Customer Reviews

Outcast of Redwall: A Novel of Redwall

5 star:		(120)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This book was one of the best I have ever read (and believe me, I have read an enormous amount). Yes, it relies heavily on the standard Jaques a-little-good-beats-alot-of-evil formula, but a wonderful twist is added in the character of Veil. Is he or is he not irredeemably evil...? His actions at the beginning of the book seem to answer the question, but as the plot unfolds his character becomes more and more complex and utterly real. This twist adds depth and realism to the book, as does the searat Blaggut in "The Bellmaker" and the corsair Romsca in "Pearls of Lutra". As for the people who disagree with the title... Veil may not have a huge number of lines, but he is pivotal. Take a close look at the end of the book to see why.

Like most book series, Redwall can be a bit unaccessible without reading the whole series from oldest to new. Also alot of the plots repeat themselves. But in Outcast, author Brian Jacques really treats his readers with the struggle that young Veil has trying to get Redwallers off his back, but soon ends up sacrificing himself for their survival.

Also, Jacques doesn't actually have any situations in Redwall occuring until halfway into the book, which lets Jacques show much more surprising and interesting characters than he does in his other books. My favorite character has to be Swartt Sixclaw, who is also the most unique, whereas characters like Veil and Sunflash are too usual in a book like this. Sixclaw is really funny all through this book, constantly insulting his horde until they fall apart.

This and Martin the Warrior are probably the best Redwall books and are some of the first you should ever read.

How does Brian Jacques continue to do it? He uses the same storyline in every single Redwall book (a little good can and will beat a lot of evil), and yet you just can't put the book down! My favorite character was the fox vixen Nightshade. She really did know a lot. If Swartt Sixclaw had only listened to what she had to say, he might have been victorious.

I really like it when a book has strong characters...on both sides of the battlefield. And this book certainly has them, Swartt Sixclaw is a convincing hoard leader, being bull-headed and stubborn. Nightshade the seer is a competant second-in-command. Sunflash the Mace is the best over-all badger lord that I've seen in any of the Redwall books, and his friend Skarlath the kestrel is the best secondary character that I've seen in any book. Veil Sixclaw, while still a great character, is a mystery, even by the end of the book, you can't figure out if he is good or evil.

I would give The Outcast of Redwall more than five stars if I could, this book is not one to be skipped over.

I have been reading the Redwall series for a decade, now, and have read every single one at least once (if not many, many more times). Outcast of Redwall is notable for being the only one that I have mixed feelings towards.

Like all the entries in the Redwall series, Outcast deals with various woodland animals fighting fantastical battles, learning to grow up, and having a good time on the way when they can. For the most part, all the "woodlanders", such as badgers, mice, squirrels, and otters, are good. All the "vermin"--that is to say, rats, stoats, ferrets, and foxes--are unchangingly evil. Outcast, however, highlights the life of one young ferret named Veil Sixclaw, who has yet to decide which side he wishes to be on. Or does it?

Actually, the book seems mostly written to tell of the adventures of the most recent Badger Lord To Be, Sunflash the Mace, and his kestrel friend Skarlath. Sunflash has a bit of a reputation in various online communities as the Mary Sue of the Badger Lords. Although his character is likeable, I often feel that he was written as too perfect a creature, and that he has ENTIRELY too much time devoted to him in a book that is supposed to be about Veil. On top of that, nearly all the rest of the characters in the book are all fairly one-dimensional and undeveloped; with the exception of perhaps Swartt, who was at least given a sense of twisted humor.

Veil himself is a bit of a grab bag. Brian Jacques does not spend enough time writing about him, and we are left with a shaky grip on who this being really is. Unless you are bound and determined to really pull as many clues as possible from what little talk of him there is, you may simply give up on trying to figure out why this book is named after him. The author also says in interviews that he has left the answer to the question of Veil's redeemability as a mystery, but turns around and has everybeast denounce Veil as evil at the end of the tale.

Here, though, is where I differ from most reviewers, and it is why this book remains my favorite even though the actual writing seems VERY far from the usual polished and properly-finished states of his other titles. I have always taken this to mean that the Redwallers are not perfect creatures, and that they can not always see beyond their own prejudices. Even Bryony, the lone mousemaid who thought she could change Veil throughout most of the story, does not in the end accept what good he has done. The subversive idea that Redwallers can be as equally hateful, prejudiced, and blind to the truth as any vermin is a bit of a shocking one, and Outcast is perhaps the only one that paints them in this light. The roles in this book are quietly and secretly reversed in the end, leaving the more perceptive readers a bit unnerved and shaken, but with the understanding that not even good can be right all the time.

And that one tiny hint of grown-up admittance makes this book worth reading, even though it is the most technically flawed of all the titles.

