| Title | : | The Bellmaker (Redwall, #7) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0142400300 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780142400302 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published June 2, 1994 |
The Bellmaker (Redwall, #7) Reviews
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I'm a little fuzzy on all the details, but I know I adored this book. Mariel, Dandin, and Mariel's father were all so dear to me.
Instead of trying to recall details about the book, I'm gonna write a little something to Mr. Jacques (may he rest in peace.)
Dear Brian Jacques,
I only ever met you once in my lifetime. You came to a book signing at Third Place Books in Seattle a long, long time ago. I remember you saying, "I love book signings: kids waiting in line for you to scribble on their new books! Hahaha!" I've even put that quote up here, on Goodreads, and 33 people have liked it so far.
Mr. Jacques, you were a huge influence on my childhood. For years, I tried and tried to come up with animal stories that would let me feel as thrilled in writing them as I did in reading your stories. Ultimately, I think I've failed, but hey, we all can't be as good as you. And don't worry, I'd never hold that against you. You were and always will be one of my favorite authors ever.
Whenever it is that, Lord willing, I get married and have children, I own most of your books and plan on reading them out loud to my children. Your stories will be counted with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, the Little House on the Prairie series, and whatever other classic books I may have forgotten.
It makes me incredibly sad that you passed away this year, Mr. Jacques. 2011 already feels a little empty without you.
Honestly, I don't know how you were doing with God, but I dearly hope I will see you in Heaven. I have so much I want to talk to you about! I barely knew you, but I really do miss you. I think I'm always going to cry a little when I read your books or think of your smile.
You have done so much for me without meaning to. Thank you for brightening my childhood with so many amazing stories.
I miss you.
Sincerely,
Amy Lind -
This book is at the same time one of the singularly most beautiful stories I have ever read, and one of the most original and humorous.
I can't explain how author Brian Jacques is able to turn out bold, mysterious, resounding and completely wonderful stories every time he takes pen to page, but The Bellmaker easily rivals any of the other classics that he has created. The depth and shining beauty of the writing is unsurpassed in all of literature, in my opinion; it is romantic and entertaining and fearless, while also being tenderly sensitive to bring the powerful emotions behind the complex tale to the forefront for readers, who will lose some dear friends along the way while gaining memorable new ones, all fashioned in the inimitable style of Brian Jacques that marks him for sure as one of the greatest imaginative writers of our time. I could hardly think of another author to challenge him in this regard.
The story that is The Bellmaker is as multilayered and multifaceted as the best works of Brian Jacques, classics such as Redwall and Martin the Warrior. What is especially splendid about this novel is how it departs from the normal kind of happenings to this point in the Redwall series, surely leaving even the most astute observers of the famed abbey's history guessing as to how things will turn out in the end.
Personally, what stood out to me most of all about The Bellmaker is the searat Blaggut. Never to this point in the series had any animal typically classified by residents of Redwall as "vermin" been seen to have a truly good side, yet Brian Jacques was willing to break with that "tradition" of sorts to show us that every heart is different from those around oneself, and one never can tell what someone will do based on the actions of others that are perceived to be like him or her. Brian Jacques weaves this compelling and profound thread into the novel with perfect ease, and thus has created some of the most thought-provoking reading in any of his books.
The Bellmaker is a quest that will capture the imagination and take hold of the heart almost from page one to page three hundred thirty-six, surprising and delighting and sobering eager readers along every step on its path. I would give it my sincerest and most fervent recommendation. -
5 stars. I was fairly confident I’d love this. Of course I was right. I mean, it had otters. I’m a huge fan of Redwall otters. It also have the besieged castle trope and the reclaim-the-throne-from-evil-conquerors trope and underground secret passageways and an educated librarian mole. But it also had pirates and sailing ships and castaway children and sharks and the aforementioned otters. AND plenty of babies and a softhearted searat and a cowardly captain and buried treasure.
*nods* yeah, it was epic.
