A Look at Richard Adams's Classic "Watership Down"

Watership Down was written by the English author Richard Adams in 1972. Its creation was a result of a culmination of stories Adams told his children during long trips out into the English countryside. As Adams’s first, and most successful, novel it clearly demonstrates the author’s talent which shined again in the works of Shardik and The Plague Dogs.

The very first mention of this book, that I had ever encountered, was through a reference made in Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart. Having been intrigued by the distinctive excerpt and coming across the book in a local bookstore, I took my chances. The book was very descriptive and had an amazing attention to detail. Every scene was crafted and fitted into a most perfect state that never, in the course of the story, did I find myself lost or easily swayed into setting the book aside, even for a moment. The story is an epic, a heroic adventure equal to that of Tolkien, Herbert, or Le Guin, and it’s about rabbits. Yes I said rabbits and let me tell you, it became hard to look at them as cute and innocent balls of fluff after reading this novel. The rabbits have a language all their own and the book includes a glossary in the back to aide the forgetful reader. Through human intervention a group of rabbits are forced to flee their home and seek out another, all the while coming across atrocities of mankind, ferocious tendencies of nature, and dystopian societal problems. The book has a gritty unfiltered feel to it, giving the reader a raw description of the rabbit’s grueling journey. But what makes the story so amazing and believable is the culture possessed by these rabbits. They not only have their own, Lapine, language, but their own poetry and mythology which mainly consists of stories about El-ahrairah , who has affinities to the Buddha and Christ. The back-story behind these bunnies is so impressive that one would expect an entire series to exist, chronicling the rabbit culture and mythos.

At the age of 13, I was astounded by this novel. Over the years the sense of amazement turned into respect, as I now hold this novel in the highest regard. I think it is one of the greatest works of the last century and rank it alongside two of my other esteemed favorites; The Count of Monte Cristo and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I recommend it to anyone with a need for a fresh read and love of adventure.