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Albert of Adelaide

3.43 of 5 stars 3.43 · rating details · 407 ratings · 155 reviews

At once an old-fashioned-buddy-novel-shoot-'em-up and a work of deliciously imagined fantasy, Howard L. Anderson's dazzling debut presents the haunting story of a world where something has gone horribly awry . . .

Having escaped from Australia's Adelaide Zoo, an orphaned platypus named Albert embarks on a journey through the outback in search of "Old Australia," a rumored...more

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published July 12th 2012 by Twelve (first published July 1st 2012)

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May 21, 2013 Nenia Campbell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-2012s, arc-stands-for-a-readers-xmas, first-reads, aww-he-thinks-hes-people, fantasy

WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS CUTE AUSTRALIAN ANIMAL PICSPAM

If you, like me, took one look at that cute, fuzzy platypus on the cover and thought to yourself, "Oh my gosh, it's going to be like Watership Down, but with platypuses and other cute Australian creatures," think again. The only thing cute about this book is the animals- and even they are quick to disillusion you about their cuteness as they set things on fire, kill each other, have stick-ups and robberies, drink, drink more, drink even more...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Michelle by: Books on the nightstand, unofficial booktopia

Shelves: 2013-read

Maybe my expectations were too high for this one. It is a book about a duck billed platypus looking for old world Australia written by a lawyer from New Mexico. The only thing remotely Australian about the book is that most of the animals mentioned in the book are indigenous to Australia. It reads like an odd western - the first half of the book has glimpses of the television show Firefly, but that disappears in the second half of the book and we are left with a weak western.

I did learn that th...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Jeanette marked it as to-read

Just makes you want to break into song, don't it?

"Mind me platypus duck, Bill,
Mind me platypus duck.
Don't let him go running amuck, Bill,
Just mind me platypus duck."

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Jul 23, 2012 Vicki rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't think I'm giving too much away by telling you that Albert is a platypus, and one I predict you will come to care enormously about. The author Howard Anderson is not from Australia, but describes the desert wilderness of Northern Australia as if he were as familiar as a native with the desert, the cliffs, brush and grasses of that terrain.

Albert himself is not a native of Australia. He has in fact just recently escaped from a dreary existence in the Adelaide zoo. Other animals have told h...more I don't think I'm giving too much away by telling you that Albert is a platypus, and one I predict you will come to care enormously about. The author Howard Anderson is not from Australia, but describes the desert wilderness of Northern Australia as if he were as familiar as a native with the desert, the cliffs, brush and grasses of that terrain.

Albert himself is not a native of Australia. He has in fact just recently escaped from a dreary existence in the Adelaide zoo. Other animals have told him vague stories of the Old Australia, where life is better, and the experience of living richer, than any he has experienced to date. When we first meet Albert he is following the railroad line in a northerly direction. He has finished the food he had brought with him from the zoo and is still carrying the pop bottle, now empty, which he had filled with water before he left. He knows he must find water but does not intend to turn back. If he is going to die anyway, he'd just as soon be a little further away from Adelaide. He is caught in a sandstorm, completely loses his sense of direction, but begins to hear a disembodied off-key voice singing an unfamiliar ballad that mentions the exploits of someone named Muldoon. He follows the sound to the campsite of Jack, a wombat, fully clothed and making tea over the open flames.

They strike up a friendship of sorts as Jack assumes kind of a protective bond with a creature who is not wise to the ways of this wild, out West-type of atmosphere. He points out to Albert that he has no clothes on, and then finds him a coat to wear. Thus begins a sort of buddies-traveling together novel, but it is so much more. This is a story of friendship, trust, double crosses, and a quest for a better life. As in so many cases, life is lived, and life lessons are learned on the journey toward that elusive goal of a land where platypuses are plentiful and the river is flowing near by. Albert's life is changed and his character is strengthened by interactions with kangaroos, wallabies, a raccoon, a possum and lots of unsavory-smelling dingoes, not to mention his eventual encounter with the famous Muldoon of Jack's ballad. He turns out to be a Tasmanian Devil, who was without peer in a wrestling match in his day.

