The rats are coming
Mossflower is a forest that is the center of a world inhabited by animals. Maciej is a young mouse, an alumnus of the monastery with the proud name of Rudy Wall. The young man is fascinated by the adventures of the legendary mouse warrior, Marcin. Secretly dreams of great deeds and heroism. Few, however, expected that the novice would soon have the opportunity to prove himself. It turns out that the rats, led by the barbarian Clune, called Whip, are preparing an invasion of the abbey. Living in harmony with the environment, the mice have to prepare for a fight, and the local inhabitants stand on their side, including the mighty badger (who repeatedly saves the situation with her strength). The siege of the monastery begins, and Maciej finally has the opportunity to match the courage of his idol, Marcin Wojownik.
The beginning of something more
Battle of Rudy Wall is the first volume of the whole series, the next volumes of which I can’t wait for. It focuses entirely on the aforementioned siege, and the action is rushing headlong. In the blink of an eye, the situation of both besiegers and besieged can change completely. The heroes go on missions, repel attacks, make plans, all in short chapters. This makes the book virtually devoid of any lengthiness. The fight descriptions themselves are, which surprised me at first, quite brutal. This allows you to fully reflect the cruel nature of rats, but at the same time it is not so graphic that it would prevent the youngest readers from reading. Despite the fact that he appears here, the violence is measured and does not hurt the eyes. For let’s not forget, this is a book about war!
Mouse hero
Maciej himself is a flesh and blood hero here. The chosen one on whom the fate of the whole people depends. Is it a flawless character? NO! And that’s what he’s proud of. As readers, we witness the mouse’s stumbling blocks, moments of pride, and even stupidity. One of the young man’s first ambitious clashes with a rat warrior ends in a serious wound, which shows him that he is not invincible at all. Such a “human” portrayal of the character (which may sound funny, given his mouse nature), allows you to understand his actions, as well as to sympathy for the young warrior.
A beautiful start to the collection
Let’s pay attention to the beautiful new edition of the novel, which was taken care of by the Nowa Baśń publishing house . Hard cover (which is always a huge plus!), map, aesthetic beginnings of chapters – all this makes not only the book more pleasant to read, but also its presence on the shelf becomes a promise to start collecting a new, extremely interesting series.
Classic fantasy
As you’ve probably noticed, Bitwa o Rudy Mur is a novel full of classic fantasy themes. However, they are all adapted to the world inhabited only by various kinds of animals. The author skillfully operates between drama and comedy. This means that, despite a large dose of humor, we do not feel taken lightly. Monumental battles and bloody clashes are intertwined with classic gags that will appeal especially to kids. The whole axis of the novel, however, focuses on the war, which was treated with appropriate seriousness.
Don’t be fooled!
A great story in a beautiful edition. At first, the unfamiliar reader may approach it as a children’s book, which turns out to be a huge mistake. We get a full-blooded (and quite bloody) fantasy novel. A story about siege, courage, cruel rats, great adventures. All this performed by animal heroes.
