I try to use my adjectives lightly when describing the quality of an author's work, especially if I find that work to be exceptionally well-done. "Watership Down" is an exception to this. For me, everything about it is perfect. Everyone has that handful of books that they keep coming back to, and this is one of them for me.

The rich culture of the rabbits is so engrossing coupled with their folklore and perspective of the world surrounding them. Adams picked a hard animal to portray in a semi-realistic light, and it would have been so much easier for him to make it a pure fantasy. That he managed to incorporate much of a rabbit's natural behaviors into his story is frankly incredible.

For people like me who strive to write accurate fiction about animals, "Watership Down" remains to be the highest benchmark I strive towards.