Every mouse knows: Beware the Grill.
On the other side of the Grill lie the sewers, where bloodthirsty gangs of rats roam the tunnels. It is in the depths of this blackness that the mysterious god Jupiter has his lair.
But one curious mouse can't resist the perilous world beyond the Grill, and soon no mouse can ignore its dangers any longer. Before the alter of Jupiter himself, a small band of mice must face evil at its strongest, or the entire city of London could be destroyed.
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"Read this one to the kids. Really pretty good. It was pretty dark in places, but exciting and it had a very satisfying ending, as well as great bad guys, especially when the god Jupiter shows up. the writing is a little weak in places, but it might be because he is British and I am from California "
— Jason (4 out of 5 stars)
“A spooky and enthralling animal fantasy…Jarvis provides counterpoint to the heart-racing adventure with scenes of haunting beauty…[and] conveys a sense of place powerful enough to elevate the South London boroughs of Greenwich and Blackheath to requisite stops on any bookish child's literary tour of the British capital.”
— Publishers Weekly“Imparting life to talking mice, rats, bats, and cats would present a challenge to any narrator, but Roe Kendall manages the job with skill and imagination….Roe Kendall gives each creature a distinctive voice. Her performance facilitates the story's required suspension of disbelief.”
— AudioFile" The Depford mice was a fun read "
— Belinda, 2/17/2014" What is it with authors and books about mice? Are rodents really that interesting? I could barely get through the first Redwall book, so of course I couldn't stomach this one. If I come across another book with giant enemy rats, I think I'm going to declare war on anthropomorphism. Simply turning your characters into animals does not make them interesting! "
— Ryan, 2/10/2014" adventures of mice-Audrey, Picadilly & Twit search for things evil & unknown. They have a fatal encounter w/Jupiter the cobof the rats. "
— Vicki, 2/9/2014" If I had read this when I was younger I would have thought it was better. "
— Danny, 2/5/2014" More classic and vital reading for a child. Good vs Evil, the root of all good childrens stories. "
— Simon, 1/23/2014" Read this as a kid - the kind of story that really captures you and takes you along for the ride. "
— Donna, 1/18/2014" Well, I haven't finished it yet but it sEems like a great book. I highly reccomend it so far "
— cassie, 1/17/2014" One that i remembered reading as a kid.... brilliant series of books! :) "
— Simon, 1/17/2014" Great book read it when I was a kid, thought I'd be a little old for it now but actually really good. Come to think of it, it is a little dark and scary for kids to read. "
— Christopher, 1/17/2014" I read this series when I was younger and really liked it, but I had started to re-read it a while back and found that I didn't really like it so much. "
— Joanna, 12/11/2013" I was surprised at how dark a novel about mice could be. It's been a while since I've read it, but this book reminds me a lot of Watership Down. While it is not a light read, I enjoyed the world and characters that Jarvis created. "
— Becky, 11/17/2013" Start of another great series by Jarvis - very well written - different perspective reminded me a bit of The Secret of NIMH - only darker. Looking forward to the next one! "
— Virginia, 10/29/2013" Seems a little dark for the age that it is written for. He was a little too careless about characters that he kills off through out the book. Other than that it was fun to read, though my 14 year old tried to read it also and did not like it. "
— Jailynn, 9/23/2013" Warriors books, but with mice. Boring and icky. 'Nuff said. "
— Hilary, 9/8/2013" probably a good children's book. I dunno. nothing will ever compare to redwall as far as adventuring rodents. don't even try. thanks. "
— Ellie, 7/1/2013" A great book for kids of all ages, this novel follows the adventures of the Deptford Mice and the dark portal where the evil Jupiter lives. "
— Tim, 2/3/2013" A series of childhood books I've never forgotten. "
— Louisa, 11/7/2012" A decent, cute story. What made it the most fun was listening to Tom Baker reading this with such enthusiasm and gusto. "
— Eric, 10/11/2012" just got reminded of these by the fact they're doing a live version at wimbledon theatre. it was one of my favourites as a kid, i read all these deptford mice books multiple times. great stuff! "
— Talkingtocactus, 9/25/2012" Read this one to the kids. Really pretty good. It was pretty dark in places, but exciting and it had a very satisfying ending, as well as great bad guys, especially when the god Jupiter shows up. the writing is a little weak in places, but it might be because he is British and I am from California "
— Jason, 4/4/2012" just got reminded of these by the fact they're doing a live version at wimbledon theatre. it was one of my favourites as a kid, i read all these deptford mice books multiple times. great stuff! "
— Talkingtocactus, 4/8/2011" Wonderfully terrifying when I was young "
— Teresa, 12/9/2010" I read this in my Books-about-mice phase. Though I hardly remember it, I have a vague recollection that it was good. "
— alltheromans, 11/5/2010" Brief afterward by Peter Glassman places this series in context. I'll move on to volume 2 before commenting. "
— Peter, 8/18/2010" More classic and vital reading for a child. Good vs Evil, the root of all good childrens stories. "
— Simon, 3/10/2010" My son asked me to read this book and I found it entertaining and a little more morbid than I expected. "
— Kim, 8/14/2009" Fun. <br/>A great story about idolatry and survivng in the dark depths. Several scenes are wonderful, especially the revelation of evil Jupiter. Several characters are done well. But there are also long streaches of not much happening, and several characters who would do well to repent. "
— Troy, 7/27/2009" I was surprised at how dark a novel about mice could be. It's been a while since I've read it, but this book reminds me a lot of Watership Down. While it is not a light read, I enjoyed the world and characters that Jarvis created. "
— Becky, 5/16/2009" Read this as a kid - the kind of story that really captures you and takes you along for the ride. "
— Donna, 12/9/2008" Seems a little dark for the age that it is written for. He was a little too careless about characters that he kills off through out the book. Other than that it was fun to read, though my 14 year old tried to read it also and did not like it. <br/> <br/> "
— Jailynn, 10/31/2008" Start of another great series by Jarvis - very well written - different perspective reminded me a bit of The Secret of NIMH - only darker. Looking forward to the next one! "
— Virginia, 6/3/2008" I hated this book, and it was one of the very few that I will never finish. <br/>Little kid book with obvious plot. In the words of Danny Whitney, 'It's crap' (haha). "
— Adam, 5/23/2008Robin Jarvis was born in Liverpool, England, and studied graphic design in college. He worked in television and advertising before becoming a full-time author and illustrator. It was while working at a company that made characters for TV programs and advertising that he began making sketches of mice. From these drawings, the idea for the Deptford Mice was born. The Dark Portal, short-listed for the 1989 Smarties Book Prize in England, was followed by two more titles in the series, The Crystal Prison and The Final Reckoning. He lives in London.
Roe Kendall (a.k.a. Vanessa Benjamin), a native of the British Isles, graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London. She has performed on stage, as a voice-over artist, and as an audiobook narrator.