I just finished reading this anthropomorphic animal fantasy series, and it's similar in some ways to Redwall. It follows animals who defend a mystical island from evil and disaster. Like Redwall, the vivid characters are a big part of what makes it fun. The worldbuilding, however, is more developed than in Redwall. Surprisingly for a novel from a secular publisher, the characters believe in a holy God-figure, pray, and so on. I highly recommend The Mistmantle Chronicles.

They were some of my favorites when I was younger.

ohmyword, Mistmantle! *swoon*

Okay, but seriously. I do adore these books. Padra may be my favorite heroic otter of the ages, and this comes from a major Redwall fan too, so

I could be wrong, but I think McAllister is Catholic, and most websites I've seen sate her religion broadly as "Christian" so.

And yes, the world-building is fantastic.

Gosh, I thought I was the only person who'd read these. XD

He's definitely one of the few otters who can compare with the Skippers.


I've also never seen anything specific about her beyond Christian. I get the impression that she's Anglican.


Sadly, they seem fairly obscure, but I hope that changes in the future.

*head bobs to everything*

They're fantastic, and so prettily written. There's a warmth to the Mistmantle books that I find missing in the Redwall series, where everything is about plundering or saving from plunder and lots of loud, happy feasts. There is nothing wrong with any of these stories, it just means there is a different feel, and I am very fond of the simplicity to the storytelling that McAllister feeds into this series.

Coincidentally I was just at the massive local library sale this week and with one of my purchases I have now completed the Mistmantle series sitting on my shelf.

I think part of what makes the Mistmantle books work so well is that they follow the same characters as they grow over time, which is something Redwall rarely did.


Nice.