Richard Adams and William Horwood

Colin recently decribed William Horwood as an author of 'teenage fiction'. I could not, at first, understand this as a description, but as I thought, I began to come up with a theory. Richard Adams said that he wandted to write 'a proper grown-up novel for children'; this is Watership Down. Perhaps William Horwood has succeseded in writing children's stories for adults.

I think particularly of the Duncton trilogies, very similar in feel to the Mrs Frisby books, yet utterly mature, and obviously aimed at a mature audience; the Wolves of Time also feels similar.

Obviously, not all his books fit this description; Stonor Eagles, while a fabulous book, is a grown-up novel through and through. but for some, maybe.

What do you think?