Albert of Adelaide: A Novel [Hardcover]

Howard Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2012

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 land of liberty, promise, and peace. What he will find there, however, away from the safe confinement of his enclosure for the first time since his earliest memories, proves to be a good deal more than he anticipated.

Alone in the outback, with an empty soft drink bottle as his sole possession, Albert stumbles upon pyromaniacal wombat Jack, and together they spend a night drinking and gambling in Ponsby Station, a rough-and-tumble mining town. Accused of burning down the local mercantile, the duo flees into menacing dingo territory and quickly go their separate ways-Albert to pursue his destiny in the wastelands, Jack to reconcile his past.
Encountering a motley assortment of characters along the way-a pair of invariably drunk bandicoots, a militia of kangaroos, hordes of the mercurial dingoes, and a former prize-fighting Tasmanian devil-our unlikely hero will discover a strength and skill for survival he never suspected he possessed.

Told with equal parts wit and compassion, ALBERT OF ADELAIDE shows how it is often the unexpected route, and the most improbable companions, that lead us on the path to who we really are. Who you journey with, after all, is far more important than wherever it is you are going.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If Larry McMurtry had written Wind in the Willows, he might have come up with something almost as wonderful and moving as Howard Anderson's Albert of Adelaide. This is a novel that defies analysis and summaries. Trust me. Just read it." (Mary Doria Russell, New York Times bestselling author of The Sparrow and Doc )

"This debut novel from a 69-year-old New Mexico lawyer is rich in commentary on weighty themes: power, fear, prejudice, and the fluid nature of good and evil. Most of all, Albert is a charming and compelling hero with the strength to honor his convictions while inventing a new life for himself. Readers who enjoy contemporary fiction with shades of social/political commentary will appreciate this." (Library Journal )

"Memorable . . . lively . . . quick to satisfy with old-fashioned pleasures: action, adventure, fast friends, and unlikely heroes."
(Publishers Weekly )

"Required reading....If you've been searching for an old-fashioned Western with a platypus protagonist, wait no more." (The New York Post )

"Trust me. You will love this book and will find yourself reading passages aloud to your loved ones, maybe even to the dog." (Hudson Valley News )

"Remember the poignant beauty of The Wind in the Willows? Take those characters, switch them with wombats, wallabies, dingos, a Tasmanian devil and a platypus, and then give everyone a firearm." (The Tennessean )

"Charming....Join Albert the platypus on a delightful, sometimes harrowing, road trip in Australia during which many things happen-not all of them good." (Shelf Awareness )

"Funny, touching, and entertaining. Most of all, though, it's unique. Howard L. Anderson's gun-slinging platypus is a whimsical addition to the tradition of beast epics, and, in an industry sometimes enamored of clichés, Albert of Adelaide is one of the most imaginative books published in years." (Fiction Writers Review )

"The novel really is at its heart a wonderfully uplifting tale of friendship, survival, and healing, against the most aggravating of obstacles. Once Albert has waddled onto store shelves in paperback, I fully expect book groups around the country to gleefully tear it apart, especially book groups with an emphasis on civic engagement." (Timestage Embassy )

"The sort of book for which summers on the Vineyard were created...Enough hijinks ensue to insure a sunburn, as the reader tries to get in just one more chapter before having to move to the shade." (NY Journal of Books )

"A pleasing adventure through the outback that tackles big themes while celebrating both friendship and independence.... Anderson has built a desert world that could be scary for a lone zoo platypus-thankfully, he is never quite alone, and his story will leave readers smiling."
(Bookpage )

"One of the highest compliments a reviewer could inflict on a novel, for example, would be the sentence 'I have never read anything remotely like this, and I am older than dirt.' Which is a phrase I find that I have to use for Howard Anderson's ALBERT OF ADELAIDE... Unique... refreshing... unforgettable." (San Francisco Chronicle )

"Quirky ... A rollicking adventure story and ultimately an exploration of the nature of prejudice." (Washington Post )

"[Albert] is a delightful character who discovers he can be more than an object to be stared at in a cage." (Kingman Daily Miner )

"Totally original, genre-bending... [Howard L. Anderson has]hit a home run his first time up at the plate...one of those delightful and absorbing narratives that can be taken on a number of levels... You won't soon forget the time you spend with Albert of Adelaide." (Bookloons.com )

"Howard L. Anderson's novel is an uproarious introduction to the menagerie of characters living just outside our enclosures." (Barnes and Noble )

About the Author

Howard Anderson has had 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, and, after gaining a law degree,became legal counsel for the New Mexico Organized Crime Commission. He is currently a defense attorney in New Mexico, where he defends people from Mexico charged with crimes north of the border.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Twelve; First Edition edition (July 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1455509620
• ISBN-13: 978-1455509621
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I gave up screenwriting about twenty years ago and went back to being a criminal defense attorney. Before that I directed a low budget film and before that I had been a prospector on the Colorado border near Raton, New Mexico. I worked at a slag plant in Pittsburgh, and on the docks in Kodiak, Alaska. Somewhere back then I ran a ski lodge in Colorado and had a key to the bar, which made me very popular on Sunday mornings when the liquor stores were closed.

I finished my first novel "Albert of Adelaide" in 2009 and it was published in 2012. I just completed a second novel called "TJ" and have given up the day job.

I lived in Buenos Aires for awhile have a deep love for Argentina and the Spanish language, which I speak badly. I'm not sure where I will go from here, but I expect it to be someplace interesting.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a captivating tale July 8, 2012

By Cloggie Downunder

Format:Kindle Edition

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 naďve, 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.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Remarkable July 21, 2012

By Paul Cassel VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The plot setup is simple. A platypus, Albert, escapes from a zoo located in Adelaide hoping to find the mythical land, legendary among zoo captives, called Old Australia. This is a land humans haven't discovered.

Bluntly, for the first chapter or two of this book, I had no idea why I'd bought it or if I should continue with it. The reason I felt that way was due to the extremely offbeat nature of the book, not in structure or grammar or spelling or any other annoying ways some authors have, but rather in the actual narrative itself. Plainly written, easily understood, the nature of this book struck me as unfathomable.

Is this a fable of some sort where the main character, the platypus, and the others he encounters, such as bandicoots, devils, wallabies, kangaroos and wombats (to name a few and hardly an exhaustive animal inventory of the book) symbolic of some sort? Were the animals mirrors of humans? When a wallaby speaks, should I associate that with some politician or historical figure? I absolutely could not pin this one down, but after a bit I really didn't care.

The main character's adventures, his arc, and how he handles the new and strange he meets all drew me in to the point where I was annoyed at having to work and thus not find out what sort of further adventures Albert would find or, worse, having to leave off leaving Albert in some perilous situation. I absolutely do not wish to say more. Putting even the mildest spoiler for such a superb book would be a crime. Consider this a bit of 'Watership Down' but with a much more heterogeneous character list. If you liked that book, as I so did, you must find this one a terrific addition to the genre.

Now having finished the book, and also having re-read some parts two or three times, I'm still baffled about what I read but am left knowing that I'm glad I have read it accounting the time I did as thoroughly enjoyable.

I believe Albert will say with me for a very long time. Highly recommended.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely delightful July 14, 2012

By S. Webb

Format:Hardcover

This is an absolutely delightful book. The characters are wonderful. The story just picks you up and carries you along. Reminiscent of Wind in the Willows. But instead of Toad and friends, you get a platypus, a pyro wombat, a pair of drunken bandicoots, a tasmanian devil and a whole lot of dingoes, wallabies and some kangaroos thrown in for fun.