Reality Bypass

Book Review: Rakkety Tam June 23, 2010

Rakkety Tam by Brian Jacques

Genre: Fantasy

Age: 13+

Content: Violence

Overall: 5/5  paws

Review:  I discovered the Redwall series when I was in Junior High and used to fight my classmates for ‘checkout’ rights. In fact, whoever ran best in cross country used to get the first grab at the new books. I am pleased to say the books still delight me, even 15 years later. Brian Jacques’s storytelling reminds me of sitting down by a campfire or story time at school with a gifted tale teller. You know the ones, they do the voices and accents and even act out the parts as they tell the tale. Brian Jacques conveys that in text. This book made me laugh out loud, made me want to sit down to a feast (I swear! Everything in these books sounds amazing… can I have Hotroot soup and dandelion cordial? Ooo or Strawberry fizz!), and also made me tear up once or twice I will admit. Be fair warned, characters die, they fight, they thieve… but it’s all in the swashbuckling tradition and good does always triumph in Redwall tales. This particular tale delighted me with a new addition to the Redwall landscape, “highland squirrls” that are essentially Scottish Warriors with fur and a bushy tale. That is one of the most delightful aspects of the Redwall storytelling, the UK accents and cultures interwoven with the various woodland animals. The tale is much the same as most Redwall tales, vermin attack and the goodbeasts defend, but each time is as entertaining as the last. We meet all our good friends, Skipper of Otters, the Guosim, the Long Patrol… and a new season at Redwall Abbey. It’s a fun summer read, or if you’re talented with voices this would be an ideal series to read aloud to your kids. (I love the moles, burr aye! or the Hares, wot wot!)