Product Description

Return Again to the Warren for
the All-New Adventures of Fiver,
Hazel, BigWig, Dandelion, and
The Legendary El-Ahrairah.

In one of the most enduring classics of contemporary literature, author Richard Adams enthralled millions of readers by creating a glorious world of danger and discovery at once uniquely strange and strikingly similar to our own. Come back now to this remarkable society hidden beneath the tall grasses and open fields; to old friends and new heroes whose courage and tenacity are tested at every turn by predatory nature and the short-sighted cruelties of man. Come back to the excitement and enchantment, to the heartsoaring wonder of a place called Watership Down.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42294 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-01
• Released on: 1998-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 352 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780380729340
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
The original Watership Down is one of those wonderful works that appeals to readers both young and old. The story of a group of rabbits on an adventure into unfamiliar yards, farms, and fields made for an imaginative, captivating journey. This latest work follows the aftermath of the original's climactic ending and includes the rabbits' retelling of various myths associated with their rabbit-hood, plus some new twists and developments. This is a captivating introduction to Adams's warren for first-time visitors, and those who loved the original Watership Down won't be disappointed.

From Publishers Weekly
As readers of Watership Down (1974) will recall, Adams reached classic heights of inspired storytelling in that fable of the animal kingdom, performing a finely calibrated juggling act between the real and the imagined. These 19 interrelated tales continue the adventures of the rabbits met in the earlier book, after their defeat of General Woundwart and the Efrafans. The deeds of the hero El-ahrairah are celebrated in the seven stories of Part One (of three). El-ahrairah's stalwart companion Rabscuttle joins him for four tales in Part Two, while the remaining stories, which are devoted to Hazel and his rabbits, have the continuity of a novel. Mystical, occasionally allegorical, full of whimsy, rich in vivid descriptions of the rabbits' society and of the natural world, the tales are often suspenseful, frequently amusing and invariably clever. The rabbits exhibit a wide range of behavior, showing themselves to be manipulative, defiant, ignorant and self-satisfied, along with noble, loving and brave. There is a brief summation of what happened in the initial passages of the first tale, but from there on, the book stands on its own. El-ahrairah's heroic exploits include his perilous journey to obtain a sense of smell for all rabbits and his search for eternal youth, while his adventures with Rabscuttle find them both leading another group of rabbits across a dangerous marsh as they attempt to evade an army of rapacious, savage rats. Eventually, a new warren is founded and various other ones reconfigure and recombine. The collection comes to a satisfying close by ending, as it began, with an account of the bold deeds of another heroic rabbit, formerly an enemy, now a valued member of the new warren. Illustrations not seen by PW. 200,000 first printing.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This is Adams's long-anticipated encore to Watership Down (LJ 4/15/74), the enormously popular novel of rabbit life and adventure. With the small collection of self-contained short stories, plus a minisequel, fans and newcomers alike will marvel at Adams's singularly crafted world. Most of the stories follow the mythical adventures of El-ahrairah, a legendary rabbit hero whose quests of a bygone era served to furnish his species with, among other things, the common tools of survival, such as the sense of smell. Other, less fantastical tales, update the lives of the rabbits following General Woundwort's defeat at the end of Watership Down. As with the original novel, Adams avoids mere anthropomorphism, equipping the rabbits with their own unique characteristics. Sure to appeal to readers of every type, this is highly recommended for all fiction collections.
-?John Noel, Tennessee Tech Univ. Lib., Lebanon
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Sure, it's not Watership Down, but still an excellent read.
I have just been reading some reviews of this, which go from excellent to awful in terms of how it is. I first would say that I have never encountered an author with the imagination of Mr. Adams. He is brilliant. Read WD. Read "Shardik". Read "The Plague Dogs". Read "Maia". I found the stories here wonderful and fascinating. El-ahrairah does not come off as a begger as some reviewers have said, but more of an epic hero than in WD. His journeys after the encounter with the Black Rabbit of Inle are indeed epic in scope and content. The "Rabbit's Ghost Story" was chilling and the tale of El-ahrairah's journey to the Kingdom of Yesterday, where a bison rules over all the animals and plants that were ever extinct is true genius. Enchanting writing. I found part III of the book a welcome return to much loved characters. Yes, this is not "Watership Down". Mr. Adams could never write something like that again. No one could. Trying to write a sequel to it is like someone writing a sequel to Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" (which someone did a few years back: it was awful!) or writing a sequel to Tolstoy's "War And Peace". It just can't be done. What this book is is a wonderful companion and extension to the original story. I am further enriched by it and shall continue to look at those rabbits in the grassy meadow near my house with perpetual wonder and respect.

It's even bad for a sequel
Watership Down is one of my favorite books, and it has been for years. Every time I read it, I like it a little bit more. Needless to say, when I heard there was a sequel I was excited, and a little nervous. It's pretty common knowledge that sequels are never as good as originals, and the longer the author waits before writing a sequel, the worse it is likely to be. However, I was surprised at how bad Tales from Watership Down actually was. It's a bunch of short stories, which is fine, except... well, 2/3 of the book is stories about El-ahrairah, and these stories unoriginal, pointless, and (in the case of the cow story and Bluebell's story) ridiculously bad. If this weren't bad enough, the tiny part of the book that does focus on the rabbits of Watership Down is focused mainly on new, shallow, characters about whom I could care less. There is a good ghost story, and a story about Campion, but too much of the plot depends on a "secret river" which is Lapine for "heavy-handed plot device." Even the original characters are caricaturized, and Bigwig, arguably one of the best characters from the first book, is so obnoxious that he's barely recognizable. I wish that Adams had rereleased Watership Down in hardcover. The best part of the sequel was the artwork on the dust jacket.

Worthwhile Read, but Much Different than Original Novel
This book is not very similar to the original novel, which is what I think makes it so interesting and worthwhile to read. I definitely prefer the original, but I believe this work has something important to say. Each of the tales is worthy of the telling and the reading.

I probably will not re-read this as I have the original work, but I don't think I should be comparing this novel to the original one in this review. This is good storytelling in-and-of itself and does not need to be put side-by-side with Watership Down.

The shorter tales are excellent quick reading, and make this an easier book to pick up and put down in our busy lives. Much of what the author is saying in these tales is incredibly fascinating. I was particularly drawn to the paradox that the man-smell, which the rabbits would generally use as a reason to outcast one of their own, is actually what saves the warren. The wisdom of the characters to recognize this is nicely woven into the tale. As with his other works, Richard Adams shows incredible insight into our natural world, especially that of community living animals. It is nice to see humanity in these creatures; or rather, theirs reflected in us. (I am not sure which is more accurate.)

This is a nice collection of touching tales that definitely have something significant to say. As long as readers are not expecting a repeat of the original book, I believe this will be an enjoyable experience. Just don't expect it to read like a sequel.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles