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Beklan Empire #2
Shardik
In a bitterly divided world, a giant bear becomes an object of worship in “the extraordinary fantasy novel by the author of Watership Down � ( The Guardian , UK).
In a burning forest, Kelderek the hunter encounters a gigantic bear unlike any he’s seen before. Surely this is the reincarnation of Lord Shardik, the messenger of god whose return has been anticipated by the primitive Ortelgan people. In service to Shardik, Kelderek becomes a prophet, then a soldier, and finally an emperor-priest. Swept up by fate and his impassioned faith, Klederek will come to discover ever-deeper layers of meaning implicit in the bear’s divinity.
Written after his bestselling debut novel Watership Down , Richard Adams’s Shardik is an epic fantasy of tragic character. A fascinating depiction of the power of belief, it explores themes of faith, slavery, and war.
In a burning forest, Kelderek the hunter encounters a gigantic bear unlike any he’s seen before. Surely this is the reincarnation of Lord Shardik, the messenger of god whose return has been anticipated by the primitive Ortelgan people. In service to Shardik, Kelderek becomes a prophet, then a soldier, and finally an emperor-priest. Swept up by fate and his impassioned faith, Klederek will come to discover ever-deeper layers of meaning implicit in the bear’s divinity.
Written after his bestselling debut novel Watership Down , Richard Adams’s Shardik is an epic fantasy of tragic character. A fascinating depiction of the power of belief, it explores themes of faith, slavery, and war.
604 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
275 people are currently reading
5,170 people want to read
About the author
Richard Adams
85books2,147followersAdams was born in Newbury, Berkshire. From 1933 until 1938 he was educated at Bradfield College. In 1938 he went up to Worcester College, Oxford to read Modern History. On 3 September 1939 Neville Chamberlain announced that the United Kingdom was at war with Germany. In 1940 Adams joined the British Army, in which he served until 1946. He received a class B discharge enabling him to return to Worcester to continue his studies for a further two years (1946-48). He took the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1948 and of Master of Arts in 1953.
He was a senior civil servant who worked as an Assistant Secretary for the Department of Agriculture, later part of the Department of the Environment, from 1948 to 1974. Since 1974, following publication of his second novel, Shardik, he has been a full-time author.
He originally began telling the story of Watership Down to his two daughters, Juliet and Rosamund, and they insisted he publish it as a book. It took two years to write and was rejected by thirteen publishers. When Watership Down was finally published, it sold over a million copies in record time in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Watership Down has become a modern classic and won both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1972. To date, Adams' best-known work has sold over 50 million copies world-wide, earning him more than all his other books put together.
As of 1982, he was President of the RSPCA.
He also contested the 1983 general election, standing as an Independent Conservative in the Spelthorne constituency on a platform of opposition to fox hunting.
He was a senior civil servant who worked as an Assistant Secretary for the Department of Agriculture, later part of the Department of the Environment, from 1948 to 1974. Since 1974, following publication of his second novel, Shardik, he has been a full-time author.
He originally began telling the story of Watership Down to his two daughters, Juliet and Rosamund, and they insisted he publish it as a book. It took two years to write and was rejected by thirteen publishers. When Watership Down was finally published, it sold over a million copies in record time in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Watership Down has become a modern classic and won both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1972. To date, Adams' best-known work has sold over 50 million copies world-wide, earning him more than all his other books put together.
As of 1982, he was President of the RSPCA.
He also contested the 1983 general election, standing as an Independent Conservative in the Spelthorne constituency on a platform of opposition to fox hunting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 365 reviews
February 28, 2017
2,5/5
Shardik is one of those books that don't age well...
Kelderek, a young hunter with a soft heart and a simple nature, witnesses an enormous bear fleeing a devastating fire that ravaged a forest near his home. Convinced that this bear is nothing more than the incarnation of the bear-god Shardik, Kelderek tries to convince the local Priests and Barons, who in turn sedate and cage the bear. But that doesn't last for long....
“And at once he went on with his burden, as though afraid that he might already have said too much in this country where the past was sharp splinters embedded in men's minds and an ill-judged word a false step in the dark.�
Richard Adams was talented, no one can deny that. Just like in Watership Down, the vivid descriptions and carefully-crafted allusions come in contrast with the intriguing plot and the well-developed characters, building a beautiful pattern and resulting in a compelling narration. Unfortunately, the positives of this book end here. Weird and hard to pronounce names, numerous and unnecessary similes, lengthy metaphors and miscarried imagery come together to expand Shardik on excessive word count that will probably result in the reader casting the book aside.
All in all, if you like old-fashioned lengthy fantasy with philosophical and religion dilemmas, then Shardik might be the book you are looking for. If not, perhaps you should leave it for another time...
You can find more of my reviews over at
Shardik is one of those books that don't age well...
Kelderek, a young hunter with a soft heart and a simple nature, witnesses an enormous bear fleeing a devastating fire that ravaged a forest near his home. Convinced that this bear is nothing more than the incarnation of the bear-god Shardik, Kelderek tries to convince the local Priests and Barons, who in turn sedate and cage the bear. But that doesn't last for long....
“And at once he went on with his burden, as though afraid that he might already have said too much in this country where the past was sharp splinters embedded in men's minds and an ill-judged word a false step in the dark.�
Richard Adams was talented, no one can deny that. Just like in Watership Down, the vivid descriptions and carefully-crafted allusions come in contrast with the intriguing plot and the well-developed characters, building a beautiful pattern and resulting in a compelling narration. Unfortunately, the positives of this book end here. Weird and hard to pronounce names, numerous and unnecessary similes, lengthy metaphors and miscarried imagery come together to expand Shardik on excessive word count that will probably result in the reader casting the book aside.
All in all, if you like old-fashioned lengthy fantasy with philosophical and religion dilemmas, then Shardik might be the book you are looking for. If not, perhaps you should leave it for another time...
You can find more of my reviews over at
April 13, 2017
1.5
I'll be honest, the only reason I read this book was because of the reference to 'Shardik' in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. If you are a DT fan like me and plan to read this one, let me give you some advice; don't bother. The book is long and boring...end of review.
July 11, 2008
I went into this book knowing very little about it, other than the reference to Shardik the Bear in one of Stephen King's books in the Dark Tower series. I did have some prior experience with Richard Adams, having read/enjoyed/been impressed with Watership Down and The Plague Dogs. In fact, while reading Plague Dogs, I noticed that Adams manages to keep me reading right on through something I cannot stand in most books: lengthy description of setting, particularly landscapes. So much of The Plague Dogs is the setting, and not only did I read all that stuff about the Lake District, it actually made me want to find out more about the area, and even, possibly, to visit there one day.
Anyway, Shardik. I didn't expect Shardik to be the exact type of fantasy novel I usually hate and refuse to finish -- or, not so much refuse, as just be physically unable to due to falling asleep. Adams did a lot of very elaborate, almost Tolkien-quality world-building for Shardik, and this particular brand of detail usually turns me right off. Give me a book that takes place in a world full of people and places with ridiculous-sounding names (Deelguy? Bel-ka-Trazet? Ta-Kominion? General Zelda? BWAH HA HA HA HA!) and I will fling that book across the room before long. However, I did not fling this book. The world Adams has created for the book coheres very well, stupid names aside. And once again, the descriptions of setting/landscape (which are so important to the story) are so beautifully written, they held my interest as they did in The Plague Dogs.
Some reviews of this book complain about its "preachy" tone, and I can sympathize. The tone is oddly stiff, and Adams sometimes spells things out too blatantly where he really could have afforded to trust the reader. I didn't feel it was anywhere near as axe-grindy as The Plague Dogs (which I enjoyed, if that word could be applied to such a book!), and the unfolding of the story was so engaging, I felt the sometimes-stilted tone took a back seat to the story. I don't think anyone could call Richard Adams subtle -- he definitely has "messages" he wants to put across about large ideas. But there's also no denying that his writing is powerful and moving.
