Rating: 5/5
Fiver was a rabbit with blood that made him tell the future and tell that bad things were going to happen (from what I gathered). He tried to tell the Threarah (the chief rabbit of their warren) that something really terrible – though he didn’t know what – was going to happen. The Threarah, though, thought that Fiver was being completely ridiculous and didn’t believe a word he said. So Fiver and his friend Hazel brought together as many rabbits that wanted to and left to find a new warren.
When the large group of bunnies set off, they didn’t look down and see the path of turmoil and death that they were walking on. They left nervous and homesick yet with hearts full of hope, and after many long and terrible journeys, they came across an enormous field that, they pictured, could have many rabbit holes in it. However, the only rabbits they had brought were bucks (males), and does (females) are the rabbits that dig the holes. They made a few uncomfortable, dark scrapes and then came across a very plump and large buck, who hopped up over the hills. They learnt that his name was Cowslip. Cowslip welcomed them into an absolutely gigantic warren, where all of the inhabitants living there were as lonely-looking and unnaturally obese as the welcoming buck was.
The on-the-move rabbits soon settled a little nervously in with the warren. But they realised a very peculiar thing as they stayed for the days gone by. Whenever a sentence began with an eager ‘Where-‘ from the newcomers, they were quickly interrupted and ignored. Then, one day, the rabbits quickly left when Bigwig got caught in a snare and nearly gave way they quickly realised why the warren rabbits were so lonely- and sad-looking. The men who lived nearby had set out many traps for the bunnies, and had also set out a magnificent vegetable garden for the rabbits to fatten up on. All of the creatures in the devastating warren knew that their fate was coming eventually. However, they were strictly denied to be allowed to speak of it. Being nervous was enough; asking anything about where anything was was simply unheard of. Along with a widower who, unlike the others, did not enjoy this kind of life – Strawberry was he – they quickly ran away.
To their joy, the rabbits on the march found a large uninhabited field, where, though it was in the open and welcoming to elil (the rabbit-language for all enemies of the bunnies such as foxes, owls, cats, dogs, etc.), they started their own warren. Not once were they hunted and not one rabbit had they lost, only gained the additional Strawberry. But one dark night, Bigwig, Dandelion and Hazel were sitting in a ditch passing hraka (rabbit droppings) when they came across a rabbit in such a dreadful state they barely recognised him – but they did. It was Captain Holly of the Threarah’s Owsla (the rabbit-y council at a warren).
Holly said he had come with his friend Bluebell to ask forgiveness from Bigwig for trying to arrest him previously. Bigwig forgave them both, actually, and they were welcomed into the warren. ‘Holly,’ said Hazel, ‘we have a bit of a problem.’ They were then told about how they had no does and their warren could not be improved without some. ‘Kehaar – a big white bird we found, who is friendly but impatient – said he saw a really massive, crowded warren,’ Hazel continued, ‘and when you’re better maybe you could go to the warren and bring some unwanted does back?’
Holly and Bluebell and a few others soon embarked on yet another perilous journey, but came back empty-handed. ‘We found the warren; Kehaar guided us to it. But oh! What a terrible place it was! Efrafa, it was called. The rabbits are bitten by birth and others only know them by their Mark. They have restricted silflays [feeding outside] and there are sentries all round. If anyone tries to escape, they are brought back ripped and torn, if not killed, by the Owsla. I saw a lad – Blackavar, he was called – who had escaped but then failed. Huhuhuh, what a dreadful place it was, and overcrowded too. There’s no chance of getting does from there. We only just escaped with a crafty plan.’
But Hazel and the rest needed does. They couldn’t live without them; their warren would disappear unknowingly when everybody died sooner or later. So now, read this book, and go with them on the path of turmoil and death as they go on another perilous journey…
This book was so sad that I nearly cried. The description of all the rabbits in the Threarah’s warren being gassed was terrible. Even Hyzenthlay’s story of what it was like in Efrafa was enough to make me feel a lot of sympathy on the Efrafans. However, I liked having a such a sad book for a change, and I hope the film makes you feel as sorry for the rabbits as the book did. I am sure I will read this book again. A quick tip for those who have just picked up Watership Down or are about to: at the beginning, the book is a little dull and I didn’t want to read further. I was told that I had to read it though. For all of you, if you find the story line to be boring at the start, do not put it down. Once the book gets going, you will really regret doing that!