''Mossflower'' is a
fantasy novel
Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...
by
Brian Jacques
James Brian Jacques (, as in "Jakes"; 15 June 1939 – 5 February 2011) was an English novelist known for his '' Redwall'' series of novels and '' Castaways of the Flying Dutchman'' series. He also completed two collections of short stories ent ...
, published in 1988. It is the second book published and third chronologically in the ''
Redwall
''Redwall'' is a series of children's fantasy novels by British writer Brian Jacques, published from 1986 to 2011. It is also the title of the first book of the series, published in 1986, as well as the name of the abbey featured in the book, ...
'' series.
Plot summary
The story begins in the Mossflower Wood, where a community of animals suffers under the tyranny of a ruling wildcat named Verdauga Greeneyes. When a mouse from the north by the name of Martin the Warrior travels to Mossflower Woods, he is captured and brought to the castle Kotir. While there, his sword is broken by Verdauga's daughter, Tsarmina, and he is imprisoned within the Kotir dungeons. Meanwhile, Tsarmina poisons Verdauga with the help of the vixen Fortunata and blames it on her brother Gingivere. She places her brother in prison and takes the throne for herself.
While in the dungeons, Martin eventually meets Gonff the Mousethief, who was imprisoned for stealing food from the Kotir storages. Meanwhile, Abbess Germaine and the surviving members of Loamhedge, an abbey stricken with a plague, arrive and join the woodlanders. Martin and Gonff escape with help from the Corim (Council Of Resistance In Mossflower) and join with Young Dinny the mole on a quest to find Boar the Fighter, Badger Lord of Salamandastron. Bella, a Corim leader and Boar's daughter, believed only her father could defeat Tsarmina and put an end to her cruel reign.
The crew sets out on the quest to find Boar. They are pursued by Splitnose the stoat, Blacktooth the ferret, and their leader, Scratch the weasel. The trio eventually dies- Scratch by a swan, and Splitnose and Blacktooth in a duel. The crew eventually comes to a river with a ferry, where they meet a snake and a newt who threaten to kill the travellers. A shrew emerges and scares away the duo into the river, and introduces himself as Log-a-log Big Club, a former village leader, escaped oar slave, and currently a ferryman. He joins the group on its quest. They sail on his boat, ''Waterwing'' to the mountains. The ship is broken in a waterfall. When Martin comes to, he is in a huge mountain ruled by bats, called Bat Mountpit. After Martin, Dinny and Log-a-log help scare away the tawny owl that nests on the rooftop, they leave. They get ambushed by toads, and get thrown into the "Screamhole", where they reunite with Gonff. They meet the Snakefish, the massive eel who is trapped in the hole, and formulate a plan to escape. They eventually escape with the help of the Snakefish, who wreaks havoc among the toads. The group reaches the beach. They trek through the sand, attacked by birds. Deprived from food and water, they witness gulls kill a rat. They stay at the rat's hut, and continue the next day, with Salamandastron very near. The companions reach Salamandastron with the help of a few hares, and meet with Boar the Fighter. Boar introduces them to the hares that live in the mountain, and then reforges Martin's broken sword with metal from a meteorite, but is killed while fighting his mortal enemy Ripfang the searat who had attacked Salamandastron several times before. Ripfang's former oarslaves and several members of Log a Log's former tribe take over the sea rat ship, ''Bloodwake'', with help from Martin and his allies. They return to Mossflower Woods, where Martin kills Tsarmina and destroys Kotir by both flooding it and knocking over its walls with a
ballista
The ballista (Latin, from Greek βαλλίστρα ''ballistra'' and that from βάλλω ''ballō'', "throw"), plural ballistae, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an ancient missile weapon that launched either bolts or stones at a distant ...
. In the final battle with Tsarmina, Martin is left near death. With the help of the woodlanders, he eventually recovers, but his memory is never the same thereafter, as evidenced in ''
The Legend of Luke
''The Legend of Luke'' is a fantasy novel by Brian Jacques, published in 1999. It is the 12th book and fourth chronologically in the ''Redwall'' series.
Plot summary
The book begins during the construction of Redwall Abbey, when a roving fema ...
.''
The book ends with Bella's son, Sunflash, finding Salamandastron and becoming its ruler.
Characters in ''Mossflower''
*Martin the Warrior
*Gonff the Mousethief
*Tsarmina Greeneyes
*Bella of Brockhall
*Gingivere
*Young Dinny
*Brogg
*Old Dinny
*Abbess Germaine
*Boar the Fighter
*Skipper the Otter
*Lady Amber
*Captain Cludd
*Fortunata
*Verdauga Greeneyes
*Sunflash the Mace
*Splitnose
*Blacktooth
*Thicktail
*Ratflank
*Lord Cayvear
*Marshgreen
*Scratch the Weasel
*Mask
*Deathcoil
*Whipscale
*Scragg
*Squint
*Snakefish
Reception
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
described the book as "rousingly old-fashioned", and stated that fans of Redwall would enjoy it. ''
Kirkus Reviews'' praised Jacques' ability to skillfully switch between multiple plot strands and characters without confusion, as well as his well-individualized characters. However, they also commented on the simplicity of the book's philosophy.
Translations
*(
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
) ''Het Moswoud''
**''Het Moswoud: De Koningin van Duizend Ogen''
**''Het Moswoud: De Weg Naar de Vuurberg''
**''Het Moswoud: De Afrekening''
*(
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
) ''Sammalkukkametsän Sota''
*(French)'' Rougemuraille : Martin le guerrier''
**''La Reine aux yeux multiples''
**''La Montagne de feu''
**''Le Retour triomphal''.
*(German)
**''In den Fängen der Wildkatze''
**''Mossflower''
**''Kotir: die Burg des Schreckens''
*(Italian) ''Fior Muschiato''
*(
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
) ''Moseblom''
*(
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
) ''Mossblomma''
*(Russian) ''Котир: Война с Дикой Кошкой''
*(Spanish) ''Mossflower''
*(
Latvian) ''Ķērpjziedu zeme'' - Leģenda par Mārtinu Karotāju
**''Ķērpjziedu zeme: Kotīra''
**''Ķērpjziedu zeme: Salamandastrona''
**''Ķērpjziedu zeme: Ūdenskauja''
Publication history
*1988, UK, Hutchinson , Hardback, il. by
Gary Chalk
Gary Chalk (born 1952) is an English illustrator and model-maker.
Biography
A native of rural Hertfordshire, Chalk began playing wargames at the age of fifteen. He took a BA in design and worked as a teacher of art and design before going freel ...
*1988, US, Philomel , Hardback, il. by
Gary Chalk
Gary Chalk (born 1952) is an English illustrator and model-maker.
Biography
A native of rural Hertfordshire, Chalk began playing wargames at the age of fifteen. He took a BA in design and worked as a teacher of art and design before going freel ...
*2004, US, Philomel , Hardback (green leatherette), il. by
David Elliot
References
External links
Plot summary
{{Redwall
Fictional mice and rats
Children's fantasy novels
British children's novels
British fantasy novels
Redwall books
1988 fantasy novels
1988 British novels
Hutchinson (publisher) books
1988 children's books