Shardik is not a fast read. It's epic and takes a bit of dedication, but it's worth it. Nearly every character undergoes a change of almost cataclysmic proportions. Nearly everyone is redeemed. The point of the book is that redemption -- where does it come from? Via whose actions? Is it always deserved?
And then, of course, there's the question of the bear. Is he the ursine embodiment of the Power of God? Or is he just a beast that's been made subject to human superstitions and human greed?
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys heavy-duty fantasy, or discussions of philosophy/religion. Adams can dazzle you with beautiful writing one moment, and make you question the way you live your life in the next moment. Good stuff either way.
Anyway, Shardik. I didn't expect Shardik to be the exact type of fantasy novel I usually hate and refuse to finish -- or, not so much refuse, as just be physically unable to due to falling asleep. Adams did a lot of very elaborate, almost Tolkien-quality world-building for Shardik, and this particular brand of detail usually turns me right off. Give me a book that takes place in a world full of people and places with ridiculous-sounding names (Deelguy? Bel-ka-Trazet? Ta-Kominion? General Zelda? BWAH HA HA HA HA!) and I will fling that book across the room before long. However, I did not fling this book. The world Adams has created for the book coheres very well, stupid names aside. And once again, the descriptions of setting/landscape (which are so important to the story) are so beautifully written, they held my interest as they did in The Plague Dogs.
Some reviews of this book complain about its "preachy" tone, and I can sympathize. The tone is oddly stiff, and Adams sometimes spells things out too blatantly where he really could have afforded to trust the reader. I didn't feel it was anywhere near as axe-grindy as The Plague Dogs (which I enjoyed, if that word could be applied to such a book!), and the unfolding of the story was so engaging, I felt the sometimes-stilted tone took a back seat to the story. I don't think anyone could call Richard Adams subtle -- he definitely has "messages" he wants to put across about large ideas. But there's also no denying that his writing is powerful and moving.
Shardik is not a fast read. It's epic and takes a bit of dedication, but it's worth it. Nearly every character undergoes a change of almost cataclysmic proportions. Nearly everyone is redeemed. The point of the book is that redemption -- where does it come from? Via whose actions? Is it always deserved?
And then, of course, there's the question of the bear. Is he the ursine embodiment of the Power of God? Or is he just a beast that's been made subject to human superstitions and human greed?
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys heavy-duty fantasy, or discussions of philosophy/religion. Adams can dazzle you with beautiful writing one moment, and make you question the way you live your life in the next moment. Good stuff either way.
August 31, 2022
If you are a Stephen King fan, you have been familiar with Shardik for a long time, regardless of whether you have read the book by Richard Adams or have not heard anything about it at all. A huge bear appears on the pages of King's "Badlands" homage to the novel of the same name. Mad and evil, like most of the power carriers in the shifted world of the Dark Tower.
"Shardik" may seem to be the direct opposite of the people's favorite "Inhabitants of the hills".But maybe it doesn't matter if Shardik was a divine entity or just a very large bear, something else is more important. The idea clearly spelled out in the book is that politicians who make fateful decisions should experience their severity on a par with the most disenfranchised of their subjects. Legalize slavery - wander, beaten and starving in a chain of slaves. You start a war - spend the winter in the trenches, among rats, lice and shit. And then you can edit. Enriched by this invaluable experience.
Превед Медвед
Те, кому истина явилась, не питают никаких сомнений. Однако всегда найдутся другие, точно знающие, что ничего необычного не произошло.
Если вы кингоман, то с Шардиком знакомы уже давно, независимо от того, читали книгу Ричарда Адамса или вообще ничего о ней не слышали. Огромный медведь появляется на страницах "Бесплодных земель" Кинга оммажем одноименному роману. Безумный и злобный, как большинство носителей силы в сдвинувшемся мире "Темной башни".
О его литературном прототипе можно сказать почти то же. Не вполне зверь. Или вовсе не зверь? Смертельно опасен. Безумен? Ну, близкое знакомство с самыми злобными тварями вселенной явно не способствует его душевному здоровью. Однако по порядку. Вторую книгу Адамса, любимого читателями за роман о кроликах, тоже можно отнести к анималистическому фэнтези. С известной долей условности - как "Обитатели холмов" скорее социально-философская проза, чем анималистика, так "Шардик" в большей степени исследование феномена религии в ее созидательной, охранительной и разрушительной ипостасях.
Если вы боитесь спойлеров, пропустите три следующих абзаца. Охотник Кельдерек случайно натыкается на израненного и обожженного медведя. Огромный, в три человеческих роста, зверь прыгнул в реку, спасаясь от лесного пожара, доплыл до острова Ортельга и теперь умирает от ран. Дело однако в том, что медведь тотемное животное и символ веры ортельганцев, которые издавна чтут Владыку Шардика,. По их верованиям, божественный медведь ушел из мира, но в трудную минуту явится и поможет своему народу вернуть былую славу.
Трудные времена наступили достаточно давно, прежде ортельганцы правили страной, теперь они полудикари, влачащие жалкое существование на окраине Бекланской империи. Находка Кельдерека меняет все. Культ Шардика возрождается, его жрицы, несмотря на опасность быть убитыми или покалеченными, выхаживают зверя, старый осторожный барон Бель-Ка Тразит погибает, его преемник пылает неоправданно реваншистскими настроениями. Против ожиданий, вмешательство Шардика приносит победу, король-жрец Кельдерек становится новым правителем империи.
Возрождая отмененную в Бекле, работорговлю, деньги от которой поступают в бюджет для ведения войн с мятежными баронами. Глава оппозиции перед казнью успевает поджечь солому в помещении, где находится Шардик, зверь в панике разносит решетки вместе со зданием ратуши, вырывается на свободу и уходит. Кельдерек бросается за ним, в долгих странствиях утрачивая внешний лоск. достоинство, веру и наконец свободу - становится одним из рабов в группе невольников. которых гонят на продажу. жестоко истязая. В минуту полного отчаяния Шардик вновь появляется, спасая детей, а Кельдерек становится губернатором области, где всякий сирота находит приют и дело по душе.
"Шардик" может показаться прямой противоположностью народно-любимым "Обитателям холмов". Там борьба за жизнь и свободу, обаятельные антропоморфные герои, узнаваемые общественные формации и понятные паттерны поведения. Здесь тяжелые темные материи религиозного фанатизма и страшный зверь, который большую часть времени ведет себя как дикое животное, но иногда совершает поступки, заставляющие усомниться в его звериной сущности.
Неказистый неуклюжий туповатый Кельдерек никак не тянет на героя с большой буквы. Фэнтезийная вселенная без магии разочаровывает поклонников жанровой литературы. Тягучее повествование кажется не семисотстраничной книгой, но растянутой, как минимум, на тысячу. А главное, неопределенность, когда не знаешь, оценивать происходящее как действия безумцев-фанатиков, которые терзают животинку и людей не щадят или все-таки как результат работы Божьих мельниц, что мелют медленно, но мука отменно тонка и бела бывает . Все это не способствует читательскому комфорту.
Но может быть неважно, был Шардик божественной сущностью или просто очень крупным мишкой, важнее другое. Совершенно четко прописанная в книге мысль: политики, которые принимают судьбоносные решения, должны испытать их тяжесть наравне с самыми бесправными из своих подданных. Легализуешь рабство - побреди, избиваемый и голодающий в цепи рабов. Развязываешь войну - проведи зиму в окопах, среди крыс, вшей и говна. А дальше можешь править. Обогащенный этим бесценным опытом.
