Customer Reviews

Shardik

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Richard Adams's _Shardik_ is set in an imaginary world, though Adams, like Tolkien, hints that in fact it is simply the remote past of our own world. The central action of the story concerns a giant bear worshipped by a tribe living on the southern limits of the great Beklan empire. This tribe, the Ortelgans, believe that Shardik's purpose is to lead them to greatness, and so when he appears they follow him in a glorious campaign to conquer the Empire. But is Shardik really a god, or just a very big bear whose thoroughly animal-like actions are given meaning by his followers? Adams wisely never really answers this question, and this is the great fascination of the book. Adams faces head-on the charge that religion is simply a tool for oppression and exploitation. He avoids a simplistic answer largely through his complex portrayal of the central human character, Shardik's prophet Kelderek. Kelderek is a simple tribesman who sincerely believes himself to have been chosen by Shardik for great purposes. While many of his actions are evil, we are never allowed to lose sympathy with him or to suspect him of hypocrisy, while at the same time we come to sympathize more and more with the characters who oppose his fanatical regime. At the end, Kelderek sees the evil he has done in the name of God, and begins to understand what Shardik's true purpose is--or does he simply misunderstand yet again? The greatness of this novel is in the fact that while it has a strong moral message, it always conveys this message through the actions and words of its characters. Adams lets the world he has created speak for itself. In the end we can choose to believe or not to believe.
For readers like myself who themselves practice a religion, the novel is a powerful portrayal of the way the divine can be distorted and misunderstood by even the sincerest believer, even while God always remains transcendent, able to pierce through our comfortable blindness with the shocking light of his grace.

Richard Adams followed up the success of his animal fable, "Watership Down," with this epic fantasy novel. However, you couldn't have imagined a more different novel from "Watership Down." This is a very stark, mature, and philosophical fantasy work that explores the nature of religion, human interpretations of god, and the sacrifices and compromises of a war fought for supposedly idealistic causes. With the exception of a disappointingly tepid finale, this is an astonishing, absorbing novel that deserves rediscovery. I promise, you haven't read fantasy like it before. Without magic, fantastic monsters, or any overt supernatural occurrences, Adams sweeps the reader into a world of brilliant imagination -- the mark of a great fantasy.

"Shardik" occurs in a hidden world with a hint of the ancient Middle East. A great bear appears to the hunter Kelderek of the simple Ortelgan people. Kelderek declares that the bear is Shardik, a messenger of God, and soon the Ortelgan people rise to "follow" Shardik (who must often be coerced or drugged into fulfilling prophecies) to wage war against the mighty city of Bekla. Kelderek finds himself as the high priest of the great bear, but also learns the heavy responsibilities, and eventually, the doubts and fears.

The novel is filled with war, a strange romance, bizarre and frightening new lands, and violent shifts in the story that rise from the heights of spiritual victory to the depths of slavery. Adams's prose is beautiful and inspiring. Unfortunately, after many excitement moments throughout the book, the lengthy last chapter sputters to a conclusion and probably should have been left out. Regardless, "Shardik" is a fantasy of great scope that leaves the reader with much to ponder.

This new edition comes with a thoughtful introduction by author Robert Silverberg.

I just finished rereading Shardik for the third time. Boy, do I love this book.

Richard Adams has long been my favorite 20th century novelist. His ability to make an epic fantasy feel intimate and utterly believable, in addition to his brilliant imagination, sets him apart from every other fantasy novelist I've ever read.

Shardik is no exception. I just finished reading Shardik for the second time and can't help but marvel at Mr. Adams' genius. The world he describes in Shardik (and again in Maia) is as unforgettable as its denizens.

Shardik and its companion piece/prequel, Maia, are no longer available commercially, but there are still a lot of copies floating around out there that I'm sure Amazon could hunt down for you. Don't miss the opportunity to read this story. Not only will you love it, you'll probably find yourself wishing that Mr. Adams had written even more about the land of Bekla.

I first heard about this book through Stephen King's The Waste Lands. The characters fought and killed a giant robot bear and found a label naming it "Shardik" after the bear in this book. Then I found the book "Shardik" in a second-hand book store and thought, "Hey! Like in The Waste Lands!" It cost only a dollar so I bought it and read it. When I finished I thought, "that was pretty good, a little slow in parts, but still pretty good" but then as a few years passed, I found myself remembering scenes from it. I would take the book down and re-read parts I liked and parts I didn't quite understand the first time. I think that is a sign of a truly great book. One that sticks in your memory and makes you think. Its too bad that it is no longer in print, but it isn't too hard to find in second-hand stores, and for cheap too (Second-hand book stores are truly magical places). What makes this book so good, is that it simply tells a good story and doesn't get bogged down with its theme, characters, and the writing. Although all of these elements are superb, its really the action of the story that drives it (As with Watership Down). There are many surprising twists that change the whole course of the story, and drive the story forward until the final, stunning revelation of Shardik's purpose which is astounding in its simplicity and morality. Its more complex, more profound, and darker than Watership Down and just as exciting. A terrific novel that should and probably will go down as a classic, if its ever brought back into print, that is.

In an adult way, Adams does for faith and spirituality what C. S. Lewis does in his "Narnia" series...reveal the power of God through an animal avatar. This is no kids book, though children may enjoy it at some level. The Great bear Shardik, mystical blend of animal and God, on the one hand brute animal at its most naturalistic, on the other the palpable hand of God, stalks through the story like an Old Testament figure, avenging, redeeming, confounding human expectations for him..as God always does...until His will is done. Lives are shattered and reshaped...and a terrible, evil is ended. The villain of this book is one of the most chilling figures in all of literature. Though it drags in many places, SHARDIK is full of scenes of raw iconic power and beauty, vivid images of the power of God manifest through this great beast. This a wonderful book, one that inspires rereading, and gives one pause to think about the nature of good, evil, mankind, and the deity.

I first heard about this book through Stephen King's The Waste Lands. The characters fought and killed a giant robot bear and found a label naming it "Shardik" after the bear in this book. Then I found the book "Shardik" in a second-hand book store and thought, "Hey! Like in The Waste Lands!" When I finished I thought, "that was pretty good, a little slow in parts, but still pretty good" but then as a few years passed, I found myself remembering scenes from it. I would take the book down and re-read parts I liked and parts I didn't quite understand the first time. I think that is a sign of a truly great book. One that sticks in your memory and makes you think. What makes this book so good, is that it simply tells a good story and doesn't get bogged down with its theme, characters, and the writing. Although all of these elements are superb, its really the action of the story that drives it (As with Watership Down). There are many surprising twists that change the whole course of the story, and drive the story forward until the final, stunning revelation of Shardik's purpose which is astounding in its simplicity and morality. Its more complex, more profound, and darker than Watership Down and just as exciting. A terrific novel that should and probably will go down as a classic, if its ever brought back into print, that is.

I found Shardik to be one of the most deeply moving books that I have ever read. Adams has continued to amaze me with his powerful works and his ability to make the reader feel as if he is one with the story.

The story of Shardik and his devoted followers is enough to make anone rethink his/her passion for his/her own religion, as Adams has portrayed the dangers and the sacrfices that can follow from having an undying and overwhelming passion. We witness the voyage of Kelderek "Plays with children" from lowly hunter to worshipped royalty then once again to the lowest of the low.Its is from his voyage that we learn the true importance of faith and how cruel the human species can truly be because of it.
Hidden within Sardik there is a deep and important meaning hidden within the words of this book that can truly move the reader when discovered.

Adams has proven time after time that he is one of he most skilled writers of this century, and along with Watership Down and the Plague Dogs, Shardik will continue to live on through its readers for generatons.

Richard Adams has long been my favorite 20th century novelist. His ability to make an epic fantasy feel intimate and utterly believable, in addition to his brilliant imagination, sets him apart from every other fantasy novelist I've ever read.

Shardik is no exception. I just finished reading Shardik for the second time and can't help but marvel at Mr. Adams' genius. The world he describes in Shardik (and again in Maia) is as unforgettable as its denizens.

Shardik and its companion piece/prequel, Maia, are no longer available commercially, but there are still a lot of copies floating around out there that I'm sure Amazon could hunt down for you. Don't miss the opportunity to read this story. Not only will you love it, you'll probably find yourself wishing that Mr. Adams had written even more about the land of Bekla.

This book touches at the spirit. At the heart of the book's theme, is the question: "how much are we willing to do for the sake of our beliefs?". The prose is excellent, the pacing is good and most importantly, the writing seems natural and fluid. Adams seems to have that rare talent of letting a story run seemingly, on its own free will. Adam has created great characters like Shardik and Kelderek, without settling for predictable character building.

It's a great book that I recommend to anyone.

After reading its prequel, "Maia," I've rediscovered Adams' spectacular "Shardik." Both novels are set in Adams' fictitious but meticulously-created Beklan empire. As a devotee of this fantasy world, I was rather disappointed with "Maia," but this has made the return to "Shardik" all the more rewarding.

Adams' writing in this work shows him at the pinnacle of his art. All of the skill of "Watership Down" comes through in a story that is both a great story in itself and a remarkable allegory for its readers' lives. Kelderek Zenzuata, the humble fisherman from backwater Ortelga, finds himself chosen as a vessel of the Power of God. What he chooses to do with this knowledge gives us searing insight into the human condition: using power as a tool, letting ambition get ahead of wisdom. Kelderek abuses the power he is given, and abuses the God he claims to worship as he takes the great bear Shardik in chains to Bekla. (Previous reviewers have commented on the never-resolved question of whether Shardik actually is the Power of God or just a bear - I agree that this is one of the things that makes the novel so powerful.) Adams does make it clear that the characters in the story are subordinate to a power above themselves, though whether Shardik is that power or only its instrument is unclear.

The events leading up to the end are shocking, in some cases disturbing, and always compelling. Adams leaves his readers wanting to linger in the world he has created, and considering what the story says about themselves.