Albert is a duck-billed platypus, who has escaped from a zoo in Adelaide to look for somewhere that may, or may not, exist: Old Australia, a place where humans never venture, and animals still rule. Albert knows it's somewhere in the middle of the Outback - not the ideal habitat for a water-loving animal - but now he's lost and close to death. He's saved, though, by Jack, a pyromaniac, sardine-loving wombat, who promptly gets him into even worse trouble taking him to a marsupial-only bar run by a kangaroo called O'Hanlin, getting him drunk and then burning the bar down. And this is just the beginning of Albert's adventure ... A glorious romp of a novel, Albert of Adelaide is a story of friendship, loyalty and heroism. And marsupials. Pacy and poignant, it's completely original -- a book for people (and animals) of all ages.
--This text refers to the
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Product Description
Book Description
A story of the Australian Outback, a duck-billed platypus on a quest, and what it means to be a hero.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Howard L. Anderson has lived a varied life: he flew with a helicopter battalion in Vietnam, worked on fishing boats in Alaska, in the steel mills of Pittsburgh, as a truck driver in Houston, and a scriptwriter in Hollywood. After earning a law degree, he became legal counsel for the New Mexico Organized Crime Commission. He is currently a district attorney in New Mexico, where he defends Mexican nationals charged with crimes north of the border. Albert of Adelaide is his first novel. He has never lived in Australia.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Sheenagh Pugh
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I couldn't resist trying this novel because of the quirky blurb, but I was slightly worried that, as so often happens with quirky blurbs, it would turn out to be the best thing about the book, and sure enough, it did.
Just to make clear what it isn't, because it would be possible to be unintentionally misled by the blurb into thinking this was (a) a comedy romp or (b) aimed at children. It is neither; it's a quite serious adult fantasy novel whose main characters are Australian marsupials who wear clothes, carry guns and eat tinned sardines, among many other things. Now there's no reason this can't work, in theory; you suspend your disbelief and accept that fantasy universes have different rules. Talking, clothed mules work for Magnus Mills in "Explorers of the New Century"; a platypus on a quest, accompanied by an arsonist wombat and encountering a Tasmanian Devil who is clearly an avatar of Conrad's Kurtz from "Heart of Darkness" could work here. But it didn't, for me. This is partly because the writing style itself is rather flat and over-explanatory - at one point he spends a paragraph explaining that Albert can't go into town because his face is on a wanted poster, a fact so blindingly obvious that it had never even occurred to me to question why someone else goes instead.
The other reason is that, when writing a fantasy, it is necessary to be very well acquainted with the reality in which it is grounded, which I don't think he is. He's an American who has never set foot in Australia; this alone needn't prevent his depictions of it from convincing, but they don't really come alive for me. More seriously, he doesn't seem at all well informed about the nature of modern zoos in advanced countries, nor indeed about animal nature in some respects.... Read more ›
Just to make clear what it isn't, because it would be possible to be unintentionally misled by the blurb into thinking this was (a) a comedy romp or (b) aimed at children. It is neither; it's a quite serious adult fantasy novel whose main characters are Australian marsupials who wear clothes, carry guns and eat tinned sardines, among many other things. Now there's no reason this can't work, in theory; you suspend your disbelief and accept that fantasy universes have different rules. Talking, clothed mules work for Magnus Mills in "Explorers of the New Century"; a platypus on a quest, accompanied by an arsonist wombat and encountering a Tasmanian Devil who is clearly an avatar of Conrad's Kurtz from "Heart of Darkness" could work here. But it didn't, for me. This is partly because the writing style itself is rather flat and over-explanatory - at one point he spends a paragraph explaining that Albert can't go into town because his face is on a wanted poster, a fact so blindingly obvious that it had never even occurred to me to question why someone else goes instead.