Мощная книга, хотя сильно не для всех.
"Shardik" may seem to be the direct opposite of the people's favorite "Inhabitants of the hills".But maybe it doesn't matter if Shardik was a divine entity or just a very large bear, something else is more important. The idea clearly spelled out in the book is that politicians who make fateful decisions should experience their severity on a par with the most disenfranchised of their subjects. Legalize slavery - wander, beaten and starving in a chain of slaves. You start a war - spend the winter in the trenches, among rats, lice and shit. And then you can edit. Enriched by this invaluable experience.
Превед Медвед
Те, кому истина явилась, не питают никаких сомнений. Однако всегда найдутся другие, точно знающие, что ничего необычного не произошло.
Если вы кингоман, то с Шардиком знакомы уже давно, независимо от того, читали книгу Ричарда Адамса или вообще ничего о ней не слышали. Огромный медведь появляется на страницах "Бесплодных земель" Кинга оммажем одноименному роману. Безумный и злобный, как большинство носителей силы в сдвинувшемся мире "Темной башни".
О его литературном прототипе можно сказать почти то же. Не вполне зверь. Или вовсе не зверь? Смертельно опасен. Безумен? Ну, близкое знакомство с самыми злобными тварями вселенной явно не способствует его душевному здоровью. Однако по порядку. Вторую книгу Адамса, любимого читателями за роман о кроликах, тоже можно отнести к анималистическому фэнтези. С известной долей условности - как "Обитатели холмов" скорее социально-философская проза, чем анималистика, так "Шардик" в большей степени исследование феномена религии в ее созидательной, охранительной и разрушительной ипостасях.
Если вы боитесь спойлеров, пропустите три следующих абзаца. Охотник Кельдерек случайно натыкается на израненного и обожженного медведя. Огромный, в три человеческих роста, зверь прыгнул в реку, спасаясь от лесного пожара, доплыл до острова Ортельга и теперь умирает от ран. Дело однако в том, что медведь тотемное животное и символ веры ортельганцев, которые издавна чтут Владыку Шардика,. По их верованиям, божественный медведь ушел из мира, но в трудную минуту явится и поможет своему народу вернуть былую славу.
Трудные времена наступили достаточно давно, прежде ортельганцы правили страной, теперь они полудикари, влачащие жалкое существование на окраине Бекланской империи. Находка Кельдерека меняет все. Культ Шардика возрождается, его жрицы, несмотря на опасность быть убитыми или покалеченными, выхаживают зверя, старый осторожный барон Бель-Ка Тразит погибает, его преемник пылает неоправданно реваншистскими настроениями. Против ожиданий, вмешательство Шардика приносит победу, король-жрец Кельдерек становится новым правителем империи.
Возрождая отмененную в Бекле, работорговлю, деньги от которой поступают в бюджет для ведения войн с мятежными баронами. Глава оппозиции перед казнью успевает поджечь солому в помещении, где находится Шардик, зверь в панике разносит решетки вместе со зданием ратуши, вырывается на свободу и уходит. Кельдерек бросается за ним, в долгих странствиях утрачивая внешний лоск. достоинство, веру и наконец свободу - становится одним из рабов в группе невольников. которых гонят на продажу. жестоко истязая. В минуту полного отчаяния Шардик вновь появляется, спасая детей, а Кельдерек становится губернатором области, где всякий сирота находит приют и дело по душе.
"Шардик" может показаться прямой противоположностью народно-любимым "Обитателям холмов". Там борьба за жизнь и свободу, обаятельные антропоморфные герои, узнаваемые общественные формации и понятные паттерны поведения. Здесь тяжелые темные материи религиозного фанатизма и страшный зверь, который большую часть времени ведет себя как дикое животное, но иногда совершает поступки, заставляющие усомниться в его звериной сущности.
Неказистый неуклюжий туповатый Кельдерек никак не тянет на героя с большой буквы. Фэнтезийная вселенная без магии разочаровывает поклонников жанровой литературы. Тягучее повествование кажется не семисотстраничной книгой, но растянутой, как минимум, на тысячу. А главное, неопределенность, когда не знаешь, оценивать происходящее как действия безумцев-фанатиков, которые терзают животинку и людей не щадят или все-таки как результат работы Божьих мельниц, что мелют медленно, но мука отменно тонка и бела бывает . Все это не способствует читательскому комфорту.
Но может быть неважно, был Шардик божественной сущностью или просто очень крупным мишкой, важнее другое. Совершенно четко прописанная в книге мысль: политики, которые принимают судьбоносные решения, должны испытать их тяжесть наравне с самыми бесправными из своих подданных. Легализуешь рабство - побреди, избиваемый и голодающий в цепи рабов. Развязываешь войну - проведи зиму в окопах, среди крыс, вшей и говна. А дальше можешь править. Обогащенный этим бесценным опытом.
Мощная книга, хотя сильно не для всех.
February 25, 2008
I knew the title from a Stephen King reference () and picked it up because of my interest in predator worship myths. Shardik, a great bear revered as the power of the divine, is very much a in the sense that David Quammen writes of in his book by that title. Unlike real bears, who nosh whoever happens to get in their way, Shardik never eats someone who doesn’t deserve it (though I daresay he may have snacked on some innocent cattle.) The religion Adams creates is neither ancient a la nor quite Christian, but something of both. God manifests himself in the chaos of nature, replete with Old Testament-style smitings.
Taken on its own terms, though, the book has a lot to say � in particular, about the folly of believing the desires of man to be the will of God. There’s a disturbing poignancy in Adams� imagery of the beast-god caged and drugged senseless by people who claim to be his worshippers. By ‘divine� will (and the pressure of an ambitious baron), the hunter Kelderek helps overthrow a government, rises to kingship, and legalizes a slave trade to pay soldiers to further the conquests. When a dissident frees Shardik, Kelderek sets off to recapture him and plunges into a hell of his own making. The Streels of Urtah, in particular, captured my attention.
A few random things got in the way. The names frequently struck me as odd, particularly the city-state Ortelga, which to me sounded too much like that brand of canned pseudo-Mexican food. Adams of lapses into extended similes that not only detract from the story but often seem inappropriate for the world he’s created. The weirdest device was Adams� references to real-world history and myths in his made-up universe. I suppose he intended to bring his own myth into parallel with those of our world � ‘yes, this really happened,� with a wink. But most of the time I just scratched my head.
Just the same, critics called Shardik better than . I read Watership over ten years ago and can’t make a fair comparison. But I am surprised that Shardik hasn’t had the staying power of Adams� first novel.
Taken on its own terms, though, the book has a lot to say � in particular, about the folly of believing the desires of man to be the will of God. There’s a disturbing poignancy in Adams� imagery of the beast-god caged and drugged senseless by people who claim to be his worshippers. By ‘divine� will (and the pressure of an ambitious baron), the hunter Kelderek helps overthrow a government, rises to kingship, and legalizes a slave trade to pay soldiers to further the conquests. When a dissident frees Shardik, Kelderek sets off to recapture him and plunges into a hell of his own making. The Streels of Urtah, in particular, captured my attention.
A few random things got in the way. The names frequently struck me as odd, particularly the city-state Ortelga, which to me sounded too much like that brand of canned pseudo-Mexican food. Adams of lapses into extended similes that not only detract from the story but often seem inappropriate for the world he’s created. The weirdest device was Adams� references to real-world history and myths in his made-up universe. I suppose he intended to bring his own myth into parallel with those of our world � ‘yes, this really happened,� with a wink. But most of the time I just scratched my head.
