Delightful! ( )

Part Redwall, part Lord of the Rings, part Hunter S. Thompson: this is not your typical talking animal story. You can read my full review of this book over at the blog for Florissant Valley Community College's student newspaper, the Forum: http://fvforumflo.blogspot.com/2012/11/book-review-albert-of-adelaide-by.html ( )

I received this as a First Read Giveaway. I enjoyed the story, the writing style and the reflective moral compass of Albert and his new friends.

Perhaps the most salient paragraph is on the next to last page; "He had walked into Old Australia with an empty bottle, and he would walk out having learned about fame and friendship. He hadn't come from Adelaide to look for those things, but he had found them. He hadn't discovered why he had come to the place he was leaving, and probably never would. The why of things had ceased to trouble him, and he was content with what he'd been given. " ( )

A platypus escapes from a zoo in Adelaide to search for Old Australia where everything is wonderful and free. In the desert, he meets a pyromaniac wombat, an aging Tasmanian devil (who was once a well-known fighter), a roguish raccoon (he’s a foreigner), assorted marsupials, and a several dingoes. It’s a kind of Watership Down Under with anthropomorphized animals interacting with each other in their own culture apart and uninvolved with humanity. It’s also has the feel of an old TV Western story with gun-toting bad guys, prospectors, dusty little towns, and dingoes playing the role of American Indians. Mainly, it’s a classic quest tale. Albert (the platypus) is ostensibly looking for a legendary promised land but is actually discovering himself, learning that each new experience, in a way, begins a new life.
It’s charming, as anthropomorphized animal stories often are. I can’t say I saw much in the way of profound thoughts, cultural satire, or anything of that nature, but it does touch a bit on questions every person asks at one time or another. Is there is more to life? Is the grass greener on the other side? What am I? These are not explored at any length in this book. They are simply hinted at, and the answer, if one is presented, is that you just muddle through, take things as they come, and keep wondering.
I enjoyed the story. The characters are simplistic but likeable. There is not much of a plot, but the characters and setting are engaging enough that you want to keep reading to see what Albert finds next.
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Thanks to First Reads giveaways for this great book.

Well, Albert is, as you can see form the cover, a platypus. And he is looking for something. So there you have it, the great setting for an adventure. Did I mention this adventure takes place in the Australian outback? Not a great place for a water-loving platypus to be, so I was interested in how the author dealt with that. The answer: clothes. That will bother some people. A part of me wished that it could be a book with exactly the kind of storyline, but animals acting more like animals, without clothes and guns. But it is impossible to imagine a platypus prancing around in the desert for days without sun protection. Given this limitation, I think the characteristics of each species was dealt with in a deft manner. Each had its idiosyncrasies and odd habits as well as those habits that limited or liberated them. The mood or temperament of each animal was well studied and suited the plot development.

The writing is clean, with a few subtle glitches (two also's in the same sentence, for example). At times, I felt like some paragraphs were written to explain the unreal or unbelievable too much. It is a tendency I understand well as a writer, the writer explaining why someone does something a bit questionable. And perhaps if it is lacking, then we complain things didn't make sense or it was unrealistic, so can't keep everyone happy.

The plot is fast-paced enough to keep things going, but knows to slow down for inner contemplations of the characters. In other words, Albert does a lot of soul searching, but the plot keeps us turning the pages.

All in all, a unique and good read. A great way to learn about some strange creatures and Australia. I am not aware how much violence kids are allowed in books these days, but this one does have a lot of shootings and deaths and even a throat slitting, so parents might want to keep that in mind. ( )