I suggest that you find a copy and get to reading so we can discuss these rich characters to our hearts' content. (less)

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Nov 08, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: recent-reads

this is an interesting story told from albert's, a platypus, point of view. albert has fled the adelaide zoo where he has lived most of his life. he embarks on a journey in the outback of australia to find what is mythically known as "old australia." this is a utopia for animals where they are free to roam without fear of being hunted or caged.

as albert makes his journey across the land, he also makes a journey into his awareness of what it means to be a platypus. he encounters all sorts of frie...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Carolyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

3.5 stars.
A highly original story, and my favorite book with a talking duck-billed platypus as the main character.
Albert, the Platypus has escaped from an Adelaide zoo and travels by train to Tennant Creek. From there he starts on a quest to find the rumored Old Australia, where animals live in peace and he can swim all day.
Carrying only an empty soda bottle, Albert finds himself in the outback desert, a most inhospitable place for a platypus.He soon meets up with other animals,and becomes fri...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Dawn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

A nice read. And then, near the end, it sort of came out of nowhere and touched my heart. Highly recommend, whether you're 10 or 110.

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Oct 16, 2012 D.L. Morrese rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Robyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Outback Australia is not a setting one would expect for a first novel by a defense attorney from New Mexico. Nor would one expect the main protagonist to be that enigma of the mammalian world, a platypus. Named Albert. Albert escapes the water tank at the Adelaide Zoo which magnified the faces that stared at him for fourteen hours a day through green algae. He hops a train heading deep into the heart of the Outback in search of Old Australia, “the place where things haven’t changed and Australia...more Outback Australia is not a setting one would expect for a first novel by a defense attorney from New Mexico. Nor would one expect the main protagonist to be that enigma of the mammalian world, a platypus. Named Albert. Albert escapes the water tank at the Adelaide Zoo which magnified the faces that stared at him for fourteen hours a day through green algae. He hops a train heading deep into the heart of the Outback in search of Old Australia, “the place where things haven’t changed and Australia is like it used to be”, the place about which the zoo animals had whispered reverently and wistfully. A lone little platypus a long way from a river is bound to need friends, and the first he comes upon is an old wombat named Jack, who has never heard of Old Australia. For him there is just survival, and he takes Albert under his paw, gives him some clothes and teaches him about money. In Jack’s Australia, wallabies are evil, bandicoots are drunks, and dingoes are untamed, respected and respect those that fight well and with honour. Albert is told of the legendary Muldoon, who might help him find the Australia he seeks, and meets up with a creature just as odd in the Outback as he is himself, a raccoon from San Francisco. But as easily as he makes friends the little platypus also makes enemies, distrusted for his strange looks, luck and fierce fighting. He becomes wanted for murders he did not commit, and though deaths do occur as a result of his poisonous spurs, those make his reputation. As Albert battles prejudice and possums he becomes an animal he barely recognizes yet remains loyal to his friends, and true to his dream of freedom. Albert of Adelaide has all the adventure of Huckleberry Finn, a little bit of the melancholy of Paradise Lost, resembles Watership Down in its allegories (and animals), and has a hint of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It is delightful surprise of a read, and a thoroughly enjoyable first novel. That just happens to star a platypus. Named Albert. (less)

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Aug 13, 2012 Lorca Damon rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the spirit of other great talking animal books like The Jungle Book or Dr. Doolittle, Anderson’s work makes you simply forget that these are animals. But this dramatic and violent tale is no Wind in the Willows. These animals just aren’t all that…cute. Certainly, they’re from Australia and we’ve come to associate the platypus or the wallaby with cuteness, but these animals have such vile human characteristics as drunkenness and murderous rage that the reader quickly forgets that these are ani...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book

I will admit I picked up this book because I thought, "A talking platypus? That sounds hiLARious." Then a few pages into it I decided that maybe the story wasn't going to be for me after all. And now after finishing it I feel like I've learned something about the world, and not just the many types of marsupials in Australia.

On the animal front we've got wallabies and bandicoots and kangaroos. There's a wombat and a Tasmanian devil. Then there are the dingoes, which are not marsupials. Just like...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Clark Isaacs rated it 5 of 5 stars

Clark’s Eye on Books
By Clark Isaacs
©CIsaacs 2012

Albert of Adelaide
By Howard L. Anderson

ISBN: 978-1-455-50962-0, Hardcover, Pages 240, $24.99, Publication Date: July 10, 2012, Fiction, Published by Twelve Books a division of HBGUSA.

“Albert of Adelaide” by Howard L. Anderson is very reminiscent of “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, which was published in 1945. The main characters are animals that live their parts on center stage though the travails of lives are vastly different.

