Species You Wish Had Done More

[JangoCoolguy]

Are there any species you wish had shown up more, played a bigger part, or had been used differently? Here are some I keep thinking about.

Rabbits
You can count the number of times rabbits show up on one hand, they don't stick around very long, and play small roles. Yet they're always interesting, helpful, and have something worthwhile to say.

The weird thing is the series long running gag about many creatures mistaking hares for rabbits, which would greatly imply that rabbits are more common, or at least more well known. I can certainly see them among the moles, hedgehogs, dormice and voles as members of the supporting cast. Why Jacgues didn't do more with them I'll never understand.

Bats
Some might argue that they're too situational to appear often, but there are so many times a tale of Redwall takes us to a cave, tunnel or subterranean area there's ample opportunity for them to show up and help out. Heck, a lot of bats live outside of caves ya know. Heck, they even could've had one live in the abbey's bell tower.

What really interests me is how it was suggested that bats have their own culture in their dark worlds and how they weren't very tough, but still had some fight in them.

Wolves
I mean, COME ON!

Lizards
I know, they showed up often. But they were often random, weak, low level thugs who were easily dealt with and didn't play much of a role. The only ones worth talking about were the Monitors from Pearls of Lutra, and even then most of them went down like scaly chumps. To be fair, a lot of the lizards species that are common to the UK really aren't as tough/cool as some species, but when I think lizards in an adventure/fantasy story, I think of something fast, agile and ferocious.

At the very least I really wish he'd let use their tails a lot more and/or that regeneration thing.  

Toads
In early books they were a problem...then they were just random, downright mindless thugs. My main concern is thinking they should've used their tongues to hit animals or used their hopping abilities to body slam/ram into/crush fools.

Giant Invertebrates  
Mariel of Redwall had a giant lobster and scorpion. Mossflower, Lord Brocktree, and The Legend of Luke had giant crabs. And I have wonder about the stag beetle Cluny made his helmet from.
Come to think of it, I'm surprised Jacques NEVER had a run-in with a big spider or two while he was at it...

Sharks
Them showing up infrequently is awkward enough (though to be fair, them being overused would've been bad too), but Jacques just didn't seem to want to make good use of them. Mind you, I haven't read all the books they've appeared in, but the one from Triss felt more like a nuisance than an actual threat. Hell, Jacques made pike and eels show more common and even scarier!

What about guys? Any underused animals you wish Jacques had used more often or better

[Hickory]

YESSSSS!


Wildcats needed to be used more. Riggu Felis and his catguards were, in my opinion, the most cunning. More cat armies!

[Banya]

I like Jacques' use of seals and sea lions.  They're always friendly, show up at just the right moments, and unlike sharks, understand spoken language.  The seals spinning the Greenshroud around in circles in The Rogue Crew made me laugh out loud.

[The Skarzs]

Wolves, lizards, and giant invertebrates.
Wolves because: "I mean, COME ON!"
Lizards because: There was never a lizard that tried to take over Redwall; that would be cool because an enemy that isn't a mammal leading a siege or attack would be interesting, perhaps even thinking very differently than vermin. Perhaps every one of his soldiers would be intent on not only taking over Redwall, but eating the inhabitants as well. Frightening.
Giant invertebrates: They would probably show up in like a cave or something that they stumble upon and are inevitably eradicated.

[Eulaliaaa!]

I was always very interested in the bats, it would be been cool if they had a bigger role. I'm not sure wolves would've been a good idea, they sound too powerful (kind of like a wolverine from Rackety Tam). I think Brian Jacques could have done a lot with toads, lizards, and giant invertebrates. It would be awesome for a horde of them to attack Redwall.

[MeadowR]

I think at least one proper wolf villain would've been interesting. He included a wolverine which certainly isn't and wasn't a UK species (yes, I know we're told he comes from another land), so a wolf that did use to roam here would've been doable really!

As I've said quite a few times before, with nods to my name - definitely should've been more rabbits. It's just strange knowing how numerous they are that they don't crop up a bit more. Clearly Jacques wasn't a big fan?

Yeah, bats I'd agree. I don't see a big reason why there couldn't have been more bats - and even ones with a community.

