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Shardik Richard Adams 9780715633311 Books

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Shardik Richard Adams 9780715633311 Books

Let me begin by saying that Richard Adams is my absolute favorite author, so this review may trend on the biased side. My top favorite book is "Watership Down", but this novel may actually be better than that. At the heart of the book is the main character, Kelderek, who while hunting sees a gigantic bear and perceives him to be the embodiment of the power of God manifested, Shardik. Thus begins a long odyssey for Kelderek in which he rises to the heights of power as priest/king of Bekla (the world where the story takes place) and falls to the lowest of lows as he learns exactly what his reign has wrought (mainly child slavery) and in how he begins to feel that he has betrayed his God, Shardik. Many powerful and thrilling moments occur throughout the story, and more so the descriptive writing is absolutely exquisite. Mr. Adams truly builds this world and the reader is without fail able to envision all that is part of this kingdom, from the marshes, deserts, and rivers to the wonderful Kynat bird that is a symbol of luck and prosperity. Not just a great, mythic, epic adventure, "Shardik" approaches the reader with much larger, deeper ideas and concepts as well, primarily religion and humankind's perception of it. Is nature to be perceived as the manifestation of the power and presence of God, or is it simply immune to any perceptions concerning it and is non-responsive to man's thoughts, ideas, or even prayers? Once having discovered the presence and/or manifestation of God, how should one proceed? Does one take that presence and abuse it to exert power over others, or does one simply allow God or it's manifestation to mold and move the enlightened, even shattering and remaking he/her as it sees fit? Is religion simply a path of redemption for the faithful? This is certainly an exciting, extremely well written book with many overarching concepts and ideas to make the reader think long after finishing the book. I can not recommend enough reading it at least once, or as I have, four times!


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Shardik Richard Adams 9780715633311 Books Reviews

Love this book!
I read this book years ago in hardcover, and enjoyed it so much when I saw it offered as a HD version I had to have it. The storyline is believable and well developed, and the characters are so real at times I felt I'd actually met them in person. Well worth buying!
A wonderful book like his others. Well worth reading over and over.
This is your next book to read. It is darker than Watership but will immerse you just as deeply. This story centers on a massive wounded bear driven out of its home by a forest fire and the tribal people that mistake it for a god.
OK but in my opinion way too philosophical and far too many extended flowery passages. Not as interesting as his prior Watership Downs.
Shardik starts with an epiphany of faith, develops commitment, misuse, and continues with the challenges of a return to the true belief. Then the author runs out of ideas and settles for and everybody is happy. Wasted my time reading it.
The book is great but probably not for everyone. Keep in mind that it was written when it was fashionable to really 'get into' things....coming out of the hippie era. So you may feel that he rambles on sometimes about little things. But if you're looking for a epic tale for the sake of reading through it...not in a hurry to find out what happens next...then you'll be fine with that. As far as that goes, I would compare his writing style to Herman Mellvile and other 19th century authors who wrote for the sake of a story rather than selling books.

Now for the warning do not expect a delicate, light-hearted tale. This book is full of tragedy with some very graphic, realistic cruelty that may leave you scarred. If you're worried about that at all but want to read something by this author, you may want to start with Watership Down. If you're ok with that, mulitplied by 100 on the cruelty scale...then read shardik. I have to say that it was long and sometimes a little boring, but no more than Moby Dick...and like Moby Dick, it left permanent impressions on my mind...some I wish I hadn't read actually. But overall, I'm very glad I read the book and plan to read it again.
Let me begin by saying that Richard Adams is my absolute favorite author, so this review may trend on the biased side. My top favorite book is "Watership Down", but this novel may actually be better than that. At the heart of the book is the main character, Kelderek, who while hunting sees a gigantic bear and perceives him to be the embodiment of the power of God manifested, Shardik. Thus begins a long odyssey for Kelderek in which he rises to the heights of power as priest/king of Bekla (the world where the story takes place) and falls to the lowest of lows as he learns exactly what his reign has wrought (mainly child slavery) and in how he begins to feel that he has betrayed his God, Shardik. Many powerful and thrilling moments occur throughout the story, and more so the descriptive writing is absolutely exquisite. Mr. Adams truly builds this world and the reader is without fail able to envision all that is part of this kingdom, from the marshes, deserts, and rivers to the wonderful Kynat bird that is a symbol of luck and prosperity. Not just a great, mythic, epic adventure, "Shardik" approaches the reader with much larger, deeper ideas and concepts as well, primarily religion and humankind's perception of it. Is nature to be perceived as the manifestation of the power and presence of God, or is it simply immune to any perceptions concerning it and is non-responsive to man's thoughts, ideas, or even prayers? Once having discovered the presence and/or manifestation of God, how should one proceed? Does one take that presence and abuse it to exert power over others, or does one simply allow God or it's manifestation to mold and move the enlightened, even shattering and remaking he/her as it sees fit? Is religion simply a path of redemption for the faithful? This is certainly an exciting, extremely well written book with many overarching concepts and ideas to make the reader think long after finishing the book. I can not recommend enough reading it at least once, or as I have, four times!