Albert is a platypus...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Liz Winn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Australia has produced some of the strangest-looking creatures on earth, not least among them being the PLATYPUS. Duck-billed, beaver-tailed, web-footed Albert of the Adelaide Zoo has escaped captivity in order to flee to Old Australia, a fabled place where life is pristine and wild, like the time before humans arrived. Entirely plot-driven, Anderson’s novel is a funky sort of Australian adventure/Western/road-trip novel where animals wear clothes and carry guns. Follow Albert as he gets in on t...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Christie Goldenberg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, arc, books-i-own, netgalley, wishlist

Ok so this latest one was suggested to me recently over coffee. She said that her friend (a bookaholic and fellow reviewer) had begged her to read a book called Albert of Adelaide. When she asked her what it was about her friend said, "I don't want to tell you because then you won't read it" Well it turns out that it is about a platypus named Albert. Yes, it is fiction and No, it is not a childrens or young adult book. This unique premise was enough for me to contact the publisher as soon as I g...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Marianne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From an uncorrected proof:
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 to Tennant Creek in search of the “old Australia”, a land of liberty, promise and peace that the other animals in the zoo kept whispering about. Albert is hoping to find a world like that of his childhood in the muddy banks of the river Murray, or at least, something that’s better than Adelai...more From an uncorrected proof:
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 to Tennant Creek in search of the “old Australia”, a land of liberty, promise and peace that the other animals in the zoo kept whispering about. Albert is hoping to find a world like that of his childhood in the muddy banks of the river Murray, or at least, something that’s better than Adelaide: what he finds is a very long way from those expectations. Albert seems innocent and a bit naïve, but he turns out to be not entirely helpless, especially when someone makes him angry. Whilst he chances upon some generous friends, Albert also encounters ignorance and prejudice (he’s not a marsupial!), and soon finds he is a platypus with a price on his head, wanted for arson and cheating at two-up. Anderson gives the reader a rich cast of characters: an insane possum, a wallaby with megalomaniacal tendencies, a pair of alcoholic bandicoots, an ex-champion wrestling Tasmanian Devil, a singing pyromaniac wombat, marsupials playing two-up, one kangaroo working as a bartender and another as (fittingly) a bouncer, a surprising snake, several dingoes with deceptive qualities and a gun-happy foreigner in red long-johns with a black eye mask. And it seems they are all armed: pistols, rifles, an Enfield carbine, knives, rockets, a cannon, shotguns, muskets, and swords all feature. Anderson’s very original plot includes fires, highway robbery, bribery, betrayal, ambush and more than one battle. He gives his characters some wise words that will have the reader thinking about loyalty, mateship, justifying one’s actions and just how far one would go for a friend. I loved Albert’s thoughts on being lost. I was interested to see how Anderson, a resident of New Mexico, USA, would acquit himself with a story filled with Australian native animals: I was very impressed with the result. I laughed a lot, I cried, and I heaved a sigh of satisfaction at the end of the book (although I would love to read more of Albert’s adventures). A captivating tale.(less)

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Feb 25, 2012 Georgette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: unusual, awesome

Holy crap, this book was AWESOME. I never thought, at age 39, that I would utter the words " The duck-billed platypus is adorable." I now have..thanks to this book. It's hard to put it into a genre, because I truly haven't read anything like it. It reminded me- a lot- of Watership Down by Richard Adams. The dialogue and relationships forged by the animals- reminded me a lot of Animal Farm, minus the ominous underlying messages. This is just a book about a duck-billed platypus and his desire for...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, contemporary-fiction, adventure

Every once in a while, it's nice to read something different, the type of book that one doesn't usually read. Albert of Adelaide is decidedly different, and probably not like anything that most people usually read, because it is such an unusual novel. This debut novel is fun, full of adventure, and is about a platypus named Albert who escapes from the zoo in Adelaide and heads into the Australian outback looking for a place called "Old Australia." Yup, that certainly sounds like a different kind...more Every once in a while, it's nice to read something different, the type of book that one doesn't usually read. Albert of Adelaide is decidedly different, and probably not like anything that most people usually read, because it is such an unusual novel. This debut novel is fun, full of adventure, and is about a platypus named Albert who escapes from the zoo in Adelaide and heads into the Australian outback looking for a place called "Old Australia." Yup, that certainly sounds like a different kind of novel, but despite being different, it's definitely still worthwhile.

That also happens to be one of the main lessons in this story - that just because someone is different, it doesn't mean that they are bad. Albert's journey brings him to an odd world with creatures who judge and mistrust him because he's different from them. His early life was traumatic. His mother was attacked by a wild dingo when he was very young and Albert was captured and put in the Adelaide zoo. This is where he first hears rumors of a mythic and strange place called “Old Australia” where the many different species of animals live in peace and harmony. He was able to escape and hops a ride on the South Australian Railroad traveling north of Alice Springs to the outback.

Albert meets a wombat named Jack, who befriends him and teaches his some of the basics of survival in the desert. The two friends get into some trouble at a local pub and trading post when Albert gets very drunk and becomes very lucky at a game of chance. To escape Jack sets fire to the place and he and Albert are soon on the run with the kangaroo proprietor and other local animals posting wanted posters for Albert’s capture. Despite the fact that they’ve become good friends, Jack and Albert split up figuring it will be safer for each and Albert soon meets a new friend, TJ, a raccoon from California. Their friendship works well because they are both animals not native to the outback. Other creatures that Albert meets along his journey include two drunken bandicoots named Alvin and Roger, a mean and thieving pair consisting of a wallaby called Bertram and a possum named Theodore, assorted dingoes, and the Famous Muldoon, a Tasmanian devil. Muldoon and Jack were close friends and traveling companions once, but Jack’s pyromania led to their separation eight years ago.

Themes of friendship, revenge, survival, loss and self discovery are set against the backdrop of Albert’s journey across the outback desert. The story alternates between scenes of action (including many fight scenes and a huge shoot out at the end) and those of survival in the harsh environment and contemplation of life in a strange place among strange animals. In the end, Albert has come a very long way from where he started, both geographically and metaphysically. (less)

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May 21, 2013 Todd rated it 4 of 5 stars

To compare the story of a platypus in search of Old Australia to the allegedly deep, profound post-apocalyptic nihilism of The Road is, it may seem, is an apples-watermelons comparison.

But, shave off Cormac McCarthy's layers pretentious faux Faulknerway prose, and humans-reduced- to-pronouns nihilism, and you have the story of a journey through the heart of darkness that is just darkness and virtually no story.

With Howard L. Anderson's Albert of Adelaide, you get a journey into and out of the he...more

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Dec 08, 2012 James Wharton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Alright, I couldn't decide whether to give the book a 4 or 5 star rating because I still haven't completely figured it out and probably won't be any further along if I do six months from now. Yeah, that didn't really make sense, or did it. That's how the book is too. However, it was extremely interesting. You see, every character is some kind of Australian animal. Albert, the main character, is a platypus who escaped from a zoo. That naturally reminded me of myself. He went into Australia to fin...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Vanessa Wolf rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

Albert of Adelaide is everything "Rango" could've been if Rango wasn't "Chinatown" for kids, or rather if the "Wind in the Willows" took place in Australia. Though the time frame is not entirely clear, which I interpreted as a tribute to the Aboriginal concept of Dream Time, there is an implication that it is within a twenty year time frame of modern times. Albert is a zoo escapee on a quest to find the real Old Australia, a paradise, but with no real idea of what paradise is, just what it is no...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Jo Penney rated it 5 of 5 stars

You know you have read a truly great book when you get to the last paragraph, moist eyed and wondering if there will be a sequel.

Author of Albert of Adelaide, Howard L Anderson has shown not only does he know how to use the English language with the skill of a true wordsmith, but that he can do it without sounding like he is trying. I love that in an author, that art of keeping the reader hooked, and yet never confusing them.

Albert of Adelaide is a wonderful adventure in one platypus's search f...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Steve Moseley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I've read books that have had talking animals that were for kids (i.e. the Redwall, & Narnia series, and books like "Watership Down"), but this is the first book that I have read where the story had talking animals while at the same time targeted to adults. At least, I don't recall animals drinking Gin and getting hung over in the Narnia books.

Albert of Adelaide is quite a likable platypus that has escaped from and an Australian zoo and is looking for a sort of a promised land where other pl...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Kwoomac rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, adventure, animal-as-main-character, 2012, unlikely-hero, social-commentary, of-course-i-cried

Ok, I'm giving this book 4 stars even though the writing's nothing special because it takes place in Australia and there are all kinds of cool animals. There are wombats, bandicoots, wallabies, kangaroos, a platypus,a possum, a raccoon, dingoes, and a tasmanian devil! The hero of the story is Albert, a duck-billed platypus. After escaping from the zoo, he goes in search of his idea of Shangri La; Old Australia.

