Topic: Brian Jacques RIP. 1939-2011 (Read 7168 times)

KvP · « **on:** 08 Feb 2011, 01:27 »

In seventh grade I read about 18 of his Redwall books in the span of a Summer. I thought it was super cool that there was a clear timeline and an interconnectedness between the books in his series. I always meant to come back and read his more recent entries but somehow it never happened. RIP.

schimmy · « **Reply #1 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 01:54 »

Shit. His books were easily the best ones I read as a kid.

smack that isaiah · « **Reply #2 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 05:53 »

Agreed. I remember my librarian aunt gave me the first three Redwall books (ordered by chronological release date, not plot timeline) when I was young and got hooked. I read up until the book Triss came out in hardback.
I remember Martin the Warrior was my favorite book (Felldoh's heroic sacrifice left me in tears (and, honestly I feel a bit of tears at the corner of my eyes remembering that plot from so very long ago)) and Mattimeo gave me the heebie-jeebies.

axerton · « **Reply #3 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 06:51 »

I read maybe half a dozen of these when I was a kid, only remember the most vague and disjointed details. I think this weekend when I visit my parents place I'll dig one of them out and reread it.

TheFuriousWombat · « **Reply #4 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 07:20 »

I probably read the first 12 or 15 of these books in elementary school and loved the hell of every word. It's especially sad when you consider where popular children's literature has gone since.

TheFuriousWombat · « **Reply #5 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 08:18 »

Well Harry Potter started when I was in elementary school too more or less so I dunno if that counts really. And if it does I still think it's just one good example in a giant, overflowing cesspool of awfulness (largely spawned by HPs success I think)

SonofZ3 · « **Reply #6 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 08:25 »

The Redwall series provided exactly the right thing at exactly the right time during my childhood. I loved those books, and they were my transition from 10-20 page childrens books into novels. Redwall was my first novel, and I remember I was young enough that my parents read that one to me.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #7 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 08:33 »

I have an autographed copy of Luke around here somewhere. He had signed it with a broken arm, but didn't seem at all bothered by it and was just in general a good-natured person. I'm with Alex on this, these books were the first real full-length novels I'd read. By the time I got started there were a dozen already out, and I burned through all of them over the course of half a year.

Lines · « **Reply #8 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 09:52 »

He was such a good author. Hopefully his books will be remembered for a very long time.

Boro_Bandito · « **Reply #9 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 13:33 »

Legend of Luke, Mossflower, and the Long Patrol were my favorites, but damn he wrote so many of 'em that were good, Martin the Warrior was the first one that I read in fifth grade and I basically read them all out of order some way or another. RIP good sir, I think I've got a copy of Marlfox lying around here somewhere that I should read...

Tom · « **Reply #10 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 13:55 »

Aw, c'mon he can't die he was going to release a new one this year. Like so many of you guys, the Redwall books (Castaways of Flying Dutchmen is also really good) were my first novels and I hold Jacques as being responsible for giving me my great love of reading. He was a god among men and I'm going to really miss him.

EDIT: I don't know if I'll have any kids but I'll certainly make sure that my nieces and nephews get to hear/see these books.

ummmkay · « **Reply #11 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 16:05 »

i'll chime in with everyone else who read these books as kids - i had a whole shelf full of them in my bookcase and read many of them over and over. i'm glad to see so many people who loved these books too!

Ikrik · « **Reply #12 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 16:53 »

My kids (15 years from now probably) will totally be getting Redwall and a ton of other awesome books. They're seriously amazing.

My sister read way more than I ever did but I still read quite a few of them. I felt that they started slipping in quality later...but that could also be because I was getting older and my tastes had changed. I just remember the lack of magic when I was reading The Taggarung, anyone else feel this way or was I just getting too old?

schimmy · « **Reply #13 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 17:18 »

I don't remember there ever being magic in any of the books I read?
Taggerung was bitching, though. I was so proud of myself when I finished it in like two days flat.

Ikrik · « **Reply #14 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 17:24 »

not in the story, Redwall has never had magic....I meant in terms of reading it. I didn't get into it like I did the other books. I'll chalk it up to my tastes changing.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #15 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 17:28 »

I think he was referring to the general tone of the books, rather than the actual appearance of magic. There was a kind of primal magic in some of the books; some characters had what appeared to be supernatural abilities that may or may not have been explained later (or were behaving like normal creatures and were thus considered special by the characters), and there was a deep reverence towards the land and its' history by the protagonists. He's right, though; somewhere around Taggerung the whole series seemed to shift a little bit. Maybe that was just us growing up, or maybe a lot of the established characters and locales had been done to death and he decided to break new ground. That was about the point I had stopped reading the books, anyways.

