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Albino
ALBINO
The white mouse Albino always believed that he would live with the old farmer William Springer forever, eating Cheddar cheese and enjoying life at the farm. But after he is kidnapped by the street urchin Darl and violently thrown into a raging river to drown, he wakes up in the middle of a strange and mysterious forest and his life is changed forever as he finds himself in a world unlike anything he could ever imagine.
Aided by an odd crow, he begins an adventure filled with action, danger, and ultimately a final confrontation against his worst nightmares.
The ancient and cruel rats called the Ma’aldee are on the move, the Spiritual Guardians of the Land whisper in fear and dread of the coming of Emperor Loucura, Lord of the Ma'aldee.
Only Albino has the power to save the Land.
The white mouse Albino always believed that he would live with the old farmer William Springer forever, eating Cheddar cheese and enjoying life at the farm. But after he is kidnapped by the street urchin Darl and violently thrown into a raging river to drown, he wakes up in the middle of a strange and mysterious forest and his life is changed forever as he finds himself in a world unlike anything he could ever imagine.
Aided by an odd crow, he begins an adventure filled with action, danger, and ultimately a final confrontation against his worst nightmares.
The ancient and cruel rats called the Ma’aldee are on the move, the Spiritual Guardians of the Land whisper in fear and dread of the coming of Emperor Loucura, Lord of the Ma'aldee.
Only Albino has the power to save the Land.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2012
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About the author
E.J. Dabel
5 books88 followersErnst J. Dabel is the author of “Pantheons”, and is also the President and co-owner of Dabel Brothers Productions, a publishing company specializing in comics and graphic novels. Ernst’s company has adapted novels by major authors such as Dean Koontz, Laurell K. Hamilton, Jim Butcher, George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Orson Scott Card, Raymond E. Feist, R.A. Salvatore, Patricia Briggs, Robert Silverberg, Tad Williams, and others.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 12, 2012
Book Info: Genre: Fantasy Reading Level: Middle Grade
Disclosure: I received a free ebook ARC eGalley from Sea Lion Books (the publisher) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: The white mouse Albino always believed that he would live with the old farmer William Springer forever, eating Cheddar cheese and enjoying life at the farm. But after he is kidnapped by the street urchin Darl and violently thrown into a raging river to drown, he wakes up in the middle of a strange and mysterious forest and his life is changed forever as he finds himself in a world unlike anything he could ever imagine.
Aided by an odd crow, he begins an adventure filled with action, danger, and ultimately a final confrontation against his worst nightmares.
The ancient and cruel rats called the Ma’aldee are on the move, the Spiritual Guardians of the Land whisper in fear and dread of the coming of Emperor Loucura, Lord of the Ma'aldee.
Only Albino has the power to save the Land.
My Thoughts: I loved Dabel’s debut book, Pantheons and have been looking forward to reading this one ever since I first heard of it.
This is an ARC, so I’m not surprised there are a number of errors in the text, which I will assume were mostly fixed in the final copy. The story flows smoothly and the characters are all unique and given individual voices that are easy to differentiate.
Albino is apparently a very special mouse, since he’s at least 50 years old, and the average mouse’s lifespan is 2-3 years. When I raised rats, I sure would have loved to have had some of my favorite rats live that long! I’d love for my cats to live that long! I guess Dabel is going for a sort of anthropomorphized version of animal life that lives even longer than humans in this book, since Albino seems quite naïve. Albino is what we call a REW – red-eyed white – mouse. Their eyes can also be pink or burgundy, although the burgundy shade is more common in fawn or beige-colored rodents.
Darl is a nasty little kid – I’m just not fond of people who don’t like animals. It seems to me that people who don’t like animals lack some certain basic level of empathy. It’s no secret that many serial killers start out by torturing animals. I was glad he only appeared briefly in the beginning of the book – with luck, we won’t have to deal with him again.
The book ends on a cliffhanger, with many strands winding together to create a highly complex plot. I think younger readers might have some trouble with this book – probably 12-13 would be the youngest that would be able to keep track of all this easily. I’m interested to see where this story will go – I’m not certain how many books Dabel plans for this series, but as complex as the story is, I imagine there will be several.
This is a satisfying fantasy for those who enjoy a more complex plot. There are a lot of characters to keep straight, so I think a dramatis personae would be very useful. I’ve tried to add as many as I could to Shelfari as I went through the book, so hopefully that will help future readers who use that site. If you enjoy complex fantasy stories, especially those utilizing animal characters, you should check out Albino.
Disclosure: I received a free ebook ARC eGalley from Sea Lion Books (the publisher) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: The white mouse Albino always believed that he would live with the old farmer William Springer forever, eating Cheddar cheese and enjoying life at the farm. But after he is kidnapped by the street urchin Darl and violently thrown into a raging river to drown, he wakes up in the middle of a strange and mysterious forest and his life is changed forever as he finds himself in a world unlike anything he could ever imagine.
Aided by an odd crow, he begins an adventure filled with action, danger, and ultimately a final confrontation against his worst nightmares.