Just the same, critics called Shardik better than . I read Watership over ten years ago and can’t make a fair comparison. But I am surprised that Shardik hasn’t had the staying power of Adams� first novel.
January 17, 2008
When I read a Richard Adams book, it takes over my whole life. Every event in my life mirrors what the characters are going through. I stay up way too late reading so that I can see the characters through to the end of the scene. His books are way too real to me.
February 16, 2009
Ever since I've read Watership Down I've been a big Richard Adams fan. This book makes for pretty heavy reading, and I won't deny it took me a while to get through it. The pacing could be quite slow at times, but I think it is well worth sticking through. Shardik is epic fantasy, and nothing at all like what he created in Watership Down. You could argue that the book isn't even about the bear, but the events that surround it.
One thing I first noticed about the book was how original the storyline seemed. Shardik tells the story of the giant eponymous bear that the Ortelgans (a tribe of the Beklan empire) believe to be the divine Power of God. He's discovered by a simple hunter, Kelderek (later the priest-king of Shardik) who declares that Shardik was sent to lead the Ortelgans to greatness and "reclaim" the empire's seat at Bekla. Unlike Adams's other books Watership Down and The Plague Dogs, the bear's perspective is only seen in the initial two chapters and for the remainder of the story he is a powerful and often antagonistic force that merely serves to set the wheels turning in the story.
What I loved in particular about this book was the imagery Adams is able to come up with. The first few paragraphs alone in chapter one has some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read. He does a wonderful and very plausible job of building up this world. There's something very ancient about Adams's world, even prehistoric. I recently learned that Shardik was the work Adams was most happy with, and I think I understand why. It's clear he's spent a lot of time creating his world, along with its geography and its flora and fauna. For the duration of the book, I got the feeling that this world wasn't just some fantasy world, but a world that might have been our own thousands of years ago.
While most of the characters are flawed and their actions evil, you don't find it hard to retain a certain sense of sympathy for their plight even as the novel progresses and the reality of Kelderek's crimes are made clearer and clearer. While the tone of the book can border along the preachy, what I enjoyed most about the story was that it was never made clear if Shardik really were a divine personification of some higher power or if it was superstition and just a twist of fate. Adams leaves us to decide ourselves as we like. The story has strong themes of redemption, suffering and mankind's spiritual search for God in the world.
I would recommend Shardik to anyone who really loves Adams's previous works, animal-lovers or anyone who appreciates the details that come with epic high fantasy.
One thing I first noticed about the book was how original the storyline seemed. Shardik tells the story of the giant eponymous bear that the Ortelgans (a tribe of the Beklan empire) believe to be the divine Power of God. He's discovered by a simple hunter, Kelderek (later the priest-king of Shardik) who declares that Shardik was sent to lead the Ortelgans to greatness and "reclaim" the empire's seat at Bekla. Unlike Adams's other books Watership Down and The Plague Dogs, the bear's perspective is only seen in the initial two chapters and for the remainder of the story he is a powerful and often antagonistic force that merely serves to set the wheels turning in the story.
What I loved in particular about this book was the imagery Adams is able to come up with. The first few paragraphs alone in chapter one has some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read. He does a wonderful and very plausible job of building up this world. There's something very ancient about Adams's world, even prehistoric. I recently learned that Shardik was the work Adams was most happy with, and I think I understand why. It's clear he's spent a lot of time creating his world, along with its geography and its flora and fauna. For the duration of the book, I got the feeling that this world wasn't just some fantasy world, but a world that might have been our own thousands of years ago.
While most of the characters are flawed and their actions evil, you don't find it hard to retain a certain sense of sympathy for their plight even as the novel progresses and the reality of Kelderek's crimes are made clearer and clearer. While the tone of the book can border along the preachy, what I enjoyed most about the story was that it was never made clear if Shardik really were a divine personification of some higher power or if it was superstition and just a twist of fate. Adams leaves us to decide ourselves as we like. The story has strong themes of redemption, suffering and mankind's spiritual search for God in the world.
I would recommend Shardik to anyone who really loves Adams's previous works, animal-lovers or anyone who appreciates the details that come with epic high fantasy.
April 13, 2021
I often struggle with fantasy and don't end up enjoying them or even finishing them, and the fact that I finished this and enjoyed this as much as I did is to me shocking. Richard Adams loved to write as much descriptions and flowery laungage mix in made up fantasy names and such, you get a book that I had some slight troubles following along with. Normally I have no issues with reading books in english but this took both time and patience but I feel like it was worth it in the end. Didn't know this was part of the series but I saw on good reads that it was nr 2 so I might look for the first one
October 23, 2015
Not sure how I missed this one.
In my much younger years, I read Watership Down and loved it; I loved even more Adams's "The Plague Dogs," which was even darker. Somehow, I missed the book that came in between those, Shardik. It seems to have slipped down the memory hole in general: perhaps because, while there is an animal at the center of the book, the reader is only privy to its internal thoughts for a brief moment at the beginning, the rest of the book being an epic fantasy that takes place--among humans--around the animal.
The story is about an ancient civilization, probably set in Central Asia, though deliberately obscure. A religious cult here worships a monotheistic God--_the_ God--which comes ever so rarely in the body of a gigantic bear. We meet this bear, Shardik, in the first chapter, driven from the wildlands to north by a fire. It confronts a man, a hunter, named Kelderek, who is considered a simpleton by his people--Ortelgans, heir to the dynasty below (centered in the city of Belkan) but driven t a small island in a large river. Kelderek brings the story to of the bear to the priestess who heads his cult, and she tells him a prophecy: the coming of Shardik means that two vessels, a man and a woman, will be annointed; they will be broken into pieces by the God and reformed.
The rest of the story is the working out of this prophecy, as Kelderek is convinced to join a political revolt, against the wishes of the priestess, who is imprisoned. Seemingly with the help of Shardik, the Ortelgans win a series of bruising battles and reclaim their empire--at least in part, the southern provinces continuing to withhold their allegiance. Kelderek is made priest king. Even as he battles with the breakaway regions, he recognizes that the key to the empire's stability is trade, which he insists upon. A major part of the trading, though, is in slaves, especially children.
Eventually, Kelderek is deposed, by a man whose own son was taken into slavery by the worst of the traders. Kelderek then flees the capitol to find Shardik, who has also been kicked out. He tries to have Shardik kill him, but does not. Instead, they became enrolled int he mysteries of yet another cult--which promises the glorious death of Shardik--before ending up on the far frontier, in a town overrun by criminals. There he meets the priestess and her helper. We hear the helper's tale, and how she has endured horrors. They fall in love.
Kelderek, though, is not done with his fate. He is captured by a slave trader and sees its horrors up close; he meets the son of his usurper. Seemingly, he and the other children are saved by the bear, Shardik, which kills the slave trader just before it dies itself.
In the end, Kelderek is forgiven his sins and becomes governor of the frontier town, opening it to trade with the far world. In the last chapter, we see the horse-riders of the distant northeast looking in on the empire, and commenting on its strange ways and odd cult of the bear.
What Adams does here is deceptively hard. So many fantasies fail on the fake language and invented hierarchies, on oracular language that sounds pretentious. His does not always work--this is a decidedly pre-feminist work, with a perhaps unhealthy obsession with virginity--but for the most part the language does work, even as he opens chapters in grandiloquent terms. Even as he drops in terms and words from teh world that could seem silly or childish, but instead retain a ragged integrity.
To my mind, the book suffers from length, and too many stories within stories. (It is reminiscent of Tolkien in that way--no surprise since Watership Down was in many ways a recreation of Tolkien's universe, but with rabbits instead of hobbits.) Two characters come together, and then there are a dozen pages of one of them telling the other the story of how they got there. I understand that this is a personal preference, though, and others may be able to fully submit themselves to the world, which is created in great detail--but not so much detail as to be overwhelming and with just enough left undescribed to give it the mystery of a real place.
