MathLuk’s Top 13 Redwall Fanfics!

[MathLuk]

Hi, guys and girls!

Today, we will be diving into the deep oceans of Redwall Fanfiction! Without SCUBA gear! Here, we will look at the (definitely, absolutely, completely unbiased) best fanfictions of the entirety of the Redwall fandom! Each one will be up one day after the last, with the champion being revealed on Christmas Day!

Of course, all lists have their requirements. Mine are as follows...

1. The fanfic must take place in a Redwall universe.
2. The fanfic must have more than three chapters. One-shots probably deserve a list of their own.
3. The fanfic must be on FF.net, for the sake of simplicity.
4. The fanfic must be read be me at one point in its entirety.
5. The fanfic must be the only nomination from an author - one author, one fic or series.
6. The fanfic must not be written my me myself.

Without further ado... scratch that. Number 13 will be up soon. Within 24 hours, in fact!

[The Grey Coincidence]

Major props to you Wayway! I look forwards to seeing your list!

[Sebias of Redwall]

Ooh! Interesting... I, too, look forward to seeing your list!

[One-Eye the wildcat]

^^^

[MathLuk]

13. Dungeons and Adders Duology, by circa1994

Dungeons and Adders is an experiment of sorts. The author clearly has experience in tabletop roleplaying, and brought it into Redwall's world.

The main character is an otter called Hastings, who is mistaken for vermin and taken to fort as a prisoner alongside a pine marten called List. List is a user of magic, and so they escape from the facility with relative ease.

As the duo (and List's familiar) escape the grasp of the woodlanders, the author clearly exhibits his grasp on the world of the mystical. The world is like a stereotypical RPG, but with more fur. Monsters roam the land, and cities and towns dot the maps, as opposed to forests and woodlands in the original Redwall universe.

In short, this was an experiment done well. As a fan of hard magic and fantasy, I pretty much fell in love with this fic. A bit.

Of course, there are many reasons why this fic doesn't get a higher place. Black and white morality is still present, this time with all 'vermin' on the good side, with Hastings as the only exception as of now. Speaking of Hastings, character development is lacking throughout the story, with characters staying mostly the same throughout. The glut of action compounds the fic's troubles. It is interesting at first to see Hastings and List use their abilities against vermin-hunters for the first time, but after a while it gets all too monotonous.

This fic also has a side story called 'Fifth Column', which illustrates the life of two vermin, Skuld the blind fox and Adraste the mink. They, like Hastings and List, get captured in the very first chapter, though their stay in Salamandastron is extended due to the hares' attempts to 'civilise' the vermin, all while the mountain is in danger of falling to the paws of a vermin horde. The morality aspect is more nuanced here, though the focus on magic is marginalised, and the woodlanders are as vile as ever.

Overall, it is a good casual read, though not-so-avid readers should forsake it for other nominations on this list.

Links: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11911223/1/Dungeons-Adders and https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12175673/1/Dungeons-Adders-Fifth-Column

[MathLuk]

12. Sixclaw, by One-Eye the Wildcat

Many people have made their own changes to the world of Redwall, but Sixclaw takes the cake. GUNS! TECHNOLOGY! DARK HUMOUR! MAGIC! These things are what the author has to offer in Sixclaw.

Sixclaw the Wildcat (who has nothing at all to do with Veil or Swartt) teams up with the forces of Fort Skull, led by One-Eye the other wildcat, to fight against the evil Dragon Queen and her magical allies alongside the help of Deyna the Taggerung.

Everything makes sense in context - not. No it doesn't. And perhaps that's why it's good, actually. Of course, this fic never even made a single attempt to take itself seriously, which creates a dissonance between Sixclaw and the regular Redwall world. This dissonance (and liberal usage of fourth-wall breakage) do assist in getting a laugh out of you.

Compared to Dungeons and Adders, this probably gets a higher spot just because of just how bizarre it is, and the fact that nobeast (with the sole exception of Deyna) could even be remotely considered 'goodbeasts'.

That said, insanity does have its disadvantages. The grammar and spelling of this fic can be improved by a lot, and the author clearly has trouble tying up a few loose plot ends. And like the previous fic, this one also places an extrodinary emphasis on action - not necessarily always a good thing.

Overall, if One-Eye wrote a fic with an other concept, it does have the possibility do become one among many forgotten fics, or one among less-than-many fics that are simply so bad they're good. Sixclaw isn't so bad it's good, it's so horrible it's perfect, and it should be read with this in mind.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13120802/1/

[MathLuk]

11. Ætharr of Calador, by Bob Stage

Medieval history ranks high amongst my passions. Mashing medieval politics into the world of Redwall is a sure bet for my attention, like The Blood Between Us, for instance. But this is not that fic.

Ætharr of Calador is a four-part fic series about a weasel lordship in the middle of Mossflower. The author said that he had an interest in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories, and it showed in his fics as obviously as the sun in the sky.

The main protagonist is Ætharr, a young weasel cheated out of his inheritance by his uncle, and who musters support to recover his lordship. A nice trope, the usurping uncle. Meanwhile, Judos, a teenager from Redwall steals Martin's sword and goes east in search of adventure, totally unaware of the consequences of finding it, all while Salamandastron's old ruler starts losing control of his three sons.

Within the three fics that has already received their accolades, Ætharr could be considered a model protagonist. Hastings is basically an MMORPG protagonist who can be moulded and customised, while One-Eye is so insane that there are few people rooting for him. Ætharr (if I don't use the ash-rune æ, Bob will probably kill me brutally), on the other paw, is the definition of a tragic hero. He is kind, generous to his followers and his friends, a good husband as it turns out,  is very honourable - a saint amongst vermin.

But get on Ætharr's bad side and he will summon all the wrath that a verminlord can muster. Like a hero of a Greek tragedy, he has flaws that result in his undoing - his obstinacy to stick to his honour is the largest. But that same stubbornness that helps him recover what he loses - just in time for another loss. Death after death, betrayal after betrayal, and you'll start to feel for him.

While this fic is much more appealing than the last two, it has flaws as well. Ætharr faces a wide selection of foes, but while some are genuine conflicts which keep your attention on the pages (Ælfer, Roaveen), others are sadly not - you simply know that Ætharr is going to triumph. Six out of ten foes of Ætharr possess the same personality, which sucks away a bit of enjoyment. Another complaint is for the lords to scheme against each other for reasons too petty to moan about, but vermin are vermin, I suppose. In real life, there are some lords who are more cautious than the ones shown here, who are too adventurous to keep their positions and lives. The ending is also quite hamfisted. Touching as it may be, to have thirty chapters of tension be broken by one chapter reeks of missed opportunities, though ending a fic is indeed hard for most authors.

This fic is amongst the best of historical fanfictions set in the Redwall universe, but there are still flaws contained within. Still, it is given that a history buff would love Ætharr and the world his author created.

Link to the author: https://m.fanfiction.net/u/835155/

[MathLuk]

10. Cold and Dark, by Kelaiah

After hard magic, technology and political intrigue, we finally get a fic that could pass as a Redwall novel.

The main character of Cold and Dark is a pine marten prince named Dernwyn, who (you may have guessed) gets his place usurped by the wildcat Zurzak, who has an unhealthy fixation on the marten. Due to this, Dernwyn gets to live, and he flees to Redwall Abbey, where he, as 'Miru', quickly befriends the Skipper who has problems of his own.

Like Ætharr's series, this fic makes you think as you feel. Unlike Ætharr, Miru wants to abandon his past, not recover it. Running away to Redwall helps him create a new future, but the only way to deal with the past is to face it head-on.

Miru is the first protagonist on this list who you will actually pity. Losing his entire family and kingdom made him even more skittish and withdrawn than he already was. The situation does improve once he gets to Redwall, with Skipper Rorac doing his best to help him.

Which brings us to another factor why this fic ranks this high. Miru and Rorac's relationship. They seem to emanate brotherly love from the moment Rorac finds Miru. I like how the author makes sure that it is not presented as a perfect relationship, as both beasts have their secrets that they are very reluctant to reveal. In fact, they only do so when their life and reputation (respectively) are in danger of being lost forever.

That said, this fic does have its downsides. Having both the villains be obsessed with a protagonist (Zurzak to Dernwyn, Rasouk to Rorac) doesn't exactly display variety. Any mention of Dernwyn's kingdom fades from the halfway point, which creates a plot hole of quite large proportions.

