This edition of the book (which I own) has 2 novels. Farthing wood: The Adventure begins and also the sequel to the original Animals Of Farthing Wood book, In The Grip Of Winter.
I won't go into the details of the second book which has already been reviewed on here but suffice to say it is a 5 star read and well worth buying and a worthy follow up to the original Fathing Wood classic.
The first book in this collection attempts to tell the tale of the original Farthing Wood inhabitants some of whom we are led to believe are the ancestors of those who take the journey to White Deer Park. The destruction of the wood has just begun, causing concern for some of the residents. Also a concern to some is the cocky attitude of the otters who inhabit the stream. Jealousy ensues between the otters and the predators of the wood, mainly the foxes and weasels who are infuriated by the otters teasing and stealing of their food and a plan is designed to teach the otters a lesson. Little do they know that this will have far reaching consequences, not only for the otters but for the future of the wood itself.
Although enjoyable in its own right this is not a patch on the original Farthing Wood tales. The character development is really non existant, even the charcacters themselves are know by names such as Sleek Otter, Slow Otter, Lean Fox, Stout Fox etc which is a bit of a cop out on actually giving them the characteristics we have come to expect from a Dann novel and this is a major flaw of the book I feel. There are no classic characters here to chuckle at, oh for a Tawny Owl or an Adder!
The story itself neatly ties up the tale of how the animals come to be where they are at the start of the original book and is rather a sad affair as we follow the otters plight and the consequences of the animals revenge but I'm afraid it pales in comparison to the later Dann novels where characters as well as plots are equally important.
It also seems rather strange with this edition to have the prequel to Farthing Wood followed by the sequel and totally missing out the major novel so you will certainly need to buy that also if you wish to read the books in order. Overall The Adventure begins is slightly disappointing but worth buying if only to complete the set
