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Warren Peace
Influenced more by Seven Samurai, Zulu and Joss Whedon than by Watership Down, Warren Peace is about a young, nervous rabbit with an easy life.... until the foxes come. With his friends and family’s lives in danger, Cuetip must undertake a perilous journey out into the big world to find help. On the way, he also finds terror, sadness, friendship, cats, hilarity and perhaps most important of all, courage.
A novel about talking animals, but definitely not for smaller children.
A novel about talking animals, but definitely not for smaller children.
309 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2012
4 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
Michael Wombat
44 books74 followersA Yorkshireman living in the rural green hills of Lancashire, Michael Wombat is a man of huge beard. He has a penchant for good single-malts, inept football teams, big daft dogs and the diary of Mr. Samuel Pepys. Abducted by pirates at the age of twelve he quickly rose to captain the feared privateer ‘The Mrs. Nesbitt’ and terrorised the Skull Coast throughout his early twenties. Narrowly escaping the Revenue men by dressing as a burlesque dancer, he went on to work successively and successfully as a burlesque dancer, a forester, a busker, and a magic carpet salesman. The fact that he was once one of that forgotten company, the bus conductors, will immediately tell you that he is as old as the hills in which he lives. Nowadays he spends his time writing and pretending to take good photographs. You can have a good laugh at his pathetic blog or his photographs, but most of all please go and mock him mercilessly on Twitter or Facebook. Michael Wombat has published over one book. Other authors are available.
Click here for the "Ask Michael Wombat" discussion group.
Click here for the "Ask Michael Wombat" discussion group.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 10, 2012
Well I wrote the thing, so I think it's brilliant.
January 17, 2015
DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book from a Good Reads Giveaway for review purposes. Now that the lawyers are happy, on to the review.
An endearing and funny book.
Whenever a story involves sentient animals, it's a struggle to keep them relatable without turning them into tiny humans in fur suits. Warren Peace manages this balance well. The rabbits are still rabbit-y, the foxes vulpine, and the cats feline, but you'll still find yourself rooting for your favorites. Individual characters are simple but still three-dimensional enough to be distinct from one another. In fact you'll probably want to know more about them than you ultimately get to.
The world is an interesting one, embroidered with lots of fun details. Who doesn't want to know about rabbit math or cat religion? (Fun fact: rabbits appear to count the same way math-phobic lawyers do.) And it's refreshing to read a story where cats are the good guys for once.
The violent bits are brief but suitably unsettling. In no way gratuitous, they establish the real menace facing our animal heroes. Meanwhile the sense of humor throughout the book is a welcome spice to the narrative. Overall an enjoyable read with charm and giggles to spare. And bunnies. Who doesn't like bunnies?
An endearing and funny book.
Whenever a story involves sentient animals, it's a struggle to keep them relatable without turning them into tiny humans in fur suits. Warren Peace manages this balance well. The rabbits are still rabbit-y, the foxes vulpine, and the cats feline, but you'll still find yourself rooting for your favorites. Individual characters are simple but still three-dimensional enough to be distinct from one another. In fact you'll probably want to know more about them than you ultimately get to.
The world is an interesting one, embroidered with lots of fun details. Who doesn't want to know about rabbit math or cat religion? (Fun fact: rabbits appear to count the same way math-phobic lawyers do.) And it's refreshing to read a story where cats are the good guys for once.
The violent bits are brief but suitably unsettling. In no way gratuitous, they establish the real menace facing our animal heroes. Meanwhile the sense of humor throughout the book is a welcome spice to the narrative. Overall an enjoyable read with charm and giggles to spare. And bunnies. Who doesn't like bunnies?
January 18, 2013
To be honest, had I seen this book on the shelves of a bookshop or library, I would probably not have picked it up. And that would have been a big mistake. However, I have a high regard for Mr Wombat, a Twitter pal and so I ventured into the realms of Warren Peace. Do read this book. Please. These are not little furry animals with human voices. They have their own voices and are totally endearing. Except for the furry 'baddies'. I 'saw' this story unfolding in my head, as in a film. Harrison Ford could have a great part in it! I could 'see' Cuetip, Kizzy, Amro and all the others. It is, how can I say, a very 'visual' book and that is one of the reasons it held me entranced. It also made me laugh, which was good. It also made me cry (which is extremely unusual)and it is for that reason alone I've lopped off a star. No-one makes me cry and gets away with it! Roll on Volume 2, that's what I say!