In short, this is a delightful read. Due to its relatively short length, one can easily finish it in a month, and the month you choose to read it in will be brilliant.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/3355275/1/

[MathLuk]

9.The Outlander by Sandy Brushtail

Everybody loves Japan, apparently. After all, they had made good anime and manga! (Although for every good anime there is also at least two not-so-good anime.) The Japanese also make good food, but the main point of this review is Japanese history, despite my cravings for sushi's protests. Sandy had this nice idea of setting Redwall in Japan, a land of samurai and ninjas and castles and shoguns and all that.

The main character of this fic, set between Mattimeo and Pearls of Lutra, is Sandokhan, a fox who is a samurai in training. Him being foreign-born makes him many enemies, but his mild manners and gentle personality makes more friends, chief amongst them the otter Wataru. When their homeland is overrun by the Stormvermin, led by the ferocious rat Ikkit Claw, Sandokhan calls for help in the most unlikely of places. For those of you who still don't know, that place is  a certain Redwall Abbey, with a certain Mattimeo as Abbey Warrior.

Sandokhan is a beast of many virtues, but chief of them is honour - which, not coincidentally, is the Japanese top virtue. As Emperor Meiji (and Lan Mandragoran) once said, 'duty is heavier than a mountain, death is lighter than a feather'. But this honour does not make him blind to reason - far from it. Perhaps this is why he is so satisfying to read.

Speaking of satisfying, seeing the Redwall warrior fight alongside samurai is awesome, to be honest. Oh, and Cheek Stag Otter as well - can't believe I missed him! It truly sounds like something from an anime, which sounds implausible, but it can work, as Deltora Quest did.

Although this fic can get confusing at some points, and the usage of the katana in battle is overrated (like in anime again), these are but small imperfections in an amazing read. Just why aren't there more of these fics?

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/5309931/1/The-Outlander-A-Tale-of-Redwall-FINAL-EDIT

[MathLuk]

8. The Vermin Badger Series by cairn destop

What constitutes a 'vermin'?

That question is one of many key points in this series, featuring the badgermum of Redwall in seven stories. Tassel the badger sow has been declared vermin by a tribunal due to the crimes she had previously committed against Salamandastron (she used to be a pirate), and was sent to Redwall as a punishment. Long story short, she ends up being a strict but fair badgermum, beloved by all (well, almost all) of her charges, all while the quintessential Redwall plot happens around her. Oh, and had I mentioned she being disfigured in the battle which led to her being captured in the first place?

An average Redwall novel or a fic would have a teenage protagonist (or a child struggling to find his or her place in the world) - the beginning of a hero. Tassels problem isn't finding her place, but accepting it. She is one of the more intriguing protagonists I have read about, being capable of great kindness and great rage. As with all badgermums, she is downright cruel to beasts who see fit to mistreat or abuse her children - including other dibbuns. Yipe!

The villains of each story (if any) are handled very well. Especially in Invaders of Redwall - it is hard to see a proper army, instead of a horde, invading Redwall for once. The vermin are also quite intelligent, if, as always, overly confident in their own abilities. Even fics with no main antagonist work well - by these I mean the first and last fics. All seven fics play with your emotions well. Some moments warrant smiles while others warrant tears, and quite a few jarring moments occur.

This fic's problems are limited to a lack of accented speech and characters ageing in human terms, which are completely understandable. In a way, the eighth place is too low for such a work - it is truly a pity as well as a blessing that there are still seven to go. That, and the fact that I have written none of them.

Link to the author: https://m.fanfiction.net/u/571479/Cairn-Destop

[MathLuk]

7. Warrior of Redwall by Scyphi

Being in charge isn't always about telling people what to do. Sometimes, it's about knowing when to step out of the way of people who know what they're doing.
- Tam al'Thor, A Memory of Light

Like Cold and Dark before it, Warrior of Redwall possesses a more Redwall-like nature compared to its more adventurous counterparts. This fic is much longer though, and seatbelts need to be buckled up before any attempt to read.

