2 Ways to Read Redwall Books in Order by Brian Jacques

The adventures of the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey, and further afield in Mossflower, enthrall and engage young readers. The Redwall books in order follow the adventures of many small creatures, including Martin the Warrior, throughout this forest territory and beyond through an expansive timeline.

Brian Jacques created a world that is both fantastical and relatable. The characters are small woodland creatures: Mice, badgers, moles, foxes, and so much more. But the heart of the stories come down to the fight between good versus evil and impart messages of courage, bravery, and friendship.

About Brian Jacques

Before he became a bestselling author of children’s books, Brian Jacques worked in a variety of jobs. Just some of his work includes being a longshoreman, long-haul truck driver, merchant marine, railway fireman, and a milkman. It was while he was delivering milk that he would stop at the Royal School for the Blind and there he began volunteering to read to the children.

The stories he told were the very first iterations of the Redwall stories. Since his first listeners were blind, Jacques went into great detail explaining everything as vividly as possible. That level of detail shines through in the books he later sat down to write.

When he began writing the Redwall series, he also pulled from his wealth of experience from the multitude of occupations throughout his life. He was in his 40s when the first book was published and it was not an immediate bestseller because it was longer than most of children’s literature at the time.

However, the series caught the attention of young imaginations and has gone on to sell more than 30 million copies around the world.

Jacques was born and raised in Liverpool. He said that he drew on the city and his upbringing in the Redwall series for place, characters, and battles.

Sadly, Jacques died in 2011 at the age of 71 following a heart attack. There was one book published posthumously, The Rogue Crew, but this marks the end of the series.

Redwall Adaptations

There were two adaptations of Redwall during Jacques’s lifetime, although the two adaptations are interconnected.

It began with a TV series that had three seasons from 1999 until 2002: Redwall. The voice-acting cast includes Chris Wiggins, Richard Binsley, Andrew Gillies, Janet Wright, and more. Brian Jacques also lent his voice to the production through introductions and conclusions to the episodes.

Redwall: The Movie was then edited together from the first season of the TV show. It was a TV movie that aired in 2000 for the first time. Both the TV show and the TV movie were well-received by audiences with Easter eggs throughout the show for fans of the books.

In 2021, it was then announced that Netflix has acquired the rights to all 22 Redwall books with plans to adapt the series into an animated feature film and a TV series.

The creator of Over the Garden Wall, Patrick McHale, will be writing the film. It will be adapting the first book in the series. Netflix also plans to develop an event series about the beloved character of Martin the Warrior.

It is the first time the rights to all the books have been held by the same company. Furthermore, if the movie comes to fruition it will be the first time a feature film will be made of the books.

# 1 – Redwall Books in Order of Publication

The first way to read the Redwall books in order is the way that newcomers to the series should read the books. If you have never read these Brian Jacques books, or perhaps only one or two, then this is the reading order you should follow.

The publication order will retain some of the intrigue and mystery as Jacques explored more of this world, which is lost some in the chronological order. Furthermore, this is the order that Jacques intended fans to experience Redwall, since this is the order in which he wrote the books.

Redwall (1986)
Mossflower (1988)
Mattimeo (1989)
Mariel of Redwall (1991)
Salamandastron (1992)
Martin the Warrior (1993)
The Bellmaker (1994)
Outcast of Redwall (1995)
Pearls of Lutra (1996)
The Long Patrol (1997)
Marlfox (1998)
The Legend of Luke (1999)
Lord Brocktree (2000)
Taggerung (2001)
Triss (2002)
Loamhedge (2003)
Rakkety Tam (2004)
High Rhulain (2005)
Eulalia! (2007)
Doomwyte (2008)
The Sable Quean (2010)
The Rogue Crew (2011)

#2 – Redwall Books in Order of Chronology

If you have already read the series before, however, then you may be interested in rereading the series in chronological order. That’s because the adventures that Jacques pens are nonlinear with the introduction of more characters and as more parts of this world take center stage.

The list below organizes the books into a linear chronology, but again, this is best for a reread of the series. If you’ve never read these books before the chronological order will contain minor spoilers since there will be references throughout the series to books that were published first in publication order.

Other Books

Finally, there are also half a dozen companion books. Most of the books have since gone out of print, but links to second-hand copies have been included below.