So at first I got strong Scottish feels from the story—I don’t know if it’s the accents or the castle-on-a-stream part or what but I loved it. Gael and Serena were a wonderful royal couple and both had great characters and story arcs. Iris and Rab were another beautiful couple and I loved THEIR story arcs so much. And finally, Muta was awesome. Meanwhile, Urgan Nagru and Silvamord broke the mold by NOT being scary but just evil and irritating. I would have loved to see an interesting relationship dynamic from them, given that there never was another couple cast as the villains before, but alas, all they did was squabble and hate each other. (But the Dirgecallers CHILLED me and I was irritated they showed up so little! They would have totally ramped up the action.)
On the other side of the forest, Redwall Abbey was its usual lovely self and I adoreddd how much the Dibbuns had a part in this one!! Mousebabe & Co. were the QEW-utest things. And Joseph was amazinggg, far more than in
Mariel of Redwall. The rescue party and their whole ships-and-sailing storyline was epic—I absolutely LOVED Finnbarr, and Rufe + Durry were lovely together (Rufe was so sweet, okay?! I loved seeing a not-fierce and softhearted warrior for once). I wasn’t a fan of Rosie starting off on the adventure instead of staying with her family but I couldn’t help loving how sweet she was with the foundlings (and Finnbarr too) and I ended up liking her way more than I did in
Mariel.
I also loved how the different plotlines were tied together and how Joseph & Friends started the dominoes falling for Slipp & Blaggut to head for Redwall. That whole storyline was fascinating and hilarious and way sweeter than I expected. I couldn’t help loving Blaggut and I was so happy with how it all wrapped up. <3 (Also, yay for Oak Tom showing up again because that squirrel is just so epic somehow??)
Finally, Mariel and Dandin still weren’t my favourite pair (although Dandin is really sweet somehow) but I did enjoy their adventures. Field Marshal Meldrum Fallowthorn the Magnificent was quite an enjoyable old fellow, nothing like any of the other hares so far, and his little regiment of leverets (+ Bowly Pintips! and the moles!) was pretty fun. Also the Butcher. And the whole dungeon part. And Egbert!
The different storylines all ended up merging in a wonderful ending (RAB STREAMBATTLE!!) and I was perfectly satisfied with it all. Except for the deaths. Which had to happen and made it more realistic, but still. It’s sad. And I forgot to mention Tarquin was hilarious, specially with his family. XD
This review is all over the place and way more fangirly than it should be, but… it’s honest. So there you are.
*quotes & content list to come upon reread* -
Utterly charmful. Definitely one of my favorites in the Redwall series. I loved every moment of it, and especially how one of the sea rats actually became a gentlebeast at the end.
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This review is also featured on
Behind the Pages: The Bellmaker
As a direct sequel to Mariel of Redwall, Mariel and Dandin’s story continues in The Bellmaker. When Mariel and Dandin come upon endangered creatures in Mossflower Woods, they immediately jump to save them. Upon doing so they discover Gael Squirrel King has been besieged by the foxes Silvamord and Urgan Nagru. Meanwhile, in Redwall Abbey, Mariel’s father Joseph the Bellmaker dreams of Martin the Warrior. Warned of the danger his daughter faces, Joseph gathers a team of Redwall creatures to aid Mariel.
Brian Jacques introduces new twists on villains in The Bellmaker. Foxes are a known adversary of Mossflower creatures, but never before has a Foxwolf appeared. Urgan Nagru thrills in the hunt. His blood-curdling howls he unleashes strike terror into his prey. A chill raced down my spine hearing it on audiobook. The Foxwolf prides himself on tactics and his determination to win. Mariel, Dandin and their companions will be hard pressed to escape Urgan Nagru’s clutches. Readers will be pulled into the challenges Nagru and his mate throw at the heroes.
Another known adversary to the creatures of Mossflower Woods are sea rats. When their pirate ship is stolen, sea rats Slipp and Blaggut find themselves wandering Mossflower Woods. When they stumble on two lost dibbins, they find themselves escorted to Redwall Abbey. No one is happy about their presence, but the creatures of Redwall are willing to give them a chance. While the two plot and plan to steal treasure from Redwall, readers will be surprised by the actual outcome of their endeavors. Brian Jacques deviates in a way I never would have expected.
