The Fate of Podkin One-Ear

The Five Realms #9

by Kieran Larwood, David Wyatt (Illustrator)

The astonishing finale to a prize-winning nine book series that sits alongside Redwall, Warriors and Tolkien.

Podkin and his friends have managed to find every gift from the Goddess . . . Bringing them together, the gifts melt and morph before their eyes, transforming into a suit of armour - that will only fit a rabbit with one ear!

Podkin and Uki have proven more than once that little rabbits can do great things. They must call together all the armies of the Five Realms - across every tribe and species, the forest wardens, packs of wolves, the warring rabbit tribes, the bone dancers.

With the fate of all of rabbitkind hanging in the balance, can they vanquish the Gorm once and for all?

Praise for the
'Larwood is forging a new path in classic tales.' Kiran Millwood Hargrave
'Storytelling perfection.' Sophie Anderson
'Pure magic.' Abi Elphinstone

Kids love
'One of the best books I have ever read.' Cally, age 10, LoveReading4Kids
'Like The Lord of the Rings and Watership Down mixed together.' Sam, age 11, LoveReading4Kids
'An adventure that keeps you wanting to read on and on into the night.' Alex, age 10, LoveReading4Kids

Genres: Fantasy

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2025

About the author

Kieran Larwood is the author of Freaks, and was the winner of the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition 2011.
Kieran is one of only two male Reception class teachers on the Isle of Wight.
His days mainly consist of singing nursery rhymes, tying shoelaces, trying to locate who has had an ‘accident’ by sense of smell alone, and vast, endless mountains of paperwork.
Kieran graduated from Southampton University with a degree in English, and also did a foundation year at Falmouth College of Art. Ever since he first read The Hobbit at age six, he has been passionate about stories and storytelling.
Kieran lives with his family on the Isle of Wight. It is his dream to write full time and leave the ‘accidents’ to someone else.

Reviews

[R. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic conclusion to fantastic nine book series. I’m 74 years old and I cried at the end. If you haven’t had a chance to read them, I say do it, you will not regret them. I even set aside the new Dan Brown, and the new Robert Galbrath to read this final book. And I’m so glad I did.

[Mystic Siren]

Well.
Well!
It's over. It's really truly over, I can scarcely believe it. It's been eight years and eight books since the first volume, and what a journey it was. It leaped, strolled, forged, and marched along all this time, and not once did it misstep. It was rich and bright and sweet and brave and vivid and kind of ridiculously prolonged, and every single moment of this glorious world with its many {many} characters was wonderful.
Above all, it was real. Absolutely real, and I am grateful that I lived through this tale from tentative beginnings to this lucid soaring ending of bonily archetypal joy and sorrow.
Goodbye, Podkin.

[Alix Hatton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following Podkin since the beginning, always excited to find the next volume available and wondering which gifts he would find next. Whist reading this book knowing the end is coming but unsure how, I shall admit, I was surprised at the turns taken. I felt as though I was loosing a friend and it wasn't fair but then by the end I was once more surprised. I shall pass this series on to others that wish to listen, just as the bards have told us the tale, the legend, of Podkin one ear.

[George Appleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome and awesome aka AMAZING the part where podkin dies and returns is AMAZING

[David Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect ending to a perfect series.

[Hanne Healy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It ties everything up nicely, I've loved the whole series but the jumping storylines in this one were just a little too confusing, hence the 4 stars.