Rating: 
Summary: Timeless and tightly-woven
Review: Richard Adams has long been my favorite 20th century novelist. His ability to make an epic fantasy feel intimate and utterly believable, in addition to his brilliant imagination, sets him apart from every other fantasy novelist I've ever read. Shardik is no exception. I just finished reading Shardik for the second time and can't help but marvel at Mr. Adams' genius. The world he describes in Shardik (and again in Maia) is as unforgettable as its denizens. Shardik and its companion piece/prequel, Maia, are no longer available commercially, but there are still a lot of copies floating around out there that I'm sure Amazon could hunt down for you. Don't miss the opportunity to read this story. Not only will you love it, you'll probably find yourself wishing that Mr. Adams had written even more about the land of Bekla.
Rating:
Summary: Shardik eclipses Watership Down, Plague Dogs, Maia.
Review:
Sad to see that Richard Adams' 1978 classic "Shardik" is categorized as "hard to find." For this reader, Shardik was Adams' tour de force, which is not at all to disparage Watership Down, Plague Dogs, Maia, or others. The story ages the witness several years in the reading by weaving characters who were introduced in early chapters into important figures in latter plots. Truly epic structure for a marvelous tale well told. I gained several bromides from the reading of Shardik. Adams' coining of "Of what value is the grain of sand at the heart of a pearl?" could pass for Biblical wisdom. A recent personal conversation, regarding calling one's representative in Washington, D.C., elicited the vision of "The Streels" Adams created in Shardik. A dismal and eerie valley that had the haunted acoustic property of amplifying echoes. Anyone who spoke aloud into the Streels from its defining ridge lines would be driven mad by the cacophonous roar that emitted from that awful place. Not unlike the black hole we call Foggybottom. Shardik holds many lessons and pearls of wisdom for this age and beyond. A complex and unforgettable story line.
Rating:
Summary: very good reading...
Review: Being in Iraq for so long now I picked up one of Richard Adams books. This was the second one that I read. I have quickly become one of his biggest fans. This book, deals with faith, power and evils that fall upon man. The hero, what you may can one, rises to become a great man but his heart begins to stray. He loses what made his such a pure being. There are many acts of faith that Mr. Adams brings to live with makes it all the more beliveible. A very wonderful book.
Rating: 
Summary: Watership Down this is not!
Review: For everyone who just finished "Watership Down" and is looking at Richard Adams other novels, searching for another tale of happy, bouncing rabbits, don't pick up Watership Down. Firstly (this is of course opinion) Adams has not equaled that masterpiece, secondly none of his other books have the light, mythological feel. Adams has begun moving on the ground towards social commentary...a dangerous and quite boring one for authors. Luckily this novel is the first step in that road. On the up side, Shardik still possesses the mythical quality to it, even more so than Watership Down (for this happens on a different world). The main character is likeable although we are not given enough time IMHO to see him develop on his own. The plot is also an intriguing one, although ultimately less so than Watership Down (great novel, if you haven't read it go out and do so). This novel however in my opinion moves too slow (this coming from a guy who reads Robert Jordan) and sometimes, luckily not often, it feels like the author is trying to say something to us, a moral to the story. FOr example, to me it felt like times Richard Adams almost wanted to turn to the reader and say -- look! look! This is how religions started! In any case, this novel ultimately did not whet my appetite to attempt reading Maia again (the prequel which I failed in my first attempt to read).
Rating:
Summary: Watership Down this is not!
Review: For everyone who just finished "Watership Down" and is looking at Richard Adams other novels, searching for another tale of happy, bouncing rabbits, don't pick up Watership Down. Firstly (this is of course opinion) Adams has not equaled that masterpiece, secondly none of his other books have the light, mythological feel. Adams has begun moving on the ground towards social commentary...a dangerous and quite boring one for authors. Luckily this novel is the first step in that road. On the up side, Shardik still possesses the mythical quality to it, even more so than Watership Down (for this happens on a different world). The main character is likeable although we are not given enough time IMHO to see him develop on his own. The plot is also an intriguing one, although ultimately less so than Watership Down (great novel, if you haven't read it go out and do so). This novel however in my opinion moves too slow (this coming from a guy who reads Robert Jordan) and sometimes, luckily not often, it feels like the author is trying to say something to us, a moral to the story. FOr example, to me it felt like times Richard Adams almost wanted to turn to the reader and say -- look! look! This is how religions started! In any case, this novel ultimately did not whet my appetite to attempt reading Maia again (the prequel which I failed in my first attempt to read).