The other reason is that, when writing a fantasy, it is necessary to be very well acquainted with the reality in which it is grounded, which I don't think he is. He's an American who has never set foot in Australia; this alone needn't prevent his depictions of it from convincing, but they don't really come alive for me. More seriously, he doesn't seem at all well informed about the nature of modern zoos in advanced countries, nor indeed about animal nature in some respects.... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Webb
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I don't know what I was expecting from this book - an Australian Wind in the Willows perhaps? Certainly something a little gentler than this. This is no children's book, it's an often violent and bloody tale - a Western, really, dressed up in animal costumes. It could easily have been written as such, with human characters. There's really no good reason why all the characters are animals, other than novelty, to gain a wider readership and it worked on me. I would never have picked this up had it been a straightforwardly-told tale about humans. The fact that it's animals, and Australian animals at that - a whole plethora of them; roos and dingoes, bandycoots and wombats, a Tasmanian Devil, and the eponymous Albert Platypus - certainly makes it stand out as something different. It feels like a trick and I found myself a little aggrieved by it. Which is not to say that Albert of Adelaide is in anyway a bad book. It's a good, straightforward, well-told adventure tale, as Albert and his wombat companion wander, lost and always searching, for Albert's fabled land of Old Australia. It's not cute and it's not funny. It's actually a rather dark tale. Not what I was expecting, and in all honesty, not my cup of tea.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By P. A. Pendrey
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
We meet Albert a duck-billed platypus, lost and alone in the Australian outback. He had escaped from Adelaide Zoo to search for old Australia rumoured to be a place where animals ruled and where humans did not venture. Now Albert was struggling through a sandstorm, exhausted and close to death when he heard singing. Following the sound he stumbles into the camp of Jack, a fire loving wombat. Saved by Jack, Albert becomes his close friend. They travel together to a remote mining station run by O'Hanlin, a wily kangaroo. Albert gets drunk and joins a gambling game of two-up. Things go wrong and a fire starts. Albert and Jack run away, but are soon pursued by a fierce troop of kangaroos and wallabies. A poster shows Albert to be a wanted platypus. Of course, the other animals have never seen a platypus so they are wary of him and blame him for the fire.
Eventually Jack leaves Albert, who finds a sign 'Gates of Hell' which turns out to be a store run by a disreputable duo Bertram, a wallaby and Theodore, an evil possum. Albert is robbed by the pair but is saved again by TJ, a racoon. They travel together and TJ tries un unsuccessful attempt to be a robber. Albert is not much help as he cannot shoot very well. Albert is left alone again after TJ is taken away by some dingoes.
Albert decides to try and find Muldoon, an old champion wrestler. Jack had spoken of him, but would not answer questions about their relationship.
After finding Muldoon, camped by a waterhole, and again meeting up with Jack, now limping and TJ who was befriended by the dingoes the foursome rest in their camp. They hear a battle and soon shells are falling nearby.It is the posse of kangaroos and wallabies led by Theodore and Bertram against the dingoes.... Read more ›
Eventually Jack leaves Albert, who finds a sign 'Gates of Hell' which turns out to be a store run by a disreputable duo Bertram, a wallaby and Theodore, an evil possum. Albert is robbed by the pair but is saved again by TJ, a racoon. They travel together and TJ tries un unsuccessful attempt to be a robber. Albert is not much help as he cannot shoot very well. Albert is left alone again after TJ is taken away by some dingoes.
Albert decides to try and find Muldoon, an old champion wrestler. Jack had spoken of him, but would not answer questions about their relationship.
After finding Muldoon, camped by a waterhole, and again meeting up with Jack, now limping and TJ who was befriended by the dingoes the foursome rest in their camp. They hear a battle and soon shells are falling nearby.It is the posse of kangaroos and wallabies led by Theodore and Bertram against the dingoes.... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Quite honestly I don't know what to say about this book. It was a toss up between three or four stars, but it kept me reading and interested, so four it gets.
The start was good. We have Albert the platypus, escapee from the Adelaide zoo, stumbling along the railway line north in search of Old Australia where native animals live as they were meant to live and there are no humans to stare at them in zoos. He is exhausted, starving and on his last paws when he meets up with Jack, a wombat with a taste for sardines, clothes, and setting fire to things. He takes Albert under his wing, finds him clothes and tells him that what he seeks is not to be found.
