‘Rabbits live close to death and when death comes closer than usual, thinking about survival leaves little room for anything else.’These rabbits aren’t just at it, they're tearing each other apart. Seriously, this novel is an absolute wild ride, a total banger. When you're swept up in the action and anxieties of an epic tale, you can't help but feel epic yourself. It's a fantastic feeling, like the whole world is buzzing with purpose. Even though you sense danger closing in, you also feel empowe...

An adventure about rabbits...seriously!This is a story about a group of rabbits, mainly Bigwig, Hazel, and Fiver, who leave their warren because it's about to be bulldozed for a new housing development. They're on a quest to find the perfect place to settle, but face tons of obstacles along the way. They meet other rabbits and all sorts of animals, making both friends and enemies. Sprinkled throughout the main story are short tales about El-ahrairah, a super clever rabbit.This book is on the BBC...

Slowly savoring the new Netflix show! Trying not to unleash all the waterworks at once! Re-listening to the audiobook is fantastic. Still profoundly beautiful & heartbreaking. OMG! I can't believe it took me this long to finally read *Watership Down* by Richard Adams! It's such a stunning book. There were some seriously sad moments, but I made it through. I absolutely loved getting completely absorbed in this world of rabbits, hearing them discuss their anxieties, the things they needed to a...

I don't give a damn what Richard Adams says about his book because it's simply not true. According to him, in the preface of my edition, *Watership Down* is just a story about rabbits. Its intended purpose was to entertain his children in the car, that’s fair enough, but he also says there is no intentional allegorical meaning whatsoever. I find this hard to believe. The allegories in here are rich and meaningful. They don’t just allude to simple problems. They’re complex and purposeful. So if h...

I vividly remember when *Watership Down* was first published back in 1972. It was a novel by a then-unknown English author, Richard Adams. Suddenly, the book *Watership Down* was absolutely everywhere, and people were reading it on buses, trains, park benches—you name it. It completely captured the public's imagination. Six years later, the animated film was released, and the phenomenon happened all over again! If you glanced at the cover and asked any of those readers, "Is this a book about rab...

"El-ahrairah, your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so. All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed."When Fiver, a seer, is overcome with a vivid dream of mass destruction, he tries to convince the rabbits in charge of the validity of his vision. The...

I read Watership Down an age ago. Maybe 40 years ago the first time. Lots of authors have written animal stories, but they tend to be cute little tales where the level of anthropomorphism is such that the rabbits, or whatever animal, are practically, or literally, wearing waistcoats and top hats. We only need to look at Wind in the Willows or Beatrix Potter for examples. Obviously *some* level of making the animals human is required. I suspect a rabbit's true inner monologue would be rather du...

In memory of Richard Adams (1920 - 2016):-------Some books possess an almost unexplainable ability to transcend their original purpose, leaping into the realm of instant, timeless classics. "All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand enemies. And when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you; digger, listener, runner, Prince with the swift warning. Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed." Watership Down began as an impromp...

A classic on so many levels; I've included *Watership Down* in my Goodreads because it really influenced me as a teen writer. It's a book that shaped my imagination.

ETA: Reread decades later in 2025, and pleased to say it still stands up. Interesting to note the differences in me as a reader; I have less patience for the action sequences of the final act and far more appreciation for the deft character building in the long slow first act. Richard Adams truly crafted something special.

Oh man, this book totally tricked me! I got a bad haircut one day so I needed to lay low for a few weeks ("Supercuts", my ass! Liars!). I called two of my hardest, most straight-up thug homies (Zachary and Dustin) to bring me some of their books and this was one of them. I had just watched a show on the History Channel about WWII naval battles so I couldn't WAIT to read Watership Down! I love sea stories, "man overboard!" and "off the port bow!" and "aye aye cap'n!" all that stuff so I pulled my...