The ancient and cruel rats called the Ma’aldee are on the move, the Spiritual Guardians of the Land whisper in fear and dread of the coming of Emperor Loucura, Lord of the Ma'aldee.
Only Albino has the power to save the Land.
My Thoughts: I loved Dabel’s debut book, Pantheons and have been looking forward to reading this one ever since I first heard of it.
This is an ARC, so I’m not surprised there are a number of errors in the text, which I will assume were mostly fixed in the final copy. The story flows smoothly and the characters are all unique and given individual voices that are easy to differentiate.
Albino is apparently a very special mouse, since he’s at least 50 years old, and the average mouse’s lifespan is 2-3 years. When I raised rats, I sure would have loved to have had some of my favorite rats live that long! I’d love for my cats to live that long! I guess Dabel is going for a sort of anthropomorphized version of animal life that lives even longer than humans in this book, since Albino seems quite naïve. Albino is what we call a REW – red-eyed white – mouse. Their eyes can also be pink or burgundy, although the burgundy shade is more common in fawn or beige-colored rodents.
Darl is a nasty little kid – I’m just not fond of people who don’t like animals. It seems to me that people who don’t like animals lack some certain basic level of empathy. It’s no secret that many serial killers start out by torturing animals. I was glad he only appeared briefly in the beginning of the book – with luck, we won’t have to deal with him again.
The book ends on a cliffhanger, with many strands winding together to create a highly complex plot. I think younger readers might have some trouble with this book – probably 12-13 would be the youngest that would be able to keep track of all this easily. I’m interested to see where this story will go – I’m not certain how many books Dabel plans for this series, but as complex as the story is, I imagine there will be several.
This is a satisfying fantasy for those who enjoy a more complex plot. There are a lot of characters to keep straight, so I think a dramatis personae would be very useful. I’ve tried to add as many as I could to Shelfari as I went through the book, so hopefully that will help future readers who use that site. If you enjoy complex fantasy stories, especially those utilizing animal characters, you should check out Albino.
September 14, 2015
When I was given this book to read I honestly didn't know what to expect, so I gave it a chance. After reading Pantheons I knew that this would also be a great book, in which it was. It reminded me of Seymour Reit's The Secret of Nimh, especially when it came to the Rats fighting against the mice and others fighting against each other as well. E.J. Dabel once again tells an amazing story about a mouse Albino who was raised on a farm with Farmer Springer and a very obnoxious boy named Darl. Not knowing that one day Albino would be sent packing and thrown into an ocean not knowing if he would survive it or not. The next thing that happens is that Albino wakes up in another world or country called Nothengarrd where he makes some pretty awesome friends with A Crow named Corvus two mice named Lita, and Morgenbrisa who are both princesses. Albino also makes friends with a Raccoon Named Arakun and eventually a flying squirrel named Glir, who is pretty funny. Albino also comes to find out that he is an abomination because he is half rat and half mouse due to that fact that his father was the exiled mouse prince Terco Fells and his mother Dazare who was part of the Ma'aldee who tries to overtake the race of mice and of course she being a rat, which makes things more complicated. Besides the friends he makes he also seeks help from the spiritual Guardians who are Master Malmer and a Mountain Beaver at Nindcreek. Nindcreek is described as a very neat sanctuary for those seeking guidance and peace. This is also where Albino discovers his potential for greatness which will no doubt change his life forever if he chooses to accept it. Albino really grows into his own and realizes he can do good for others and not only ends up changing himself for the good but helping others accept change for the better. There were so many twists and turns I honestly didn't know what was going to happen. Throughout the book there are also a few tearjerker moments with Albino in which he has to say goodbye to a few friends that he made on the way through his journey. Lita who is also an amazing character also has some tearjerker and very bittersweet moments. The ending was absolutely awesome. I felt that a lot of things were resolved but the same time there is going to be a lot more that will happen as the series progresses. Not too big of a cliff hanger. I am looking forward to reading the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2012
Albino
by E.J. Dabel
Illustrated by Jorge Correa
217 pages (ebook reviewed) – ages 9+
Published by Sea Lion Books on April 30, 2012
Albino was a large white mouse with blood-red eyes. One day, Daryl, a “street urchin” who Albino’s owner (Farmer Springer) took in, threw Albino into a river near where they live. Albino is carried off by the river to a land far away called Nothengarrd. Albino makes friends with some of the animals that inhabit Nothengarrd. When Albino finds out he is the Hoge Koning (the Emperor of all Nothengarrd), his adventure becomes even more dangerous! The spiritual guardians and the citizens of Nothengarrd were able to rid the lad of the evil Emperor Loucura (a pretty evil rat), but now Loucura has come back to life and wants to take control again and make every creature bow to him (which the citizens swore they would do a long time ago). Albino stands in his way. Can Albino and his new friends stop Loucura?
3 words – It’s totally awesome.
