Brian Jacques Books In Order

Publication Order of Redwall Books

Chronological Order of Redwall Books

Publication Order of Tribes of Redwall Books

Publication Order of A Tale of Redwall Books

Publication Order of Redwall Picture Books

Publication Order of Redwall Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Flying Dutchman Books

Publication Order of Urso Brunov Picture Books

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

Brian Jacques was a popular author born in 1939 who was best known for the Redwall novels.

+Biography

Born James Brian Jacques in Liverpool to James Alfred Jacques and Ellen Ryan, the author’s childhood was spent in Kirkdale; this was near the area of the Liverpool Docks. Because Brian’s father and brother used the name ‘James’, it became the norm to refer to him by his middle name.

Like most notable authors, Brian took to reading at a very young age, enamored by the adventures produced by authors like Edgar Rice Burroughs and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He was also drawn to books like ‘The Wind in the Willows’, not only because of the storytelling techniques used but also the cast of animal characters.

As he approached his teenage years, it was clear that Brian Jacques had a talent for writing. He even went so far as to write a story about a bird and a crocodile when he was ten.

Interestingly enough, the story was so amazingly written that no one believed the ten-year-old had written. They even went so far as to cane Brian for refusing to reveal where he had copied the story from. Brian admitted that it was at this point that he came to appreciate his abilities as a writer.

Before that point, Brian was little more than a dabbler. But at the age of ten, he received affirmation that he was truly gifted in the area. However, life did not immediately drive the author down to road to publishing.

Instead, Brian Jacques left school (St. John’s) at the age of fifteen and became a Merchant Sailor. The decision drove him to try his hand at a variety of jobs over the years. And it was during his stint as a milkman that Brian wrote ‘Redwall’, a story he produced for the children at an institute for the Blind.

Brian undertook the project after spending time with the children, reading to them and growing irritated with the state of Children’s literature in the process. Brian Jacques’ contention was that the books written for children during his time were filled with too much adolescent angst and were sorely lacking in magic.

The author’s ‘Redwall’ stories were designed to remedy that issue, and Brian’s writing style quickly garnered attention, primarily because of his use of smell, taste, balance and sound in describing scenes and situations.

Alan Durband was an author and also Brian’s former teacher. After getting a hold of Brian’s manuscript, he was so thoroughly impressed by it that he showed it to his own publisher without Brian’s knowledge.

The publisher thought ‘Redwall’ was the greatest manuscript for a Children’s book he had ever read and he quickly summoned Brian to London to begin negotiations on a publishing deal.

What set the ‘Redwall’ manuscript apart was the fact that it was a whopping 800 pages long. This was in an era where children’s books were rarely longer than 200 pages because authors did not think books longer than that could hold the attention of children.

Brian Jacques wasn’t too bothered by these concerns and was certain that children would read any book of any length so long as it was well-written. One could go so far as to say that Brian set the tone for a whole new generation of children’s books.

The ‘Redwall’ novels, which followed a slew of animals, from mice to moles, hares, weasels, were not afraid to delve into the reality of battle. In fact, the author went so far as to kill off some of the good guy characters of his books, which was practically unprecedented at the time.

While Brian hinted at the possibility that there might be humans in his world in the first book, subsequent novels in the series banished this idea, cementing the idea that Brian’s world was one of animals engaging in a battle between good and evil; Brian admitted that he based many of the characters in his books on people he either knew or had heard of in real life. Brian even used himself as inspiration for some of his creations.

The fact that so many of Brian Jacques’ battles had a sense of realism to them shouldn’t be a surprise; the author wasn’t immune to the ravages of war in the real world and he used the concepts he remembered playing out in real life as inspiration for the battles in his books.

The success of the author was such that his books were translated into more than two dozen languages. Brian was also lucky enough to see his books become an animated Television series in 1999 simply titled ‘Redwall’. The show ran for three seasons and aired on PBS.

By the time Brian Jacques died, he had a wife, two children and a pair of grandchildren. The author died in 2011 during a surgical procedure to treat an aortic aneurysm.

By the time of his death, the author had won accolades like the Western Australian Young Readers Award, the Lancashire Libraries Children’s Book of the Year Award and an ALA’s Young Adults award to mention but a few.

+Redwall

The Mice are a peaceful group and they have enjoyed the tranquil halls of Redwall Abbey for a long time. Their peace is threatened when a savage warlord of a rat comes knocking.

If the Redwall Mice are to survive, they will have to band together with their woodland friends in order to stave this new threat off.

The first book in the Redwall series introduces readers to the world of Redwall. Matthias is just another seemingly ordinary mouse living in peace in Redwall. When his community is threatened by an army of rats, Matthias must become a hero and find a legendary sword that could help him overcome the army.

+Mossflower

Tsarmina is a greedy wildcat that now rules the Mossflower Woods. And she will do anything to see her iron paw maintain its hold over the lands. However, Martin won’t be intimidated.

Joined by a few friends, the brave mouse sets out to find Boar the Fighter, a legendary figure that could put Tsarmina in her place.

The second book in the Redwall series dives back into the mystical aspects of Brian Jacques’ world. The book sets a young hero on the path to find a sword that once saved Redwall Abbey from tyranny.

One Response to “Brian Jacques”

1. n: 3 years ago

   I find these list very helpful and interesting, and I hope you will continue. Also, the author profiles are really informative.

   Thank you.

   Reply