Fama&Calliope - Watership Down, by Richard Adams
Apart from perhaps, LoTR and Tracy Chevalier's marvellous books, there cannot possibly be a better book than this.
The story of Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, Dandelion and the rest of the travelling rabbits touched my heart from the very first page I read, all of five years ago. I simply couldn't put it down, and read it seven times in a row, not wanting the story to be over. Now, after such a long time, I finally found the time to give the book its deserved attention and reread the tale, finding that it had lost none of its magic.
Fiver is the fifth rabbit of a litter of five, and is blessed with a type of second sight which allows him to foresee certain ambiguous events. He doesn't see them clearly, but can sense their basic aura, whether good or bad. The dramatic scene at the start of the book in which Fiver claims that "The field is covered with blood" has always left me somewhat astounded, and it is one of the literary quotes that have affected me the most. It is this 'premonition' that launches the group of rabbits into the greatest of lapine adventures ever imagined.
Their various characters contrast and accentuate each other; Dandelion, who is the fastest runner and the readiest storyteller; Bigwig, the study, stubborn Owsla member; Buckthorn who challenges Hazel on the heather; Pipkin, who is small and timid like Fiver; the comforting presence of Silver.... Through their adventures they are united and I have always felt a part of this union as well. The story is timeless, and offers an insight of the lapine infra-structure; their language, their way of life, their history and their legends. Elairah (Elil hrair rah, meaning the Prince of a thousand enemies) and his loyal companion Rabscuttle are ever-present in the rabbits' stories, and offer us an insight to their fears, their hopes, and what they base their beliefs on.
A powerful tale, recommended to all.
FIRST PUBLISHED: 1972, by Avon Books.