Tolog Review: Watership Down

Watership Down
by Richard Adams
reviewed by Natasha Mertens

Being told to leave a home can be hard. Homes can be seen as places of safety and leaving them when faced with danger requires courage, especially when the problem can seem unrealistic. In the book Watership Down, by Richard Adams, a group of unlikely heroes join together to venture out into the unknown and escape the impending destruction of the place they have lived for their whole lives.

The story begins in a seemingly calm rabbit warren where rabbits are eating grass without a care in the world. One rabbit by the name of Fiver. He is haunted by visions of the destruction of everything he knows. He and his brother, Hazel, hurriedly attempt to warn everyone about the coming danger, but only a small group of rabbits are ready to believe them. Bigwig, a strong and loyal fighter, Blackberry, a rabbit who devises plans that other rabbits are unable to understand, Buckthorn, another strong fighter who is ready to carry out his orders, Hawkbit, Silver, and Pipkin. Even after leaving their doomed home, the travelers face many dangers and some even come close to dying, not only from their natural predators, but also from other rabbits. They constantly question why they left their warren and if it was worth the hardships they struggle to get through. These challenges create a strong bond of trust and friendship between the rabbits and a few unlikely friends they encounter along the way.

Even though the characters in the book are not human, it is easy to feel close with them and understand their hardships. Their emotions are shown as if they were human. At times they may seem joyful while at others they may feel scared and alone in the unknown they were thrown intoThey display their courage in a unique way in the face of almost certain death. This is a novel that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, always wanting to know what will happen next.