The series, unlike most others, does not chronicle any one particular timeframe. Rather, it's based upon many different periods in the history of Redwall Abbey, and a few of the books center around notable historical figures (i.e., Martin the Warrior's father, Luke, in The Legend of Luke). Typically, those books are pre-Redwall. Brian Jacques doesn't worry about writing prequels -- he's done many books out of chronological order.
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2 Books of the Redwall series 3 External links |
The characters in the books are all non-human animals, or furries, of some sort, most of which are capable of English speech or some dialect based upon the English language (i.e., Molespeech). Despite the fact that it's a fantasy series, it contains no elements of magic. However, it does contain several "monsters" - such as huge snakes (from Redwall), giant critter-eating fish (from Marlfox), and the "Deepcoiler", which could, potentially, be an eel (from Salamandastron). Also, it has a super-strong sword forged (partially?) from a meteorite's metal (titanium, perhaps?).
Each book in the Redwall series, in general, details a particular timeframe in the history of Redwall Abbey. In all but a few cases, the book is about the inhabitants of Redwall and Mossflower Woods. Usually, there are at least two different stories going on -- for example, a typical book may contain a small expedition somewhere, and a large group of Redwallers at home fending off a vermin horde. Because of the widely spaced storylines (chronologically speaking), very few creatures are mentioned in more than one or two books except in a passing historical sense; one notable exception is Martin the Warrior, who appears in all books that take place after Martin the Warrior (including The Legend of Luke), even if only in spirit form or a more notable historical mention. Also, Martin's sword (the aforementioned super-strong sword) appears in many of the books.
In addition, it's common for the books to have at least one good character die -- and this isn't referring to a faceless character, either. For example, at the end of Luke's story in The Legend of Luke, Luke (Martin's father) dies, along with a female squirrel named Ranguvar (both fairly major characters).
There have been sixteen books written as of 2003, as follows:
The following books occur, in part or in whole, before the time of Redwall Abbey:
Lord Brocktree is about a badger named Brocktree's quest for the mountain fortress of badger lords, Salamandastron. This is the only book to be placed before the time of Martin's birth.
Martin the Warrior is about Martin's life before he heads south and enters Mossflower territory. In it, he is captured as a slave, escapes, and then later helps the other slaves to escape.
Mossflower is placed just before the founding of Redwall abbey. In it, Martin the Warrior reaches Mossflower, which is being overlorded by wildcats. Martin is captured by Verdauga and his daughter, Tsarmina, and his father's sword is broken. He escapes and journeys to Salamandastron, along with Gonff the Mousethief, the mole Dinny, and the shrew, Log-a-log (technically speaking, a title), where his father's sword is reforged together with a meteorite to create the fabled sword which will appear in many of the books that follow. After this, he ventures back to Mossflower and vanquishes Tsarmina, freeing Mossflower. Then, he founds Redwall abbey, along with Abbess Germaine and the mice of Loamhedge.
The Legend of Luke is partially about Martin the Warrior's quest back to his homeland, and partially about the story of his father, Luke, that he hears upon arriving. Martin's quest is placed during the construction of Redwall Abbey, and his father's story is placed when Martin is still a child. Luke's story is about his being captured as a pirate's slave, and together with a young female black squirrel, Ranguvar Foeseeker, freeing the other slaves.
General description
Books of the Redwall series
Pre-Redwall Abbey books
External links