Scan barcode
ecclesiastic_bohemian's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this book last year after reading a review here. It was a fascinating and enjoyable read. It was a bit slow getting started, and I think that was more due to me personally than the book itself. I actually savored reading this book. The rich world the author created and described was a pleasure to visit although the trip was often harrowing and the subject matter at times uneasy and heart-rending. Stick with it especially if you're a fan of fantasy fiction with universal themes of politics, religion, power, slavery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Kidnapping, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War
emrysmerlyn's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this book, especially after finding out that Richard Adams considers Shardik to be his best work. It wasn't really to my taste, but this is a solid little book. Or giant book, I suppose. Long parts of the narrative drag along for overly extended periods of time, so I found my attention wavering at some points. The characters are all flawed human being who make extremely questionable choices. I spent a lot of time hating choices made by people who should have known better. Shardik presents an intriguing character study into the nature of religious beliefs and the effect of a religion on its adherents. However, I'd say that the character development was far less consistent and intricate than what is seen in Adams's Watership Down or The Plague Dogs.
emmawight's review against another edition
5.0
Pros:
-Richard Adams really leans into his languid, metaphorical writing in this book and, while it isn't for everyone, I adored it.
-Treatment of women in this book is wonderful. There is pain and regret and abuse, but also recovery and patience and diversity. While it isn't said directly I do believe there was at least 1 lesbian couple. They are allowed to develop on their own outside of "hero" characters, and some have absolutely harrowing journies, but there's no glorification of their pain and suffering.
-Having only read the sleeve for the plot I really did not expect the book to develop as it did. The world building is spectacular and there are some twists and turns that struck me out of nowhere.
-There is still a substantial mystery at the end of the book and, by the themes that it touches on, you learn that you don't need to know the answer.
-Richard Adams really leans into his languid, metaphorical writing in this book and, while it isn't for everyone, I adored it.
-Treatment of women in this book is wonderful. There is pain and regret and abuse, but also recovery and patience and diversity. While it isn't said directly I do believe there was at least 1 lesbian couple. They are allowed to develop on their own outside of "hero" characters, and some have absolutely harrowing journies, but there's no glorification of their pain and suffering.
-Having only read the sleeve for the plot I really did not expect the book to develop as it did. The world building is spectacular and there are some twists and turns that struck me out of nowhere.
-There is still a substantial mystery at the end of the book and, by the themes that it touches on, you learn that you don't need to know the answer.
astroneatly's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
knittedhorse's review against another edition
2.0
I just couldn't get into it... I read about 150 pages, but couldn't go on....
merixcil's review against another edition
1.0
It's not that there's not good stuff here, or moments where the writing really soars, but overall it kind of feels more like an early draft than a finished product. Chunks of the story don't quite fit together, we are randomly treated to log rambles from characters who haven't quite been set up. It's a wonderful concept transcribed into a bit of a slog
deimosremus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’ve been a fan of Richard Adams for a while now— Watership Down and The Plague Dogs are among my favorite books ever written, as Adams has a genius propensity for excellently nuanced character relationships and themes centering on the darker and more challenging sides of the psyche (animal or not). Shardik, Adam's second novel, is a book I’ve tried to read multiple times— first couple times were as a young teenager, and I hadn’t quite read anything as long as Shardik prior and it was before I took a more avid effort to read often.
Shardik may well have one of the best opening scenes of any book I’ve read, captured with Adams’ penchant for vivid and lush descriptions that paint a full and detailed picture of the setting. The themes that resonate through the book are quite compelling, often delving into the nature of religious fanaticism and zealotry, crises of faith, idolatry, slavery, and how others can co-opt and hijack your goals to fulfill their own, as well as some exceptionally violent, brutal, and (pardon the pun) grizzly subject matter, even for Adams’ standards. The characters are complex and over the course of 600 pages, go through a lot of change and growth. It’s a very different kind of fantasy novel, one that doesn’t share the pitfalls of most high-fantasy stories, even if it has a comparable sense of scale and scope. It’s also refreshingly not some amalgamation/analog of Euro-centric, quasi-medieval fantasy either, instead having more in common with indigenous folklore and cultures. By focusing mostly on characters rather than spectacle, action-sequences really have a punch to them, and as I said, with the violence on display, they make for some rather intense moments.
Shardik’s main problem isn’t with its characters or plot, but with its repetition— too many chunks of the story revolve around following Shardik, and perhaps one of Adams’ less enviable traits is more apparent in a longer-form book like this; his overuse of long similes to describe character’s emotions can get tiresome. It makes sections of the book have a fairly meandering pace that dive in and out of being exciting, with some sequences being excellent, and others being rather dull and plodding. However, the final stretch of the book offers some of its best and most powerful moments that more than make up for most pacing issues.
At the end of the day, while I will admit there were times when the book was trying my patience, it’s Richard Adams, so the writing quality is generally excellent and its high-points are incredible.
