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| Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica) | 
 enlarge | Creator: James A. Owen
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Category: Book
List Price: $9.99
Buy New: $3.99
You Save: $6.00 (60%)
New (29) Used (20) Collectible (1) from $2.05
Avg. Customer Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 201778
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 1416912282
EAN: 9781416912286
ASIN: 1416912282
Publication Date: October 23, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New - Has remainder mark. Fast shipping from trusted wholesaler with many exclusive publisher contracts.
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Product Description
The Imaginarium Geographica...
"What is it?" John asked. The little man blinked and arched an eyebrow. "It is the world, my boy," he said. "All the World, in ink and blood, vellum and parchment, leather and hide. It is the World, and it is yours to save or lose." An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the first World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica -- an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship the Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams. Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds. And in the process, they will share a great adventure filled with clues that lead listeners to the surprise revelation of the legendary storytellers these men will one day become. An extraordinary journey of myth, magic, and mystery, Here, There Be Dragons introduces James A. Owen as a formidable new talent.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 34 more reviews...
 Soars to stratospheric heights October 2, 2006
25 out of 29 found this review helpful
Here's some interesting news...this book has already been picked up by Warner Brothers, and Batman Begins screenwriter David Goyer and Harry Potter producer David Heyman will be the producers of this movie. Boy was that fast! There is good reason that Hollywood is interested in this, because it is a story filled with magic from the first to last page.
The story begins in 1917, and we are treated to delightful characterizations of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. (Jack) Lewis, and Charles Williams, who didn't know each other then but would later become friends and members of the famous Inklings group, a group of Christian writers and, I believe, Oxford professors who - for lack of a better phrase at this moment - hung out, smoked pipes, and talked about the writing they were working on.
I wish their identities weren't already widely known, for reasons that will be clear at the end of the book, but I doubt that many people reading this book would have been at all surprised. Three "Oxford men", all writers, all of whom possessed a strong imagination (according to their initial rescuer and guide, Bert)...who else could they possibly be?
About this book. I didn't just love it. I am amazed, breathless, and nearly speechless - I can't believe the author was brave enough to attempt such a daring undertaking and more so that he pulled it off so perfectly.
We are taken into the most marvelous of worlds, guided by the Imaginarium Geographica, a world where everything that has ever been imagined (and possibly things that are true...depends on your take) exist.
Owens guides us through all of these worlds like a skilled navigator, and time and again we run into situations, people, and physical structures that bear a remarkable similarity to what we have seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, and I'm sure much of Charles Williams writing, although I am unfamiliar with his work.
It's such a delight to see these similarities, as they act as a time traveling machine, but I will mention only one.
The main characters and their companions are at a structure that they know to be a door, but there is no discernible handle or keyhole. There is, however, some writing in Elvish that says, "Declare allegiance, and be welcomed." For anyone remotely familiar with Tolkien's work, this is immediately recognized as a scene directly out of The Fellowship of the Ring, where the nine companions are trying to gain entrance to the Mines of Moria. In FOTR, the Elvish script read, "Speak, friend, and enter." Eventually Gandalf (although in the movie I think it's Merry) realizes that one needs only to say the Elvish word for "friend" and the doors will open. They do so, and the doors open. In the scene in Here, There Be Dragons, Jack puts forth the idea that perhaps all they need to do is speak the Elvish word for "allegiance", and the door will open. John says, "That's a stupid idea." You can't help but laugh.
Gems like the one described above are all over this book, and the spell they cast over the reader (this one at least) is bewitching. Part of the page turning tension of the book comes from the actual story itself, the other half waiting to see what new "gem" you'll find on the next page.
The author also was the illustrator for the book and they brought this remarkable world and its equally remarkable characters to even greater heights of believability than Owens' *extraordinary* writing. Owens is a very, very gifted artist - here I am also of the written word, not only of the paintbrush. One picture I'm certain was directly influenced by a painting John R. Neill did for one of Baum's original Oz books. It was delightful, to again be taken back to something I so dearly loved as a child.
