The Dark Portal: Deptford Mice Trilogy - Book One

by Robin Jarvis

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1587171120
• ISBN13: 9781587171123
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

The Dark Portal

The Dark PortalEnvision 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.

The Dark Portal

Title of Book: The Dark PortalBy: Robin JarvisReviewed by: M. PoppinsPeriod: 5Jupiter is the god of rats. No one knows how he looks like because he stays in his dark portal all the time. One day, a mouse named Albert Brown goes into the Grill, which is the entrance to the sewers, and meets a young "gray" mouse named Piccadilly from the city. They travel together and soon, rats kill Albert. His daughter Audrey finds Piccadilly and hears about her father's death. After, Audrey is missing. Arthur (her brother), Twit (Arthur's friend), and Oswald (Twit's cousin) go into the Grill, looking for Audrey. Jupiter is looking for Audrey and Piccadilly, because he thinks that they overheard a conversation he had with his lieutenant, Morgan. The rats captured Audrey. At the end, every rat sees that Jupiter is a cat. Audrey uses her mousebrass (A mousebrass is something that mice receive when they become of age. Audrey's mousebrass is the shape of a cat.) to kill Jupiter. Everyone is then happy and safe.I liked the book because it was full of cliffhangers. My favorite one was: " He had never been brave or overtly curious, so why did the Grill call to him that spring morning, and what was the urge to explore to gripe him so?" That is one good cliffhanger.This book is full of adventure. I love adventure, because it makes you want to keep on reading the book until you are finished. The descriptions were also very good. "The sewers were dark, oppressive, and worst of all, smelly." Doesn't that let you visualize the sewers?My favorite part was when Jupiter got killed. I like that part because every mouse is then happy and safe. No one has to worry about a creature that can harm them, unless Jupiter comes back to life again, but I doubt it. This is one of the best books I have ever read.

Just Like Redwall! (But Spookier!)

Obviously not as lengthy as Redwall at 240 pages but is just as good of a story! Unlike Redwall, the story takes place in a human world, and only three different creatures (mice, rats, and two bats are main characters). The rats living in the sewers under Jupiter, thier never-seen-before god, are described very .......well. The rats, always working in the mine, with, obviously, no place to clean any part of their body, stay stinky and smelly the whole story. The story is somewhat spooky because the plot keeps on practically forcing the mice to go back into the dark sewers over and over (including kid mice). Also, the evil powers of Jupiter far surpass the often violence found in Redwall. Lovers of David Clement-Davies, Brian Jacques, Avi, and J.K. Rowling, (or any other fantasy author) if you haven't discovered this series yet, you won't be dissappointed.

An Epic Children's Classic!

A friend of mine in Scotland got me hooked on these books and shipped them over to me two years back as a Christmas gift. Here is a story full of suspense and thrills so intense that I could not put down the book. You will meet brave Audrey and follow her on her journey to find her missing father against terrible odds and horrible evil. You will be reminded of the Redwall books, but at a more mature and intense level. At the time I read this I was amazed that it had not found its way to the United States yet and I am so glad someone finally threw it over the pond for the young adults here. This will definitely be a classic in children's fantasy and fiction!

The Dark Portal.

In the time when the earth was green and blessed by the lord of the mice- the green mouse, a young mouse called audrey is shocked at the dissapearence of her father. On what supposed to be the most important day for a mouse, turned into a quest to find her father- and the truth. In her way stands the thing all mice fear most- the Grail and the lord of rats, a half god, half demon that is held within it. The Dark Portal is definitley a book I would reccomend all people to read. This book is not only superbly written, but it also has a great story line. This story portrays a mouse who shows true bravery, and burning desire for loved ones, in the face of uncertainty and danger lurking benind every corner. This story has adventure, fantasy and a lot of emotions in it, blending together to make a masterpiece and I think is destined to be a definite classic.