Commentary on the Book Martin the Warrior

[Wylder Treejumper]

For discussion related to the book Martin the Warrior.

@James Gryphon: If these topics are considered unnecessary please delete.

[belle]

Who doesnt like Martin the Warrior? Its a heavy, dark, emotional book, one I dont reread often, but its powerful, gripping and beautiful. The conflict that grows between Brome and Felldoh, a peaceful youngster and a hardened warrior,

Felldoh, Rose, and Martin Major Arcs

Felldoh's epic death, the conflict within Martin between fighting to uphold what's right and his occasional reckless, vengeful feelings, and Rose's death,

[close]

and so much more - all epic. Martin is just an awesome character.

[alexandre]

Giant Martin The Warrior Spoiler Warning, If You Have Not Read It All The Way To The End, Do Not Look

Spoiler

Rose Died... Rose Died... Rose Died... Rose Died... Rose Died... Rose Died... Rose Died...Rose Died...
Rose Died Rose Died rose dies rose died rose died rose dies Rose Is Dead
I have trouble rereading the book, I have to stop myself from bursting into tears anytime she talks to Martin  I don't know how Jacques did it, but I was much more affected by Rose's death than I usually am to that sort of thing in literature, It is like Jacques' writing reached into my soul and twisted the fibers of emotion that create sadness.  I didn't even cry when Dumbledore died 

Sometimes it is even hard not to cry during *Mossflower* when Martin tells his lie about how he came to Mossflower, knowing the hardships he has faced 

[close]

[Cornflower MM]

DUDE! SPOILERS!

Not that they are for me, but. . . . . That's a massive spoiler.

[alexandre]

DUDE! SPOILERS!

Not that they are for me, but. . . . . That's a massive spoiler.

     I fixed it, gosh, I forgot to put the spoiler. Thanks for the reminder

[Ashleg]

Odd one out.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I didn't give a flyin' sheep about Rose and I still don't.

The rest of the book was decent.
Not one of my favorites but still good, and Felldoh and Brome were really something.

So was Badrang, but Clogg repeatedly tread on my nerves.

[alexandre]

Odd one out.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I didn't give a flyin' sheep about Rose and I still don't.

The rest of the book was decent.
Not one of my favorites but still good, and Felldoh and Brome were really something.

So was Badrang, but Clogg repeatedly tread on my nerves.

I       Don't      Understand your View on Rose, Clogg was awesome comic relief.

[Ashleg]

I don't understand what you guys see in her either!
For me, she was just extremely boring and had no outstanding traits besides her singing voice and the fact she loved Martin.
Cornflower was so much more appealing.

Clogg was annoying.

[Groddil]

I don't understand what you guys see in her either!
For me, she was just extremely boring and had no outstanding traits besides her singing voice and the fact she loved Martin.
Cornflower was so much more appealing.

Clogg was annoying.

[alexandre]

But Clogg was FUNNY. In Redwall, the comic relief is often the secondary villain, how was he annoying?

[NileJoy]

Huh, long time since last post 

Spoiler

It seems like Rose's death is everything this book was about, which is false.
The evolution of some characters during the book is nicely built, and the number 1 priority of the protagonist seems unchangeable, which leads to the loss of everything else. This makes me think of the wrong habit of choosing the materialistic goods over love and familiy, or it teaches us that the will of a warrior is as strong as something we can't move or destroy.
Now the thing with Rose, some people get affected and some not. This relays on our personality. One can be more emotional and care more about some characters than the other. And also there is this belief with living at the same time with the characters and taking part in their actions, like you are there in the same place with them, when reading a book. The personality of Rose made a lot of readers to treat her as their own friend rather than a hero because of her tenderness. And that's why her death in the end hurt us as much as the one of a real friend. There is also the sad aftermath. I'm not a big fan of the ending of the book as I said in one of my posts, that's why I consider the ending of the book based cartoon better and sadder, accompanied by that song also.
The other category of readers are much more attracted by characters with a strong personality, full of dynamism, who act in an astonishing way in battles and stressful situations. Characters that are funny, cunning,
ingenios. In this case Rose doesn't have much to offer. It's like she's standing in Martin's shadow, and her death make these readers to care more about the suffering of the Warrior, rather than the ending itself.
Now, I'm not a psychologist, this is just my opinion based on different studies on readers' reactions, posts, and character development. Also I don't like to reread books, I don't find the point in reading anymore something that has its action well known to me. Of course, if you want to feel again some emotions, go ahead, but you can't feel all the emotions that book gave you in the first place.
Also I find it necessary to tell the ones who read the book recently, or are experiencing the same feelings again to chill out, many of us felt the same way like you, but the thing is, in the end, every character from that book or the books that follow it will die sooner or later, by sword or by age, or will dissapear mysteriously (the ones who read all the books will know what I say). And even though Brian Jacques himself said that the series have nothing to do with religion, still we see in his writtings references to after life ( like the Dark Forest or Hellgates ). The best example is in the book Mossflower, in the end.
As funny as it seems, yes, there are people that sensitive, many of them won't hurt a fly, but this is another proof that every human is different.
P.S Vulpuz is actually a fox, his name resembles the italian word for fox, as well as the romanian one

[close]

[Ashleg]

But Clogg was FUNNY. In Redwall, the comic relief is often the secondary villain, how was he annoying?

How he was not annoying is past me, as the things I deem annoying were probably the ones you said were funny.

[Maudie]

On the subject of Clogg, I quite enjoyed him as comic relief. One of my favorite moments was when the hare asked him to give his word on something and he placed his hand on his stomach because he valued his stomach over his heart.

But my favorite scene in the entire book was the comedic skit by the players. The one with the drum...gah! I barely remember it.

[Ashleg]

I should reread MTW so I can get annoyed by Rose again!

[redtooth]

Today I finished MTW for the first time. It was a nice book. The situation with Rose at the end was sad and undexpected for me. I thought Clogg was very funny. Also you should lookup what 'clogg' means. It has multiple meanings which all are linked with his behaviour .

Anyway, one thing I dont get in this book. Its the map. Why are the hills in the south called "the northhills" and the cliffs in the north "the southcliffs"? This confused me during reading and also frustrated me a bit. Maybe someone has an explaining, or is it a mistake?

Kind Greetings,

Redtooth, first captain.