Richard Adams, 1972
This book was a really lucky find. I had no knowledge of Watership Down at all, until I found out about the movie. I watched the movie and I loved it. I loved the story, I loved the characters, and it was so much different from the movies I grew up on (Disney movies for example). I thought it was a miracle that I came across a movie like it. And the fact it had rabbits, an animal that's usually portrayed as cute, fighting and tearing each other apart made me love it even more. But, there were some things in the movie that weren't really explained all too well. When I found out there was a book it was based on, I went off to get a copy. Watership Down is the first book I've ever read that right after finishing it the first time, I went right back to the beginning to read it again.
The story follows a rabbit named Fiver and his brother Hazel. Fiver has visions of Man coming to destroy their home warren. Hazel and Fiver lead a band of 11 rabbits away from the warren, after failing to convince the Chief Rabbit to leave, to find a new home. They trek across unfamiliar territory, have a run-in with deceptive rabbits, and find a new home on the slopes of Watership Down. All seems well and good, except for one very big problem: They have no females. If they want to start a new warren, they'll need females. And a very friendly Fascist, Barbaric, Totalitarian warren run by a rather nice fellow named General Woundwort seems to have plenty. You could probably imagine how that turns out.
I already loved this story when I watched the movie. But man, the book goes into so much more detail. And it just builds, and builds up to a variety of satisfying climaxes. Richard Adams really takes his time when it comes to developing his characters, and building up the suspense necessary to have you on edge during moments of intensity. All the characters are so likable as well. Hazel is a natural born leader, he may not have the muscle to be a chief, but he has the wit and charisma of one. He sees the strength in everybody and fits everyone in somewhere. Bigwig is the impatient and impulsive muscle of the group. Or at least he starts out that way, but over the course of the book he becomes wise and a firm supporter of Hazel. Fiver is the voice of reason in the group and of course their guide as he has some kind of weird physic abilities. General Woundwort is the villain, and what a great villain he is. He shows himself to be no pushover being a savage and quite intelligent brute, so much so that many times it seems our main characters actually might not succeed.
The suspense in this book is killer. The way Richard Adams explains the history of Efrafa (Woundwort's warren) or the prosperous Cowslip's warren (the warren full of deceptive rabbits) you really believe that our characters may not win. Cowslip's Warren is described as totally prosperous, the food is good, no disease, no predator's, and Hazel and the gang love it. But Fiver knows something's wrong with it, however none of the others will listen to him because all they see is a paradise. You really feel for Fiver because no one will listen to him. But this leads to the most epic "I told you so" speech I've ever had the pleasure of reading when the others find out something is wrong with the place. And as for the Efrafans, they're accomplishments are explained in such great detail, and their prowess in tracking and just about everything, really makes you think that Bigwig's mission in there is hopeless. Adams makes it a point to show that the characters are in over their heads, and it's just dumb luck that they succeed at all. But the main characters are actually very smart, which adds so much to their likability. Yeah they're in over their heads, and there's huge chances of failure or death, but they make plans and put them into effect with efficiency. They might not be a strong group for muscle, but when it comes to it, intelligence, quick thinking, and above all, teamwork get them out of sticky situations.
The El-ahrairah stories, although complete detours from the plot, add so much to the book as well. They're all very clever and enjoyable stories, and they add another layer to the story to make the world believable as these stories are basically their religion. The rabbits even have their own language called Lapine. All this makes the book so much more interesting because even thought the characters are rabbits that act like rabbits, these elements make them even more relateable and make us root for them much more.
It's often said that Watership Down can be enjoyed on many levels from just mere reading pleasure to a clever social commentary. Me personally, I love it because it has rich characters and atmosphere with a very interesting high stakes story that I can very easily lose myself in. This was my favourite book of all time at one point, but it was recently replaced by Bambi a Life in the Woods as my favourite book. It's my second favourite book now. If you haven't read it yet, check it out. This is a book that warrants a read at least once in a lifetime.
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