I was kind of confused by the book, because when it starts out Albert's in a zoo. Pres...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Melissa Sodano rated it 4 of 5 stars

A unique book, unexpectedly full of social commentary and observations on the volatile nature of the human condition. Yet, there are no humans in this book, which augments both its enjoyability as well as the statements Anderson attempts to make.

In a nutshell, Albert is a platypus seeking Old Australia—a romanticized place where the past still exists as a paradise for all individuals. On his own, he cannot seem to find this utopia, but by joining forces with other creatures he hopes to fight his...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Nina rated it 4 of 5 stars

You have to love a book where a platypus is the protagonist. A platypus who wears a vest, totes a gun, gets into bar fights, and participates in a war against the marsupials. His friend Jack, a wombat, explained his species to Albert as, "We live in deep holes, come out early in the morning or late in the evening, eat some leaves, and then call it a day. What kind of life is that? What is there to talk about? Nothing, that's what. Entire conversations consisting of 'What did you do today, Earl?'...more

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Sep 28, 2012 C.S. rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of 'Rango,' Westerns, talking-animal books, weird books, etc.

Shelves: first-reads-giveaways, fantasy, western

CEE'S D10 REVIEWS
Albert of Adelaide – received in a Goodreads giveaway.

0. Plot
1. Characterization
2. Memorable Quotes
3. Favorites and Least Favorites
4. Comparisons
5. Themes
6. Book-In-A-Gif
7. Originality
8. Prose
9. Overall Entertainment Value

Cee rolled...
5, 3, 4, 2

Overview
This is a story about ~~a girl named Lucky~~ a platypus named Albert. He's spent most of his life in a zoo, and he's just found his way out. Adorably equipped with a water bottle and a memory of his mother in the wild, Old Australia...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Waldschrat rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Das Einzige, was Albert von allen anderen Schnabeltieren unterschied, war die leere Limonadenflasche, die er mit sich rumtrug. Das Mitführen einer Flasche und die Tatsache, dass er Hunderte von Meilen von der nächsten Wasserquelle entfernt war, machten ihn zu etwas Besonderem."

Ja, Albert ist ein Schnabeltier und aus dem Zoo in Adeleide (Australien) ausgebüchst, um unberührtes und verwildertes Land zu suchen. Im Zoo kursieren viele Gerüchte über dieses Land und er hofft darauf, noch weitere Schna...more Das Einzige, was Albert von allen anderen Schnabeltieren unterschied, war die leere Limonadenflasche, die er mit sich rumtrug. Das Mitführen einer Flasche und die Tatsache, dass er Hunderte von Meilen von der nächsten Wasserquelle entfernt war, machten ihn zu etwas Besonderem."

Ja, Albert ist ein Schnabeltier und aus dem Zoo in Adeleide (Australien) ausgebüchst, um unberührtes und verwildertes Land zu suchen. Im Zoo kursieren viele Gerüchte über dieses Land und er hofft darauf, noch weitere Schnabeltiere zu finden. Bei seiner Suche trifft er auf einige natürliche und unnatürliche Bewohner Australiens, wobei ihm nicht alle freundlich gesinnt zu sein scheinen.
Die Story ist wie ein Western aufgebaut, es gibt Staubmäntel, viel Sonne, karges Land, vereinzelte Städte, Goldsucher, Kneipen, kleine Städte, Sheriffs und v.a. das "Most-Wantred"-System. Albert wird in eien üble Geschichte reingezogen und auf ihn wird ein Kopfgeld ausgesetzt. Nebenbei versucht er noch seinen Freunden zu helfen und das wilde Gebiet in Australien zu finden.
Sehr gut gefallen hatte mir bei der Leseprobe das Intro, in dem alle Tiere kurz aufgeführt wurden. Mit Bildchen und kurzem Schriftzug. Das fand ich sehr witzig und hatte daher auch eine bestimmte Erwartungshaltung an das Buch.

