Rating:  Summary: I liked it. Part 3 was far better than the rest of the book. Review: I thought it was good, but I thought that parts 1 and 2 were sort of misplaced..... I wish that the whole book had been more like part 3.
Rating:  Summary: Disappointing Review: WARNING: Since these stories take place after Watership Down, you should read the novel first. The background information in some of these stories might spoil the book for you otherwise. Let me be the first to say that I will not be surprised if it is eventually discovered that Mr. Adams did not write these stories himself. I have read Watership Down and a few of his short stories, and all I can say is, he is better than this. El-ahrairah goes from being a trickster to a beggar. The stories either lack subtlety or they lack purpose. I would like to say, however, that it would be difficult to be confused over the timing of the stories. In the Introduction, it states quite clearly that the stories are set after the main action of Watership Down, but before the Epilogue of that book. The second line of the first story clearly states the time relative to the end of Watership Down. I don't regret having read "Tales..."; I had to know for myself.! But I cannot recommend it. Having read it, I now feel compelled to read some of Richard Adams' other books, in order to restore my confidence in him.
Rating:  Summary: Not the original--but worth a read Review: Absolutely NOTHING can compare to Watership Down, but this is still one of my favorites. I feel it is not really a sequel, but a scattering of stories, most of which are about El-ahrarah rather than Hazel and the rest. I also feel it it does not have the same intriguing quality that is held by Watership Down, but it's great to see the characters again!
Rating:  Summary: Excellent and enjoyable ! Review: What and excellent book! I hate reading books more than once, but Watership Down I'll read again and again. I first read it at the age of fourteen and when I recently reread it, I enjoyed it even more. The book consists of more or less 200 000 words, but don't let this scare you. Once you've read past the first five pages, you won't be able to put the book down. That's a promise! The band of rabbits that flee from their warren become so alive to the reader, you're scared they will jump out of the book. The rabbits have more character than many people I know and you come to love them as you're own family. Hazel, the young and inexperience leader of the little group, Bigwig, the fighter in the group, Fiver, Holly, Pipkin and all the others are the characters every book needs to become a success. In the first year after being published, 100 000 copies sold in Britain alone. The seventh Guardian award for children's fiction and the 1973 Carnegie Medal for outstanding work belongs to Watership Down. Some people criticised the book for it's presumed sexism and conservative view of society. If there is sexism in the book, I couldn't detect whether it was feminism or male chauvinism. All in all, get the book, read the book, now!!
Rating:  Summary: Disapointing. But worth a read. Review: Okay, it's nothing close to the origional. This is a collection of short storys about El-ahrairah, Rabscuttle, Hazel and the rest of the Watership Down crew. For the most part the storys are unintresting, unimaginative, and pointless. The book spoils the image of El-ahrairah, and makes him look like a clown. There are a couple of good storys though, I especilly like the one concerning Campion. But don't expect the quality of story telling evident in the origional.
Rating:  Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable!!! Review: I really liked this book. The stories were interesting and moving. I especially enjoyed the Tales of El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle. The tale of how the rabbits got their sense of smell was especially enlightening! Read and enjoy!
Rating:  Summary: This book was way too short! Review: I finished this book in two days commuting to work. It was absolutely fantastic! After I finished it (I really did try to read slower to have it last longer), I immediately started reading Watership Down AGAIN. Both books will be very well read around here! I just loved all the stories and hope that Richard Adams writes more of them.
Rating:  Summary: Disappointing sequel Review: Taken out of their original story of migration and war, our heroic rabbits live out stories here that are tepid indeed. Adams should have left well enough alone.
Rating:  Summary: Ewwww! Review: This book is awful. I mean awful. Do you remember the feeling, "taste" is your mouth, when you finished Watership Down? As soon as you get into Tales, that taste slides down your throat, leaving something horrible in its place. El-ahrairah suddenly becomes very silly. Each of the stories is bland, with no feeling in the writing. Even the stories about Hazel make you think that Adams is just out to please eveybody. And failing. Good job Mr. Adams! You have just made yourself a ton of money with a worthless book!
Rating:  Summary: Not another WD, but that's for the best. Review: Someone said they liked it, but wouldn't reread it often. I agree, the stories, while well-written, lack the majestic arc of the first book, though that is a necessary function of the style of this book. Most of these reviews focus on how much Tales is different from WD. I was glad that this book did not try to be the first book all over again. Breaking this into short stories makes it a bit like having a light dessert after a heavy meal. Chances are, it's the main course (W.D.) we'll want to relive, not so much this one. However, this is not to downplay how much I liked this book. The most important thing I can say about Tales is that is IS NOT the first book. It is not one amazing emotional story with undercurrents galore; it is a series of short ones. The morals in this book are less subtly delivered, though again, that is often a function of the "short story" medium. I read WD many times, and I have not gone through Tales more than twice. The stories and new characters are not as memorable. But it is still a magical thing to glimpse into this world again. Some reviewers found it too difficult to understand that this book took place before the epilogue in Watership Down. I promise, it is not that hard to figure out. Those of you who may be turned off by negative reviews of this book should consider that these reviewers were expecting another Watership Down, instead of another set of Adams' short stories. These are much like his others.
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