Run with the Wind

Run Wild #1

by Tom McCaughren

"Don't forget,' said the old fox, "If danger threatens, run with the wind."In the Land of Sinna, Black Tip, Vickey, Old Sage Brush, Fang and the rest of the foxes who live around Beech Paw are in trouble. The fur companies are hunting them almost to extinction. The foxes have no choice but to set out in search of the secret of survival. Join them in their spectacular journey through city and countryside, as they rediscover what it means to be 'as cunning as a fox.'

Genres: Animals, Fiction, Childrens, Animal Fiction, Irish Literature, Ireland, Classics

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read it as a child in the 80s and both my children have read my old edition from back then. The story is still as fresh and exciting today as it was then. Truly timeless.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book about half a dozen-or-so foxes, who travel together on some quest.
It feels a bit open-ended (not as in "Open Ending - The End" but just the "Open Ending") but since it is a series, that makes sense.

For now, I'm giving it four stars while I read the next book(s), see if they really pick up exactly where this one left and such. When I'm finished I might update this review to reflect that.

But I can already say that this one kept me turning pages, wanted me to read on, so by that alone it's quite a good book at the very least. One final note: the style in which the illustrations are drawn is not really my taste.

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BIG UPDATE 2012-01-02:
By now, I've read the first 5 books of the series, and I really enjoyed the first two.
In the following three books (#3, 4 and 5) it went downhill (although the first half of #4 is pretty good): they felt very similar to each other, nothing really happened (again, except for the first half of #4) and it became less and less interesting to read.
From the sixth and last book, I skipped through the pages and read some random fragments, but I didn't find anything interesting enough for me to read the entire book.

Conclusion: the first two books are the ones I liked, the rest wasn't really worth it.

[By Book and Bone (Sally) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite children's series! I had all the books when I was a kid. I read them over and over. Great characters, imagery and wonderful story telling.
Highly recommend!

[Gary Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved all his books as a kid

[WolfLover · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the tale of a group of Irish foxes who go in search of the secret of survival after beginning to fear they will be exterminated by humans. I found it a bit disappointing. The story lacked direction and had no real conclusion, since no great secret is ever discovered. There were also a few factual errors, such as foxes having a different mate every year and winning fights against large dogs.

The names were irritating too, because there was no consistency to them. Some of the foxes, like Black Tip, are named after their physical attributes. Others have random names like Vickey. Still others don’t seem to have a name at all until they meet the group and are assigned one based on their habits, such as Skulking Dog.

This isn’t a really bad book, but it definitely doesn’t deserve the comparisons with Watership Down. It’s average at best.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book for any fox lover or animal lover. This story follows a group of foxes as they search out a legendary place that promises safety and survival for the foxes brave enough to find it.
I loved the antics of the foxes and how they interacted with other animals on their journey.
While not as dark as other fox stories it was still fun to read. The legend itself was never properly told and that is my only complaint with the book.

[Saoirse Rosenstock O'Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thing every child should read!

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mym found a long-lost book I remember from my high school library!

[Midnight Moon Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!!!! I love the characters and the plot you should totally read this book!

[Jeffzhang · Rating 3 out of 5]

good

[Lone Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly entertaining story about a group of foxes who, under increasing pressure from humans, go in search of the secret of survival. They have various adventures, but there is no conclusion as such – they don’t find anything special, just decide they’ve learned enough and go home. This felt like a bit of an anti-climax to me, but it wasn’t a bad read.

[George Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, I'm not the best person to review this. It's a children's book. It purports to be inspired by "Watership Down," which it may be, but not as good; not as deep.

I would give it 3.5 if I could. If I were a 12-year-old I might have more appreciation.

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think this book is very good it teaches you all about the life of foxes and all there plans to return to beech paw

[Kristy McRae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book--I love anything that is animal-themed. It wasn't as epic as Waterhsip Down (which is my all-time favorite book) but it was definitely in that tradition, and very well-written.

[Kristy McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story--definitely one for any animal lover. It wasn't an epic, like Watership Down (which is my all-time favorite book) but it was well-written.

[Indra Mangule · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all time favourite books, so it was when I was a kid and so it is still.