I think it’s a remarkable achievement that a book about rabbits can be so stirringly epic and complex, and filled with so many memorable characters. When I try and think of books to compare this to, one of the first that pops into my mind is actually the Lord of the Rings, with its detailed mythology and heroic questing.

Some of my strongest memories of Watership Down include:

~All the rabbit words and mythology.
~The departure of Hazel and Fiver and the rest of their band from their original Warren– especially the moment when Bigwig joins them (Bigwig is another of my all-time favorite fictional characters).
~Cowslip’s warren — not because I enjoyed it, but because it freaked me out
~The discovery of Kehaar the gull, and pretty much any time he appears after that.
~Blackavar and his poor tattered ears.
~The escape from Efrafa.
~The moment when Bigwig refers to his own Chief Rabbit, and the Efrafans do a double-take.
~General Woundwort’s final stand. “Come back you fools! Dogs aren’t dangerous! Come back and fight!”

I do remember wishing, as a kid, that there had been more girl rabbits doing interesting things (and there’s yet another similarity to LotR). It wasn’t enough to diminish my enjoyment of the book though.