Perloo the Bold Book

Upon its release in 1998, book review publications compared Perloo the Bold to Brian Jacques's Redwall series, a natural touchstone for a story about anthropomorphic animals with deep cultural histories. The Montmers are a hare-like people continually at odds with the coyote-like Felbarts, but Perloo has little to do with that strife as the story opens. He lives in Glentick Dell, apart from the Central Tribe Burrow inhabited by all the other Montmers. Perloo spends his days in reflective study of Montmer history. This put him in favorable standing with Jolaine the Good, the tribe's granter, during Perloo's few visits to the Central Tribe Burrow. While others shrugged off the implications of history, Perloo engaged the Montmer leader in conversations about it, developing their mutual understanding of the past and of the future the tribe appears headed for. This friendship compels Lucabara, the granter's primary assistant, to seek out Perloo at home with a message: Jolaine is on her deathbed and requests his presence. Hesitant as the meek scholar is to leave his cozy dwelling, Perloo gathers himself and goes with Lucabara.

"Oh, the wonders of history! If you knew the past you could predict the future."

'Perloo the Bold, P. 30

The Central Tribe Burrow is chaotic when Perloo and Lucabara arrive. Jolaine's son, Berwig, is in line for the throne after his mother passes on, and he's nervous about anyone speaking with her who could interfere with that. Roundabout measures are required to sneak past the guards into Jolaine's chamber, where the dying granter reveals why she summoned Perloo: Berwig is not fit to rule, and Jolaine wishes to deviate from tradition and name Perloo as granter. Perloo is bewildered by her confidence in him; he wants nothing to do with political power. Jolaine tells him that if Berwig is granter he will charge headfirst into war with the Felbarts, resulting in countless unnecessary deaths. When Berwig's soldiers bang at the chamber door, it's too late for Perloo to dither any longer. Will he accept being named granter?

"To resist a challenge is to resist life itself."

'Perloo the Bold, P. 173

"Life is given. The rest one gives oneself."

'Perloo the Bold, P. 54

Perloo may legally be in charge, but until Jolaine's signed proclamation is made public, Berwig has a chance to kill his rival and pretend Jolaine named her son granter in the traditional manner. Lucabara flees with poor, befuddled Perloo, using every trick she knows to keep ahead of the guards. Berwig, prompted by his machiavellian adviser Senyous, issues an alert to all Montmers: Jolaine the Good is dead, and Perloo murdered her. He should be slain or apprehended on sight. Escaping the Central Tribe Burrow, Lucabara guides Perloo through a howling snowstorm on Rasquich Mountain, but they are captured by the Felbarts. Weyanto, packmaster of the tribe, greets the two fugitives with aggressive suspicion: were they sent to learn if the Felbarts are ripe for conquest? War seems imminent, but Perloo may be able to avoid it if he can prove he is the rightful granter and Berwig has assumed power illegally. The only evidence is the proclamation Jolaine signed, ripped in two when Lucabara and Perloo fled her chamber. Can they reattach the torn parchment and halt Berwig's war before the land is soaked in the blood of dying soldiers?

"If you learn to know your enemy before you hate him, you may learn not to have an enemy."

'Perloo the Bold, P. 100

"Truth is often painful to speak but soothing to live."

'Perloo the Bold, P. 225

Simpler and far less dense than a Redwall novel, Perloo the Bold is an engaging fantasy for kids. What we learn of the land's history is limited, though I'm interested by Mogwat the Magpie, Great Teaching Bird of the Montmers. Her wise maxims, sprinkled throughout this book, are compiled at the end. Not all are there, however, at least not in the edition I read; the one about resisting a challenge is absent. I wouldn't rank Perloo the Bold with Avi's great works such as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Wolf Rider, and Catch You Later, Traitor, but it's a well-paced story with a setting that could have been explored in at least a few companion novels. I enjoyed Perloo the Bold.