Mossflower by Brian Jacques

Tsarmina is a savage wildcat, ruling the castle of Kotir through cruelty and fear. And she seeks to enslave the creatures of Mossflower Woods. However, while the creatures of Mossflower may be kind and gentle, when threatened they will rise to defend what is theirs. But Tsarmina’s forces will overwhelm them unless help arrives. Martin the Warrior, Gonff the Mouse Thief, and Kinny the Mole embark on a quest to Salamandastron, where the badger Boar the Fighter resides. With his help, they hope to defeat Tsarmina and bring peace to Mossflower Woods.

Brian Jacques has created such an in-depth world, without over-explaining or over detailing anything. The way the world-building is woven into the main storyline is so well articulated. Each animal has their own culture brought into the story, down to even their favorite food and the habits they have as creatures of the woodlands. And there’s nothing quite like listening to a full cast narration of Mossflower. The voice actors did a fantastic job bringing the various accents and dialects to life. Each animal has their own way of speaking. Being able to hear it all increases the awareness of their different cultures. I highly recommend the full cast BBC audiobook.

The descent of madness portrayed in Mossflower was masterfully done. Brian Jacques carefully wove it into the plot, dropping subtle hints here and there, slowly building up the character’s downfall. As a reader, you won’t notice it at first. The habits the character begins with seem to be normal for them, even when they begin to show some questionable traits. Brian Jacques used the preconceived archetypes of the animal to make these reactions seem normal to the reader. And of course, the audiobook accented this descent into madness by allowing readers to hear the increase in volume, the cracking voice, and even the tics in dialogue the character began to develop.

Gonff was one of my favorite characters. The audiobook made his character shine as he broke out into song throughout his adventures with Martin and Kinny. His songs balanced the tone of the story and brought humor into the fold to break the tension. He was also such a jolly character. Even in the toughest of situations, he kept his head up and urged his friends to keep moving forward.

Brian Jacques shows the embodiment of friendship with the characters of Mossflower. It is such a humbling experience reading about their commitment to each other and the success of Mossflower Woods. It’s also written in a way that readers young and old will enjoy the story. This series is such a treasure, I encourage anyone who reads fantasy to pick it up.