Lord Brocktree

Lord Brocktree

UK 1st Edition Cover
Author	Brian Jacques
Cover artist	Chris Baker
Language	English
Series	Redwall
Genre	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Hutchinson (UK) & Philomel (US)
Publication date	1 September 2000
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	388 (UK hardback) & 370 (US Hardback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-09-176877-2 (UK hardback) & ISBN 0-399-23590-6 (US Hardback)
Preceded by	The Legend of Luke
Followed by	The Taggerung

Lord Brocktree is a fantasy novel by Brian Jacques, published in 2000. It is the thirteenth book in the Redwall series.

Plot introduction

The book focuses on a badger, Lord Brocktree, and haremaid Dotti as they journey towards Salamandastron, the mountain fortress of badger lords, to recapture it from the wildcat Ungatt Trunn. With Brocktree's help, the army is able to save the fortress from being held by the vermin hordes.

Plot summary

US cover of Lord Brocktree

This book revolves around the badger Lord Brocktree, father of Boar the Fighter, grandfather of Bella of Brockhall, and great-grandfather of Sunflash the Mace. He sets out to find the mountain of Salamandastron, aided by the quick talking haremaid Dorothea Duckfontein Dillworthy and otter Ruffgar Brookback.

Meanwhile, in Salamandastron, trouble comes for Brocktree's father, Lord Stonepaw. Years of peace have left the mountain stronghold with few fighters, and those that remain (including Stonepaw) are long past their prime. The mountain falls under attack by wildcat Ungatt Trunn and his Blue Hordes. Eventually the mountain is overrun, leading to the deaths of many hares and even of Stonepaw himself. The wildcat takes at least sixty hares as prisoners, but through the efforts of warrior Stiffener Medick and his otter friend Brogalaw, they escaped.

Thanks to the Bark Crew– the group of guerillas formed by Stiffener and Brogalaw to harass Trunn– the Blue Hordes are slowly starved, their supplies cut off. Ungatt Trunn tricks the Bark Crew into putting up a last stand in battle, but Lord Brocktree joins forces with the hares and saves the day.

The book culminates in a massive final battle, with many memorable characters being killed off, such as Jukka the Sling, a female squirrel chieftain, and Fleetscut the hare. Eventually, when the battle ends up a near-stalemate, Trunn and Brocktree face off in a duel. After a failed assassination attempt on Brocktree, the badger eventually paralyzes Trunn. Trunn is thrown into the water but survives, only to be drowned by Groddil, one of his former advisors.

Characters in "Lord Brocktree"

• Lord Brocktree
• Dorothea Duckfontein Dillworthy (Dotti)
• Ruffgar Brookback (Ruff)
• Lord Stonepaw
• Stiffener Medick
• Torleep
• Sailears
• Ungatt Trunn
• Brogalaw (Brog)
• Jukka the Sling
• Fleetscut
• Groddil

Trivia

• Lord Brocktree is the only book in the series of Redwall that takes place before the birth of Martin the Warrior, a formidable mouse who battles the evil niece of Ungatt Trunn, Tsarmina.
• In Lord Brocktree the confusing Redwall/Salamandastron chronology was made clearer. The earliest Redwall books published made it clear there were many lords of Salamandastron before Brocktree, but in later books he was credited as the first lord to lead the Long Patrol and occasionally credited as the very first Badger Lord. Both are explained as true in this book, as Brocktree was the one who founded the Patrol.
• The chronology is also expanded to make clear that the events described take place approximately one generation before book two of The Legend of Luke, because in Legend of Luke it is stated that Luke’s clan fled Mossflower to the north after Lord Verdauga Greeneyes invaded Mossflower and that Luke was an infant or not yet born at this time. However, in Lord Brocktree it is made clear that Ungatt Trunn left home to conquer Salamandastron before his brother Verdauga left for Mossflower. Also, at the time Lord Brocktree leaves his home in Mossflower, Mossflower is still safe, and in the book Mossflower it is made clear that it remains so until after Brocktree's son Boar leaves and travels to Salamandastron, which does not happen in the book and is implied to occur much later.
• Part of the difficult chronology appears to be caused by the fact badgers live considerably longer than other species, maybe four times as long as mice, and since the chronologies are based primarily on the overlap of characters life spans this causes problems. For example, Boar the Fighter appears to be born before Martin the Warrior’s grandfather Martin or in approximately the same period, yet Martin the Warrior meets him at Salamandastron and he appears to be of middle age.

{{redwall wiki|lord brocktree

Book Divisions (English)

• Book 1: The Days of Ungatt Trunn (also entitled: "Dorothea Leaves Home")
• Book 2: At the Court of King Bucko (also entitled: "The Tribulations of a Haremaid")
• Book 3: Comes a Badger Lord (also entitled: "A Shawl for Aunt Blench")

Translations

• (French) Rougemuraille : La Forteresse en péril

External links

• Plot summary
• [1]