Lord Brocktree is the son of Lord Stonepaw, the ailing Badger Lord of Salamandastron. He begins the story at the end of a long wandering away from home that most young badgers undertake, but is soon driven to return home by news of his father's impending death and by the looming threat of Ungatt Trunn, a wildcat warlord whose Blue Hordes outnumber the stars and who means to lay siege to the ancient mountain city.
Lord Brocktree is the 13th book in the Redwall series in publication order, but the first chronologically. It was published in 2000. Due to Brian Jacques's untimely death, it was unfortunately the last "prequel" novel to be written.
This book contains examples of:
- Anti-Hero: Even though Jukka the Sling and her tribe help the protagonists, they're mostly just there so they can steal more weapons from their enemies.
- Big Bad: Ungatt Trunn, the fascistic wildcat leader of the Blue Horde with ambitions of conquering Salamandastron.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Bucko Bigbones confronts Karangool, the fox who killed his family and left him for dead, and Karangool has no idea who he is. Bucko corners him and explains before taking his revenge, and then he does remember."Well, let me tell ye a story, aboot a puir young hare who was left fer dead by a wicked ole fox who beat 'im wi' a swordblade..."
- The Dog Bites Back: Ungatt Trunn is finished off by the fortune-telling fox he constantly mistreated.
- Dramatic Spine Injury: Brocktree ends the climactic battle by dealing the warlord Ungatt Trunn a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown in front of his army, making him beg for mercy, and then snapping his spine in a Killer Bear Hug. Later, a vengeful ex-minion notices he's Only Mostly Dead, but simply rolls him into the ocean.
- Dreadful Musician: Dotti. As quoted from the narration: "To say her singing was akin to a squashed frog trapped beneath a hot stone would be a great insult to both frog and stone."
- Dressing as the Enemy: Jukka the Sling disguises herself as a member of Ungatt Trunn's horde by dyeing her fur and shaving her tail.
- Eating Contest: Bucko Bigbones lets anyone challenge him for his crown by beating him in three challenges, one of which is feasting.
- I'm Cold... So Cold...: Fleetscut dies with a smile on his face, remarking that he doesn't feel hungry anymore but he does feel cold.
- Lancer vs. Dragon: The heroes persuade the hare king Bucko Bigbones to join them in their battle against the warlord Ungatt Trunn by participating in his contest. Bucko is reluctant at first (having been publicly defeated by a haremaid) but when he learns who they're after he's a lot more willing as he sees an opportunity to avenge himself on Karangool, Ungatt's Captain-in-Chief, who had tortured Bucko in the past.
- Life-Saving Encouragement: Ripfang gets sent out with a hundred and fifty soldiers from Ungatt Trunn's Blue Hordes to deal with the heroes and is the only one to return. Trunn (who's been suffering from nightmares about fighting a badger) threatens to kill him slowly unless he tells the truth. Ripfang simply says "I saw the badger", and Trunn immediately orders everyone out so he can hear what Ripfang has to say.
- Million Mook March: Ungatt Trunn's Blue Hordes do this when they march, and number enough to be able to intimidate his enemies by causing earthquakes by jumping in sync, making the stars "fall" by lighting torches and concealing the stars in the sky, and making the land "disappear" by standing on it. Of course this is one book where Easy Logistics is averted, the good guys attacking foraging parties in an effort to make them starve. For the most part they succeed, to the point where the "siege" that happens once Brocktree and his allies are in possession of Salamandastron again is more the woodlanders pretending that they're partying it up inside while the Blue Hordes sit and wait for scraps of food to be chucked out the window.
- Narrative Profanity Filter:
- Grood. Apparently, he's got quite a tongue on him for being a young squirrel.
- Apparently, Dotti could give Grood a few lessons in choice language.
- Open Shirt Taunt: Fleetscut opens his shirt during his "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Jukka, shouting that if she kills him instead of coming back to help defend Salamandastron her home will be invaded next.
- Running Gag: Aunt Blench's shawl. Dotti was to give it to her upon arriving at Salamandastron, yet throughout her journey there, it gradually becomes more and more destroyed. (Shredded, patched, torn, tattered, soaked with cider, and inexpertly repaired.) Heck, the third part's alternative title is called "A Shawl for Aunt Blench". It eventually does get to to her, which leads to an equally funny and heartwarming moment where she actually wears it.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: One one of the enemy commanders decides he's had enough of Trunn's leadership and deserts with around 300 of his troops in tow. This contingent of fully armed, trained vermin marches away and right out of the plot, never to appear again.
- Shameful Strip: The Bark Crew force captured vermin foraging parties to walk home naked and neck-deep in the ocean to wash off their full-body warpaint.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The heroes go up against Ungatt Trunn and his Blue Hordes, a massive army that can overwhelm Salamandastron and is impossible for the heroes to take on even footing. Of course, having such a gigantic army also means that it's absolute hell keeping everyone fed, and the vermin very rapidly start running out of food over the course of the book, which is made worse when the heroes start attacking their foraging parties. The army being starved does most of the work for the heroes before Brocktree defeating Trunn in a duel and a final attack by the heroes puts the nail in the coffin and scatters them.
- Tattoo Sharpie: The Blue Hordes of Ungatt Trunn get their names from the fact that they are made to wash in permanent blue dye on the day they're inducted, showing that they belong to Trunn permanently. Over the course of the book, the vermin discover that walking while up to their necks in seawater for several hours will wash out the dye, leaving only their heads blue (and marking yet another symbolic victory against Trunn, who by that point is holed up in Salamandastron without food and with an increasingly unruly and hungry army).
- You Shall Not Pass!: Jukka the Sling and Fleetscut in Lord Brocktree, which is even more impressive, considering they spent most of the book viciously insulting each other, and nearly coming to blows more than once.