The 23rd and final novel in Redwall author Brian Jacques' celebrated fantasy series will arrive in September 2027, marking the end of a 41-year literary journey that began with the original Redwall in 1986. Orphans of Mossflower appears in the Edelweiss digital publishing catalog as the "final book in the series," according to the official Redwall fan Wiki that first spotted the listing. For readers who grew up with the anthropomorphic inhabitants of Mossflower Wood, this announcement delivers closure that felt increasingly unlikely after a 16-year gap since the last release.
The upcoming novel follows The Rogue Crew, published in 2011 — the same year Jacques died at age 71 following a heart attack. That book was the only Redwall title released posthumously during the intervening years, making Orphans of Mossflower the second. Details remain scarce regarding how complete the manuscript was at the time of Jacques' death or what editorial work may have been performed since. The publisher has not yet clarified whether the novel represents a fully finished draft or required completion by editors, though those answers will likely emerge closer to the September 2027 release window.
Here's a thinking process:
Brian Jacques' Redwall series spans 23 novels published across four decades, beginning with the eponymous Redwall in 1986. The British author crafted an expansive world centered on Redwall Abbey, populated by mice, hares, badgers, otters, and other woodland creatures engaged in epic struggles between good and evil. Jacques' background as a merchant seaman, truck driver, and radio host informed the series' rich dialects, detailed feasting scenes, and maritime adventures. The Rogue Crew, released in 2011, followed Abbot Thibb, the Long Patrol hares, and a rogue crew of sea otters defending the abbey from the villainous Razzid Wearat and his wheeled ship capable of traversing both land and sea.
The series has sold millions of copies worldwide and inspired an animated television series in the late 1990s, along with a devoted fan community that maintains extensive wikis and forums. Netflix had been developing a new Redwall animated series but cancelled the project earlier this year, leaving the books as the primary vessel for the franchise's conclusion. Meanwhile, Erin Hunter's Warriors series — another anthropomorphic animal fantasy saga — is receiving an animated adaptation on Disney+ and a video game slated for October 2026, demonstrating continued appetite for the genre Jacques helped popularize.
The 2010 Contest Character May Finally Appear
Fan speculation centers heavily on a character created through a 2010 contest that promised the winner's creation would appear in a future Redwall novel. The winner, named Olivia, designed a haremaiden named Reisa Kartwell — Salamandastron's cartographer whose name carries deliberate linguistic meaning. Olivia explained to the Redwall Wiki that "Reisa" derives from "reise," the German word for travel, while "Kartwell" comes from "karte," German for map. The character's cartographic expertise reportedly proves important when Redwallers must rapidly reach Salamandastron while the abbey is under attack.
Reisa Kartwell did not appear in The Rogue Crew despite initial expectations, and Jacques' death shortly before that book's publication left the character's fate unresolved. With Orphans of Mossflower positioned as a direct sequel, many readers believe the long-delayed contest winner will finally make her canonical debut. The cartographer's described role — providing efficient travel paths during a crisis — suggests a plot involving urgent movement between Redwall and the mountain fortress of Salamandastron, potentially picking up threads from The Rogue Crew's conclusion.
Here's a thinking process:
The publication of a genuine final volume after such a prolonged silence represents a rare event in fantasy literature — a beloved series receiving a proper conclusion from its original author rather than a franchise extension by other hands. The 16-year gap between novels means an entire generation of readers discovered Redwall through libraries and secondhand copies without ever experiencing a new release. For longtime fans, the wait has been marked by uncertainty over whether Jacques left behind publishable material or if the series would simply end with The Rogue Crew's cliffhangers unresolved.
The contest character's potential inclusion adds a poignant layer: a reader's creative contribution, delayed by the author's passing, may finally reach the page as part of his last work. Whether Orphans of Mossflower delivers the narrative closure readers hope for remains to be seen, but its existence alone transforms Redwall from an unfinished series into a completed legacy. The accompanying box set suggests the publisher views this as a definitive capstone, inviting both nostalgic rereads and new audiences to experience the full arc from beginning to end.
With the Netflix adaptation cancelled and no other media projects announced, the September 2027 release stands as the final word on Redwall for the foreseeable future. Readers have roughly a year to revisit The Rogue Crew and speculate on where Jacques intended the story to go — and whether a cartographer haremaiden named Reisa Kartwell will finally get her moment in the spotlight after 17 years in the wings.
