Mattimeo

Mattimeo may be the son of Matthias the hero, but he is still a young mouse who tests the rules of Redwall Abbey. When he strikes out at a guest of the Abbey his fellow Redwallers are taken aback. Despite Mattimeo only doing so to defend his family’s honor. At times the animals of Redwall Abbey are too forgiving and trusting. When a traveling band of creatures appears on their doorstep, they allow the group within their walls. Little do they know, the fox Slagar has his eyes on Mattimeo. As soon as the chance arises, Slagar kidnaps Mattimeo and his friends, whisking them off to be sold as slaves.

With every Redwall book, there is a balance of good and evil. The creatures of the abbey are the epitome of good natured and wholesome folk. Though some may have mischievous tendencies, they genuinely care for one another. The lengths to which they will go to rescue their own are admirable. And on the opposing side, Brian Jacques creates such cleverly evil characters to set against the Redwallers. Slagar is cunning, cruel, and fueled by revenge. He would sacrifice his crew if it meant saving his own life. And stealing the children of those who you seek vengeance on is the lowest of low.

Mattimeo was a delight to read. This tale combines two classic tropes, coming of age and the path to becoming a hero. Mattimeo has a lot to learn, and a temper to curb to be the strength his friends need. He’s impulsive and is quick to anger when fear overcomes courage in his friends. While he believes they should be able to fight to escape, not all creatures can stand up to their oppressors. To witness characters struggle and ultimately become their better selves never grows old. Mattimeo may start rough around the edges, but his time with Slagar and the slavers will bring about a healthy dose of character development and push him towards becoming a hero like his father.

Brian Jacques creates characters and settings in a way that will make readers feel as if they are coming home to lifelong friends and familiar settings. There’s always an overarching puzzle or riddle to be solved that will ultimately aid in Redwall’s success and just enough tension laced within the scenes. I admire how he details his battles, depicting the clash between heroes and villains in a way that is safe for all ages. And while not every hero can be saved, he depicts their deaths in ways that honor their memories and gives peace to both the reader and the characters.

Mattimeo is another wonderful addition to the story of Redwall. While it is the third published book, it is the direct sequel to book one, Redwall. But each book is written so that readers can start at any point in the series. If you enjoy reading about a community of characters who are willing to risk their lives to save one of their own, you need to pick up this series.

The book that should have come out after the first Redwall novel. I had enjoyed the world of Mossflower ever since I had read the first book some years ago. It was fun, and unique, with characters that seemed to die at the drop of a hat, and this being a fun book for kids to read. Then I read the 2nd book. I could remember trying to read it as a kid, and not being able to get into it. As an adult, I felt the same way. It was slow, and often lacked a convincing villain. I found myself wanting to drop it in favor for something else. Now, with the third book in the Redwall series, Mattimeo, I feel like this is the sequel we should have gotten. It is tighter, better paced, and more fun than the previous book ever was.

In this book, we join the people of the 1st Redwall novel some years later. Mathius is older, and married to Cornflower, and has a young son called Mattimeo. His son is unruly and often gets into trouble that is far beneath the expectations of him, but Matthias and Cornflower do not know what to do. Then, one night, a fox called Slagar the Cruel, manages to drug the residence of Redwall and steals Mattimeo and his friends, planning to sell them into slavery deep in the south of their lands as revenge for something Matthius did to him a long time ago.

To get his son back, Matthias, Basil Stag Hare, Jess Squirrel, and many other friends team up to head south to find Slagar, and free the young ones. While they are gone, a great War Eagle, called General Ironbeak, his foreseeing lieutenant Mangiz, and his men try and hold Redwall under siege. With no help from Matthius, and no way to contact him, the residence of Redwall must try and find a way to either defeat him, or hold out until help can arrive.

Firstly, this book was very fun to read. Nearly every part was fun and interesting, with an impressive cast of characters. This includes the King of a group of Shrews, called the Logalog, who shouts his title as a war cry. Then, there is an old Warrior Badger, who rules the South Plain with a giant war axe, and many more besides. These are all fun to read about, with interesting personalities that come through well in the writing. I really loved the voice cast in this, as they did an awesome job at voicing all the characters, with a special shout out the voice actors for General Ironbeak, and Mangiz, the laddar who sounded like the Emperor from Star Wars, which I found very funny. It was also a nice touch that Brian Jacques, the author, also narrated this audiobook.

If there was any problems with this book, I'd have to say two things. One is that the story for General Ironbeak, and how he just shows up ready to take over Redwall Abbey, just as Matthias happens to be off on his own adventure is a little convient. To be honest, it is as though Jacques could not figure out anything substantial for the people of Redwall to do once Matthias left, so he made this up. I'm not complaining, as I thought it was fun, it was just extremely convenient.

Then there's the pretty consistent problem of switching perspectives throughout the book. Jacques has a problem of switching perspectives within the span of a sentence. One sentence we will be with Matthias in the midst of a battle for his life, then we will be back with the people of Redwall as they defend from General Ironbeak in the next. This break should be every chapter, or so, so it is clear to the reader, but these are just as abrupt as before, in his other novels. The thing that really ruffled my feathers, is that this was not even fixed in the audiobook. The director should have asked for a three second pause, just so the reader should know the POV has changed, but nope. The narrator just plunders right along, with no consideration for the audience, making the transitions confusing, to say the least. Also, the music between chapters was a nice mix of guitars and flutes that gave this book a nice fantasy feel, but then I realized that they were both repeating it far too often, and were not properly placed, having a cheery tune play just after a horrible event occurs, for example.

Still, this is an excellent book that I enjoyed reading, and I am planning to read the next book and continue on with this series. I guess I'll just have to get used to the POV transitions, if I must. If you can, get this on audio. You won't be disappointed. I give it a five out of five.