Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey

A Spoiler Free Review

So, Redoubt was interesting. I honestly thought Mags might end up having a somewhat normal year, for once. Boy was I wrong. Should have known. Halfway through, we’re suddenly thrown from Mags’ rather comfy “normal” life straight into fever dreams and a survival story. Wasn’t exactly badly done, but definitely an abrupt change.

It is also the Year of Weddings! Opening with Lydia and Prince Sedric’s wedding, which sounded like quite the spectacle, actual small wedding aside. Followed several weeks? (It is a little hard to tell time in these books.) later by Lena and Bear getting hitched. That was even more interesting and I really wish a) we actually knew exactly how old these kids are and b) we got every bit of Bear’s father’s crazy-pants rant. I’m assuming the “kids” are at least 16, probably, but I’m definitely not sure as it’s never stated anywhere. Aaaand I have a perverse fascination with listening to unhinged people rant and then get their comeuppance… makes for fun (if often enraging) reading.

Kirball was yet another fun bit of reading. A lot going on during Kirball and a tad confusing at times to follow, but still definitely my favorite fictional sport. I would never play it, but it sounds fun to watch. They need commentators.

Now we jump to the second half of the book where Mags spends a good chunk of time in fever dreams. Flashback-y fever dreams that honestly had me wanting to just stop reading because we’ve been over and over and over Mags’ past in Cole Pieter’s mine. Four books later essentially being back there was kind of annoying. Here’s hoping Mags is well over that part of his past now.

I actually enjoyed the survival bit with Mags trekking through what turned out to be Karse. It was a lot more fun than the survival bit in The Silver Gryphon. Maybe that’s because it was just Mags with no other crazy threats involved. I dunno.

And then we meet Reaylis and Franse. I loooove Reaylis. He’s a pretty perfect example of a talking cat and we know I love talking cats. Franse is… well he’s there. He’s alright as a character, but not anything super special. Their bit of the story was also enjoyable. I like Suncats as a concept.

The last part of the story reveals a bit more about the society Mags’ parents came from. It sounds to me like an Eastern-based society, just based on a couple of the names. Other than that, still a mystery to the reader, and Mags. Guess we’ll find out in Bastion.

So yeah, Redoubt ended up being much more action-packed than I was expecting. Was definitely not expecting a look into Karse. And, uh, yeah. Looking forward to Bastion.

Favorite Quotes

:Cats do what cats will do, and neither man nor god can do anything about it.: - Reaylis

The cat paused. :What always happens when religion goes to the bad?: the cat replied, and resumed his grooming. :Power. The love of power overcomes the love of the gods. Priests stop listening for the voice in their hearts and souls—which is very, very hard to hear even at the best of times—and start to listen only to what they wish to hear or to the voice of their own selfish desires. Priests begin to believe that they, and not the gods, are the real authorities. Priests confine broad truths into narrow doctrines, because more rules mean that they have more power. Priests mistake their own prejudice for conscience and mistake what they personally fear for what should universally be feared. Priests look inward to their own small souls and try to impress that smallness on the world, when they should be looking at the greatness of the universe and trying to impress that upon their souls. Priests forget they owe everything to their gods and begin to think the world owes everything to them . . . : the cat stopped, and shook his head. :Power is a poison. Priests should know better than to indulge in it. But once they do, you stop having those who wish to serve becoming priests, and you start seeing those who wish to be served becoming priests, and the rot sets in. It started to happen long ago here as humans reckon time.: 

:Gods do not sweep in and fix things. You are not children to be saved. You must save yourselves.: - Reaylis

That was the choice: to lie down and be abused, or stand up and refuse to be abused and throw the abusers out. Lying down and taking it never worked anyway; you might suffer and die if you fought, but you were going to suffer and die regardless, and at least the suffering and dying part would be shorter if you fought.

    :So you see.: The cat nodded. :It’s not punishment for allowing this to happen. It’s the consequence of allowing this to happen. It’s the consequence of cowardice, of apathy, of giving up. The two things are very different.: - Mags and Reaylis