The book might be faulted, too, for how conveniently the various storylines come together, wrapped in a nice little bow. This seems the mark of an epic fantasy, though--a saga--and so I cannot begrudge Adams the coincidences upon which he relies.
Beyond the story, though, there seem to be two parables at work. The first is perhaps a projection on my part; just as seemingly American literature cannot escape the question of race, British literature cannot void the question of empire. It seems of no little moment that Kelderek comes from a tiny island and conquers the known world at the behest of a God few others recognize or accept, nor that his domination leads to great evils, nor that the solution to the problem is equitable trade and tolerance of multiple religions--and the end of slavery! The book seems ver much to have been written in full knowledge of the (then) recent collapse of the British empire.
The second allegory is about the nature of God itself. Kelderek and his cohorts--though doubting sometimes--ultimately accept Shardik as the Power of God made manifest. (And it is a very Christian kind of God, sacrificing itself to free children from slavery.) This acceptance can lead to horrors--enslaving children--or the best of works--at the end, Kelderek's frontier region takes in the world's abandoned children and gives them a place to live and be valued.
But the book leaves open the question of whether Shardik is really a God, or just a force of nature whose actions are interpreted as divine. Adams is not subtle, and he spells out all his many themes very clearly. The end of the book is a disquisition on this point by a visitor from another country. But just as key is one of the two epigraphs chosen for the book (which does somewhat tip Adams's hand). From Carl Jung: "Superstition and accident manifest the will of God."
In my much younger years, I read Watership Down and loved it; I loved even more Adams's "The Plague Dogs," which was even darker. Somehow, I missed the book that came in between those, Shardik. It seems to have slipped down the memory hole in general: perhaps because, while there is an animal at the center of the book, the reader is only privy to its internal thoughts for a brief moment at the beginning, the rest of the book being an epic fantasy that takes place--among humans--around the animal.
The story is about an ancient civilization, probably set in Central Asia, though deliberately obscure. A religious cult here worships a monotheistic God--_the_ God--which comes ever so rarely in the body of a gigantic bear. We meet this bear, Shardik, in the first chapter, driven from the wildlands to north by a fire. It confronts a man, a hunter, named Kelderek, who is considered a simpleton by his people--Ortelgans, heir to the dynasty below (centered in the city of Belkan) but driven t a small island in a large river. Kelderek brings the story to of the bear to the priestess who heads his cult, and she tells him a prophecy: the coming of Shardik means that two vessels, a man and a woman, will be annointed; they will be broken into pieces by the God and reformed.
The rest of the story is the working out of this prophecy, as Kelderek is convinced to join a political revolt, against the wishes of the priestess, who is imprisoned. Seemingly with the help of Shardik, the Ortelgans win a series of bruising battles and reclaim their empire--at least in part, the southern provinces continuing to withhold their allegiance. Kelderek is made priest king. Even as he battles with the breakaway regions, he recognizes that the key to the empire's stability is trade, which he insists upon. A major part of the trading, though, is in slaves, especially children.
Eventually, Kelderek is deposed, by a man whose own son was taken into slavery by the worst of the traders. Kelderek then flees the capitol to find Shardik, who has also been kicked out. He tries to have Shardik kill him, but does not. Instead, they became enrolled int he mysteries of yet another cult--which promises the glorious death of Shardik--before ending up on the far frontier, in a town overrun by criminals. There he meets the priestess and her helper. We hear the helper's tale, and how she has endured horrors. They fall in love.
Kelderek, though, is not done with his fate. He is captured by a slave trader and sees its horrors up close; he meets the son of his usurper. Seemingly, he and the other children are saved by the bear, Shardik, which kills the slave trader just before it dies itself.
In the end, Kelderek is forgiven his sins and becomes governor of the frontier town, opening it to trade with the far world. In the last chapter, we see the horse-riders of the distant northeast looking in on the empire, and commenting on its strange ways and odd cult of the bear.
What Adams does here is deceptively hard. So many fantasies fail on the fake language and invented hierarchies, on oracular language that sounds pretentious. His does not always work--this is a decidedly pre-feminist work, with a perhaps unhealthy obsession with virginity--but for the most part the language does work, even as he opens chapters in grandiloquent terms. Even as he drops in terms and words from teh world that could seem silly or childish, but instead retain a ragged integrity.
To my mind, the book suffers from length, and too many stories within stories. (It is reminiscent of Tolkien in that way--no surprise since Watership Down was in many ways a recreation of Tolkien's universe, but with rabbits instead of hobbits.) Two characters come together, and then there are a dozen pages of one of them telling the other the story of how they got there. I understand that this is a personal preference, though, and others may be able to fully submit themselves to the world, which is created in great detail--but not so much detail as to be overwhelming and with just enough left undescribed to give it the mystery of a real place.
The book might be faulted, too, for how conveniently the various storylines come together, wrapped in a nice little bow. This seems the mark of an epic fantasy, though--a saga--and so I cannot begrudge Adams the coincidences upon which he relies.
Beyond the story, though, there seem to be two parables at work. The first is perhaps a projection on my part; just as seemingly American literature cannot escape the question of race, British literature cannot void the question of empire. It seems of no little moment that Kelderek comes from a tiny island and conquers the known world at the behest of a God few others recognize or accept, nor that his domination leads to great evils, nor that the solution to the problem is equitable trade and tolerance of multiple religions--and the end of slavery! The book seems ver much to have been written in full knowledge of the (then) recent collapse of the British empire.
The second allegory is about the nature of God itself. Kelderek and his cohorts--though doubting sometimes--ultimately accept Shardik as the Power of God made manifest. (And it is a very Christian kind of God, sacrificing itself to free children from slavery.) This acceptance can lead to horrors--enslaving children--or the best of works--at the end, Kelderek's frontier region takes in the world's abandoned children and gives them a place to live and be valued.
But the book leaves open the question of whether Shardik is really a God, or just a force of nature whose actions are interpreted as divine. Adams is not subtle, and he spells out all his many themes very clearly. The end of the book is a disquisition on this point by a visitor from another country. But just as key is one of the two epigraphs chosen for the book (which does somewhat tip Adams's hand). From Carl Jung: "Superstition and accident manifest the will of God."
April 30, 2016
One star means I didn't like it overall, not that it was terrible.
I loved Watership Down and The Plague Dogs. I knew this one wasn't going to be a talking animal story. That's fine with me. Talking animals are not something I seek out in fiction anyway.
My biggest problem with Shardik was that I never connected with any of the characters. Kelderek was especially flat. He changes a lot over the course of the story, but he always felt more like a magicless marionette than a person to me. Add to that the long, complicated plot and sparse action and this book was a real slog.
I suspect that when Richard Adams called this his masterpiece, he meant it was the book he worked hardest on. There is some beautiful craftsmanship in the language and description.
Shardik himself was the most interesting thing in the book. The question of his divinity pulled me along through the first half of the book. But it was only stubbornness that made me finish.
I loved Watership Down and The Plague Dogs. I knew this one wasn't going to be a talking animal story. That's fine with me. Talking animals are not something I seek out in fiction anyway.
My biggest problem with Shardik was that I never connected with any of the characters. Kelderek was especially flat. He changes a lot over the course of the story, but he always felt more like a magicless marionette than a person to me. Add to that the long, complicated plot and sparse action and this book was a real slog.
I suspect that when Richard Adams called this his masterpiece, he meant it was the book he worked hardest on. There is some beautiful craftsmanship in the language and description.
