Redwall author Brian Jacques dies aged 71

Source:BBC News

A former merchant sailor whose children's books sold millions worldwide has died aged 71.

Brian Jacques' Redwall series of books were translated into 29 languages and sold 20m globally.

He first wrote the series, set in an abbey populated by animals, for children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool.

The Liverpool-born writer's weekly show, Jakestown, ran on BBC Radio Merseyside for more than 20 years.

He died after a heart attack at the weekend and leaves a wife and two grown up sons.
Literary talent

Mr Jacques grew up near to the docks in Liverpool and when he left school at 15, travelled the world as a merchant seaman.

In the sixties, with his two brothers, he formed a folk group called The Liverpool Fishermen.

He wrote 21 novels in the Redwall series, which were also turned into a TV series and an opera.

Some critics compared them to JRR Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings and Watership Down by Richard Adams.

Even as a child he showed literary talent.

He was caned by a teacher who could not believe that a 10-year-old could write so well when he penned a short story about a bird who cleaned a crocodile's teeth.
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It should be noted that Mr.Jacques was admitted to hospital for emergency surgery to treat an aortic aneurysm (an unnatural bulge in the most major artery of the body which has a high chance of bursting).

Who?

Suspicious Bush wrote:Who?

You're kidding me, right?

Oh no...I always loved the Redwall series...favorite was Lord Brocktree, although I only read a few: Redwall, Mossflower, and Mattimeo from what I can remember.

OH MY GOD NO!!!!

He can't be...PLEASE TELL ME THIS ISN'T TRUE!

I'm actually about to cry. I love the Redwall books. When I was about three, the Redwall show was on TV and I'd watch it just to see all the animals. Oh God, this can't be true!

Rest In Peace...

Yes, rest in peace and be reincarnated, plz? I can't believe this...this means that I will keep rereading the Redwall series over and over again. And every time I start a new book, or pull out the one I'm reading at the moment, I'll think of how awesome he was.

We lost a really great writer. Please save us from what we're left with now: Stephanie Meyer and all those people who believe that they can use a thesaurus for every other word and use "dazzling" in every sentence and have a hit. My friend has no love for good writing, insists that every book she reads is awesome, tries to force me to read them, and refuses to read Redwall at all. I keep telling her it's her loss, but she ignores me and says that mice are stupid. I truly pity her.

So now, what do we have? The Hunger Games. His work was truly fun to read, and you could hear his voice through it all. You cried when someone died, but it wasn't an all-out massacre. He knew how to write and twist his plots, and he could throw the best curveballs I had ever read. I am so glad he wrote so much while he was alive, because I will keep reading and reading them.

It truly is a sad day for decent fantasy writers. We have lost a literary genius. I grew up reading his books and even now as an adult I still adore jumping into the Redwall series and getting immersed in all the characters.

He will be sorely missed. It is such a shame Redwall will never truly end but maybe this is the best way for it to be? Never ending and open to interpretation.

no, really.

Who?

It's a tragedy. He was a great writer.

At least his books still exist.. right?

Suspicious Bush wrote:no, really.

Who?

Some guy who wrote books about rats