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A review by lakecake
Shardik by Richard Adams
2.0
This book was a slog. I became interested at first after it was mentioned in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. And then I read Watership Down and was even more interested. And then this book sat on my shelf for like...8 years. Because everytime I tried it, something better came up. But this time I was determined. And thank heaven I was because it took every ounce of my willpower to finish it.
This book is too long by about 300 pages. I understand that Adams considers this book his masterpiece, and I can understand why as an author. There are passages in here with descriptions so lush you can literally taste what he's putting on the page. But. Those descriptions are too many and the detail becomes overwhelming and a little bit excruciating.
Shardik is about man's eternal folly: pride. There are many parts of it that resonate, particularly now. The heart of the story is solid, but it could use with some abridgment.
This book is too long by about 300 pages. I understand that Adams considers this book his masterpiece, and I can understand why as an author. There are passages in here with descriptions so lush you can literally taste what he's putting on the page. But. Those descriptions are too many and the detail becomes overwhelming and a little bit excruciating.
Shardik is about man's eternal folly: pride. There are many parts of it that resonate, particularly now. The heart of the story is solid, but it could use with some abridgment.