Among the first, and still one of the
most influential, Richard Adams’ delightful 1972 Watership Down is a highly original work of animal fantasy. Charmingly and savagely bringing to life a
rabbit’s world, the novel is one of the top sellers of all time, and winner of
several awards. Eminently enjoyable by
the young and old, Adams struck imaginative gold
with his heroic tale of Sandleford warren and their quest to establish a new
home.
Watership
Down
begins with Fiver, a rabbit who has a vision of his home warren being destroyed
in a terrible catastrophe. Only able to
convince a few of his friends of the impending doom, Fiver, along with Hazel,
Bigwig, Blackberry, Dandelion and others, escape just in the nick of time. Homeless, the group need to find a warren
where they can live in peace once again.
But finding a new home proves more than difficult. Their quest taking them to a variety of
places in the English countryside, the band of survivors must always be on
alert; not all evils are of the black and white variety. Dangers appear on all sides—traps, foxes,
impassable waterways, and other rabbits, making the start of a new warren a
harrowing experience they may not survive.
