A review by emrysmerlyn
Shardik by Richard Adams

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.