Shardik himself was the most interesting thing in the book. The question of his divinity pulled me along through the first half of the book. But it was only stubbornness that made me finish.
July 20, 2016
DNF @ 40% This was somewhere between boring and like. Okay maybe? Like it could have been good but it just wasn't grabbing me.
May 9, 2014
If this book could be rewritten to about half the length, removing all of the superfluous imagery and metaphors, I would probably give it 5 stars. As a story, I found it thoroughly enjoyable. The plot was immensely intriguing, and despite the tiresome writing style I found myself constantly entertained by the twists and turns of this epic.
I took a very long time to finish this book, and not just because the book itself is long. As I have already mentioned, the writing style was very difficult to get through, and I found myself often needing a break. Pages and pages are dedicated to detailed description of the events as they unfold. At points it seemed like every scene was preceded by a metaphor that could be a novel in itself.
One thing that needs to be mentioned about this novel is the very overt stance on religion. I didn't find the novel too "preachy", but then again I didn't think The Chronicles of Narnia were either, and those books have turned a few people off. The final message of the book seems to be that it doesn't really matter if you believe in a magic bear or a man in the sky, what matters is that as a community you take that belief and use it to help people rather than hurt them. A nice message, if a little naive.
All in all, if you are up for a challenging read, Shardik is an excellent choice for just about anyone. A great epic tale for fiction lovers, and lots of interesting parallels to reality for anyone else.
I took a very long time to finish this book, and not just because the book itself is long. As I have already mentioned, the writing style was very difficult to get through, and I found myself often needing a break. Pages and pages are dedicated to detailed description of the events as they unfold. At points it seemed like every scene was preceded by a metaphor that could be a novel in itself.
One thing that needs to be mentioned about this novel is the very overt stance on religion. I didn't find the novel too "preachy", but then again I didn't think The Chronicles of Narnia were either, and those books have turned a few people off. The final message of the book seems to be that it doesn't really matter if you believe in a magic bear or a man in the sky, what matters is that as a community you take that belief and use it to help people rather than hurt them. A nice message, if a little naive.
All in all, if you are up for a challenging read, Shardik is an excellent choice for just about anyone. A great epic tale for fiction lovers, and lots of interesting parallels to reality for anyone else.
June 13, 2019
Shardik (Beklan Empire #1)by Richard Adams
The story is about the trials and events of the central character “Kelderek “who went from lowly born and humble village hunter who was also regarded by his people as a simple-minded fellow who liked playing with children, and this is the theme of a lot of the characters they all are little bit quirky and this is what sucked me into this fantasy world.
But all that changed as he suddenly found himself as ruler and King “Priest� of the known world he lived in for he pretty much bumbled around, reintroduced the slave trade which would eventually be his downfall but also his eventual redemption. How did this happen, through the strength and ferocity of Shardik the giant bear who Kelderek seemed to have control over. Probably because Kelderek nursed it back to health after being caught in a forest fire.
It has it all corruption of power and assassination and murder, slavery and sadistic bastards, weak and feeble minded, warriors that are self righteous pricks and religious zeal or fanatism, religion is a big theme. It has redemtion, salvation, determination a lot of anger hatred and then some good old eventual love its definately all in there. Just so much happened its definately something you could start anywhere and get sucked into a highly detailed scenario.
I loved this book and put it into my favorites. The simple minded fellow I am.
The story is about the trials and events of the central character “Kelderek “who went from lowly born and humble village hunter who was also regarded by his people as a simple-minded fellow who liked playing with children, and this is the theme of a lot of the characters they all are little bit quirky and this is what sucked me into this fantasy world.
But all that changed as he suddenly found himself as ruler and King “Priest� of the known world he lived in for he pretty much bumbled around, reintroduced the slave trade which would eventually be his downfall but also his eventual redemption. How did this happen, through the strength and ferocity of Shardik the giant bear who Kelderek seemed to have control over. Probably because Kelderek nursed it back to health after being caught in a forest fire.
It has it all corruption of power and assassination and murder, slavery and sadistic bastards, weak and feeble minded, warriors that are self righteous pricks and religious zeal or fanatism, religion is a big theme. It has redemtion, salvation, determination a lot of anger hatred and then some good old eventual love its definately all in there. Just so much happened its definately something you could start anywhere and get sucked into a highly detailed scenario.
I loved this book and put it into my favorites. The simple minded fellow I am.
September 27, 2011
It's a recurring pattern that we see over and over again in books and film: an artist makes a solid, but not particularly profound effort into a genre aimed towards children. They suddenly find themselves a stunning success, and immediately up their game by deciding to write, direct, or act for adults instead. It happened when Tolkien drastically changed styles from "The Hobbit" to "The Lord of the Rings". It happened when Daniel Radcliffe starred in "Equus" after achieving fame in "Harry Potter". If you can understand this human pattern, then you can understand how "Shardik" came to be written.
"Shardik" is the story of a young and innocent hunter named Kelderek, living in a primitive civilization, but drawn into an overwhelming tidal wave of change by the appearance of an enormous wounded bear near his home village. The bear is taken to be an incarnation of Shardik, a great god, and Kelderek, via a mixture of accident and intense devotion, is positioned as the official spokesman or prophet of the animal.
Compared to Watership Down (as the book inevitably will be), it's a twist in tone and approach that is intriguing: Adams has left writing for children, and his new story delves into harsh adult realities, bloody violence, primitive zealotry, and barbarianism. Yet, even then, many themes remain constant in his style: man's relationship to nature, the power of myth, and the struggle between political force and blatant self-interest.
In the novel, the bear Shardik is a mystical, mute natural power, driving the destinies of every character. And yet the book is not about this (apparently) unwitting god, but rather is about Kelderek, a simple man who is dragged from his role as innocent hunter to that of a disaffected tyrant. As epic as the story is, it lacks some of the focus and emotion that makes so many of Adam's other works so strong. This book is probably underread and underrated (even by me), and there's enough potential in it to recommend to others.
"Shardik" is the story of a young and innocent hunter named Kelderek, living in a primitive civilization, but drawn into an overwhelming tidal wave of change by the appearance of an enormous wounded bear near his home village. The bear is taken to be an incarnation of Shardik, a great god, and Kelderek, via a mixture of accident and intense devotion, is positioned as the official spokesman or prophet of the animal.
Compared to Watership Down (as the book inevitably will be), it's a twist in tone and approach that is intriguing: Adams has left writing for children, and his new story delves into harsh adult realities, bloody violence, primitive zealotry, and barbarianism. Yet, even then, many themes remain constant in his style: man's relationship to nature, the power of myth, and the struggle between political force and blatant self-interest.
In the novel, the bear Shardik is a mystical, mute natural power, driving the destinies of every character. And yet the book is not about this (apparently) unwitting god, but rather is about Kelderek, a simple man who is dragged from his role as innocent hunter to that of a disaffected tyrant. As epic as the story is, it lacks some of the focus and emotion that makes so many of Adam's other works so strong. This book is probably underread and underrated (even by me), and there's enough potential in it to recommend to others.
July 24, 2011
I'll keep this review short, as I need to read this one again. Too many plot details have escaped my mind in the intervening few years since I finished it. I will say that this is a novel of rare power and poignancy, and not one that will be immediately appealing to all fans of Adams' much more famous work, Watership Down. For one thing, it is clearly an adult novel; its content is not inappropriate for children, but its sophistication in ideas and language make it a far more challenging read than its predecessor.
Unlike Watership Down, which placed its anthropomorphic characters squarely in a real-world setting, Shardik is based in a fantasy world of Adams' creation, one of exceptional detail and vibrancy. Its cultures are fairly primitive, with religion and superstition playing a central role in the lives of the characters. Its unlikely protagonist is a simple huntsman who happens to encounter the seeming flesh-and-blood incarnation of his peoples' God, the great bear Shardik. This incarnation having long been prophesied by the hunstman's people, the news ignites them with religious fervor, and they set out to fulfill the remainder of what has been prophesied. Shardik himself says nothing and behaves just as any savage beast would, although some of his acts make his intentions or lack thereof quite ambiguous.
This novel is an adventure for the ages, but also a fascinating exploration of religion among human cultures, its origins and its effects on adherents and skeptics alike. Adams would reacquaint his readers with this same land in his later masterpiece, Maia (1984).
Unlike Watership Down, which placed its anthropomorphic characters squarely in a real-world setting, Shardik is based in a fantasy world of Adams' creation, one of exceptional detail and vibrancy. Its cultures are fairly primitive, with religion and superstition playing a central role in the lives of the characters. Its unlikely protagonist is a simple huntsman who happens to encounter the seeming flesh-and-blood incarnation of his peoples' God, the great bear Shardik. This incarnation having long been prophesied by the hunstman's people, the news ignites them with religious fervor, and they set out to fulfill the remainder of what has been prophesied. Shardik himself says nothing and behaves just as any savage beast would, although some of his acts make his intentions or lack thereof quite ambiguous.
This novel is an adventure for the ages, but also a fascinating exploration of religion among human cultures, its origins and its effects on adherents and skeptics alike. Adams would reacquaint his readers with this same land in his later masterpiece, Maia (1984).
January 23, 2016
I gave up on this about 300 pages in, I found the main conflict frustrating and all the protagonists insipid. A big disappointment since I loved Watership Down.
May 7, 2016
Давно у меня не было ощущения, что я не поняла в романе процентов 60, поэтому мне надо теперь прочесть работы по поводу "Шардика" (а роман классный).
March 1, 2019
I consider Watership Down a very difficult act to follow, but Richard Adams comes very close with Shardik.
September 30, 2012
Watership Down by Richard Adams is probably my all-time favorite novel. But for whatever reason I have long avoided Shardik, his second novel. Something about the blurbs always rubbed me the wrong way. I have finally given it a chance, and it is just about what I expected: not bad, but a little boring.
The novel is set in a fictional land, perhaps at a dark ages level of technology. (I would hesitate to class it as “fantasy� as there is little in the way of magic). The Ortelgans live on an island and worship “Shardik,� the power of God manifested into a giant bear that has long been missing. When Kelderek, a simple hunter, discovers a giant bear in the forest, it is the spark that transforms his life as well as his society. Quite quickly his tribal leaders decide to use the great bear in order to conquer their southern neighbors, a move which has terrible consequences.
The narrative is more old-fashioned in style, a bit like 19th century prose. Kelderek, as the main character, spends a great deal of time in soul-searching, asking questions, pondering morality. The message is on how religious fervor can be misused and misapplied, even by good people. Dialogue is spoken in a formal fashion. The story moves leisurely, a trifle ponderously, rather like the bear itself, I guess. The tone is melancholy; the tale is full of violence and misery and suffering. A whole section chronicles the nightmarish journey of a group of enslaved and tortured children.
I did appreciate how it was never made clear on whether or not Shardik WAS the power of God manifested into a giant bear, of if Shardik WAS simply a wild bear they thought was their deity. Moreover, this ambiguity is not remarked on at all because it simply doesn’t matter. Shardik is divine to his followers and irrelevant to his enemies and that is what was important.
I was somewhat surprised (and appreciative) that the novel ends with a hopeful epilogue, after all the weary darkness. All in all, I am glad to have read it, though I don’t know if I will ever come back to it.
The novel is set in a fictional land, perhaps at a dark ages level of technology. (I would hesitate to class it as “fantasy� as there is little in the way of magic). The Ortelgans live on an island and worship “Shardik,� the power of God manifested into a giant bear that has long been missing. When Kelderek, a simple hunter, discovers a giant bear in the forest, it is the spark that transforms his life as well as his society. Quite quickly his tribal leaders decide to use the great bear in order to conquer their southern neighbors, a move which has terrible consequences.
The narrative is more old-fashioned in style, a bit like 19th century prose. Kelderek, as the main character, spends a great deal of time in soul-searching, asking questions, pondering morality. The message is on how religious fervor can be misused and misapplied, even by good people. Dialogue is spoken in a formal fashion. The story moves leisurely, a trifle ponderously, rather like the bear itself, I guess. The tone is melancholy; the tale is full of violence and misery and suffering. A whole section chronicles the nightmarish journey of a group of enslaved and tortured children.
I did appreciate how it was never made clear on whether or not Shardik WAS the power of God manifested into a giant bear, of if Shardik WAS simply a wild bear they thought was their deity. Moreover, this ambiguity is not remarked on at all because it simply doesn’t matter. Shardik is divine to his followers and irrelevant to his enemies and that is what was important.
I was somewhat surprised (and appreciative) that the novel ends with a hopeful epilogue, after all the weary darkness. All in all, I am glad to have read it, though I don’t know if I will ever come back to it.
February 24, 2015
In his introduction to the new edition, Adams expresses a slightly wounded pride in this book, which was his follow-up to the phenomenally successful ‘Watership Down�.
In the last paragraph of his introduction, Adams becomes somewhat tongue-tied in an attempt to express why he thinks of ‘Shardik� as his best book. But I can understand his fondness for it, and his disappointment at its reception � it sold well, of course, but was received by many with a sense of bafflement and distaste: where is the dew-fresh pastoral charm of ‘Watership Down�?; what’s with all the unpleasantness? (forgetting the very dark centre of his first book); why doesn’t the bear speak?
There is no doubt that Adams was writing at the height of his powers, even if he hadn’t quite found the right subject. It is a splendidly written book, obviously deeply personal in its expression of the author’s principles (and nightmares), and a bold choice to follow ‘Watership Down� � but it is so dark, dense and bloody, so lacking in sympathetic characters, so disillusioned in its politics, so unrelenting in the style of a Greek tragedy (a debt acknowledged by the author), that it is not hard to understand a lack of warm response from readers. It is a book to admire, if not to enjoy. Still, it deserves a high place in the lists of serious adult fantasy.
In the last paragraph of his introduction, Adams becomes somewhat tongue-tied in an attempt to express why he thinks of ‘Shardik� as his best book. But I can understand his fondness for it, and his disappointment at its reception � it sold well, of course, but was received by many with a sense of bafflement and distaste: where is the dew-fresh pastoral charm of ‘Watership Down�?; what’s with all the unpleasantness? (forgetting the very dark centre of his first book); why doesn’t the bear speak?
There is no doubt that Adams was writing at the height of his powers, even if he hadn’t quite found the right subject. It is a splendidly written book, obviously deeply personal in its expression of the author’s principles (and nightmares), and a bold choice to follow ‘Watership Down� � but it is so dark, dense and bloody, so lacking in sympathetic characters, so disillusioned in its politics, so unrelenting in the style of a Greek tragedy (a debt acknowledged by the author), that it is not hard to understand a lack of warm response from readers. It is a book to admire, if not to enjoy. Still, it deserves a high place in the lists of serious adult fantasy.
