Shardik by Richard Adams
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Book Reviews of Shardik
Book Review: Vividly Descriptive and a Real Thrill
Summary: 5 Stars
In Richard Adams' book SHARDIK, we start with a city with lost power and glory. After being oppressed by neighboring powers, the people of Ortelga hear news of a gigantic bear (lord Shardik) spotted near their city. They take this as an omen of the return of their long awaited lord incarnate.
Kelderek, the hunter who spotted Shardik, gets swept up in the events and is deemed a priest who can control and understand the bear. The people of Ortlega wage battle against the neighboring oppressors using the massive bear to inspire the fighters.
Adams presents us with questions of morality and uses his fantasy world in a juxtaposition of reality. Both these tools help to spark the critical thinkers interest. The bear Shardik is the perfect metaphor for how fickle life can be. A bear is dangerously unpredictable and uncontrollable as life is.
Richard Adams has created a dynamic epic, which is nothing short of a masterpiece. I would suggest this book to anyone ready for a thrill-ride tale and vividly descriptive read.
Book Review: An astonishing book! Adams' best!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am in agreement with many others that Richard Adams' Shardik eclipses his other books, like Watership Down and The Plague Dogs.
The story grips one right away, with the tale of an ancient culture which encounters a great bear, who they say is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.
Kelderek,the main character, finds the bear, or should I say, the bear finds him. He becomes the follower of Shardik, eventually prophet, and a priest-king by those who want to use the bear and the prophecy for their own ends.
But the bear has other plans.
Shardik has a lesson to teach which is totally unforseen by all. It is revealed in one of the most stunning twists in all of literature. I must say that the book does get a little slow in the middle, but I recommend that the reader persist. It's well worth going through, and ties up nicely in the end.
I wish I was a movie producer, as this epic deserves a spot on the big screeen. A book well worth reading.
Book Review: An Epic Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
Richard Adams knows how to create worlds of originality and complexity with ease. Shardik is another one of his tales that thrusts the reader head first into a world of savagery. Religion and how one deals with the issue of it is, in my opinion, the underlying theme of the novel. Adams impresses upon the reader through his depiction of characters and events the negative role religion can have upon the individual and society. The story is a riveting ride of emotions as the reader is swept from various cities across Adam's world. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy literature that has something to say about the human condition and how it interacts with the spirit and laws of religion. Richard Adams is a spellbinding story teller with much to impart upon society.Book Review: Timeless and thought provoking, May just open your mind a bit more than you planned!
Summary: 5 Stars
The first time I read this book I was no more than 14 and I liked it,I found it interesting and different. I also knew that I was missing something. The next time I read it a year or so later I was blown away by the lesson's of the power of myth and belief. This book opened the door to the likes of Joseph Campbell and the hold that myth and religion have on mankind. Read it on both levels for great story telling and a powerful message,you will not be disappointed. Other fine reviews here will tell you the plot,Watership Down it is not. Richard Adams stake's a claim for one of the finest novelists of our time and books like this got him there. Strongly suggested for everyone age 15 (and sharp) to 112(and sharper)!Book Review: Gritty and perhaps a little strange, but more believable than most fantasy titles.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book touches at the spirit. At the heart of the book's theme, is the question: "how much are we willing to do for the sake of our beliefs?". The prose is excellent, the pacing is good and most importantly, the writing seems natural and fluid. Adams seems to have that rare talent of letting a story run seemingly, on its own free will. Adam has created great characters like Shardik and Kelderek, without settling for predictable character building.
It's a great book that I recommend to anyone.