James Brian Jacques, known professionally as Brian Jacques (pronounced 'jakes'), was an English author renowned for his Redwall series of children's fantasy novels and the Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. He was born in Liverpool, England on June 15, 1939, and passed away on February 5, 2011.

Growing up near the Liverpool docks, he attended St. John's School, an inner city school with a playground on its roof. At the age of ten, his first day at St. John's foreshadowed his future as an author; assigned to write a story about animals, he crafted a tale about a bird cleaning a crocodile's teeth. His teacher, unable to believe a ten-year-old could write so well, accused him of copying and punished him when he refused to admit to plagiarism.

Brian Jacques also completed two collections of short stories: The Ribbajack & Other Curious Yarns and Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales.