Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sure, it's not Watership Down, but still an excellent read., April 10, 2000
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.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
It's even bad for a sequel, May 18, 2001
By A Customer
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.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worthwhile Read, but Much Different than Original Novel, June 5, 2005
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
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