All good things... With four years and four novels since the last update, I must admit the
obvious: the Redwall Encyclopedia is officially retired.
When I made this website eleven years ago my original vision
was for a cross-referenced, cross-indexed, searchable database of all the characters,
places and artifacts in this wonderful series of books. In hindsight I realize that
what I was envisioning was very similar to a wiki--something that didn't exist yet in
1997.
I started out doing all the coding by hand in a plain text editor, just making long
lists. At the time it was the only option available to me, but now there are much
better options out there, and the collective efforts of other fans have produced a resource that is closer to my
original vision than this site.
When I started this Encyclopedia, there were only nine novels
in the Redwall series. There are now twenty. Eleven years is a long time--eons
by internet measurements! Technology, the world, the series, and my life have all
changed a lot in that time.
I will always read and enjoy the Redwall novels, and I will
remember with fondness the experiences the Redwall Encyclopedia has given me. Make
no mistake; I am still very much a fan, even though I no longer update this website.
The Redwall Encyclopedia as it exists, covering everything
from 1986's Redwall to 2003's Loamhedge, will remain online for anyone
who wishes to reminisce. Some of the more peripheral material on the site has been
removed, however.
Thank you, fellow Redwall fans, for a great decade and over
one million hits to this site. And most of all, thank you Mr. Brian Jacques for your
support, your books, and for creating a world that I will always love dearly.
I close with an old Irish blessing that fits the spirit of
the series:
May
love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!
Katie Sullivan, a.k.a. Snowfur
25 June 2008
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