October 2, 2012
Such a wonderfully written story. Very funny, sad, and different type of book for me to read. I'm usually only reading romance novels....this has everything & kept my interest in finding out what would happen. Would recommend this book for everyone to read.
January 15, 2017
I was excited to read this book. Rabbits, right? Similar to Watership Down perhaps? But sadly, no. Not even comparable to that timeless piece of literature. This book was awful. The rabbits were basically humanoids. They talked like humans and acted like humans. I realize these are personified animals, and that's pretty much all I want to read in a book these days, but I just couldn't bring myself to appreciate how the characters were written. And the book jumped around a ton. It went from one rabbits POV to the next one's without any kind of break. And the grammatical and spelling errors were countless. That is one thing that really turns me off as a reader. Cuetip as a character just bothered me. He wasn't very well developed, in my opinion. His story was just too.. I don't even know. But the plot just didn't seem whole. There were major things missing. The ending was too abrupt. I could go on.
I don't recommend this book to anyone looking for something similar to Watership Down.
I don't recommend this book to anyone looking for something similar to Watership Down.
September 12, 2019
A fast paced, gripping tale of terrorised bunnies, where foxes are bullies and cats really are the coolest! I loved this book. So many characters, so many relationship dynamics, and a nice twisty tale of adventure.
What I love the most about this book is that although there are heartbreaking moments, it is overall a an action packed story, with something for everyone, although not for the children, oh no.
Definitely don't expect Watership Down, in some ways this is the opposite of that tale, or at the very least a modern day version of it with a lot more creativity and much more fun.
What I love the most about this book is that although there are heartbreaking moments, it is overall a an action packed story, with something for everyone, although not for the children, oh no.
Definitely don't expect Watership Down, in some ways this is the opposite of that tale, or at the very least a modern day version of it with a lot more creativity and much more fun.
June 5, 2013
An excellent read with very vivid and life-like characters, which is remarkable given that they are rabbits, cats, and foxes. Wombat has a gift for characterisation and dialogue. Recommended!
December 25, 2025
I picked this up because of the title, and I was then told going into this that this wasn't for kid kids.
I had no idea what it was about, so I didn't think it was.
But on an initial read I thought young kids would be fine with this, but there are some things in it that ... may be a bit too much for them.
To be honest, I'm not sure what age range to pitch this to - 13 + perhaps.
As for me, a fully fledged adult, once I got the tone of the story, this turned out to be a corking little adventure, full of adventure, betrayal, and finding the best version of yourself through hardship.
I had no idea what it was about, so I didn't think it was.
But on an initial read I thought young kids would be fine with this, but there are some things in it that ... may be a bit too much for them.
To be honest, I'm not sure what age range to pitch this to - 13 + perhaps.
As for me, a fully fledged adult, once I got the tone of the story, this turned out to be a corking little adventure, full of adventure, betrayal, and finding the best version of yourself through hardship.
September 29, 2012
I started this book a little tentatively, and only partly because I wasn’t entirely sure about ‘a book about talking animals’. Mainly it was because, for reasons that will become apparent to anyone who reads it, I really, really wanted to like it, and I knew I was in a hypercritical mood.
I don’t know why I was worried, though. As someone who already knows Michael Wombat’s writing from his various blogs and from Twitter, I should have had more confidence that his warmth and charm, and his assured style would shine through.
So, first, the Watership Down question. I’m not sure I’m the best person to refute this one, since it’s so long since I read Watership Down that I’m not even sure I have read it, or if I just vaguely remember the film. But certainly, in as far as you can trust my distinctly rusty memory on anything, you can trust me that Warren Peace is not a Watership Down rip-off. Naturally there are parallels. Many of the key characters are rabbits and their warren is threatened, but in the average life of a rabbit it’s difficult to imagine anything else happening that would upset them enough to provide any kind of dramatic tension. It would probably be for the best if you pushed all Watership Down related thoughts to the back of your mind and supressed them ruthlessly.
And secondly, some warnings. If you’re just going to get picky the moment foxes turn up in a pack, this book is probably not for you . . . although I would generally be that picky person, and I’m glad I had a reason to persevere beyond my misgivings. Likewise, if you prefer your talking animals cute and fluffy and if at all possible partially clothed, possibly better to give this a miss. These are rabbits that kick and bite . . . and, when occasion permits, wriggle their bottoms suggestively.
And finally, the positive bit. I’ve told you why not to read this book. If, on the other hand, you want to be amused and entertained, teased and charmed, by a writer with a beautiful ear for accents, a sly humour, and a fascinating line on the mysticism of cats, then I thoroughly recommend giving this a try.
