I'm a librarian who loves anime, manga, and reading a wide variety of genres.
This is my first Redwall book ever. Unless the story and/or characters turn out to be amazing, it'll probably be my last. The dialogue is taking more effort to follow than I'd like.
Here are a couple stoats chatting:
"'Yer right there, Dingeye. Call that 'ospitality, gettin' near drownded by a fierce waterdog, nearly et by a monster fish, an' 'avin' flowery soap stuffed up yer nose. Hah! An' that's besides bein' bopped on the bonnet by a mole with a pole.'
'Yer right, mucker. If I'm not dead with flooenzer from gettin' a bath by nightfall, me name ain't stoat!'"
And that's actually not too bad. Here's Arula the mole speaking to Friar Bellows the mouse on page 38:
"'Hurr, zurr Bellers, 'ee were agoin' t' show us'ns 'ow to make a Gurtall cake, doant 'ee amember?'
The Friar gave them each a honeyed damson from a big jar. 'So I did, so I did. Hmm, you must have clean paws to make a Great Hall cake. Let me see them.'"
Oh, so "Gurtall cake" means "Great Hall cake." ::weeps bitterly::