Beloved Fantasy Novel Series Redwall Sets Return After 16 Years

For 25 years from 1986 to 2011, writer Brian Jacques stole the hearts of readers everywhere with his Redwall series of fantasy novels. The Rogue Crew was released in 2011, three months after Jacques' death, and for 15 years it has remained the final entry in the series — until now.

A 23rd book in the series has been announced, and it's coming next year. The book, titled Orphans of Mossflower, will be released on Sept. 7, 2027, alongside a new boxed set containing the other 22 novels in the series. Both coincide with the 40th anniversary of the series, which was first published in the U.K. in 1986 and in the United States a year later. While details are sparse, Orphans of Mossflower is being advertised as being written by Jacques.

Fans have suspected a 23rd book in the series existed in some form for over a decade. In 2010, publisher Penguin held a contest that let one lucky fan name a character in the next Redwall novel. The winner came forward in 2015 with details on the character, and fans realized they did not appear in The Rogue Crew, fueling the theory that another book existed.

What will the Orphans of Mossflower be about?

No official plot synopsis for the new novel has been released yet. The last several novels Jacques wrote before his death all took place consecutively, unlike earlier entries that jumped around in the Redwall universe timeline. With that in mind, it stands to reason Orphans of Mossflower will serve as a direct sequel to The Rogue Crew. The Mossflower Woods are a recurring location in the series, with the most notable landmark being Redwall Abbey. The title suggests the Abbey's residents may have to evacuate their home for some reason.

This is backed up by plot details the contest winner revealed to the Redwall wiki. The character, named Reisa Kartwell, would be a cartographer and "her map depicting efficient travel paths proves invaluable when the Redwallers must quickly reach Salamandastron when Redwall is under attack." More details will likely be revealed as the book's release date gets closer. Over the Garden Wall creator Patrick McHale was slated to develop an adaptation of the series for Netflix, but that was canceled earlier this year.