Best moment? Malley’s mangled rallying speech, which left me genuinely unsure whether I wanted to laugh or cry or just burst with vicarious pride.
I don’t know why I was worried, though. As someone who already knows Michael Wombat’s writing from his various blogs and from Twitter, I should have had more confidence that his warmth and charm, and his assured style would shine through.
So, first, the Watership Down question. I’m not sure I’m the best person to refute this one, since it’s so long since I read Watership Down that I’m not even sure I have read it, or if I just vaguely remember the film. But certainly, in as far as you can trust my distinctly rusty memory on anything, you can trust me that Warren Peace is not a Watership Down rip-off. Naturally there are parallels. Many of the key characters are rabbits and their warren is threatened, but in the average life of a rabbit it’s difficult to imagine anything else happening that would upset them enough to provide any kind of dramatic tension. It would probably be for the best if you pushed all Watership Down related thoughts to the back of your mind and supressed them ruthlessly.
And secondly, some warnings. If you’re just going to get picky the moment foxes turn up in a pack, this book is probably not for you . . . although I would generally be that picky person, and I’m glad I had a reason to persevere beyond my misgivings. Likewise, if you prefer your talking animals cute and fluffy and if at all possible partially clothed, possibly better to give this a miss. These are rabbits that kick and bite . . . and, when occasion permits, wriggle their bottoms suggestively.
And finally, the positive bit. I’ve told you why not to read this book. If, on the other hand, you want to be amused and entertained, teased and charmed, by a writer with a beautiful ear for accents, a sly humour, and a fascinating line on the mysticism of cats, then I thoroughly recommend giving this a try.
Best moment? Malley’s mangled rallying speech, which left me genuinely unsure whether I wanted to laugh or cry or just burst with vicarious pride.
June 7, 2014
When I read, it is imperative I can put myself in the book. The most productive way to do this is through description. From the very first sentence to the very end...I was caught up in the vivid and detailed descriptions. The characters, the environment, everything about the book evokes my imagination and had me actively participating in the story.
I am anxious to share this book with family and friends. It is well written and even though it did have a few "unsavory" moments...once I picked it up, there was no putting it down until I was finished. When I like a book, I always read it twice to make sure I catch anything I might have left behind the first time. I will read this one again for sure.
I am anxious to share this book with family and friends. It is well written and even though it did have a few "unsavory" moments...once I picked it up, there was no putting it down until I was finished. When I like a book, I always read it twice to make sure I catch anything I might have left behind the first time. I will read this one again for sure.
November 20, 2012
This is a brilliant, fun read. You can read it to your kids but read it for yourself too. My favourite parts are Malley's attempts to speak a foreign language. Oh and the rabbits way of counting which has already made it into my family vocabulary! I'd like to read more of these characters, I really think a series would be popular. Mr Wombat, thanks for sharing with us and keep posting the pics of the real life characters!
January 7, 2013
I don't know if this is intended to be a children's story but, at the age of 72, I found it rivetting.
Wonderful characterisation and anthropomorphism. Splendid writing. Most excellent.
But what I really want to know is this - is Michael Wombat the author's real name? I have a wife who is fascinated by wombats and I am not sure to tell her that they can write books. :-)
Wonderful characterisation and anthropomorphism. Splendid writing. Most excellent.
But what I really want to know is this - is Michael Wombat the author's real name? I have a wife who is fascinated by wombats and I am not sure to tell her that they can write books. :-)
October 19, 2012
I loved this book. I couldn't put it down once I started. It is a story of an average little joe that becomes a hero while he is just trying to help his friends. He overcomes his fears and with the help of newfound friends (and lifelong ones also) stands up to his enemy...and prevails!
October 19, 2012
What a delightful tail(!) a thrilling story, which clearly wears its influences from Kurosawa on it's virtual Kindle sleeve. A great balance of action and humour, sharply drawn characters and nicely pitched dialogue. And it suffused with northern charm and wit. Belting.
September 10, 2012
Amusing, fast-paced, and quite touching in places. I quite like the heroic cats, myself. A good adventure story with satisfyingly nasty villains and a cute hero--what more could you want? :)
August 8, 2013
A gripping adventure as a colony of rabbits seek unlikely allies to save them from a savage group of foxes. Both dramatic and funny in turn. Hard to put down
November 5, 2012
Brilliantly funny, touching and full of genuine warmth for the characters. One that I'll definitely be passing onto my older kids.
May 8, 2013
It was an imaginative adventure! Very well done Sir Wombat, I greatly enjoyed your book!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews