You've probably seen those moss-covered covers in a library or a dusty used bookstore and felt that sudden itch to dive into the world of Mossflower. But here’s the thing: Brian Jacques didn't write these books like a normal person. He wrote them as the stories came to him, jumping across centuries of history like a squirrel on an espresso bender. If you pick up the first book published, Redwall, you’re actually starting right in the middle of a massive, sweeping historical timeline.
Reading the Redwall books in chronological order is a totally different beast than reading them as they came out. It turns the series from a collection of loosely connected legends into a coherent, epic history of an abbey and the beasts who died to protect it. Honestly, it’s the only way to see how the myth of Martin the Warrior actually formed in real-time.
The Ancient Days: Before the Abbey
If you want to start at the absolute beginning, you aren't starting with a mouse. You’re starting with a badger.
Lord Brocktree (published in 2000) is the earliest point in the timeline. It’s set long before Redwall Abbey even had a foundation stone. It’s a gritty, high-stakes war story about the mountain fortress of Salamandastron being overrun by a swarm of blue-furred rats. You get to see the origin of the Long Patrol hares, and it sets the tone for the entire "history" of the world.
From there, we hit the Martin the Warrior era. This is where the heart of the series lives.
- Martin the Warrior: This is the origin story. It’s brutal, kinda sad, and explains why Martin is such a grim, haunting figure in later books.
- Mossflower: Technically the second book published, but it fits here. This is the "founding" story where Martin leads the resistance against Tsarmina Greeneyes.
- The Legend of Luke: This one is tricky. It’s mostly a flashback about Martin’s father, Luke, but it takes place while they are building the Abbey. It’s the bridge between the wandering warrior and the settled monks.
The Early Abbey Years
After the dust settles from the founding, the timeline gets a bit more "generational." You start seeing the kids and grandkids of the original heroes.
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Outcast of Redwall comes next. It’s one of the more controversial books because it deals with nature vs. nurture—specifically, whether a ferret raised by mice can ever truly be "good." It’s followed by the Mariel duology: Mariel of Redwall and The Bellmaker. These are fantastic if you like sea-faring adventures and unconventional weapons (Mariel uses a weighted rope called a "Gullwhacker").
Then we hit Salamandastron. This book is a weird one in the chronology because it’s set roughly a few generations before the "main" book, Redwall. It centers on the mountain again, dealing with a plague and a massive siege.
The Classic Era: Matthias and Mattimeo
This is what most people think of when they hear "Redwall."
Redwall (1986) is the book that started it all. If you read it in chronological order, you’ll notice something weird: Brian Jacques hadn't quite figured out the "rules" of the world yet. There’s a horse in this book. There are mentions of "Portugal" and "dogs." Later books retcon all of that out, making the world purely about the animals, but in this first-published-but-middle-timeline book, the edges are still a little fuzzy.
Mattimeo follows directly after. It’s a literal sequel, which is rare for this series. We follow Matthias’s son as he’s kidnapped by a fox named Slagar the Cruel. It’s high-stakes, it’s dark, and it’s probably the peak of the "Abbey" feel.
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The Long Decline and the Later Ages
Once you move past Mattimeo, the timeline stretches out. Generations pass. The Abbey becomes an ancient institution.
- The Pearls of Lutra: A riddle-heavy quest that feels like a classic treasure hunt.
- The Long Patrol: Focuses heavily on the hares of Salamandastron.
- Marlfox: This one introduces some of the creepiest villains in the series—stealthy, camouflaged foxes.
- The Taggerung: A personal favorite for many because it follows a clan of otters and a "chosen one" trope that actually subverts expectations.
The timeline then wanders through Triss, Loamhedge, Rakkety Tam, and High Rhulain. These books are set so far after the time of Martin that he is strictly a ghost or a dream-vision by this point. The world feels bigger, but also more fragmented.
The Final Chronicles
The last few books in the timeline—Eulalia!, Doomwyte, The Sable Quean, and finally The Rogue Crew—represent the final era of Brian Jacques’ writing. The Rogue Crew was published posthumously in 2011. These stories often return to the core themes: a massive villainous "horde" threatens the Abbey or the mountain, and a group of unlikely heroes must go on a quest to find a lost sword, a lost leader, or a lost piece of history.
Why Order Matters (and Why It Doesn't)
Look, if you're a first-time reader, some purists will scream at you to read in publication order. They have a point. Reading Redwall first introduces the "vibe" of the series perfectly.
But if you want to see the rise and fall of empires, the chronological order is the way to go. You see the sword of Martin being forged, you see it lost, you see it found by a young novice, and you see it become a relic of a bygone age. You see the Abbey go from a construction site in The Legend of Luke to an ancient, crumbling fortress of peace in The Rogue Crew.
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The real magic of the Redwall books isn't just the feasts (though the food descriptions will absolutely make you hungry for deeper-n-ever pie). It's the sense of weight. When a character in a later book like The Long Patrol mentions "Martin the Warrior," and you've already read his "origin" books, that name carries actual grief and history. It's not just a legend; it’s a guy you "knew."
How to Tackle the Series Today
If you’re planning a marathon, don’t try to read all 22 in a row. You'll get "formula fatigue." Brian Jacques had a very specific template: a feast, a riddle, a journey, and a massive battle. It’s comforting, but 22 times in a row is a lot of candied chestnuts.
Your Next Steps:
- Grab a copy of Lord Brocktree. Start there to see the "Ancient" world before the Abbey existed.
- Map it out. Keep a list of the generations. The "Skipper" of the otters and the "Log-a-Log" of the shrews are titles, not names, which can get confusing if you don't realize you're looking at different characters across centuries.
- Check out the Redwall Cookbook. Honestly, half the reason people read these books is for the food. If you're reading chronologically, try to match the recipes to the era of the Abbey you're currently in.
Whether you're 10 or 40, these books hold up because they don't talk down to you. They're about the cost of peace and the reality of standing up to bullies, even if you're just a mouse with a heavy sword.