Rabbits. Really. Just rabbits. A group of them leave their warren because one of them, Fiver, can see the future and discovers that the warren will soon be destroyed. They travel several miles, lead by their chief rabbit, Hazel, and Bigwig, who is a tough fighter. They escape from various dangers and finally arrive at Watership Down where they decide to make their new warren. After things are set up, they decide to get some does to join them (good thinking). They raid a farm and bring back two does, but in the process, Hazel is shot in the leg. He has a pronounced limp from then on. They need more does and decide to raid a neighboring colony named Efrafa. Efrafa is controlled by a giant rabbit named Woundwort who runs his colony like a prison, with strict rules and a secret police force. Bigwig infiltrates the colony, collects 10 does who want to leave and plans a breakout.

Things don’t go exactly as planned and the escapees are pursued closely by Woundwort and his police force. Bigwig and his band make it to a nearby river with the help of Kehaar (a gull who has befriended them) who attacks the rabbits from Efrafa. The other rabbits from Watership Down are waiting and they all jump on a boat, chew through the rope and float to safety. They get the does back to Watership Down and all live happily for a while. But then the rabbits from Efrafa show up and lay siege to the warren. Hazel, along with Dandelion and Blackberry (the smartest rabbit of all) run to a nearby farm, chew through a dog’s rope and lead it back to the colony. In the meantime, Bigwig manages to fight off Woundwort with a combination of cunning and strength. He is seriously injured but lives. Woundwort is gathering together his army to regroup just as the dog arrives. The attacking rabbits are either killed or flee. Nobody ever sees Woundwort again. A friendly rabbit takes over Efrafa and the two warrens become neighborly. In time, they plant joint colonies in the area. Watership Down flourishes under the leadership of Hazel for several years until the Black Rabbit of Inle (the moon) comes for him and takes him to the other side.

It was a good, uncomplicated adventure story. Once I got past the hurdle of trying to take rabbits seriously, it was very good. The rabbits had distinct personalities and their own mythology. Adams runs into some consistency problems — rabbits that can’t count past four are smart enough to concoct complicated plots for infiltrating other colonies and leading dogs into battle. And they are aggressive, even attacking weasels and cats at times. But still it was a good story. I somehow feel better acquainted with rabbits for having read it.