The Fantasy 101 › Books Like

Books Like Watership Down

Adams, 1972 · #6 on the Epic Fantasy 101 Booklist · 100/120 · adapted for screen

A handful of rabbits flee a doomed warren on a seer's warning and cross the Berkshire downs to found a new home. They must outwit the tyrant General Woundwort to survive.

Its strongest scores: mood and theme. The five books below have the closest scores across all eleven criteria.

If you liked Watership Down, read:

1. His Dark Materials

   Pullman, 1995 · #4 on the list · 101/120

   Lyra Belacqua follows stolen children north into a mystery about Dust. It ends in a war against the Authority itself.

   Close on mood, theme, structure, further reading.

2. Grendel

   Gardner, 1971 · #17 on the list · 93/120

   The monster from Beowulf tells his own story. He is lonely, mocking and searching for meaning in the meadhall's songs.

   Close on mood, theme, further reading, creative details.

3. The Old Kingdom

   Nix, 1995 · #24 on the list · 89/120

   Sabriel, daughter of the Abhorsen, crosses the Wall from her English-style boarding school into a land where the dead will not stay dead. She must walk into Death itself.

   Close on mood, structure, creative details, real-world blend.

4. Thomas Covenant

   Donaldson, 1977 · #7 on the list · 100/120

   A leper from our world is pulled into the Land, where his illness is cured and the people hail him as a saviour. He refuses to believe any of it is real.

   Close on mood, theme, further reading, creative details.

5. The Broken Sword

   Anderson, 1954 · #8 on the list · 99/120

   A human child stolen by elves and the changeling left in his place grow up to wage a Norse-saga war, armed with a cursed sword.

   Close on mood, theme, further reading, creative details.

How the scores work: each book is rated 1 to 10 on eleven criteria; real-world blend and climax and fights count double, for a maximum of 120. See the full Fantasy 101.