The Bellmaker is a tale to be enjoyed by all ages. While there are battles, Brian Jacques writes in a way that minimizes the details and yet still engages readers. There is no doubt creatures fall in battle, but the story doesn’t focus on these moments. Instead, Brian Jaques allows readers to understand how the heroes feel about their actions. They do not enjoy the act of violence, but when there is no other choice they must defend themselves.
Each Redwall book explores what it means to be a hero. And each hero finds themselves aided by wonderful creatures they call friends. Despite the hardships that are present within The Bellmaker there is also a healthy dose of humor, friendship, and action. Lives may be lost, but there is always the presence of hope coursing through the story. I enjoyed the new take on different creatures, showing that despite all the lore and worldbuilding present in the Redwall series, there is still much left to discover. -
All of the swashbuckling adventure that made
Mariel of Redwall so much fun, plus a bit of the moral complexity and friendship-depth that made
Outcast of Redwall so compelling.
In my opinion, only
the first 8 Redwall books published are worth reading. I pressed hopefully on through
Lord Brocktree (#13), but after Outcast each new title felt like a rehash of what Jacques had already written. I've no idea if any of the later stories rose to new originalities. -
This was very much enjoyable. All the tangled plot was very fun, as was the assorted dialects, naturally.
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Methinks it's time for me to take a break from Redwall for a bit, although this means I won't get all of the intra-series references in the next bajillion books. But there's only so much repetition I can take before I start wondering if I've actually read this one already. Otters are scary but lovable: check. Rats are bad: check. Badgers are hell on wheels: check. There will be a sea voyage: check. There will be a tyrant who is cooked in his own pudding and good riddance: check. There will be a sadness at Redwall that is overcome by faith in...something...and a kick-ass feast: check.
The sad part about this particular book is that it does try to break some of its own molds: there's a rat who is only bad via company and is actually kind of good at heart. There's a mole who speaks without the strange Scottish rumble Jacques has decided moles have (which I happen to like, actually).
But even in breaking the norms, Jacques reinforces them. The rat is good but really only because he's a bit dim--even for a searat--and he is good but can't truly be part of the community, thus continuing to be outside and outcast (albeit by his own choice). And the mole is continually ragged on by his fellow characters and Jacques as narrator for being over-educated and rather stuffy; he has exceeded his station and can be tolerated but must not be fully accepted as who he is.
And it being called "The Bellmaker" is a little odd considering Joseph is very much a background character. I figured it would be about him and where he came from or something, as
Martin the Warrior or even
Mariel of Redwall was. But nope, it's a dad searching for his warrior daughter who is not more interesting but far more prevalent than he is.
The hares are better in this one, though. I like the hares.
So it took me a long time to read because I just didn't care all that much, which is sad because this one had some of the better characters of the last four or so of the series. But they just didn't have the plot support. Or the room to grow. Or enough references to deeper'n'ever pie. -
This is a great book and in my opinion can be enjoyed at many levels for all ages. I have read every one of Brian Jacques books and am now on the second round of reading them. Brian Jacques is sadly no longer with us so no more wonderful tales of Redwall. In this book Joseph the Bellmaker is visited in a dream by Martin the Warrior. He is told to set off and find his missing daughter. The book is full of action and adventure and of course a wicked enemy as always. No spoilers. If you are young at heart do try these delightful books.
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3.5/5 December means time to get nostalgic with another Redwall book or two. The Bellmaker is the 7th novel in the franchise. While it's not amazing it is good and fun and serves my purposes of reminiscing on reading the series when I was younger. This was my first reading of The Bellmaker. I originally thought it was going to be a prequel to Mariel of Redwall but it's a sequel that takes place a couple years after the events of that book.
The book may be called The Bellmaker but I don't even consider Joseph the Bellmaker to be the lead character. There are just so many characters this time around with a lot of different points of view. Probably too many actually as the book is kind of bouncing all over the place. Oddly enough the POV of Blaggut the ship rat I felt was pretty unnecessary to the story but found that he was still my favorite character in the novel. Probably because he's a change of pace from the baddies of the previous books.
The novels do seem to be maturing a little. They are a little more violent anyway. Though I would not say excessively so.
Redwall gets a little too into their "prophecies" though. A prophecy leads Joseph to leave Redwall with a group of adventures to join up with his daughter Mariel and friend Dandin. They are off adventuring and become pivotal players in retaking Castle Floret whose king was had it taken by the evil fox Urgan Nagru and his mate Silvamord. As Redwall baddies go they weren't my favorite but they were ok.