Shardik may well have one of the best opening scenes of any book I’ve read, captured with Adams’ penchant for vivid and lush descriptions that paint a full and detailed picture of the setting. The themes that resonate through the book are quite compelling, often delving into the nature of religious fanaticism and zealotry, crises of faith, idolatry, slavery, and how others can co-opt and hijack your goals to fulfill their own, as well as some exceptionally violent, brutal, and (pardon the pun) grizzly subject matter, even for Adams’ standards. The characters are complex and over the course of 600 pages, go through a lot of change and growth. It’s a very different kind of fantasy novel, one that doesn’t share the pitfalls of most high-fantasy stories, even if it has a comparable sense of scale and scope. It’s also refreshingly not some amalgamation/analog of Euro-centric, quasi-medieval fantasy either, instead having more in common with indigenous folklore and cultures. By focusing mostly on characters rather than spectacle, action-sequences really have a punch to them, and as I said, with the violence on display, they make for some rather intense moments.
Shardik’s main problem isn’t with its characters or plot, but with its repetition— too many chunks of the story revolve around following Shardik, and perhaps one of Adams’ less enviable traits is more apparent in a longer-form book like this; his overuse of long similes to describe character’s emotions can get tiresome. It makes sections of the book have a fairly meandering pace that dive in and out of being exciting, with some sequences being excellent, and others being rather dull and plodding. However, the final stretch of the book offers some of its best and most powerful moments that more than make up for most pacing issues.
At the end of the day, while I will admit there were times when the book was trying my patience, it’s Richard Adams, so the writing quality is generally excellent and its high-points are incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, and Trafficking
Moderate: Violence
enchanten's review against another edition
2.0
I bought this book with Watership Down, I had no idea that Richard Adams was such a descriptive writer, if i had i wouldn't have picked the books up. I handled the first chapter well with the fire chasing the creatures from their homes but after that i began to skim and skip pages just to get some two sentence dialogue.
I thought this was a spiritual story of a bear but the main character is this weak 'simpleton' that is easily swayed and so drab, the other character were also pretty bland and i found them rather boring. Shardik himself is merely a tool of revolution and perhaps just a symbol of hope after the destruction and war.
To sum up this book in one word: long
this book could have been so much shorter without all the unnecessary babbling.
I thought this was a spiritual story of a bear but the main character is this weak 'simpleton' that is easily swayed and so drab, the other character were also pretty bland and i found them rather boring. Shardik himself is merely a tool of revolution and perhaps just a symbol of hope after the destruction and war.
To sum up this book in one word: long
this book could have been so much shorter without all the unnecessary babbling.
sapphirestars's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book :] Writing a review for it seems hard because much of the subject matter was philosophical and metaphysical in nature. Religion, civilization, divine intervention, truth, fate, slavery, as well as duty and honor were all explored in this book. There is much to ponder when reading this novel and while there is external action, the internal conflicts of the characters are great as well.
I did enjoy revising the Beklan Empire. Because Shardik was written ten years before Maia, I did not feel that the world was as expansive or glorious as it later became. I often feel this is true of fantasy novels, as it often seems the author matures and progresses as he continues to write and strengthen the world he has created. The list of characters present in Maia was missing from this novel which I feel would have much helped. (There are many characters and titles and it becomes hard to keep track at times). In this regard, the Beklan languages were not as developed as they later became.
However I would definitely recommend this novel. I am glad to have read Maia first, as that is a prequel to this story, thus reading Shardik made sense in chronological order in relation to the book I had just read. I relished recognizing characters such as Santil-kè-Erketlis, Bel-ka-Trazet, Elleroth, Ta-Kominion, Genshed, and even Melathys. I was able to understand their motivations better and to see how they had progressed and related to the story last time. I also enjoyed learning more about the Northern and Eastern parts of the Empire as well as a bit more about surrounding countries (such as Zakalon) which was heretofore unexplored.
The journey of Shardik is moving and intriguing and brings up points about superstition and barbarianism. There is much focus on Shardik and not as much on individuals and politics. However when these are focused on, it is exciting. Certain parts of the novel show descriptions of violence that were more so than in Maia and added to the tension and danger of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed it very much :] I feel it was the perfect book to read before starting The Dark Tower series, as Shardik is mentioned in these books as well.
I did enjoy revising the Beklan Empire. Because Shardik was written ten years before Maia, I did not feel that the world was as expansive or glorious as it later became. I often feel this is true of fantasy novels, as it often seems the author matures and progresses as he continues to write and strengthen the world he has created. The list of characters present in Maia was missing from this novel which I feel would have much helped. (There are many characters and titles and it becomes hard to keep track at times). In this regard, the Beklan languages were not as developed as they later became.
However I would definitely recommend this novel. I am glad to have read Maia first, as that is a prequel to this story, thus reading Shardik made sense in chronological order in relation to the book I had just read. I relished recognizing characters such as Santil-kè-Erketlis, Bel-ka-Trazet, Elleroth, Ta-Kominion, Genshed, and even Melathys. I was able to understand their motivations better and to see how they had progressed and related to the story last time. I also enjoyed learning more about the Northern and Eastern parts of the Empire as well as a bit more about surrounding countries (such as Zakalon) which was heretofore unexplored.
The journey of Shardik is moving and intriguing and brings up points about superstition and barbarianism. There is much focus on Shardik and not as much on individuals and politics. However when these are focused on, it is exciting. Certain parts of the novel show descriptions of violence that were more so than in Maia and added to the tension and danger of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed it very much :] I feel it was the perfect book to read before starting The Dark Tower series, as Shardik is mentioned in these books as well.
itsthunderkid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25