Brian Jaques is Dead!

[Penguin]

Aw shucks, the author of my favorite series of books died in February, and there wasn't even a ripple of it on the news.  Brian Jaques wrote, among a few other things, the Redwall series of books.  It was the most violent, exciting and gory stuff that a third grader could get a hold of.  Where else do you get a badger with a giant crossbow shooting a rat in a tent from a mile away to break the siege of a castle filled by mice?

Brian Jaques (pronounced, Brian Jakes), died of a preventable heart disorder (a weakening of the aortic wall).  He was unaware of it until it was too late. 

-Penguin

[Yossarian]

RIP, I used to absolutely love those books. 

[saggs]

I tried reading one of the Redwall series once.  Drove me nuts how he tried to write all the dialog phonetically.  I'd have to read every line of dialog from some characters 3 times to figure out what they where saying, finally gave up after a few chapters.

[Yossarian]

I tried reading one of the Redwall series once.  Drove me nuts how he tried to write all the dialog phonetically.  I'd have to read every line of dialog from some characters 3 times to figure out what they where saying, finally gave up after a few chapters.

I honestly don't remember that, but I always thought they were good books.

[M0nkey_Man]

never read any of his books, seen em though R.I.P.

[Tupac]

I tried reading one of the Redwall series once.  Drove me nuts how he tried to write all the dialog phonetically.  I'd have to read every line of dialog from some characters 3 times to figure out what they where saying, finally gave up after a few chapters.

This. I never could get into the books.

[Muzzy]

 

Whether you read him or not, Jacques pretty much jump started Children's Literature together with J. K. Rowling.  His books were 300 pgs long at a time when 150-200 pages was considered pushing it for Intermediate Readers.

R I P.

[allaire]

The only book of his that I read was Salamandastron.  It was a good read but I just never got around to getting any of his other stuff.  Vaya con Dios Mr. Jaques.

[saggs]

Whether you read him or not, Jacques pretty much jump started Children's Literature together with J. K. Rowling.  His books were 300 pgs long at a time when 150-200 pages was considered pushing it for Intermediate Readers.

R I P.

Not sure what you mean here.  Writers like C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Lloyd Alexander, Edgar Rice Burroughs, L. Frank Baum (and I'm sure others which I've forgotten ) where writing intermediate-reader fantasy novels of that length many, many years before Jacques or Rowling.

I guess you could say there was a big resurgence in the popularity of that genre with the phenomenal popularity of Harry Potter.

[Penguin]

Don't forget Walter Meurs either.  That guy was a BEAST!  I've read one of his books, The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear 5 times cover-to-cover.  It is the best book I've ever read, in fact every time I read it I found a deeper meaning.

-Penguin

[DrDea]

Burroughs was writing these way back in the 70's. Good stuff for a kid to be reading. Loved the John Carter of Mars series.

[mechanic]

never got into redwall, alway more of a pratchett fan.

RIP

[saggs]

Burroughs was writing these way back in the 70's. Good stuff for a kid to be reading. Loved the John Carter of Mars series.

Burroughs was WAAAYY before the 70's.  More like the 10's thru 30's.  He died in 1950.

EDIT: unless we are talking about different Burroughs.  Only on I know is Edgar Rice, Tarzan, Outlaw of Torn, The Lad and the Lion.  etc...

[DrDea]

Burroughs was WAAAYY before the 70's.  More like the 10's thru 30's.  He died in 1950.

EDIT: unless we are talking about different Burroughs.  Only on I know is Edgar Rice, Tarzan, Outlaw of Torn, The Lad and the Lion.  etc...

Yea he was writing them before then but I didnt find them till the early 1970's. He had done Tarzan well before. it was great stuff.