So the novel bounces between all of these characters and it feels a little flighty because of it and the tying of everything together at the end just feels a little too prophetic and convenient. Still fun enough and I still want to try and make it through all 22 of these novels at some point. A few a year is plenty though otherwise you'll burn out on them. -
Wasn't quite as enthralled with this one as I remembered being, but it's a difference of 1-2%. Finnbar Galedeep is absolutely one of the best otters in the series. This one has a different vibe than a lot of Redwall books I remember, but I can't say why; any explanation I give (main focus on returning a rightful ruler to the throne, much of the action takes place inside an actual castle, the tragedy of certain characters' deaths, etc.) are true of other books as well. I don't know. Maybe it's just the characters. Maybe it's just Finnbar. I will note that this is the only Redwall book I know of to have an actual villain-turns-good character arc. (Granted, Blaggus isn't an especially evil villain even at the start; his turn is more learning to think and weigh good and bad for himself and choosing what he will ally with. IDK. I think it's significant.) Still one of my faves in the series, I think.
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I have a hard time doing anything else once I pick up one of these books. Such good escapism for me and usually a fairly quick read.
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"This book had some of the best characters of any of the Redwall books, but the story was a little hodgepodge whackadoo. The plot kind of put people in places conveniently, instead of the characters driving the story."
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Reading them chronologically, as Redwall goes it's pretty solid. It is however the typical Redwall story of a building besieged and an army raised to free it but it had some interesting moments around the Pearl Queen and it's old crew which were new and interesting. Still adorable and still heartwarming easy reads.
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The Bellmaker, written by Brian Jacques, is part of the Redwall series. This book is about Joseph the Bellmaker trying to find his daughter and her companion. The protagonists are Joseph the Bellmaker, Mariel, Joseph’s daughter and Warriormaid of Redwall, and Dandin, Mariel’s companion. The antagonists are Urgan Nagru, the Foxwolf, and Silvamord, his mate.
Joseph doesn’t know where Mariel and Dandin are, and it’s been four seasons since they left. Abbot Saxtus and the Redwallers have no clue either. Then, one night, Joseph gets a dream from Martin the Warrior, who is the Warrior and founder of Redwall. This dream tells Joseph that Mariel and Dandin are in trouble. With no time to lose, Joseph sets off with five companions and the Guosim, which stands for Guerrilla Union of Shrews in Mossflower, to find the two. Meanwhile, Urgan Nagru and Silvamord have captured Castle Floret in Southsward, which is south of Redwall and Mossflower. Urgan Nagru had also captured Gael Squirrelking and Queen Serena, rulers of Southsward. Rab Streambattle, the Squirrelking’s friend, plans an escape, but only Queen Serena and a few others escaped, while the Squirrelking remained captive, and Rab and Muta, a blind badger, were killed………or were thought to be.
In Mossflower, Abbot Saxtus tries to ask the Guosim’s leader, Log-a-Log, to help Joseph and the companions, but Log-a-Log says that their shrew logboats can’t handle the rough seas. Thus, Log-a-Log and Joseph consult Finnbarr Galedeep, a sea otter that helps them find and steal a ship. With the ship, named the Pearl Queen, Joseph, the Redwallers, the Guosim, and Finnbarr set off for Southsward. In Southsward, Mariel and Dandin, along with a hedgehog named Bowly Pintips, find a hare named Meldrum the Magnificent. As Queen Serena and the others escape, Mariel, Dandin, and Meldrum defend them against Urgan Nagru and his horde of rats, but end up being captured. In prison, they find Gael Squirrelking and a shrike named Glokkpod. With the otters’ help from Southsward, Mariel, Dandin, Meldrum, Glokkpod, and Gael escape the castle, but Mariel gets separated from the group while escaping. In the castle, she finds Muta and Rab alive. At sea, the Pearl Queen finally reaches Southsward. With help from otters, the crew of the Pearl Queen set off for Castle Floret. Meanwhile, Dandin, Meldrum, Bowly, and Gael build an army to battle the rat hordes. Inside the castle, Mariel, with the help of Muta and Rab, captures the drawbridge. The crew of the Pearl Queen, Dandin, and Meldrum arrive and help Mariel fight the rats. Outside, the war starts between the Southsward creatures and the Foxwolf’s rat hordes. Who will win the war? What happened next? Will Mariel, Joseph, Dandin, and Finnbarr Galedeep be able to stop Urgan Nagru and Silvamord? If you want to find out, then you should read the book!
