As a kid I loved reading 'Watership Down' (although I think I liked the film more. I don't think I'd ever read a book about talking animals that wasn't aimed solely at children and I was enthralled. When I discovered Tad Williams for the first time I was thrilled to discover that he'd written a book about talking animals as well! I know people will disagree with me but I actually think 'Tailchaser's Song' was better than 'Watership Down', Adams' rabbits were 'quintessentially British' but I think Williams did a far better job of showing the reader what animals (cats in this case) are really like. And then, all of a sudden, schoolwork etc took over and I lost touch with the whole world of talking animals and their adventures. Quite sad really...
With all this in mind, I was really pleased when a guy called Jon Evans got in touch to let me know of his story, about squirrels, that he'd written and made available online (for free, under a Creative Commons licence). I love squirrels (except when they get into my loft!) so a story about the perils a squirrel faces, traveling through New York, sounded like a lot of fun. I've had a quick flick through the first couple of chapters and I'll be back for more. It's got that 'Watership Down' feel to it and that's just what I'm after. Evans is plugging it as a 'children's book for adults' and I reckon that's just about right. And it's a free read as well! :o)
Fancy trying it out? Then have a click right Here
Squirrels are just rats with better PR. And hairstyling. (Alas, Ratatouille was but a small blow for justice.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, always glad to find good animal stories.
"If rats had opposible thumbs, they'd rule the world. Or at least the parts with food in it."
Duncton Wood. I can't remember who it is by (Horwood I think), but you should read it. It's about moles, and he developed this complex world view for them, mythology, everything. The best thing about it is that it is a lot like Watership Down because it's not moles running around with swords, it's almost as if he was really imagining what it would be like to live amongst actual moles if they were intelligent creatures. It was an amazing read for me.
ReplyDeleteI loved Tailchaser's Song. I lent it to someone years ago and never got it back. Guess I should replace it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll give this squirrel book a try, but I don't read much online (except for blogs:)
Richard Adams came and gave a talk at my university about Watership Down. It was a true privilege to hear him and he was a lovely old man. He talked about his service in the RAF and how that related to the rabbits. He said the rabbits were portraits of the men he flew with...
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