I would have even at least once given mention to a deer maybe! I know they're too big for the Redwall universe... but it wouldn't have hurt, even if it was just 'they saw this great antlered beast from a distance', or so.

I dislike them, but I see that there could've been more invertebrates mentioned... imagine the characters coming face to face with a nasty great spider - yuck!

[LT Sandpaw]

All of those really would have been cool to see more of, however what I think lots of people would have liked to see would be birds. granted you see a bird here, and he uses a bird of prey there but you never see and large groups of warrior birds. imagine how dangerous they would be, they could literally be the dominate species if they learned metal workings and made weapons and other such things. I can just imagine more from say, the Sparra.

[JangoCoolguy]

All of those really would have been cool to see more of, however what I think lots of people would have liked to see would be birds. granted you see a bird here, and he uses a bird of prey there but you never see and large groups of warrior birds. imagine how dangerous they would be, they could literally be the dominate species if they learned metal workings and made weapons and other such things. I can just imagine more from say, the Sparra.

That's a really good point. It bothers me how Jacques only used the Sparrows in just 2 books and never again, not even the prequels. It's amazing how he threw out a steady supply of bird friends in favor of having the heroes somehow join up with a bird of prey. Not to mention how it would've been nice if he'd done more with other song birds (Robins, thrushes, and numerous others) or even water fowl.
Playing favorites, Brian

On a related note, anyone else wish there'd been more evil--or at least morally ambiguous--birds of prey?

[James Gryphon]

The way that almost all birds seemed to become completely good is one of the strangest alignment changes in the series.

In the first book, Redwall, we have (besides the Sparra) Captain Snow. While he's a "good guy" in as much as that he's friends with several other protagonists, this alignment is a little shaky, given his propensity to eat mice and shrews. Mossflower famously features Argulor, as well as an unnamed owl at Bat Mountpit. While some (including myself) have made the case that Argulor wasn't exactly a villain, he isn't a protagonist either. At this point in the series, birds of prey seem to be aligned towards evil (or at least antagonistic).

...and then, from Mattimeo onwards, this radically changes. Sir Harry the Muse and Stryk Redkite both appear as invaluable allies for the protagonists. Mariel also features a good owl who saves the main characters' hides. Salamandastron and Martin the Warrior feature birds of prey that are aggressive and dangerous, but at the end of the books, they're all solid good guys. The Bellmaker also has an ally bird, although he leaves before the end of the book. Outcast, Skarlath... then Gerul and other good owls through Marlfox. I'm not going to continue; the point is pretty well made that birds of prey were all good.

So it's established this is a thing. The question is, why? It can't be their natural alignment; all of these rely on mice as a staple food. My best guess is that it has to do with the way they're viewed by the population at large. Most people think of birds of prey as noble animals. So, they are. Simple as that -- even though it seems to contradict their actual existence, where they continually feed on what the series has established are the good guys.

I think I preferred birds of prey as how they were portrayed in the first two books -- aggressive, a little mysterious, and extremely dangerous. It gave a little balance to the books, knowing that there was a creature around that could devour any of the main characters, and it required them to keep their wits about them. It doesn't help that some of the birds were used as deus ex machinas -- blatantly so in Mariel, where the heroes blunder into a trap and are only saved because an owl happened to be around.

On a side note, I liked your portrayal of an owl as a villain in your fanfiction about the bat, and hope that story is completed at some point.

[Hickory]

BJ obviously based his books off of real life animals (well, his first one or two) so it isn't surprising to make Snow an antagonist.

[Izeroth]

 I don't wish wolves had been used more. I think it's a good thing that wolves are mysterious-- wolves have been eradicated from the British Isles, after all, and they aren't exactly common in mainland Europe. If wolves were used more, they could easily have become boring and commonplace, and thus lost the sense of mystery.

[Hickory]

Who agrees with me: The coneslingers didn't get enough pages in the book. Huh?

[Eulaliaaa!]

I agree, the Coneslingers weren't big enough characters. I barely remember them (from Triss, right?), and Brian Jacques should be either made them bigger characters, or just get rid of them and have the characters solve their problem on their own.

[urthstripe]

I think herons.

[Banya]

I often forget about Mokug the golden hamster in Triss.  He was the only one of his species in the series.