Tom · « **Reply #16 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 17:48 »

I stopped reading them after Loamhedge.

look out! Ninjas! · « **Reply #17 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 18:58 »

Echoing the sentiments that the Redwall books were some of the first solid length books I read when I was at primary school. I read every single one that was out before I turned 13 along with my friends, we'd get the school librarian to bypass the returns chute to make sure one of us got them next.

supersheep · « **Reply #18 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 19:49 »

Found out earlier today from a friend. Sad way to start the day.

Apparently there are so many Redwall books that I have never even heard of. It must be a decade since I last read one, but I can still remember the deep and abiding love I had for these books - every softback copy I own is creased and worn down like hell, and I remember that one of the many things I looked forward to when visiting my grandparents' house was paying a visit to the excellent bookstore in the nearby town with a shiny new fiver or tenner I'd been given and buying one of the Redwall books I didn't own. Also, how pissed I was that I lent my copy of The Bellmaker to a friend and never got it back (that and the first book in the Fabled Lands series, still a little bitter about those.) Some of the shine might have worn off for me when I realised that there was a fair touch of formula about them - how many of his books don't have one of the heroes kicking ass at eating food and thus winning the respect of the initially hostile tribe - but that was, and still is, irrelevant. Redwall wouldn't be Redwall without a rebellious youngster sneaking off to save the day, the Dibbuns doing something stupid, the massive feasts and hares scoffing away, that soup the otters made (hotroot?), at least one shocking death, evil vermin, and some form of cryptic clues.

I'll have to dig out a few of them next time I'm home and have a wee tribute read (and/or pick up some new copies).

Eulalia, Mr. Jacques. Give 'em blood'n'guts'n'vinegar at the Great Author's Scoff-Off in the sky.

KvP · « **Reply #19 on:** 08 Feb 2011, 20:13 »

Oh man, the deaths. That rabbit warrior getting speared in the back during retreat made me cry. And then they had a super short funeral scene since she was not a major character and I thought "Goddamnit somebody died have the decency to act like it wasn't nothing". I had not yet read The Iliad.

When I was a young buck it was all about Redwall books, Mechwarrior 2, and Weird Al Yankovic.

redglasscurls · « **Reply #20 on:** 10 Feb 2011, 09:24 »

Just heard about B.Jacques on NPR

Like a lot of you, these were an important stepping stone up from the little Magic Treehouse/Zach Files type books into longer and more complex stories for me.

Anyone else remember the one with cougars as the bad guys? And the one went slowly crazy as the basement of its castle filled up with water? Yeah that creeped me out big time.

Caleb · « **Reply #21 on:** 10 Feb 2011, 10:14 »

I read his books as a kid.

I remember checking them out of the elementary school library.

They were really great.

Boro_Bandito · « **Reply #22 on:** 11 Feb 2011, 11:21 »

Quote from: redglasscurls on 10 Feb 2011, 09:24

Just heard about B.Jacques on NPR Like a lot of you, these were an important stepping stone up from the little Magic Treehouse/Zach Files type books into longer and more complex stories for me.

Anyone else remember the one with cougars as the bad guys? And the one went slowly crazy as the basement of its castle filled up with water? Yeah that creeped me out big time.

Mossflower, yeah, that was the second one that I read, still one of my absolute favorites.

Tom · « **Reply #23 on:** 11 Feb 2011, 12:59 »

Can we fix the thread title, Jacques was born in '39.

Ikrik · « **Reply #24 on:** 11 Feb 2011, 14:15 »

Reading Mossflower right night. I know that they're meant for kids and all but seriously, the man writes amazing fight-scenes. I just got past the fight with the pike and The Gloomer. It was awesome and epic.

Also, his description of food made me painfully hungry and now I really want to try some of the items he described.

schimmy · « **Reply #25 on:** 11 Feb 2011, 14:35 »

A friend of mine compiled a Redwall cookbook when we were kids. Shall have to see if he's got it somewhere still.

satsugaikaze · « **Reply #26 on:** 13 Feb 2011, 08:22 »

Fuck, this guy's writing was a quarter of my childhood literature.

Damnit.

axerton · « **Reply #27 on:** 23 Feb 2011, 20:34 »

Quote from: Tom on 08 Feb 2011, 13:55

Aw, c'mon he can't die he was going to release a new one this year.

despair not for the rogue crew, it will be released posthumously. it was must have been finished for a while cos its due for release on the 3rd of may

bmfs · « **Reply #28 on:** 08 Mar 2011, 22:03 »

Man I feel old, there were only a few of these books out when I was into them!

That being said I've read Redwall and Mossflower many times each, and Martin the Warrior and Salamandastron several times as well (I think those were the only ones out then, there may have been another one or two though).

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: Brian Jacques RIP. 1939-2011 (Read 7168 times)