The main character is Kani, a fox who gets dispossessed of his inheritance by his advisor. (Ooh! A triple!) A village under his rule is building up a rebellion to recover its own freedom, and Kani is forced to join up with one of its leaders. Meanwhile, Redwall Abbey encounters a problem in the form of a dangerous cult.

This is amongst the first of many Redwall fics I have read, and it has kept its good impression on me. Descriptions of locations are detailed, but not as detailed as the descriptions of character thoughts. The protagonists are well-written, and it is easy for one to put themselves in their places - Kani must have inspired my take on one of two Thordans (take a guess) subconsciously - and all of them are relatable in one way or another.

That said, the antagonists can be handled better - one of the backdrops of black and white morality stories is simply the fact that the villains are less complex and multi-faceted than the heroes. Surely political intrigue would make for villains to have a goal other than 'take over and do a lot of things', one might think. To be fair to Scyphi, Jacques kinda did the same thing.

To conclude, Warrior of Redwall is the most Redwallish fic on this list, and there is nothing wrong with nostalgia. I hope that I will enjoy its two prequels, and it is a real shame that this fic is not higher up on the list.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4942715/1/

[MathLuk]

6. Weaves of Destiny by Divebomber

Prophecy is most dangerous when you try to make it happen... The Pattern weaves itself around you, but when you try to weave it, even you cannot hold it.
- Moiraine Damodred, The Shadow Rising

Starting in 2013, Weaves of Destiny is an ambitious project. I mean, Divebomber has a no story written after 2017 in his list of favourite fics. He's quite venerable in the fandom.

The main protagonist is Ewalt, dubbed the Ghost by deeds and character. In this case, he made quite the impression on the vermin king Kunas by seemingly coming back from the dead. A bloody battle later, Kunas is dead, and Ewalt is allied to vermin, all while seers from all lands are plagued with the most horrifying amongst all visions.

This time, I will not talk about the protagonist. Of course, Ewalt deserves to be talked about a lot, but he is the central figure by only a small margin. Around the mouse lie many characters just as developed as he is. Suran Longspear the warrior fox. King Gwynfren of Southsward. Captain Aldwin of the Long Patrol. Et cetera et et cetera. But the highlight (at least for me) is Badgerlady Violet. For those who don't know, she's the same Badgerlady from The Rogue Crew!

The author also places a significant emphasis on action scenes, though not to the extent of the likes of Dungeons and Adders or Sixclaw. It is like good sauce to marinate food - not too much to overwhelm the taste, but not too little to not make any effect. The magic is also well written - one of the best soft magic systems I have read.

The biggest problem with this fic is it sacrificing depth for variety too much, but I suppose this happens in all widespread fics. Oh, and probably updating too little. But anyways, the next update is one to be awaited. And the next. And the next. Until the end.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/9728772/1/

[MathLuk]

5. The Grey Warlord by Sebias of Redwall

We'll remember those who fell, and we'll tell our children how we stood when the clouds turned black and the world started to die. We'll tell them we stood shoulder to shoulder, and there was just no space for the Shadow to squeeze through.
- Perrin Aybara, A Memory of Light

The Grey Warlord is Sebias's first fic, and it showed. The writing at the beginning was sloppy, to say the least, but like all writers, myself included, it fortunately got better - much better.

Like Weaves of Destiny, The Grey Warlord is a fic with more than one central character, with a protagonist only nominally so in some cases. That shrew would be Tragg, son of Broge, who is the Chief of the Northtrekker Clan. When the clan is attacked and scattered by searats, Tragg flees with what's left of his family.

Meanwhile, Salamandastron is attacked, a Redwall teenager has dreams of Martin, a few hordes form a league... pretty much standard Redwall stuff.

But wait! There's more! The titular character is King Ironspear, a wildcat who has... er, what's the right word? Ambitions. Yes. Lots of ambitions that all involve messing with everyone. And we're not sure that he will even be the main villain...

The Grey Warlord is no experiment, not at first. It starts off as your average Redwall story, but takes on its own identity around the end of Book I. You simply know that something alien is going on, and that is not a bad thing. Not in the slightest.

The appearance of Ironspear is a clear indication that Sebias has read The Urthblood Saga by Highwing. The wildcat has the same propensity for deception as the badgerlord, though even more mystery is given to him., despite being the title character. While this can muddle the expectations of the reader, I believe that Ironspear will be better written with the passage of time.

