Newcomer to Books

[Dag414]

I'll try to keep this short.

As a kid I adored the Redwall TV series and recently I was looking back on how mature it got at certain scenes for a cartoon like that. Also as a kid I never knew about the books (awful I know).

My question is as a 20 year old will I enjoy the books still or is it more of a childhood nostalgic enjoyment? I understand the books are aimed mostly towards kids. Doing my research before this post I was slightly put off by what people said when reading them again as an adult (Gives me regret I didn't explore this amazing world as a child) but I'm slightly tempted just by what I felt from the TV series as a kid and the fantasy setting/world.

[Hickory]

Hey Dag.

First of all, it's not a problem to have seen the TV series before the books. There are a few othe people on the forums who've done the same.

Second, you will find the books to be pretty different than the TV series. Faster paced, more in depth. I prefer the books, to be honest.

And welcome to the forums.

[Jetthebinturong]

While I agree with everything Sage said, none of it answered your question.

In my opinion: Yes. I really enjoyed the Redwall books as a kid, and now I find them okay. They're not the best books I've read, not by a long shot, but they are entertaining. They're a little formulaic and the moral divide is far too strong for my tastes. There's also little to no lore. There are two books which are just flat out unrealistic in their portrayal of nature and nurture. I am of course speaking of Outcast of Redwall, in which a ferret raised by peaceful woodlanders is evil... just because, and The Taggerung which has an otter raised by vermin who is good... just because. Outcast has a few compelling characters though and Taggerung is a bit more mature in its themes than a lot of the other books. I'd say read Mossflower, the best book, and if you like it, read the rest of them.

They can be read in any order but Mattimeo hinges upon Redwall, The Bellmaker hinges upon Mariel of Redwall, and The Taggerung hinges upon Marlfox which hinges upon The Long Patrol which hinges upon Pearls of Lutra which partly hinges upon Mattimeo. The Long Patrol also hinges on Mossflower. Oh, and Legend of Luke hinges upon Martin the Warrior and Mossflower.

The chronological order is:

Spoiler

Lord Brocktree
Martin the Warrior
Mossflower
The Legend of Luke
Outcast of Redwall
Mariel of Redwall
The Bellmaker
Salamandastron
Redwall
Mattimeo
The Pearls of Lutra
The Long Patrol
Marlfox
The Taggerung
Triss
Loamhedge
Rakkety Tam
High Rhulain
Eulalia
Doomwyte
The Sable Quean
The Rogue Crew

[close]

[Skyblade]

I also recommend the Redwall books. There are adults who enjoy them as well Why don't you try?

And welcome to the forum! You can introduce yourself in this thread! http://redwallabbey.com/forum/index.php?topic=177.0

[Dag414]

While I agree with everything Sage said, none of it answered your question.

In my opinion: Yes. I really enjoyed the Redwall books as a kid, and now I find them okay. They're not the best books I've read, not by a long shot, but they are entertaining. They're a little formulaic and the moral divide is far too strong for my tastes. There's also little to no lore. There are two books which are just flat out unrealistic in their portrayal of nature and nurture. I am of course speaking of Outcast of Redwall, in which a ferret raised by peaceful woodlanders is evil... just because, and The Taggerung which has an otter raised by vermin who is good... just because. Outcast has a few compelling characters though and Taggerung is a bit more mature in its themes than a lot of the other books. I'd say read Mossflower, the best book, and if you like it, read the rest of them.

They can be read in any order but Mattimeo hinges upon Redwall, The Bellmaker hinges upon Mariel of Redwall, and The Taggerung hinges upon Marlfox which hinges upon The Long Patrol which hinges upon Pearls of Lutra which partly hinges upon Mattimeo. The Long Patrol also hinges on Mossflower. Oh, and Legend of Luke hinges upon Martin the Warrior and Mossflower.

The chronological order is:

Spoiler

Lord Brocktree
Martin the Warrior
Mossflower
The Legend of Luke
Outcast of Redwall
Mariel of Redwall
The Bellmaker
Salamandastron
Redwall
Mattimeo
The Pearls of Lutra
The Long Patrol
Marlfox
The Taggerung
Triss
Loamhedge
Rakkety Tam
High Rhulain
Eulalia
Doomwyte
The Sable Quean
The Rogue Crew

[close]

Thanks for the friendly introductions guys! And I appreciate everyone helping me out. As Jetthebinturong said I will try Mossflower and see if I enjoy it.

Just going to say that what reminded me of Redwall all over again was an indie game called Armello which was slightly inspired by it in terms of art and maybe world? Just it has magic which as far as I know Redwall doesn't. Even the developers said they were fans on their Kickstarter page for it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-bg0YqwfE0

[LordTBT]

The reading level is geared toward a younger audience. At 20, it's certainly not going to challenge you, if that's what you're looking for.

However, if you ARE looking for a good yarn, the stories are timeless.