Remembering Brian

Publisher's Weekly Ad, 2/14/11

Since Brian Jacques’ passing, there have been several touching tributes written by colleagues, critics, and fans.  For those who mourn the loss of this remarkable man, here are a few I encourage you to read.

To the right you can see a quarter-page ad that Brian’s publisher, Penguin, took out in the February 14th, 2011 issue of Publisher’s Weekly. Penguin’s press release can be found here.

My own tribute, written for The Long Patrol, can be read here.  Brian impacted my life significantly and the few words I was able to find are wholly inadequate to convey the sorrow I feel at his passing.

Series cover artist, Troy Howell– the only person besides Brian who has been with the series since its debut in 1986– offered a touching tribute here.

The Great Redwall Feast illustrator, Christopher Denise, posted some initial thoughts here.

Current series illustrator, Sean Rubin, offered his words here.

Former U.K. cover artist, David Wyatt, posted his reaction here.

David Peterson, creator of the series Mouse Guard (which has been compared to Redwall over the years) offered his condolences, as well as an incredibly poignant illustration of Martin the Warrior, Gonff the Mousethief, and Dinny the mole.  It can be seen here.

Snowfur, who ran The Redwall Encyclopedia, offered some initial thoughts here and here.

Lord TBT, who oversees The Redwall Wiki, posted his tribute here.

The Long Patrol Forums has seen several members, past and present, return to offer their tributes here. The same is largely true for Terrouge’s Forums, which can be read here.

Brian’s obituary ran in The Guardian on February 8th, and can be found here.

More tributes can be found on the New York TimesThe Daily Telegraph, The Huffington Post, Click Liverpool, the School Library Journal, Ology, NewsaramaThe Rabbit Room, and many more.

No words can ever be enough, but the above stand as testament to how deeply Brian Jacques touched the lives of those around him.  He will be forever missed.

About Martin the Warrior

Martin has been active in Redwall fandom for many years, founding The Long Patrol in 1996, The Redwall Newsline in 1997, and RWTV: Redwall on TV in 2001. He will be covering Redwall news as long as there is Redwall news to cover.