I had trouble placing this fic and Weaves of Destiny. Although Weaves had better character development, Sebias did a much better job at propelling the plot forward than Divebomber. The Grey Warlord deserves a spot in the top five, and I cannot wait to witness the birth of its two planned sequels.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13153108/1/The-Grey-Warlord

[MathLuk]

4. The Chains that Bind Us and the Blood Between Us by Jade TeaLeaf

You can never know everything, and part of what you know is always wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing that. A portion of courage lies in going on anyway.
- Lan Mandragoran, Winter's Heart

Ah. This one.

This duology is a significant part of why I write. A very significant part, considering my fics are technically a continuation of these two. Judging them objectively (relatively speaking) was hard, but after close to two hours of thinking (on a plane), they fell just short of the top four.

Chains has two protagonists: impulsive
Brink Rufeshodd the otter, and cowardly Keetch the fox. These two are quite literally chained to one another at the beginning of their story, and they don't get free until chapter 12 or so. They still stuck together, and remain so until they get to Redwall. Then things get interesting, and by interesting I mean the hectic kind of interesting. Vermin hordes, monsters, seers and stuff.

Blood is set twenty-two seasons after Chains, and it has three protagonists instead of two this time. Asch Waycaster is a ferret soldier raised by Southward's woodlanders (who is secretly the Taggerung), Miria Wildshore is Brink's niece currently searching for him, while Lord Keetch Swalestrom (not related) has a kingdom to run. All while a neighbouring kingdom threatens Southsward - I shall stop here to avoid spoilers.

Jade has a significant grasp on the dramatic, and the development of characters. Brink and Keetch make one of the best pairs in Redwall Fanfiction - not too similar to make their relationship boring, and not too different to render their personalities incompatible. Although this level of close cooperation is not seen in Blood's three main characters (Miria never even meets the other two), this can be excused by the main's close relationships with the supporting characters: Asch with his squad, Miria with her companions, and Keetch with his family. The antagonists may not deserve as much special mention as other fics on this list, but they are handled relatively well. They had potential rendered useless by Jade abandoning the projects.

Another praiseworthy aspect of the duology is it's usage of different genres. Chains is a plain and simple adventure story mixed with a few hints of a war story, particularly after chapter 50, while Blood is another matter - Jade wanted to create Redwall's own Song of Ice and Fire, and I can see the direction she's going.

Overall, this is a good fic to read (and I assume a better one to write). We will wait for your return, Jade, as nobody can write like you. Me least of all.

Links: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4089014/1/The-Chains-that-Bind-Us
AND https://m.fanfiction.net/s/8856621/1/The-Blood-Between-Us

[MathLuk]

3. Black and White by The Grey Coinicidence

Almost dead yesterday, maybe dead tomorrow, but alive, gloriously alive, today.
- Matrim Cauthon, The Fires of Heaven

Black and White is The Grey Coincidence's first foray into the Redwall universe, but he handles it just fine.

This story's protagonist is Fret the ferret, who was adopted by Redwallers at a young age. Being of a species long considered to be vermin made him no friends, and his irascible and sensitive personality did not help matters.

When he is 'kidnapped' by a vermin crew (NOT a horde), a misunderstanding or two leads to all of Redwall's dibbuns being taken. Scattered throughout the whole world, woodlander must work with vermin to return home. But where IS home?

Grey has a way with characters more than any author on the list before him, with the possible exception of Jade, who deliberately sacrificed character development for propelling the plot forward. No such problem here - the author carefully manages the balance between plot and characters well, with a mere one or two characters being wholly unsympathetic to the audience.

But the reason why this fic is so high on this list is it's ability to raise more questions. Like the Vermin Badger series, a critical problem in this fic is the difference between woodlanders and vermin. Each woodlander gets paired up with a vermin to bond, and that perhaps can shatter the worldview of either beast.

In conclusion, Black and White is a philosophical read, but not without moments of humour (good humour, as I may add). It achieves a balance between different aspects of a good fic, and with this said, entirely deserves a place within the top 3.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12679554/1/Black-and-White