Taggerung (book)





Nominated:


 * W.H. Smith Book Award

Book Divisions (English)

 * Book 1: The Babe at the Ford
 * Book 2: Fifteen Seasons On
 * Book 3: Deyna

Summary
The Juska, a group of tribes that live on the west coast, have long awaited the birth of the legendary warrior called the Taggerung. When a Seer from the Juskarath tribe predicts his birth - to an otter from Redwall Abbey -Sawney Rath, leader of the tribe, gathers a group of warriors and sets out to capture him.

Rillflag, the Taggerung's, father, has taken him to a stream to complete a traditional otter ritual. The Juska Tribe murders Rillflag and takes Deyna; Sawney is determined to raise him as his own son. The ferret chief renames him Tagg.

As Tagg grows older, he finds that he doesn't seem to relate to the other Juska members, having never killed. After Sawney sends Tagg after a fox named Felch, he orders Tagg to kill the runaway, which Tagg refuses to do. Tagg runs, and is soon chased by the enraged ferret.

In an unlucky turn of events for the ferret, the stoat Antigra finds Sawney and kills him, enabling her inept son Gruven to take command of the Juskarath (now the Juskazann). The vixen Grissoul tells Gruven he must hunt down the former Taggerung and bring back his head. To aid him is a small band of vermin (Eefera, Vallug Bowbeast, Rawback, Milkeye, Grobait, Dagrab, Ribrow and Rabbad), none of which respect him and would probably kill him if they had half the chance.

Tagg in the mean-time has met up with a harvest mouse named Nimbalo, who has a mysterious past of his own. The two eventually end up at a pygmy shrew tribe, where they stay for a while, until the colony is attacked by Gruven. Tagg runs out to meet the vermin, who promptly run away, and manages to catch Ribrow, who tells Tagg of his past and where he came from. Tagg decides to head back to his proper home, the Abbey. His distinguishing mark is removed by otterfixer Rukky Garge.

In Redwall, Cregga Rose Eyes has been leading the search for an Abbot or Abbess to succeed Abbot Arven. Mhera, Deyna's sister and the daughter of Filorn, is named to the title at a feast in Cregga's honor. The badger mother dies shortly after.

The fox Ruggan Bor attempts to attack Redwall and kill Deyna, but he is stopped by Russano the Wise, a visiting badgerlord.

Characters in The Taggerung

Release details

 * 2001, US, Philomel Books, ISBN 9780399237201, Pub. Date: September 2001, Hardcover
 * 2001, UK Hutchinson Children's Books Ltd., ISBN 0091769280, Pub. Date: September 2001, Hardcover
 * 2002, UK, Red Fox, ISBN 0099409283, Pub. Date: July 2002, Paperback