High Rhulain (Redwall #18) Book

One of the more generic Redwall books. The characters were even less developed than normal; I think this can be blamed on the fact that there was action taking place in as many as five different locations simultaneously (Redwall books usually have only three at once), so there were fewer scenes than normal dedicated to each set of characters.

Tiria annoyed me greatly. She was never really a part of the main story because she was just a very young Abbeymaid with no experience. In most scenes, she had nothing else to do but chat about her destiny with the characters who were actually driving the story. She was completely ignorant of everything to do with Green Isle and with warfare (except for the occasional use of the sling), so she just stood back and looked pretty while other characters got developed.

Banya, another ottermaid who was more of a secondary character, did a lot more for the story. I found her infinitely more interesting as a battle strategist and a cool, collected warrior fighting for her freedom, able to keep her calm even after her brother was slain. I wish the book had been about her instead. She certainly was much more capable of being queen.

But I guess that's the most realistic part of the whole book. Hereditary monarchies are one of the most absurd forms of government because they give one family the power to rule regardless of its members' abilities. If Redwall was real, Tiria's rule would be a failure. Foreign queens are inevitably resented.