I really couldn’t put this book down! The entire story kept me wanting to find out what happens next. I like how the animals are all intelligent (kind of like Redwall – I think fans of Redwall will really like this book). I like how the animal use the things around them in the woods to make their clothes. Albino is a great main character. He goes through a lot in the book and I really wanted him to succeed. He is considered an “abomination” by the people of Nothengarrd at first because he finds out he is half mouse and half rat, but he proves himself to be a good friend and brave and loyal (and just pretty cool). I also really liked Albino’s father, Terco Fells. Below is an illustration of him. There were a few illustrations in the book. I think the illustrations in the book are great and add to the story.
Mr. Dabel describes the action in the story and scenery of Nothengarrd really well. I felt like I was there.
by E.J. Dabel
Illustrated by Jorge Correa
217 pages (ebook reviewed) – ages 9+
Published by Sea Lion Books on April 30, 2012
Albino was a large white mouse with blood-red eyes. One day, Daryl, a “street urchin” who Albino’s owner (Farmer Springer) took in, threw Albino into a river near where they live. Albino is carried off by the river to a land far away called Nothengarrd. Albino makes friends with some of the animals that inhabit Nothengarrd. When Albino finds out he is the Hoge Koning (the Emperor of all Nothengarrd), his adventure becomes even more dangerous! The spiritual guardians and the citizens of Nothengarrd were able to rid the lad of the evil Emperor Loucura (a pretty evil rat), but now Loucura has come back to life and wants to take control again and make every creature bow to him (which the citizens swore they would do a long time ago). Albino stands in his way. Can Albino and his new friends stop Loucura?
3 words – It’s totally awesome.
I really couldn’t put this book down! The entire story kept me wanting to find out what happens next. I like how the animals are all intelligent (kind of like Redwall – I think fans of Redwall will really like this book). I like how the animal use the things around them in the woods to make their clothes. Albino is a great main character. He goes through a lot in the book and I really wanted him to succeed. He is considered an “abomination” by the people of Nothengarrd at first because he finds out he is half mouse and half rat, but he proves himself to be a good friend and brave and loyal (and just pretty cool). I also really liked Albino’s father, Terco Fells. Below is an illustration of him. There were a few illustrations in the book. I think the illustrations in the book are great and add to the story.
Mr. Dabel describes the action in the story and scenery of Nothengarrd really well. I felt like I was there.
October 25, 2012
Have you ever wanted to visit another world and live a different life than the one you had been living? What if in this new land, you were crowned Emperor and were meant to lead the people against an evil emperor who only wanted to destruct the world and cause harm to the people who live in it. All of these questions are explored in the novel Albino written by E.J Dabel.
In the beginning of Dabel’s story, we meet Albino. Albino is a peculiar mouse. He is all white with red eyes. He lives with Farmer Springer, whom he is able to communicate with. One night during a particularly bad storm, Farmer Springer begins to reminisce with Albino about the night he found him almost 50 years ago. Also living with Albino and Farmer Springer is a boy from the street named Darl. Albino believes that only Farmer Springer can communicate with him, until Darl makes it known that he can understand Albino as well. The morning after the violent storm Darl takes Albino and throws him in the river, hoping to get rid of him forever. Albino awakens in a far-off land called Nothengarrd where he is introduced to Morgenbrisa, another mouse who happens to be a princess. Later, he is introduced to more friends including Lita (another princess), a raccoon, a wise crow, and a flying squirrel. Initially when Albino gets to Nothengarrd he is referred to as an abomination because he is half mouse, half rat. Later through some discovery it is revealed that Hoge Koning (the Emperor of Nothengarrd) has to defeat the Loucura (Emperor of the East) and his creations of Ma’ladees. Will Albino step up and become the emperor he is destined to be?
Check out my full review at- http://lifeand100books.com/2012/10/10...
In the beginning of Dabel’s story, we meet Albino. Albino is a peculiar mouse. He is all white with red eyes. He lives with Farmer Springer, whom he is able to communicate with. One night during a particularly bad storm, Farmer Springer begins to reminisce with Albino about the night he found him almost 50 years ago. Also living with Albino and Farmer Springer is a boy from the street named Darl. Albino believes that only Farmer Springer can communicate with him, until Darl makes it known that he can understand Albino as well. The morning after the violent storm Darl takes Albino and throws him in the river, hoping to get rid of him forever. Albino awakens in a far-off land called Nothengarrd where he is introduced to Morgenbrisa, another mouse who happens to be a princess. Later, he is introduced to more friends including Lita (another princess), a raccoon, a wise crow, and a flying squirrel. Initially when Albino gets to Nothengarrd he is referred to as an abomination because he is half mouse, half rat. Later through some discovery it is revealed that Hoge Koning (the Emperor of Nothengarrd) has to defeat the Loucura (Emperor of the East) and his creations of Ma’ladees. Will Albino step up and become the emperor he is destined to be?
Check out my full review at- http://lifeand100books.com/2012/10/10...
May 8, 2012
As a former middle school librarian, I am confident that Redwall and the Mismantle Chronicle lovers will find this book to their liking. I would recommend they read the adventure of this little white farm mouse!
March 7, 2013
I tried for months to try and read this book, but it was so slow and boring. I don't know if I would have liked it more when I was younger, but as it was I definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone I know, or their children.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews