Shardik Richard Adams 9781780748054

This brilliantly inventive fantasy epic by the award-winning author of Watership Down immerses the reader in a medieval world complete with created languages, detailed maps and elaborate traditions and rituals. Centring on the long-awaited reincarnation of a giant bear among the half-barbaric Orelgan people, Shardik's appearance sets off a violent chain of events as faith in his divinity sweeps the land. Closest to the bear is the hunter Kelderek, a naturally pious, ignorant, well-meaning man who becomes - in his dedication to Shardik - a prophet, victorious soldier, corrupt priest-king and ruler of an empire.

A gripping tale of war, adventure, morality and slavery, horror and romance, Shardik is a remarkable exploration of mankind's universal desire for divine incarnation, and the corrosive influence of power. Recently ranked in the top 100 bestsellers over the past 40 years by the Sunday times, Shardik is a book for our age.

Richard Adams' cult classic, a gripping tale of war, adventure, horror and romance, for fans of George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones

About the Author

Richard Adams (1920-2016) studied history at Worcester College, Oxford before and after the Second World War. He was the author of nineteen books, including the bestselling and award-winning Watership Down, his first book (the illustrated edition of which was published by Oneworld Modern Classics, 2014). Two of his books, Watership Down and Shardik, were listed in the Sunday Times top 100 bestselling books of the last forty years.

Reviews

'A story told with conviction and creative zest'

* Guardian *

'Shardik is my masterpiece'

-- Richard Adams

'Recalls the imaginative scale of Lord of the Rings.'

* Financial Times *

'Riveting reading.'

* Daily Mail *

'Striking enough to confirm Richard Adams as one of the most talented descriptive writers to emerge in this country for years.'

* The Times *

'Grips with suspense, haunts with mystery... a memorable work, not to be read once only but to be reread as loved books are... a human saga.'

-- Wall Street Journal

'Shardik is a powerful work, dipping deep into old forms - allegory, epic, myth - resonating in the caverns of the readers' unconscious... It is an exciting story, the adventures compelling.'

-- Los Angeles Times



Book Information
ISBN 9781780748054
Author Richard Adams
Format Paperback
Page Count 592
Imprint Rock the Boat
Publisher Oneworld Publications
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 33mm