User blog comment:Argulor/Why the subplots?/@comment-1859920-20130523235851

You raise some interesting points, but I think I disagree with you almost entirely. First, how do you know the "side-story" isn't actually part of the main storyline? It isn't up to the reader to decide whether or not a "side-story" is relevant to the main plot and what the main plot actually is. Just because a "small" series of events occurs after what you think is the main storyline is introduced, doesn't mean that they aren't both part of the same storyline. I think it's possible that you're looking at it wrongly and making a judgement call(after you think you've identified the main story-line) that if the story doesn't continue and end the overall way it started, than it's all wrong. You're forgetting that the story is being made by the author and his perspective, not yours.

This "monotonous" writing of Jacques is actually what sets his books so apart and what keeps them different, not similar. And actually, the storyline should change, because the characters that set out to do something(create for you a main plot) are not always so determined and are realistically subject to change just like normal humans. What might set Redwall and Mossflower apart, is that their hero's and villains were fairly consistent and determined and didn't really change their minds and go back on their decisions.

I will admit that Brian Jacques has his faults; he was not a perfect author. Their are a few characters that I dislike and a Redwall book or two that I felt needed some change, but I think your last statement("judgement") concerning him was too harsh and unrealistic. I know for a fact that it's difficult to write 22 books in one series and not be just a little repetitive. If you can, I'd like you to give me some more 'detailed' examples of these similarities between books so I can better understand what you're tryin to get at, because I'm having difficulty seeing the Redwalm series as repetitive. If you're talking about a repetition such as villains trying to conquer Redwall Abbey, than I'd say that the Redeall series is all about Redwall Abbey and what other major fighting happened back in the days of castles and sword-fighting than the attempted capture of a stronghold(Redwall Abbey). And Jacques portrays the prosaic antiquity of the time and place with the various(different) villains and their different ways of trying to capture Redwall Abbey.