Jacques << jayks >> , Brian (1939-2011), was a British author of children’s books known for his Redwall series of fantasy animal novels. The series takes its name from Redwall Abbey, the home of peace-loving small animals, including mice, moles, shrews, and squirrels. The novels portray their conflicts with their enemies in the animal world, such as rats, weasels, stoats, and foxes.
Jacques set the action in his series in the meadows and woodlands around Redwall Abbey during the Middle Ages, which lasted from about the A.D. 400’s through the 1400’s. The novels follow a formula of good versus evil. The animal heroes and heroines are kind, brave, and honest. The villains are violent and wicked. Readers and critics praised Jacques for his skill in giving his animal characters human qualities with distinctive voices and accents. He began the series with Redwall (1986).
Jacques was born on June 15, 1939, in Liverpool, England. Before becoming an author, he held many jobs, including logger, longshoreman, and truckdriver. In 1980, he became a radio broadcaster. Jacques also wrote Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales (1991), the supernatural adventure story Castaways of the Flying Dutchman (2001), and its sequels The Angel’s Command (2003) and Voyage of Slaves (2006). He died on Feb. 5, 2011.
