Who wants redwall books by another author

[Wot Wot!]

Wow, definitely getting some passionate responses here, wot!

It is terribly sad that Brian is gone, and I think continuing the series had the best of intentions behind it.  We want more of his world, and we realize that he probably had dozens more in mind for the Redwall world.

I take myself back to a book signing Brian did in Austin TX (I wasn't there, but have watched it several times on youtube), in which Jacques talked about his books as if they were his kids (someone had asked him "what is YOUR favorite Redwall book?"), and that they all meant very much to him.

I highly respect Brian, and if the series continued, wouldn't it be a bit like ruining that family he created?  Just a thought.  I would love the fan fiction to continue, which certainly pays homage to the series without BECOMING the series (important distinction).  But BJ, for however formulaic his books were, had his own inimitable writing style and heart which went into each book.

I'll remind everyone, however, the Tolkien is gone too, yet they still made a huge top level effects, true to the story movie, right?  But that's a conversation for a different thread. :-)

>continued
>ruining
No assumption made, simple deduction.

Then your deduction is simply grazing the surface of the deeper issue I am talking about: ownership.  Variation is fine: build more complex characters, set the stories in different places, etc., but just don't call it Redwall and put your own name on it.    This was Jacques' series, no one else's.  Film adaptations, fanfiction, etc. are all a different story- again, they pay homage to the series without BECOMING the series.

[daskar666]

It WAS Jacques' series, but now he is dead...do you really want the series to die with him? Really?
Look at James Bond for example. Ian Fleming died nearly 50 years ago but there are still James Bond books being written and published by other authors, and not all of the movies and games are adaptations of Fleming's novels either.

[Galedeep]

It WAS Jacques' series, but now he is dead...do you really want the series to die with him? Really?
Look at James Bond for example. Ian Fleming died nearly 50 years ago but there are still James Bond books being written and published by other authors, and not all of the movies and games are adaptations of Fleming's novels either.

I'm pretty sure James Bond fans argued about this sort of thing too nearly 50 years ago and today. Let me ask you is there a considerable difference between Ian Fleming's originals and the modern stories? 

[Wot Wot!]

It WAS Jacques' series, but now he is dead...do you really want the series to die with him? Really?
Look at James Bond for example. Ian Fleming died nearly 50 years ago but there are still James Bond books being written and published by other authors, and not all of the movies and games are adaptations of Fleming's novels either.

Wow, pretty cold toward someone who died four months ago.  And yes, the series dies with its creator.  Call me old fashioned, but the soul of those stories belong with Jacques, and I think it would be disrespectful to attempt a continuation. 

Honestly, how do you think this would go down?  This is when it moves from the author to the publishing house, and you're just talking business from there.  So they shop around and hire an author who can best mimic Jacques' style and say, hey, more money in our pocket.  Its cold and calculating, and I wouldn't want Jacques' memory sullied in that respect. 

[Matthias720]

This topic has gotten a little out of hand. It's been temporarily locked, and will be reopened in a few days. Remember, the forum rules state:

Respect everyone's opinion. Everyone has the right to have their opinion. If you don't agree with someone, then it's okay to say what your opinion is as long as you respect theirs.

[Matthias720]

It's been a bit more than a few days. My bad. This topic has been unlocked.

Just remember to keep things civil.

[Taggerung_of_Redwall]

Hehe, yeah, a few days...

Yes, keep it clearly civil. It is under watch

[Lutra]

I'm going to put in a bit from another series I read a long time back--maybe some of you read it too.  Its called Dinotopia and its creator is James Gurney.  He isn't dead, but I recall some novels that were written by other authors, naturally with the creators' permission--and I read them, and they just weren't the same.  The difference in the type of story (illustrated picture books vs. a short novel) being one issue, the other is the missing charm that came with the creator's vision.

Redwall might go down that route, but as much as I'm not a fan of predictability in Redwall books--read my posts--I most certainly don't want to see Redwall go down that awful path Dinotopia went down quite a few years back.  Redwall was Jacques' baby and he knew his stories and characters as a parent knows their children.  Nobody can match that, even if they are written in the same style.

[Taggerung_of_Redwall]

Stopping in to say:
The possibilty of this topic coming true -just to point this out- is nonexistent. It doesn't exist in the remotest degree outside of some fans' thoughts/words.

[Shellhound]

It would be great for Redwall to continue, but books by another author just wouldn't be the same.  Redwall has always been Brian's series, and even if it's repetitive, even if there's never a truly bad woodlander or a truly good vermin, even if the bad guys always lose,  that's the way Brian wanted it, and I don't think he would want someone to change the world that he created and shared with us through his books.

[sabretache5611]

I would like Redwall to continue a little more formally than the fan fiction being published.  The fan fiction is great, but I want to see the Redwall universe keep expanding in a very formal sense and the best way to do that is through published books.  Of course nobody can surpass Mr. Jacques's originals, but still...I just wish someone would at least try.

[James Gryphon]

Well, personally, I think fan fiction is fine; it allows people to use their creativity and expand what they've come to love, but I don't think anyone should market what is essentially all fan fiction now that the original author has passed away, and isn't available to read or approve of any of it... and to do so strikes me, to be honest, as almost kind of a money-grabbing move.

If Brian Jacques were still around, I believe he would say that he would prefer for all of his readers to carry on his legacy in the way they know how, by following in his footsteps and using their imaginations, rather than to have some other writer come along and sell more Redwall-branded books in exchange for our money.

Now, one expansion to the Redwall 'franchise' that I might approve of is more comic books, or "graphic novels", if you prefer -- but it has to be well-done, and it shouldn't make any notable alterations to the plot.

That said, though, I haven't read the official Redwall graphic novel, and I'm not entirely sure I would enjoy it... I have my own subconscious idea of what I want everything to look like, and I'm not sure I want to read something that might take away from that.

[Taggerung_of_Redwall]

If Brian Jacques were still around, I believe he would say that he would prefer for all of his readers to carry on his legacy in the way they know how, by following in his footsteps and using their imaginations, rather than to have some other writer come along and sell more Redwall-branded books in exchange for our money.

Brian Jacques:
Paint. That's the magic word. Paint pictures with words. That's the greatest advice I can give anybody. Paint the pictures with words. The picture will appear in the imagination so the person reading it can say, "I can see that"
Much less on-topic: In response to a fan from a question on what to write:
You are asking a very difficult question. Everyone must follow their own path. Write what is true for you and paint pictures with words is my best advice. I found that I didn't just start to be an 'author' one day. I worked for many years as a writer in lots of different fields

[Tiria Wildlough]

I probably would not read any Redwall books by someone else. I don't mind fan-fiction; it's fun and everything, but it wouldn't be the same if someone actually published them.

[sabretache5611]

Then again, ur  right.  it would be money grabbing....it was just a thought....I REALLY wanted to know what happened to Mariel, Dandin and Bowly, they were some of my fav characters...