Might be a little vague, but hey.
What character did you wish you could have seen more of, who, for whatever reason, was removed from the story? Did the book end before they fully developed?
Warning: Spoilers.
To start off my favorite short-lived characters, I'm bringing in Queen Warbeak, and actually, all the sparrows.
I thought it was very unfortunate, and a great misfortune, on how easily the sparrows were killed in Mattimeo. Warbeak was apparently a good friend to Matthias through the gap of time we didn't see, and I wish she did not die. Indeed, I really miss all the sparrows. They were present for one book before they were all but wiped out, and I thought there was a chance the survivors could have expanded their breed. But, in all the books of the time after Mattimeo, there was no mention of the sparrows.
Big Drander from the Rogue Crew was a bitter loss. Sure, he was not the brightest hare in Salamandastron, nor the best example, but just as he was becoming more in depth, starting to change and develop . . . He gets killed by an arrow. At least if he had been turned toward the fight instead of with his back to it, he would have gone down a little better in my mind. Despite that, he is still a missed character.
There are other characters that could have used some more development before the book ended, like Urthwhite or whatever his name was, from Salamandastron.
So, who do you think could have had some work on them, or were removed from the story?
I must agree with you with the Sparrows, also Friar Hugo was another good one that died to soon.
I like this topic. I agree with you on Drander from The Rogue Crew. Swiffo, from the same book, was another who died too quickly. I had to re-read that paragraph a couple times to fully grasp that he'd died.
Hmm . . . Swiffo was that otter who got killed when they burst through the gate, wasn't he?
No, that was Kite the Slayer, another otter who I wish hadn't been such a minor character. Swiffo was killed by Ketral Vane, the leader of the gang of foxes that lived in the woods.
That whole book was full of characters like that, it seemed. :P
Nice topic.
I was shocked by Skalrag's death in Martin the Warrior because it came so soon. I wanted him to live longer throughout the novel. The character had potential for interesting scenes.
In agreement about Friar Hugo and the sparrows.
More coming soon, if I think of them.
Quote from: Skyblade on December 20, 2015, 07:04:55 AM
I was shocked by Skalrag's death in Martin the Warrior because it came so soon. I wanted him to live longer throughout the novel. The character had potential for interesting scenes.
Come to think of it, yes; he would have been an interesting character to have stayed. But, some characters must die.
Another one that was disappointing but expected was Feldoh, he was awesome.
From the same book, Juniper was a death that hit me. Though a minor character, his youthful and determined personality were evident in the way he was introduced and interacted with the other characters, particularly Felldoh. His death was a necessary trigger for Felldoh, but that didn't make it easier.
Also, years ago, Juniper reminded me of my little brother, so I have a special place in my heart for the character.
I wanted more of Ranguvar from The Legend of Luke. I know her death was necessary for sacrifice, but it would've been cool to see her in, say, another novel.
I agree with the idea of Friar Hugo and Warbeak being underdeveloped characters. I also would have liked to read more about those tribes of rats in Loamhedge. The ones in the desert that stole all the food and water. We really didn't get to know much about them, though I do think it would have been interesting.
Malkariss also was a let down. It was just a polecat. All of that mystery and power, and underground too, makes it appear to be a terrible creature of myth. And it was just a polecat... ;D
I don't mind that Malkariss was just a polecat. What I didn't like about that was... him. He was a disappointment and I was expecting much more. I get that he was old and dying, but there wasn't even a hint of what he might have once been when he was young. I mean, he had to be something great or he would have never gotten into the position he was in. And I understand that being stoned to death by his own slaves was supposed to be the slaves getting their revenge... but he just curled up and died so easily.
I would have loved to read more about him in his younger days, it would have been interesting.
Brian Jacques probably knew how he was going to end it and was running out of inspiration. Or maybe he just didn't want to delve into him as much and leave us wondering. The imagination makes almost everything sound more mysterious and wonderful than it really is.
Quote from: Delthion on December 24, 2015, 06:31:07 AM
The imagination makes almost everything sound more mysterious and wonderful than it really is.
I completely agree with this, and I've always figured this to be why the main protagonist is rarely my favourite character: I come to know the protagonist too well.
In the case of more minor characters, I appreciate when pieces of the character's story are given, even if the entire backstory of a great character isn't offered.
Besides, this is great material for fanfics. ;)
The Mask and Ketral Vane are two I liked.
Throwbacks from Long Patrol.
Oh man. . . Yeah, that one hare that fought off the Vermin while Midge(?) and Tammo could escape. . . I really liked him.
Rockjaw Grang? Yeah. (And with that last post, I meant Trowbaggs. Not whatever autocorrect posted.)
Who was the corporal in Rakkety Tam? He fought the vermin for a while until his rapier broke.
Quote from: Delthion on January 06, 2016, 04:20:20 PM
Who was the corporal in Rakkety Tam? He fought the vermin for a while until his rapier broke.
Butty.
Thank you my good sir! ;D
Even though there is nothing written about how they died, two of the less-developed characters/extras that I really appreciated were Lousewart and Sneezewart from the Long Patrol!
In terms of actual short-lived characters, I'd say Major Frunk, the Dragon Slayer from High Rhulain, was an awesome character
I would like to have seen his origin a bit. . . Hey, that's what fan fictions are for! :P
I did an origin story for Verdauga and Ungatt Trunn on the other forum.
What about Rose? She was greatly developed and when she was about to get through "the art of war" she is slained ( In a laughable way I can say). How Badrang could slain Rose so easily and with so much force is beyond my thinking. Getting three stones at a short distance in the head and still manage to kill someone by lifting him easily and throwing him into a far wall is unimaginable. He was a stoat after all, not as strong as a wildcat or badger ( still being able to stand against Martin ). I liked the TV Series more becuase Rose's death is much more well designed. In the book the ending is sad (probably the saddest from all the Redwall books) but in the animated version the ending is devastating. It is a shame that such a good character is not mentioned in any of the books following "Martin the Warrior". Her talents could have been used in the following adventures.
Well, a lot of people don't like Rose very much because she was a Mary Sue, and while her death was sad, she did have her full story in the book and her it was necessary.