The book is about Sunflash the Mace(badger) and his friend Skarlath(kestrel)and the creatures they meet on their journey to destroy their enemy Swartt Sixclaw(ferret). While Sunflash and Skarlath are going after Swartt, Redwall gets a new occupant named Veil. Find out what Veil does to Redwall Abbey's inhabitants! It was not the best in the series but a good read nonetheless.

The Outcast of Redwall is one of the best books ever written! It deserves 500 stars! It is about Sunflash the Mace, lord of Salamandastron, Swartt Sixclaw, a weasel, and Swartt's son Veil. It has a very intriguing plot where Sunflash the Mace and Swartt Sixclaw swear to kill each other and Veil is taken in at Redwall when just a baby. He is cast out seasons later for trying to commit a murder as well as many other things. The end is totally unpridictable and very exciting.

In "Outcast of Redwall", Brian Jacques didn't really focus on the character that was mentioned in the title. The story is more focused on Sunflash the Badger Lord, instead of on the actual Outcast of Redwall, Veil. Don't get me wrong though, the writing is great and the battle scenes are both moving and amazing, but he just needed to give a little bit more on how Veil's life progressed.

The book I read was Outcast of Redwall. I really liked the book because it was entertaining. Also, all of the animals talk. That really helps me paint a picture in my mind. All of the other books by Brian Jacques are fiction. They are really fascinating. Well at least for me.

The main characters in the story are, Swartt Sixclaw, Veil Sixclaw, Nightshade, Bryony, Skarlarth, and Sunflash. It is a cold and windy night. Swartt Sxiclaw, an evil ferret, rides his badger into camp. Sunflash, the badger Swartt is riding, gets tied to a tree for the night. He sees a hawk and frees him from the snow. Then the hawk, named Skarlarth, frees Sunflash from the ropes. Suddenly, Sunflash attacks Swartt's camp. After he goes to live with a family of hedgehogs. Swartt decides to go to a far away land to try and capture Redwall!

One day while on the road, Swartt's wife gives birth to a boy ferret named Veil. Skarlarth is flying overhead. He hears Swartt's plan and flies over to tell Redwall's inhabitants. They send a team of squirrels and otters to give Swartt's horde a little surprise. The plan works perfectly!! Swartt's wife drops their baby in a ditch. After the battle is over, an otter finds the baby and brings him to Redwall. A maid named Bryony is put in charge of the little rascal. When he is older he is always trying to steal stuff. Then he tries to poison a fellow Redwall member. Will the good in Veil prevail? To find out read the book!!

To really like this book you have to like fantasy. It's fantasy because the animals talk and fight. If you like 200-350 page book, you'll love Brian Jacques books. People who have a hard time reading long books, this isn't your type of author. One more thing. If you've read other books in the Redwall series and haven't read Outcast of Redwall, start reading it today. You won't regret it!!

In the early stages of Redwall, trouble is brewing. As the infamous Swartt Sixclaw travels in the harsh winter, the badger Sunflash the Mace, whom Swartt called Scumtripe, escapes and finds a friend in Skarlath the hawk. Together they travel until they find the Lingl-Dubbo dwelling held under siege. After the home is released, Sunflash stays until an incident happens involving two adders, two baby hedgehogs, and a ditty. He sets out for Salamandastron. While he travels, he meets Guosim shrews and two joke-infested otters. As he travels to and gets settled inside Salamandastron, Swartt combines his handful of vermin with a large horde formerly belonging to Lord Bowfleg. He just barely overcomes obstacles that reduce the horde far down. As this happens, his son is dropped in a ditch. He is found and brought to Redwall, and given the name of Veil Sixclaw. If you'd like to know more, you need to read the book yourself. This book is sort of separate from the others, because of its interesting storyline and unusual arrangement of chronological events.

Cameron

"In legend could truth be told, Of a warlord's son, a ferret bold, With blood-red paws, he was cast out, But left a shadow of doubt..." Outcast, as my friends and I call this book, this is a work of unrealistic greatness. As in all of Brian Jacques books, they all have a wide span of characters. Starring Sunflash the mace, an incredibly strong badger who is searching for his destiny, Swartt Sixclaw, an evil warlord, and Veil, the outcast. This is one of the many books in the Redwall series by Jacques, such as: Pearls of Lutra, Salamandastron, and The Bellmaker. The story begins with Sunflash, being trapped and beaten by the unmerciful Swartt Sixclaw and his crew. A soon to be friend helps Sunflash escape. Before they leave, Sunflash break of a piece of tree and mangles Swartt's paw which Swartt vows revenge on. Along the way, each party encounters many adventures including Veil, Swartt's son. Will Veil every meet his father? Will Sunflash ever find his destiny? How many feasts are in this book? You'll need to read Outcast of Redwall to find the answers. Trust me, you won't regret it!