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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Jarvis, R. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J Fic Jarvis, R. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In the British tradition of Redwall comes this first novel of a trilogy that is sure to capture fans both young and old. In the sewers of Deptford, there lurks a dark presence that fills the tunnels with fear. The rats worship it in the blackness and name it "Jupiter, Lord of All." Into this twilight realm wanders a small and frightened mouse-the unwitting trigger of a chain of events that hurtles the Deptford mice into a world of heroic adventure and terror.
Author Notes
Robin Jarvis was born in Liverpool, England on May 8, 1963. He studied graphic design at Newcastle Polytechnic. After college, he worked in the television and advertising industries as a model-maker. He started writing in 1988. He writes numerous series including The Deptford Mice, Deptford Histories, Whitby, Tales from the Wyrd Museum, Hagwood, Intrigues of the Reflected Realm, Mouselets of Deptford, and Dancing Jax.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9-This animal adventure tale pits a varied cast of mice against sewer-dwelling rats. Commanded by an evil creature named Jupiter, the rat hordes labor on a huge tunnel that will somehow bring their leader great power. Several mice are drawn into the sewer and eventually work together to thwart the project. With multiple protagonists, the action gets disjointed at times. Brave young Audrey gets captured early on, and doesn't reappear until several chapters later, detracting from the tension of her plight. Some characters, like Audrey's brother Arthur, are not developed beyond some basic traits. The action alternates between various mice trying to rescue Audrey and the terrible rats who are caught up in Jupiter's scheme and their own wicked designs. Jupiter himself is a compelling villain, never seen by even his closest henchman, whose magical powers increase as his evil plan unfolds. The best scenes in the novel involve danger and action, often with gruesome details. The rats not only kill mice, they skin and eat them, so the narrow escapes and close calls are exciting, especially the final scene in which the mice finally battle Jupiter. Brian Jacques's "Redwall" series (Philomel) is more tightly plotted and Kenneth Oppel's "Silverwing" books (S & S) are more suspenseful, but The Dark Portal will appeal to fans of both.-Steven Engelfried, Deschutes County Library, Bend, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
First published in Britain in 1989 and making its first appearance on American shores, book one of the Deptford Mice Trilogy is a spooky and enthralling animal fantasy just right for Redwall fans. In an abandoned old house known as the Skirtings in the London borough of Deptford, a colony of gentle mice lead tidy, sheltered lives, follow their ancient traditions and worship the Green Mouse (a kindly god who resembles the agricultural deities of ancient Britain). Meanwhile, deep in the foul recesses of the sewers, brutish ratsDwhose primary diversion is hunting and eating miceDtoil at endless digging. Jupiter, a villain par excellence, rules over the rats and emanates a nearly palpable aura of evil. These worlds collide when the mouse Albert Brown is magically lured into the sewers. Albert's daughter, Audrey, armed with a special "brass" bequeathed to her by the Green Mouse, ventures into Jupiter's realm to rescue her father; her brother and a band of loyal friends eventually follow her. Numerous hair-raising encounters with the bloodthirsty rats ensue, until at last the valiant mice come face-to-face with Jupiter in a climactic showdown. Jarvis provides counterpoint to the heart-racing adventure with scenes of haunting beauty, including Audrey's mystical encounter with the Green Mouse and the country mouse Twit's nocturnal flight over London. The author conveys a sense of place powerful enough to elevate the South London boroughs of Greenwich and Blackheath to requisite stops on any bookish child's literary tour of the British capital. Ages 10-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Any mouse from Skirtings who travels through the Grill into the sewers enters a dangerous world ruled by rats. In several trips in and out to rescue one another and retrieve a lost mousebrass medallion, Audrey, city-mouse Piccadilly, albino Oswald, and innocent Twit thwart the plans of the evil rat-god Jupiter. Jarvis's detailed, strongly characterized adventure showcases danger and courage. From HORN BOOK Spring 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Popular in England but never before published in America, the first book of Jarviss fantasy trilogy depicts an epic battle between good and evil. The side of good is represented by a society of harmonious, quiet-living mice who are aided and abetted by the more spiritual and mysterious bats above. Together they fight the evil, filthy rats, denizens of the dark and slimy sewers, who are ruled by a demonic overlord named Jupiter. The battle begins when a young mouse named Audrey Brown bravely slips between the bars of the basement grate, the portal between the mouse and rat universe, to search for her father, who has met with misadventure and disappeared into the hellish world beneath. As the stakes rise, Jarvis ratchets up the suspense, neatly juggling several story lines that culminate in a remarkable climactic disclosure. He does a good job, especially through the dialogue, of differentiating the multitude of mice, rat, and bat characters that populate the book. Still, the characters lack that elusive quality of lovability that makes the reader care deeply about their fate. Moreover, although the simultaneously symbolic and literal three-tiered world of bats, mice, and rats is well imagined and beautifully detailed, the narrative is rather dense, causing the books story engine to flag at several points. Although not right for every reader, Jarvis has delivered a robust book with a big-canvas plot that is tailor made for lovers of fantasy adventure and animal characters. (cast of characters, afterword) (Fiction. 10-14)
Booklist Review
Gr. 5^-8. In a London borough called Deptford, a community of mice lives in an old, empty house, where they have fashioned a comfortable life for themselves, fearing only the cellar Grill, which leads into the mucky, slimy sewers inhabited by cutthroat rats and their dark gods. One day, Albert Brown, husband to Gwen and father to Arthur and Audrey, finds himself inexplicably compelled to squeeze through the Grill. This first episode in the Deptford Mice trilogy is a tale of horror and valor, good and evil, leavened with humor. In it, Audrey and other brave little mice search for Albert and each other and encounter the sinister Jupiter, who rules the rats through terror. Jupiter's evil presence manifests itself only through the glare of his red eyes peering from the inky blackness of an arched portal. Jarvis gives the story a mystical twist through the mysterious, farseeing bats that live in the attic and give counsel in riddles, and through the mousebrass medallion that each mouse receives when coming of age. Try this on your myriad Redwall fans. --Sally Estes