Redwall Series Reading Level Novels & Stories

I grew up with 'Redwall' tucked under my arm, and honestly, it shaped my love for fantasy more than any other series. Brian Jacques crafts this lush, vivid world where mice wield swords and badgers are noble warriors—it’s like 'Lord of the Rings' but cozier and with more feasts. The language is rich but accessible, and the themes of courage and loyalty hit just right for kids. Some darker moments (like battles or villainous rats) might need parental reassurance, but it never feels gratuitous. What stuck with me were the friendships—Matthias and Cornflower, Martin the Warrior’s legacy—they made heroism feel tangible, like something a kid could aspire to.

That said, the pacing can be slow by today’s standards, with lengthy descriptions of food or landscapes. But for a patient reader? It’s a feast (pun intended). I still revisit the audiobooks narrated by Jacques himself—his voice adds this warmth, like a grandparent telling a bedtime story. If a child loves animal stories or epic quests, 'Redwall' is a gateway to lifelong fantasy fandom.

The chronological order starts with 'Lord Brocktree', but that might not be the ideal entry point. That book was written later and assumes you're already familiar with the series' tone and world. I started with 'Mossflower' myself, because that's where a lot of people recommend beginning, and I found it a much stronger narrative hook than 'Lord Brocktree', which can feel a bit more formulaic if it's your first taste of Redwall.

For a true chronological run, you'd go 'Lord Brocktree', then 'Martin the Warrior', 'Mossflower', 'The Legend of Luke', 'Outcast of Redwall', 'Mariel of Redwall', 'The Bellmaker', 'Salamandastron', 'Redwall', and so on. It's a fun project for a re-read, but for a first-timer, publication order—starting with the original 'Redwall'—just works better. You get introduced to the abbey and its traditions naturally. The prequels often have more weight when you know the legends the characters are talking about.

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.