Watership Down

Despite having hazy memories of being terrified by the cartoon adaptation, I was still surprised at how intense this book was. It's one I've always meant to read, but only now been prodded into it by my book club.

The story reads like a great fairy tale with points which, like any good fairy tale, are highly inappropriate for children. It's definitely one I'd tell kids not to read just to see what they'd do when they read about a rabbit shouting “Piss off!”

Probably the most interesting bit for me was when they discover the first warren of tharn rabbits. Adams focused a lot on the politics of Efrafa, which feels like a strong commentary on military dictatorships fascist and communist alike. For me as a modern reader, I feel the metaphor of unspoken captivity, of not talking about problems because life is so much easier not talking about them, is far more poignant to the world I've grown up in.

Glad I finally found a reason to read the book at any rate.