Rating: 
Summary: Shardik is a waste of trees
Review: Having loved Watership Down, I grabbed feverishly at the first pages of the "bear" version only to be asleep in minutes. This book is almost unbelievably slow. It is about strange tribes on strange lands and a giant bear-god. I know that talking rabbits is not exactly reality, but this book should reside in the fantasy section of your local library alongside Terry Pratchett, Tolkien, or even in the bin. I am sure there are many out there who can find comparisons with our own world, with some extremely meaningful message to save mankind from everlasting doom etc etc, but I simply found it awful. It is no surprise that no-one has ever heard of Richard adam's follow up to Watership Down. Most people are probably too embarressed to mention the two books in the same sentence
Rating:
Summary: An Over-looked Classic
Review: I first heard about this book through Stephen King's The Waste Lands. The characters fought and killed a giant robot bear and found a label naming it "Shardik" after the bear in this book. Then I found the book "Shardik" in a second-hand book store and thought, "Hey! Like in The Waste Lands!" When I finished I thought, "that was pretty good, a little slow in parts, but still pretty good" but then as a few years passed, I found myself remembering scenes from it. I would take the book down and re-read parts I liked and parts I didn't quite understand the first time. I think that is a sign of a truly great book. One that sticks in your memory and makes you think. What makes this book so good, is that it simply tells a good story and doesn't get bogged down with its theme, characters, and the writing. Although all of these elements are superb, its really the action of the story that drives it (As with Watership Down). There are many surprising twists that change the whole course of the story, and drive the story forward until the final, stunning revelation of Shardik's purpose which is astounding in its simplicity and morality. Its more complex, more profound, and darker than Watership Down and just as exciting. A terrific novel that should and probably will go down as a classic, if its ever brought back into print, that is.
Rating:
Summary: Adams keeps his legend alive...
Review: I found Shardik to be one of the most deeply moving books that I have ever read. Adams has continued to amaze me with his powerful works and his ability to make the reader feel as if he is one with the story. The story of Shardik and his devoted followers is enough to make anone rethink his/her passion for his/her own religion, as Adams has portrayed the dangers and the sacrfices that can follow from having an undying and overwhelming passion. We witness the voyage of Kelderek "Plays with children" from lowly hunter to worshipped royalty then once again to the lowest of the low.Its is from his voyage that we learn the true importance of faith and how cruel the human species can truly be because of it.
Hidden within Sardik there is a deep and important meaning hidden within the words of this book that can truly move the reader when discovered. Adams has proven time after time that he is one of he most skilled writers of this century, and along with Watership Down and the Plague Dogs, Shardik will continue to live on through its readers for generatons.
Rating: 
Summary: Adams' Best Novel!
Review: I have read every novel that Adams wrote, and I can definately say that Shardik is his best. It is a gripping, imaginative work that sucked me into the bizarre Beklan Empire. His characters are amazingly deep and developed, each with a history and motivation of his own. Adams raises critical questions of the nature of faith and belief, authority and corruption. Overall, he fails to answer these questions and has essentially written himself into a corner. Still, his words are thought-provoking and a noble effort to uncover the power of corruption and the corruption of power. I heartily reccomend Shardik to readers, both as an exciting story and an intellectual exercise.
Rating:
Summary: Still happy with this longtime favorite
Review: I just finished rereading Shardik for the third time. Boy, do I love this book. Richard Adams has long been my favorite 20th century novelist. His ability to make an epic fantasy feel intimate and utterly believable, in addition to his brilliant imagination, sets him apart from every other fantasy novelist I've ever read. Shardik is no exception. I just finished reading Shardik for the second time and can't help but marvel at Mr. Adams' genius. The world he describes in Shardik (and again in Maia) is as unforgettable as its denizens. Shardik and its companion piece/prequel, Maia, are no longer available commercially, but there are still a lot of copies floating around out there that I'm sure Amazon could hunt down for you. Don't miss the opportunity to read this story. Not only will you love it, you'll probably find yourself wishing that Mr. Adams had written even more about the land of Bekla.
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