The theme of this story is to always trust and help others. In the book, all the characters help each other to overcome all challenges. Even the antagonists, Urgan Nagru and Silvamord, work together to battle and capture Castle Floret. Mariel, Dandin, and Bowly Pintips all help each other to battle the rats. Joseph and his five companions, along with the Guosim and Finnbarr, help each other sail the Pearl Queen to reach Southsward. This theme greatly affects the protagonists, and it actually keeps them alive! Without trusting each other, Mariel and Dandin would have never been able to fight the rat hordes. I would rate this book, on a scale of one to five, four and a half stars. The book was great, very compelling, and it makes you keep reading on and on. You won’t want to stop! The book is not as interesting as some of the previous Redwall books, but it’s pretty good anyway! I recommend this book to anyone with a sense of adventure, action, and a bit of war. This would be a good book for ages ten to thirteen. -
Mariel and her friend Dandin go off into mossflower woods to fight the evil vermin that are under the rule of Foxwolf Urgan Nagru and his mate Silvamord. They meet a hedghog Bowly Pintips, a hare that calls himself Field Marshal Meldrum Fallowthorn the Magnificient and his four nephews. So they go onward towards Castle Floret and tries to help free Gael Squirrelking from Foxwolf Urgan Nagru. there they meet Rab Streambattle and his mate Iris Streambattle with their army and attacks Castle Floret but only manages to free Serena and Truffen (the king's mate and child. Meanwhile Joseph the Bellmaker gets a vision and set off with his friends to help his daughter Mariel to defeat Urgan Nagru. So then they all meet together with some other allies to attack and defeat Urgan Nagru.
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This book has a lot more of the same from Brian. Unfortunately he's sticking to awkward habits and badly thought out plot elements. Titled 'The Bellmaker,' it has very little to do with Joseph at all, other than the point that he is 'a' character, and that he has a dream of Martin. It doesn't reveal much about him, and I certainly wouldn't place him as the lead (with Mariel taking up more story space than he does).
Martin is back with yet another cryptic vision-dream... thing, which is probably the detail that bothers me most. He acts as if he's an npc having an obscure unfamiliar vision of something yet to come, but he's doling it out to people he essentially lived with and, worse, are often in mortal peril. I don't know about you, but if one of my dead 'family' members came back, only to warn me about my future using a cryptic riddle I had to solve, I'd probably be annoyed. Pronouncing who should go on the quest, who they will fight along the way, and who may or may not die should not be left up to interpretation if you can see the future, especially when you're the ghost of a character who by all indicators should be up to the task of interpreting that information better than anyone. Either Martin has become dull in the afterlife, or he's playing at something.
Another thing that troubled me in this book was the size of things. For instance, there is a ship that is depicted as an HMS 'many-cannon' sailing ship, and they encounter a shark bigger than the ship itself (which is fine), but the head gets stuck between the railing on the side. A badger that uses two rats as nunchucks (because its apparently that big) and then walks up a generic stairway in a castle built for a squirrel. A hedgehog who was described as a massive barbaric brute, but then is depicted as the exact same size as a standard hedgehog at the beginning of the chapter. A 'gullwhacker' weapon that is somehow big enough to be used as a rope swing for mice on a tree. I know there were more, but those little details always stand out as odd.
The names in this book as well bothered me, with two standouts being Glogalog (really?) and "the mousebabe" being rather terrible. A mole who changes his name from Soilburr to Egburt the scholar. The main boss Urgan Nagru, who takes the name of a dead wolf named Urgan, but he spelled it backwards to show his enemies he could come from the front and back. A bird named Glokkpod.
