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The Dark Portal: Deptford Mice Trilogy: Book One
 
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The Dark Portal: Deptford Mice Trilogy: Book One [Hardcover]

Robin Jarvis
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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From Publishers Weekly

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.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 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
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (17)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars for all readers, April 8 2004
By 
destiny "kmel215" (Middle of nowhere Wyoming) - See all my reviews
it is the first book in the trilogy and is a great book. the end leaves you thinking that there isn't anymore, but just wait till you read the Crystal Prison. anyway, this is one of the best book having talking mice and other animals. way better than what i have read of the Red Wall series.
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5.0 out of 5 stars The Dark Portal, Mar 24 2004
By A Customer
The Dark Portal

Envision a book that will take you beyond the eyes of humans to the world of mice, who discover many secrets and mystifying adventures.
The Browns are just one family in an old house in Deptford, England. This house contains many dangers and secrets, such as the wise bats in the old attic. But the most worrisome thing in the house is the Grill, the entrance to the sewers. This is a Deptford mouse's worst nightmare. There are many dirty things there, such as the water, the air, but most of all, the rats. These are the foulest creatures in Deptford. Rude, fierce, and blood thirsty, these rats necessitate mice and murder and are so fierce they kill each other for food.
Audrey Brown seeks vigorously for her father but he cannot be found. Audrey hasn't seen him in days. There is but one place she hasn't looked: the sewer!
Robin Jarvis exceeds expectation astonishingly in this book, and his writing compelled me to read more and more until my eyes became bloodshot. Robin Jarvis's area of expertise in this book in particular is how he takes me into the eyes of a mouse and how they see the world. For example, "It was an old stone wall close to the riverbank. It was very thick and parts of it were hollow, making wonderful shelters inside. It was near the ground and partially hidden by grass."
Robin Jarvis has an excellent talent for creating monsters and rats that are so gruesome and terrifying, they wanted to make me scream. With that talent I think Robin Jarvis made the Deptford Mice Trilogy even more exhilarating than just a trilogy that usually keeps you on a slow pace through each book.
Robin Jarvis is particularly known for his first-rate skill in use of vocabulary, taking ordinary words and transforming them with other words to fill them with awareness and thrill. For example, "The rat leaped up and grabbed the owl's other leg bringing him sprawling to the ground with an astonishing screech." The characters speak in an English accent, and it is regularly that you get a little lost in the words.
Robin Jarvis has written many books including the other two of the Deptford Mice trilogy, The Crystal Prison and The Final Reckoning. He has written an award-winning book called the Whitby Witches. One thing that is very important to know about this author is that he mostly writes fantasy and science-fiction.
I mostly recommend this book to fantasy readers and that love suspense and action-packed books. I myself wish I had discovered Robin Jarvis's books earlier because I've always been looking for an author who writes high-quality adventures, first-class story, and a slight amount of romance to give the book a little spunk. This is a kind of book that you will read over and over and enjoy it every single time.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Dark Portal Book Review, Mar 19 2004
By A Customer
Jupiter's voice suddenly boomed in the confusion. 'Catch that mouse and bring him to me!' Cries and whoops came from the rats enjoying the chase. 'Now,' Jupiter commanded Morgan, 'deliver your spy-I shall peel him myself.' "

Audrey Brown stars in The Dark Portal. Her father has died in the deep, dark sewers where the rats live. The almighty rat god, Jupiter, has killed him. Audrey goes down into the sewers to find him because she doesn't believe that her father is dead. This book is about mice - the good guys - and rat - the evil ones. Robin Jarvis has made the small world of mice into a new galaxy.
This book was very exciting. I like books with a lot of violence, so this was a great book for me. This book was more adventurous than The Crystal Prison, the second book in the series. Robin Jarvis has made some of his characters speak in British-English.
I didn't like the dull parts when the mice start talking a lot and get sadder every moment. I also didn't like the funny accents. The book has funny accents because Jarvis is from London.
If you like violence, this is a great book for you. For example, "What a catch!" said Skinner. "Let's make a 'bloody bones' of them." If not, this book won't be that good for you. This book really showed me how animals see the world.

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