So far so good. Albert is an engaging platypus with heroic tendencies and much to learn.
We move on to a bar run by kangaroos, wallabies and bandicoots and then, Jack having indulged in his hobby, on further into the empty interior of Australia. Only it is not that empty. We meet an evil pair, possum and wallaby, many dingoes, and a refugee from California who seems out of place and is maybe added because the author is American - who knows? Albert's fortunes take many a turn for the worse, there is much violence and inter-species fighting before Albert, a sadder and maybe wiser platypus, continues on his search for the 'real' Old Australia.
You can't really call this fantasy, although we are dealing with dressed up animals who can all talk to each other - it is simply all mighty strange.
There may well be more of the story of Albert . . .
The start was good. We have Albert the platypus, escapee from the Adelaide zoo, stumbling along the railway line north in search of Old Australia where native animals live as they were meant to live and there are no humans to stare at them in zoos. He is exhausted, starving and on his last paws when he meets up with Jack, a wombat with a taste for sardines, clothes, and setting fire to things. He takes Albert under his wing, finds him clothes and tells him that what he seeks is not to be found.
So far so good. Albert is an engaging platypus with heroic tendencies and much to learn.
We move on to a bar run by kangaroos, wallabies and bandicoots and then, Jack having indulged in his hobby, on further into the empty interior of Australia. Only it is not that empty. We meet an evil pair, possum and wallaby, many dingoes, and a refugee from California who seems out of place and is maybe added because the author is American - who knows? Albert's fortunes take many a turn for the worse, there is much violence and inter-species fighting before Albert, a sadder and maybe wiser platypus, continues on his search for the 'real' Old Australia.
You can't really call this fantasy, although we are dealing with dressed up animals who can all talk to each other - it is simply all mighty strange.
There may well be more of the story of Albert . . .
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wind In The Willows this is not
I really have no idea what to say about this crazy Western-style tale featuring a platypus.
One the one hand it was quite a fun adventure, but on the other it was filled... Read more
One the one hand it was quite a fun adventure, but on the other it was filled... Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Charlesworth
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unexpected and strange, yet in the end quite refreshing
As other reviewers have pointed, Albert of Adelaide is not a kids book. What it is is a colourful tale about talking marsupials which caught me totally by surprise. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. A. Mcgregor
3.0 out of 5 stars
A little bit different
I almost wish that I liked this much more than I did. It is a little different to the norm and it is a little quirky but I think that it would have worked far better if it was... Read more
Published 6 months ago by The Emperor
2.0 out of 5 stars
not recommended
This is a pretty weak story and not very interesting at all. It got me through a few days of the commute but in no way gripped me and didn't at all make me want to pick up each... Read more
Published 7 months ago by S. Paterson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Strange but enjoyable!
This book was from the beginning interesting. Surprisingly it wasn't long before you forgot the characters were animals - their personalities so believable. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Andi
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Animal Cowboy Opera
Albert is a duck-billed platypus. He has escaped from jail (aka Adelaide Zoo). He has various adventures, meeting other animals, wombats, kangaroos, dingoes etc . . . Read more
Published 8 months ago by David Cranson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great idea, but....
Reading the blurb on the back cover I knew I wanted to read this, gun totting marsupials and pyromaniac wombats not being a common theme in the fiction I usually stumble across. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dinah93
2.0 out of 5 stars
Gets confusing
Albert is a platypus who escapes from Adelaide zoo, catches a train and gets off in the mid-Australian desert searching for a land where platypuses roam free. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Tim Roast
5.0 out of 5 stars
a captivating tale
Albert of Adelaide is the first novel by Howard L. Anderson. Albert is a platypus who, sick of his imprisonment there, has escaped from the zoo at Adelaide, and has taken the train... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Cloggie Downunder
4.0 out of 5 stars
A quirky and entertaining read
I think it was the pyromaniac wombat that first caught my eye in the description and made my mind up to give 'Albert of Adelaide' a go.
Albert is a platypus. Read more
Albert is a platypus. Read more
Published 9 months ago by A. Taylor
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