Taggerung
Jacket cover of USA edition:
The vermin clan of Sawney Rath has long awaited their Taggerung—the chosenbeast who will lead them to victory against any foe. Now at last the seer Grissoul has foretold the Taggerung’s birth: they will find him by the river, and know him by the birthmark on one paw. But the marked beast that they discover is neither stoat nor fox nor rat, but an otterbabe! Nonetheless, the vermin take and raise him. It is only when the young otter steps into his famed and fearsome role that he senses something is wrong. Very wrong! Is he the Taggerung after all? And if not, who is he? In this, the fourteenth novel of the best-selling Redwall epic, Brian Jacques has created yet another unforgettable adventure tale, with a hero so surprising that even Redwall fans will come to expect the unexpected.
My rating: *****/10 stars
Main hero: Deyna the otter
Excerpt from The Tribes of Redwall: Otters:
Stolen in infancy by Sawney Rath, Chieftain of the Juskarath, Deyna spends his first fifteen seasons among a vermin band. Swift as lightning and frighteningly strong, with a natural talent for weaponry, he wins the respect of his adopted clan from the outset. But as he matures he begins to puzzle the ferret Chieftain; strong and swift he may be, but he shows now sign of true barbarity, displaying mercy instead towards his challengers and leaving Sawney aghast. Sawney forces him to choose between disobeying his leader and cold-blooded murder, and Deyna announces that he is leaving the clan, the only family he can remember, never to return. Deyna meets many adventures in his wanderings through Mossflower country; best of all he meets Nimbalo, a staunch little harvest mouse with a tragic history of his own, who becomes his loyal companion. Together, the friends come at last to Redwall...
Main villain: Gruven the stoat
Stupider than even his father himself--who challenged Sawney Rath and was murdered for it--Gruven believes that he can kill the Taggerung and take his rightful place as leader of the Juskarath, who he would rename the Juskazan. Joined by some of the Juska soldiers, Gruven journeys to find the Taggerung and kill the otter. Instead, his tumultuous turn of events lands him at the gates of Redwall Abbey, where hs is sorely defeated by the goodbeasts there. Running from his almost certain fate at the redstone abbey, he finds himself back at the Juska camp, only to realize that his clan has been taken over by another. In trying to lie and say that he already killed the Taggerung, Gruven finds himself dead, for he who kills the Taggerung is the Taggerung!
Badger hero/heroine: Cregga Rose Eyes
Excerpt from The Tribes of Redwall: Badgers
Cregga Rose Eyes is that rare thing: a Badger Lady of Salamandastron. And unlike most Badger Rulers, who use their immense strength only in defense, she is driven to seek out and destroy the Rapscallion horde. Loyal and obedient, her Long Patrol follows, but even they are more appalled than inspired by the sight of Cregga in the grip of the Bloodwrath. After the Battle of the Ridge of a Thousand, she is taken to Redwall, and when she recovers, her rose-colored eyes are closed forever, the Bloodwrath gone. Substituting the role of wise counselor for that of a warrior, she becomes the Abbey's Badger Mother.
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