3 Réponses2026-08-04 23:08:35
Man, figuring out the internal chronology for the 'Redwall' books can be a project. Brian Jacques jumped around the timeline a lot. If you want the story order, it goes like this: 'Lord Brocktree' is the absolute earliest, then 'Martin the Warrior', 'Mossflower', 'The Legend of Luke', 'Outcast of Redwall', and 'Mariel of Redwall' all happen pretty close together. After that, it's 'The Bellmaker', 'Salamandastron', 'Redwall' (the first published, but set way later!), 'Mattimeo', 'The Pearls of Lutra', 'The Long Patrol', 'Marlfox', 'The Taggerung', 'Triss', 'Loamhedge', 'Rakkety Tam', 'High Rhulain', 'Eulalia!', and finally 'The Sable Quean'.
I tried reading them this way once, and it's a different experience. You see the abbey's history unfold, but you miss the charm of discovering the lore backwards, the way most of us did. Honestly, for a first-time reader, publication order still wins. You get the foundational mysteries of 'Redwall' first, which makes the prequels more rewarding later.
The biggest gap in the timeline is between the early founding era and the 'Redwall' novel. So many generations pass, it’s almost a reset.
3 Réponses2026-08-04 14:12:05
The most straightforward way I can explain it is that the internal timeline of Mossflower country is wildly different from how Brian Jacques wrote and published the stories. If you follow publication order, starting with the iconic 'Redwall', you get this great introduction to the world through Matthias's quest. You see the abbey, meet the core characters, and the style is fully formed. The chronological list, which starts with 'Lord Brocktree' and goes through the early building of Redwall, feels like a prequel series you'd tackle after you're already invested.
What you lose in chronological order is that sense of discovery Jacques intended. He wrote each book as a standalone adventure, with hints at legendary figures from the past. Reading 'Mariel of Redwall' after knowing her full history from a prequel book changes the mystery. The publication order has a rhythm to it—a mix of epic founding tales and cozy abbey mysteries—that the strict timeline flattens out. I tried chronological once and missed the little 'aha!' moments of connecting historical dots myself.