Ich dachte, dass das Buch eine Mischung aus "Madagaskar" (der Zeichentrick mit den Tieren, die aus dem Zoo ausbrechen und allerlei Abenteuer bestehen) und "Frühstück mit Kängurus" von Bill Bryson sein wird. Ich habe ein witziges Abenteuer im Herzen von Australien erwatet. Leider hat das Buch diese nicht erfüllt. Witzig war es nur ein wenig, meistens hatte ich damit zu tun, mir vorzustellen, welches Tier nun warum schon wieder einen Feldzug gegen Albert plante. Alles hatte einen Western-Style, aber so richtig warm geworden bin ich mit der Schreibweise und Szenensetzung nicht. Es war alles recht düster und melancholisch und zum Schluss sind auch noch alle guten Freunde gestorben. Heldenhaft oder nicht, aber das Ende war ziemlich unbefriedigend und das ganze Buch recht unspannend. Was mit dem Buch auf jeden Fall zugute halten kann, ist, dass es nicht vorhersehbar war. Die verschiedenen Ereignisse kamen immer überraschend. Allerdings fehlte mir dabei manchmal die Logik bzw. der Zusammenhang.
Im Großen und Ganzen ein lesbares Buch, aber so richtig empfehlen kann ich es nicht :(
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Jan 15, 2013 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

I won't summarize the plot. That is already done for you by Goodreads. I gave it three stars, which in my rating system means it was an enjoyable read but a book I will not read again and would only recommend to someone else on a limited, qualified basis. To my my mind this book is one to be read aloud by a parent to a 10-year old as long as you prepared to talk about pyromania, drunkenness, murder, battle, slaughter, and failed dreams; but also friendship, loyalty, perseverance, and pursuit of...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Cathy Cole rated it 4 of 5 stars

First Line: The county that stretches from Melbourne in the south to Sydney seven hundred and fifty miles up the coast is green with trees and paddocks.

If you're the type of reader who pays attention to the dedication page, once you've read the dedication in Albert of Adelaide, you'll know you're in for something a little different:

"It seems fitting to dedicate this book to an Australian soldier I met at a bar many years ago in Sydney. All I can remember about him was that he had a bad bayonet...more First Line: The county that stretches from Melbourne in the south to Sydney seven hundred and fifty miles up the coast is green with trees and paddocks.

If you're the type of reader who pays attention to the dedication page, once you've read the dedication in Albert of Adelaide, you'll know you're in for something a little different:

"It seems fitting to dedicate this book to an Australian soldier I met at a bar many years ago in Sydney. All I can remember about him was that he had a bad bayonet scar from service in Malaya and that he got me hopelessly lost on the New South Wales rail system before he passed out."

Albert is a platypus who was orphaned and brought to the Adelaide Zoo at a very young age. He's grown up remembering his childhood and listening to the tales of other zoo inhabitants about the "Old Australia," a place far away in the desert where nothing's changed since the beginning-- a place that's filled with freedom and peace for all animals. Tired of being stared at, laughed at, and called names, Albert begins hoarding grubs and filling a discarded soda bottle with water. One day someone's careless, and Albert makes his break for freedom, riding the rails as far as he can, until he finds himself lost in the desert. Undaunted, Albert trudges on, holding on to his dream of a place where he belongs.

What he finds is a bit more than he expected (and the reader, too, for that matter). Jack the wombat saves Albert, and it's not until they spend the night drinking and gambling in the mining town of Ponsby Station that Albert learns Jack is just a little too fond of matches. Accused of burning down the mercantile, the two run for their lives and split up as they enter dingo territory.

Albert goes on to make the acquaintance of a pair of drunken bandicoots, a militia of kangaroos, packs of dingoes, a former prize-fighting Tasmanian devil, and a raccoon straight off the boat from California. Every step of the way, Albert discovers that his "road less traveled" and the companions he finds are actually putting him on the path to finding out who he truly is.

I was entranced by this book. When I met the author in July, he said that the genesis of Albert of Adelaide began more than twenty years ago when he began telling bedtime stories to his then-girlfriend's five-year-old daughter. He didn't want these bedtime stories to be run-of-the-mill stuff, and I would've loved to have listened in. As it is, I fell in love with Albert, his journey, and the friends that he made. I don't listen to audio books, but I think that it would be the perfect format for this book. You're never too old-- or too young-- to hear Albert's story of adventure, friendship and self-realization.

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Nov 21, 2012 Matthew rated it 2 of 5 stars

I picked this up at the library randomly, largely on the fact that it had a blurb from Mary Doria Russell on the back cover. Once I got over the fact that this book has no actual audience--a non-illustrated American western about Australian mammals that is not for children--I got distracted by the author's tendencies to over-describe in detail things that had just happened two or three pages previously. I don't know. I just don't know.

I actually was expecting some sort of over-the-top Animal Far...more

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