The Great Redwall Feast (1996) (Out of Print)
Redwall Abbey (1998) (Out of Print)
Redwall Friend and Foe: The Guide to Redwall’s Heroes and Villains (2000) (Out of Print)
A Redwall Winter’s Tale (2001) (Out of Print)
The Redwall Cookbook (2005)

A Summary of Redwall Books in Order

Since you should follow the publication order if you are reading the Redwall books in order for the first time, below you will find the summaries for the first ten books in that order. This will give you a good overview of the series as well as the scope of the adventures. But if you’ve already read the series, then the summaries will remind you of what takes place in the first ten books.

1. Redwall

Redwall Abbey is the tranquil home to a community of peace-loving mice. But it is now under threat by the evil, one-eyed Cluny the Scourge and his horde of battle-hardened predators.

Cluny anticipated that Redwall would be an easy victory for him, but he was not ready for the courage and strength of the Redwall mice and their loyal woodland friends.

2. Mossflower

Verduaga Greeneyes, king of the wildcats, has become a tyrant ruler over the creatures of Mossflower. This has created a life of serfdom and cruelty for the woodlanders. But then, one winter afternoon, a young mouse chances by the woods and brings with him an indomitable spirit of adventure and a will for freedom.

3. Mattimeo

Slagar the Fox is intent on his revenge and his desire to destroy Redwall. He gathers his evil band around him and plots to strike at the heart of the Abbey. His cunning and cowardly plan is to steal the Redwall children — and Mattimeo, Matthias’s son, will be the biggest prize of all.

4. Mariel of Redwall

The mousemaid Mariel washes up on the shores of Mossflower country, half-drowned, battered and bruised, but miraculously alive. She cannot remember her identity, but shares an incredible story of badger lords, fighting hares, and Gabool the Wild Warlord of the Waters. The story gradually unfolds and helps Redwall Abbey in its latest battle against evil sea rats.

5. Salamandastron

Redwall is slumbering in the summer sun, blissfully unaware that the mountain stronghold of Salamandastron lies besieged by the weasel army of Ferhago the Assassin. They also don’t realize that danger is creeping towards the Abbey in the form of the deadly Dryditch fever.

6. Martin the Warrior

The evil Lord of the Eastern Coast, Badrang the Tyrant stoat, has forced captive slaves to build his fortress, Marshank. But one of the slaves he has gathered is the indomitable young Martin who, with the help of his friends Felldoh and Brome, escapes from the fortress and sets off on a path to his heroic destiny as the founder of Redwall Abbey.

7. The Bellmaker

Joseph the Bellmaker is warned in a dream that his daughter Mariel is in danger, but he knows his hopes of saving her are slim. That’s because the evil Foxwolf and his horde of rats are coming to Southsward with Mariel as his prisoner.

Can the legendary Martin the Warrior return from the past to save them? Or is it too late?

8. Outcast of Redwall

The ferret Swartt Sixclaw and the badger Sunflash the Mace swear a pledge of death upon each other, which marks the beginning of a long and bitter struggle between them. Then when the Abbess of Redwall banishes a young creature from the Abbey and the outcast of Redwall finds himself embroiled in their hostile battle.

9. Pearls of Lutra

On the Isle of Sampetra, Emperor Ubla, better known as Mad Eyes, sends his lizard army on a mission to capture Redwall. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Redwall are on a mission of their own. They need to solve the six difficult riddles that will lead them to the rose-colored gems, the Pearls of Lutra.

But as they get closer to solving the riddles, the lizards get closer to Redwall, and a battle to the death begins.

10. The Long Patrol

Tammo dreams of joining the Long Patrol, the legendary army of fighting hares who serve Lady Cregga Rose Eyes, the ruler of Salamandastron. And with Damug Warfang’s mighty battalion of savage vermin on the rampage, young Tammo’s dream is about to become a brutal reality.

Final thoughts

Reading the Redwall books in order by Brian Jacques has been the introduction to fantasy and adventure for many children in the years since the first book was published. Jacques created a world that was immersive and imaginative that allows readers to get lost.

While there are real consequences and sacrifices throughout the series, good perseveres against evil. The series also imparts lessons about bravery, courage, and friendship which makes it both an entertaining and informative read.