“The Rogue Crew” by Brian Jacques

This is the last book in the Redwall series, Jacques died after finishing it. I think it’s a great tale to end on.

The Rogue Crew from the title refers to a gang of otters up on the High North Coast who spend their time fighting vermin and all that jazz. There’s a bunch of comparisons made to the Long Patrol hares since both groups are rather regimental in their ways and devote their lives to fighting evil. Unsurprisingly, they end up teaming up to fight their fiercest foe yet: the Wearat Razzid!

Meanwhile back at Redwall there’s a hedgehog who steals a whole fruitcake and then has dreams of the Wearat arriving in Mossflower! (I find this whole scenario funny.) Turns out that the Wearat has stuck wheels on his ship so that it can travel over land as well, and then he decides to head for the Abbey because that’s what all of the vermin gangs do. There is also the wonderful addition of a peaceful tribe within Mossflower, the Fortunate Freepaws who give aid to the heroes as well. I like to think that they would recur if there were any books after this.

Now there’s a lot of deaths in most of the books, but I think that there’s a couple rather poignant ones in this particular book. Warriors and the older characters die all the time, but the deaths of peaceful creatures is rarer. Seeing as how this is the last book we have, I feel that it’s appropriate.

This was a great story to go out on, you can see Jacques’ commitment to continually build this world through his creation of the Rogue Crew, but also he keeps to the history of the series as well. I got rather emotional by the time I hit the end with the reminder that Redwall Abbey will always have its doors open to any weary travelers with good hearts. I hope that Jacques is there now.