with two sequels. The best of those authors who
work almost exclusively within the Warhammer
universe is Dan Abnett, whose Eisenhorn trilogy,
Xenos (2001), Malleus (2002), and Hereticus
(2003), is particularly good. Other homegrown
writers of interest are William King, Graham Mc-
Neill, and Gav Thorpe. Although it seems unlikely
that a Warhammer novel will ever achieve
widespread acclaim, the series provides a consis-
tent stream of tolerable to quite good sword and
sorcery stories, and it is entirely possible that some
of the authors who learn their craft within this
framework will later expand their horizons and cre-
ate original work in their own imagined worlds.
Watership Down Richard Adams(1972)
Talking-animal fantasy novels have historically
been aimed at very young readers, although a few,
such as THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS(1908), by
Kenneth Grahame, have also proven to be success-
ful entertainments for adult readers. The major dif-
ference between traditional animal fantasies and
this novel is that Adams does not describe his rab-
bit society in human terms but constructed it
based on the way rabbits actually live. The plot is
an extended multipart quest. Following predictions
of a major catastrophe in their present warren,
which is, in fact, an accurate forecast of the plans
of a human land developer, a small group of rabbits
set out to find a new home for themselves and do
so in a place called Watership Down. In order to
make their new warren complete, they need fe-
males, who they locate in yet other warrens, al-
though one of them is dominated by evil. Adams
creates an entire culture for his rabbits, consistent
with their behavior in the real world, including
games, a form of religion, and even a few words pe-
culiar to their culture.
Animals figure significantly in Adams’ later
books, but never with as great an impact. Bears are
prominent in Shardik(1974), there are intelligent
dogs in The Plague Dogs(1977), and Traveler(1988)
is narrated by General Robert E. Lee’s horse.
Adams also wrote a collection of short pieces, Tales
from Watership Down(1996), set in the same world.
An animated feature was made in 1978, and
Adams wrote a shorter, alternate version of the
story released as The Watership Down Film Picture
Book(1978). The book was also the basis for a
short-lived animated television series in 1999.
Watership Down’s success helped create an on-
going market for animal fantasies designed for a
broader audience than simple children’s books.
Among the many to follow in its footsteps, or rab-
bit tracks, are the rodents of the Redwall series by
Brian JACQUES, farmyard animals in The Book of
the Dun Cow(1978), by Walter Wangerin, moles in
Duncton Wood (1980) and several sequels by
William Horwood, cats in Tailchaser’s Song(1985),
by Tad WILLIAMS, foxes in Hunter’s Moon(1989),
by Garry Kilworth, and birds in One for Sorrow,
One for Joy(2005), by Clive Woodall. Watership
Downhas become an acknowledged classic for
children and continues to be a rewarding experi-
ence for older readers.Watt-Evans, Lawrence(1954– )
Although Lawrence Watt-Evans made his first pro-
fessional sale in 1975, he did not have any impact in
fantasy fiction until he began the Lords of Dus series
with The Lure of the Basilisk(1980). Each of the four
novels in the series involves the protagonist, a war-
rior named Garth, in another quest adventure. In
the opening volume he must outwit invisible bandits
as well as a creature whose gaze turns men into stone
in order to retrieve a magical artifact. The pattern is
repeated in The Seven Altars of Dusharra(1981), The
Sword of Bheleu(1983), and The Book of Silence
(1984). Although the stories are not particularly
original, Watt-Evans employed a lighter-than-usual
authorial touch than most of his contemporaries,
which made his early work stand out. Although
technically sword and sorcery, they sometimes ap-
proach the style of traditional fairy tales. A shorter
sequence included only two titles, The Cyborg and
the Sorcerers(1992) and The Wizard and the War Ma-
chine(1987), mixing science fiction themes and
magic, a blend the author would return to in future
novels. In this case, a cyborg lands on a planet where
magic works and has several adventures, providing a
mild spoof of military science fiction in the process.
The Misenchanted Sword(1985) started the
Ethshar sequence, to which he has added titles in-
termittently ever since. The hero accepts a magical370 Watership Down