February 17, 2025
DNF at 125 pages. I can't believe the author of Watership Down wrote Shardik. Watership Down is enlivened by a plot that has epic significance even if its movement only encompasses a few miles of English countryside, by characters who seem relatable and attractive even if they have four legs and none are older than 3, and by embedded slices of invented mythology that are interesting and even at times numinous, grounded in a thorough knowledge of the landscape in which it takes place and, seemingly, a lot of research about rabbits, probably including a lot of time spent watching them. Shardik has none of this. The story keeps proclaiming how important and epic it is, but at 125 pages, not much has happened--a guy finds a huge wounded bear, and after much rigamarole finally tells people that he thinks it's an avatar of the god Shardik, and some priestesses go with him to find it and nurse it back to health, and there's a lot of pondering about what it means, and the bear kills one priestess while she's singing at it, which seems like a dumb thing to do to a bear, but you don't care about her because she's not even a named character--and the characters are so wooden that I don't care to stick around and find out. But most of all, I'm shocked that the author of Watership Down didn't do a better job of writing about the bear. I have no direct experience with bears, but I've read a lot about them (story research for a never-finished novel), and Shardik doesn't display any of the characteristics of the real black bears or grizzlies that I read about. When they find him wounded, he's completely passive and doesn't resist having them pour food into his mouth and wash his wounds; I'd think that any animal with enough life left in him to survive would put up a fight at being prodded by a bunch of humans. Bears are omnivores, but Shardik is written as if bear=ultimate carnivore; despite a vegetation-rich coastal environment where you'd expect fruit and fish (both bear staples) to be plentiful, they are concerned with finding enough fresh meat to feed him. OK, if we take it as given that he's completely passive until the humans nurse him back to health, you'd think that a real animal would then come back to them for food, like bears that have gotten into some tasty garbage and keep coming back to the same trash can, right? But once Shardik is recovered, he's off through the woods, and only interacts with them when he randomly kills a priestess in "the Singing." He doesn't swim, climb trees, eat carrion or insect grubs, or scent-mark like a bear. He has none of the sense of divinity that I saw in some of the more serious mentions of El-Ahrairah in Watership Down, but while I have trouble seeing Shardik as a god, I have even more trouble seeing him as a natural bear. He just seems like a heavy-handed allegorical device--allegorical of what I can't tell yet, but I'm not sticking around for the remaining 500 pages to find out.
March 13, 2018
As much as I would love to agree with the author on Shardik being his proudest work, I have found Watership Down to definitely be the most beautiful and enduring of the Adams novels I have read so far.
WD was timeless, epic, and lovely. Plague Dogs had incredible sparkling prose and great dog characters, but the polemic tone pervading the novel irritated me so much that I have not finished it. And then Shardik stands completely alone for me as well: it is a fine novel, but it is just so goddamned boring. WD and Plague Dogs beat it by a mile in the prose department. Maybe Mr Adams was just trying to be grave and serious with this one, and forgot to throw in some heart.
Kelderek is totally unlikeable. I can like books with unlikeable protagonists, but this novel has me so confused on who to follow. The titular bear is usually tangential to the idiocy of the humans enslaving each other and being generally gross creatures.
The names, with the exception of the name Shardik, are stupid. I'm sorry, but there, I said it. I am surprised that the gentleman who wrote this book also wrote Watership Down, because the lapine vocabulary in that book just felt natural and never forced. This book, being a "higher fantasy" of sorts, really tries to stuff the conlang everywhere but it just reads terribly. Besides their names, the people in this book also confuse me in culture. In many ways they are very bronze-age, but then they have political discussions like modern senators. I found no ability to suspend my disbelief this entire novel. Shardik reminds me of much older SF books that just seem grossly outdated (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Isaac Asimov). I'm also starting to notice weird bits of sexism everywhere in Adams' writing, which is a bit unfortunate, but he seemed like a nice old-fashioned dude so I'm trying not to actually criticize that aspect.
Shardik is Old Testament-y, and I get the point. Shardik being drugged and caged became a powerful image that will stay with me, but his divinity was never convincing to me in the slightest. This made the book very reductionist and atheistic. With only human folly left to create the extrapolated meaning and political maneuvers that drive the entire novel, I just couldn't get behind it. Depressing. Three stars--it's not you, Shardik, it's me. I would only recommend this to Adams completists or folks who like pulpy, kitschy fantasy.
WD was timeless, epic, and lovely. Plague Dogs had incredible sparkling prose and great dog characters, but the polemic tone pervading the novel irritated me so much that I have not finished it. And then Shardik stands completely alone for me as well: it is a fine novel, but it is just so goddamned boring. WD and Plague Dogs beat it by a mile in the prose department. Maybe Mr Adams was just trying to be grave and serious with this one, and forgot to throw in some heart.
Kelderek is totally unlikeable. I can like books with unlikeable protagonists, but this novel has me so confused on who to follow. The titular bear is usually tangential to the idiocy of the humans enslaving each other and being generally gross creatures.
The names, with the exception of the name Shardik, are stupid. I'm sorry, but there, I said it. I am surprised that the gentleman who wrote this book also wrote Watership Down, because the lapine vocabulary in that book just felt natural and never forced. This book, being a "higher fantasy" of sorts, really tries to stuff the conlang everywhere but it just reads terribly. Besides their names, the people in this book also confuse me in culture. In many ways they are very bronze-age, but then they have political discussions like modern senators. I found no ability to suspend my disbelief this entire novel. Shardik reminds me of much older SF books that just seem grossly outdated (Edgar Rice Burroughs, Isaac Asimov). I'm also starting to notice weird bits of sexism everywhere in Adams' writing, which is a bit unfortunate, but he seemed like a nice old-fashioned dude so I'm trying not to actually criticize that aspect.
Shardik is Old Testament-y, and I get the point. Shardik being drugged and caged became a powerful image that will stay with me, but his divinity was never convincing to me in the slightest. This made the book very reductionist and atheistic. With only human folly left to create the extrapolated meaning and political maneuvers that drive the entire novel, I just couldn't get behind it. Depressing. Three stars--it's not you, Shardik, it's me. I would only recommend this to Adams completists or folks who like pulpy, kitschy fantasy.
April 18, 2020
I bought this book during the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale without any idea what it might be about only that it was in the historical fiction isle. But God am I glad to have gotten a hold of this tantalizing, gripping story of life, of grave loss which dehumanizes one, and of getting your life back again through hope and an apparent working of the stars in your favor.
Great world building through words of such descriptive nature. Great character development. And a great feat for how Richard Adams hoped at the very beginning to mirror the human phenomena of religion, worship, morality, and the intertwined stories of politics, economics, and culture.
What a great novel. A definite addition to the books I'll be bringing when I move out for college: reads that revitalize the human soul.
Great world building through words of such descriptive nature. Great character development. And a great feat for how Richard Adams hoped at the very beginning to mirror the human phenomena of religion, worship, morality, and the intertwined stories of politics, economics, and culture.
What a great novel. A definite addition to the books I'll be bringing when I move out for college: reads that revitalize the human soul.
Want to read
September 6, 2011Stephen King recommended book. King named one of the Guardians of the Beam, Shardik. The Bear-God was encountered in King's Dark Tower novel .
Read
August 6, 2017I was warned this was dense, but clearly I was not warned enough. No pun intended, but Christ this was dense!
At the end of the day, Adams took hundreds and hundreds of pages to say everyone should be nicer to each other and don't get so wrapped in up in distracting symbols.
May 17, 2008
I could not finish this book, didn't even get half way thru. It has to be the second most boring book I've ever read. The first one being "Plague Dogs" by the same author. Oh, this was horrible!!
September 29, 2011
My all-time favorite book.
August 12, 2016
After the enchantment of Watership Down I found this book unpleasant and a huge disappointment.
December 6, 2017
Onvan : Shardik (Beklan Empire #1) - Nevisande : Richard Adams - ISBN : 715633317 - ISBN13 : 9780715633311 - Dar 604 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 1974
August 3, 2023
Simply flawless yet sombre storytelling with an enthralling way of words in a mystical land that reflects the grim depths and miraculous moments of our reality. A must read.
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