Tales from Watership Down by Richard Adams

I read Watership Down a few years ago, and it has quickly become one of my favorites. It's one of those books that you just don't want to end. Apparently Adams didn't want his stories of Hazel, Fiver, and Bigwig to end either. In 1996, over twenty years after the publication of Watership Down, he published Tales from Watership Down.

The book is divided into three sections. The first contains stories about El-ahrairah, which Adams describes as traditional tales that all rabbits would know. The second section is made up of stories told about the journey that El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle took to see the Black Rabbit of Inle. The last section of the book picks up the story with the Watership Down rabbits in the months that followed their defeat of General Groundwort at Efrafa.

The first two sections were a little hit-and-miss for me. There were some stories that I found very entertaining and others that failed to hold my attention. The third section was by far the most satisfying portion of the book. I loved being able to read about all the Watership rabbits once more.

Although Tales from Watership Down came a long time after its predecessor, I wonder if some of the book wasn't simply portions that Adams cut from the original. Most all of the tales from parts one and two could have easily fit into Watership Down. That said, if you enjoyed Watership Down, then you simply cannot pass up this book.