall. Each character in Redwall has its own unique character. The Redwall Wiki identifies all of Brian Jacques' Redwalls characters, their personalities, and provides biographies for each character.

An Introduction to Redwall

I have started to reading Brian Jacques' Redwall. This is the first in a long series of fantasy novels by this prolific fantasy writer. Redwall is a reference to the Redwall Abbey. The abbey is populated by mice and their meadow and woodland friends. The story has been very spirited and is very imaginative. The story depicts a conflict with Cluny the Scourge. Cluny was the God or War. The story is about the forces of good against the forces of evil.