The "boss" of this book was supposed to be terrifying and needed a massive army to defeat, but was a petty liar who was constantly outsmarted by just a handful of heroes and bickered with his mate too much. Oat cakes that are so hard they hurt or kill people. Using a military medal to cut through iron hinges on a prison cell door. Rosie flying through an entire storm on a ship mast, only to land safely on a snake, impaling it. A permanent massive whirlpool that gave streams their current, but the stream current was super difficult to follow somehow. Keeping a gate at the back of Redwall that babies could unlock (and then having tea first before going to look for them). A bird that flew into a prison cell because the bars were being replaced (for some weird reason), and they replaced the bars before he could leave. The same bird who takes a grave wing injury, but can then all of a sudden fly impeded carrying an incredibly heavy rope. Allowing two sea rats (that everyone obviously concludes ARE sea rats) into Redwall AND letting one cook everyone food while the other spends extended time alone with children... geez. I could go on and on, as almost every couple chapters had something ridiculous, but you get the point. It was hard to enjoy without rolling my eyes and making fun of it.
My favorite character was Blaggut, the sea rat with a heart. I wish he had more of a part to play in the book (or in future books) as he seemed unique, but it seemed like he was put to bed as a boat builder at the end. Hopefully he turns up again.
If this wasn't written by Jacques, I'd have rated it lower, but I really enjoy his world and many of his characters. I especially love his descriptions of food and celebrations. But this book I liked least out of the first seven. I'll continue reading though, as I think they'll get better. -
Direct sequels seem to work out so well for Brian Jacques that I'm surprised he didn't do more. This book takes the strong cast of characters introduced in Mariel of Redwall and runs with them as he introduces more strong characters. The adventure is unique with grounded stakes, and the C-plot does a better exploration of morality question than the book dedicated to the task also while having a few scary moments that I always appreciate. It's one of the best in the series, top five at least.
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if there is a dissertation out there analyzing all the species character archetypes …. i would like to read it!!! i realize this is common in the fantasy genre - elves are high culture and intelligent, dwarves are gruff, orcs are universally evil - but it is interesting to mark whole species as generally one way or the other, even if there are small examples of breaking type (like Blaggut, or Egbert)
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Such a solid story. But, I mean, it's Redwall, so of course it is. As always, excellent writing, delicious food, adventurous happenings, and wonderfully amusing evil rat hordes.
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Honestly the best one so far 💜💜
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Loved this story just as much as I remembered.
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I had a bit of a hard time keeping track of all the details, but I truly enjoyed it!!
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I like how all the books in the story are tales told to another group of animals. I feel that they should come back to the tale tellers at the end of the book. I am happy how they successfully found Mariel. I loved the twist when we thought two of them were dead but the came back.
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This is a solid 4.75*. Rounded up because I'm feeling emotional after the ending.
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Retracing my steps through the Redwall books that I read the least as a child has been really interesting. This book, along with the two directly before and after, definitely changed since last I read it.
The Southsward story, which I thought I remembered the most, was much darker than I remember, what with the traumatization of Muta and Rab and the fact that Glokkpod actually does abandon the crew. It's a bit too reminiscent of the Terramort story from the last book for my taste; I think Jacques' best eerie-villain-castle-in-a-faraway-land was in Marlfox. A strong argument could also be made for Pearls of Lutra.
The Pearl Queen story was jarring, mostly because of the odd decision to have Rufe Brush be a different character in every way but name and species from the strong, silent warrior in Mariel of Redwall. Why not just make a new character? Also, where is Flagg? Finnbar and Joseph were great, though, and I still love Hon Rosie, even though she'd be a pretty awful party member in D&D.
The Redwall story, while lower stakes than in Mariel, actually turned out to be my favorite. This is partly because I truly love Tarquin, partly because of the truly sad character death, but mostly because of the truly unique decision to have a good "vermin" character! Yay, four for you, Blaggut! The moral absolutism of Redwall is quite a bit more uncomfortable as an adult reader than it was when I was a kid, so it's nice to see a searat who was an actual good guy, even if he was a real idiot.
Also, the audiobooks remain delightful, even (especially???) Rosie's piercing laughter.
On to Salamandastron, which is the one I've read the least of the classic (pre-2000) series. I seem to remember a scary white badger? And a super sad island? Let's find out!
