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The Plague Dogs is a significant step down when compared to the remarkable Watership Down. The true essence and strength of Watership Down lay in its extraordinary world-building and the grand scale adventure it presented. The rich and detailed culture of the rabbits, along with their fascinating interactions with one another, was an absolute delight that had readers eagerly turning the pages. However, in The Plague Dogs, much of the captivating animal-cultural aspect is unfortunately cast aside. Instead, it focuses on a scathing commentary regarding how humans interact with animals. While this is indeed an important and worthy issue to explore, the themes that Richard Adams attempts to convey are somewhat stunted. This is due to characters and a story that are not always engaging or interesting enough to maintain the reader's attention throughout the entire journey. There are moments when the world-building shines through, and glimmers of what made his masterpiece so outstanding can be seen, which can be truly riveting. However, a considerable amount of time is wasted in unnecessary wandering and a rather heavy-handed approach. Unlike in his other work, where the characters were strong enough to carry the reader through the quiet, philosophical parts and the anticipation of the next adventure was always present, there is very little in The Plague Dogs to keep us motivated and eager to continue. Snitter and Rowf are somewhat interesting, but they are not given enough depth or characteristics to endear them to the readers. Often, they seem aimless in their direction, which makes the reader feel that the story could have been developed further. If you are a die-hard fan of Richard Adams, it might be worth giving this book a try. But for others, it could prove to be a rather difficult read to get into.
