Mossflower
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| Mossflower | |
 UK 1st Edition Cover |
|
| Author | Brian Jacques |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Gary Chalk |
| Cover artist | Pete Lyon |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Redwall |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Hutchinson (UK) & Philomel (US) |
| Publication date | 1988 |
| Media type | print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 420 (UK Hardback) & 431 (US Hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-09-172160-1 (UK Hardback) & ISBN 0-399-21549-2 (US Hardback) |
| Preceded by | Redwall |
| Followed by | Mattimeo |
Mossflower is a fantasy novel by Brian Jacques, published in 1988. It is the second book published in the Redwall series, though the third chronologically.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
Mossflower tells the story of Martin the Warrior, who finds himself trespassing on the land of Verdauga Greeneyes as Verdauga lies sick and near death. With his last strength, Verdauga struggles to make a decision on who should replace him as ruler of Mossflower Woods. His daughter,Tsarmina has a fox healer named Fortunata give her brother Gingivere herbs to unwittingly poison Verdauga; when Verdauga dies her brother is framed. As Martin and his fellow prisoner Gonff become embroiled in the battle against Verdauga's ruthless daughter, Tsarmina, a bloody fight between good and evil ensues.
[edit] Plot summary
The story begins in the Mossflower Wood, where a community of animals suffers under the tyranny of a ruling wildcat named Verdauga. When a mouse from the north, Martin the Warrior, comes to Mossflower Woods, he is captured and brought to the castle Kotir, where Martin's Sword is broken by Verdauga's daughter, Tsarmina. Martin is imprisoned within the Kotir Dungeons. As he is taken away to the dungeons, he says, "You should have killed me when you had the chance, cat, because I vow that I will slay you one day!" Tsarmina poisons Verdauga with the help of the vixen Fortunata and blames it on her brother Gingevere. She places her brother in prison, and takes the throne for herself, while Martin realizes that with this, he will be staying there for the whole winter. However, the end of winter is when he meets Gonff the Mousethief, in the dungeons for his stealing of food from Kotir storages. Meanwhile, Abbess Germaine and the surviving members of Loamhedge, an abbey stricken with the Great Sickness, arrive and join the woodlanders. Martin and Gonff escape with help from the Corim (Council Of Resistance In Mossflower) and join with Dinny the mole and Log-a-Log Bigclub of the Guosim, on a quest to find Boar the Fighter, Badger Lord of Salamandastron. Bella, Boar's daughter, believed only her father could defeat Tsarmina.
After a journey through Bat Mountpit and the Toadlands, the companions reach Salamandastron and meet with Boar the Fighter. Boar then reforges Martin's broken sword with metal from a meteorite, but is killed while fighting his mortal enemy Ripfang the searat(it should be noted that Ripfang is one of the few, if not the only vermin to appear in two different books. He appeared in Lord Brocktree as a member of the Blue Hordes, sailing away near the end to return to pirating) who had attacked Salamandastron. Ripfang's former oarslaves (including Martin's childhood friend Timballisto, and several members of Log a Log's former tribe) take over the searat ship, Bloodwake, with the help from Martin and his allies and return to Mossflower Woods, where Martin kills Tsarmina and destroys Kotir by flooding it and launching boulders from Timballisto's ballista at it. In the final battle with her, Martin is left near death. However, with the help of the woodlanders, he eventually recovers, but his memory is never the same thereafter, as shown in The Legend of Luke. From the ruins of Kotir would eventually rise what would later become Redwall Abbey. The flooded Kotir becomes the Abbey Pond in Redwall Abbey.
[edit] Characters in "Mossflower"
- Martin the Warrior
- Gonff the Mousethief
- Tsarmina Greeneyes
- Bella of Brockhall
- Young Dinn
- Brogg
- Old Dinny
- Abbess Germaine}
[edit] Continuity Errors
Scragg, one of the officers in Kotir, alternates throughout the story between a weasel, a stoat, and a ferret, although his rank stays the same.
[edit] Book divisions (English)
- Book 1: Kotir
- Book 2: Salamandastron
- Book 3: Of Water and Warriors
[edit] Translations
- (Dutch) Het Moswoud
- Het Moswoud: De Koningin van Duizend Ogen
- Het Mouswoud: De Weg Naar de Vuurberg
- Het Mouswoud: De Afrekening
- (Finnish) Sammalkukkametsän Sota
- (French) Rougemuraille : Martin le guerrier
- Tome 1 : La Reine aux yeux multiples
- Tome 2 : La Montagne de feu
- Tome 3 : Le Retour triomphal
- (German)
- In den Fängen der Wildkatze
- Mossflower
- Kotir: die Burg des Schreckens
- (Italian) Fior Muschiato
- (Norwegian) Moslblom
- (Swedish) Mossblomma
- (Russian) Котир: Воина є ДккпиКошкои
[edit] Publication history
- 1988, UK, Hutchinson ISBN 0-09-172160-1, Hardback, il. by Gary Chalk
- 1988, US, Philomel ISBN 0-399-21549-2, Hardback, il. by Gary Chalk
- 2004, US, Philomel ISBN 0-399-24031-4, Hardback (green leatherette), il. by David Elliot
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Martin the Warrior |
Redwall Series (chronological order) |
Succeeded by The Legend of Luke |
| Preceded by Redwall |
Redwall Series (publication order) |
Succeeded by Mattimeo |