Orson Scott Card makes a rather powerful statement (see above in his quote). I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, but I'll be extremely surprised if this book doesn't enjoy remarkable success. It's easy to tell by the quality of the book and the paper the book was printed on that Simon & Schuster will be surprised as well. This is certainly better than any other book I've read that had anything to do with dragons in quite some time. Years. Maybe a decade or two - whenever McCaffrey's first Pern book came out would be how far I'd have to go. Yet this really isn't about dragons. It's about the magic we come across every time we pick up a book and that book takes us to a wonderful place. The place doesn't need to be Oz, Prydain, Middle Earth, Narnia, or other distinct and fully imagined world, it can be our world too.
The book is marketed to Young Adults, but this should appeal to any adult who ever read fantasy when younger. You will remember why you read fantasy as a young adult, and wonder why you ever stopped.
10/11/06 - Why isn't this book selling by the tens of thousands? I'm genuinely puzzled, unless the references to Lewis's and Tolkien's works are too "old" for younger readers. But I can't imagine how. Young readers of fantasy have read (or seen)Tolkien, and most have read (or seen part of) Lewis. BUY THIS BOOK. It's truly extraordinary.
 I'm of two minds on this one. October 20, 2006
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
I am a big Inkling fan. I am the only one I know personally who has read Charles Williams. I have read the LOTR, Silmarillion, and other Tolkien works. I have read most of C. S. Lewis and paged through OHEL and Allegory of Love. I have read biographies of Tolkien and Williams and several biographies of Lewis. I was excited when I read about this book and immediately bought it. I haven't read "Young Adult" fiction for a long time so I'm not sure how this book measures up. The book is well paced and it has some interesting scenes. It steals creatively from Lewis, Tolkien and other fantasy writers. It reminds me most of a Williams novel, but Williams, confusing as he is, wrote far more interesting novels than this. Though, I admit I had a hard time putting this book down.
The bad side is if you know anything about the Inklings, you'll be disappointed in the novel. Lewis, Tolkien, and Williams are ill defined. Lewis becomes a figure of decisive action and spunk. Williams becomes the practical one, who must keep both feet on the ground. Excuse me, this is the guy who wrote a play and forced all his coworkers to be in it at the Christmas party. He made his boss a king. He viewed London as a magical New Jerusalem. Williams had his head and body in the clouds.
The logic of the plot is deeply flawed at times. They lose the map and the ring of power. The villian who stole them is in a row boat. They are on a magical ship that does not need the wind to move and that seems to sense where the magic objects are. Should they chase the villian? No, they must continue onto a person who may or may not help them. One more thing. He keeps the identity of characters secret. He reveals at the end that Jack is C. S. Lewis. The author claims that Warnie started calling him that and it stuck. The real story is that Lewis chose the name for himself when he was a toddler and refused to answer to anything else (actually, it was Jacksie and it was shortened to Jack when he was older.) This is how his parents and his brother, Warnie, started calling him Jack. Another problem, Lewis, Williams and Tolkien were all Christian writers. This book has one of the characters encouraging the three amigos to pray to the stars. Lewis and Tolkien would object to that I'm sure. Williams would probably argue both sides.
I'll stop. The book is a fast read and somewhat fun one. The book has some nice scenes and an imaginative plot. I am disappointed in the poor execution of a cool plot idea and some of the sloppy writing.
 I'm tired of good ideas-give me a good story! November 28, 2006
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
I am an avid fantasy reader and I'm amazed by some of the positive reviews about this book. Owen certainly starts out with a great idea but the plot and characters fail to fulfill their potential. Aven in particular was an incredibly frustrating character. She was captain of the Dragonship and yet Jack is the only one who was ever useful on the ship and particularly in combat. She is the only one who carries a weapon and yet when they go to the Keep of Time she conveniently leaves her sword behind so that the men can rescue everyone instead. She is critical of everyone and overdramatic. At the end of the book she suddenly becomes the love interest of the orphaned boy who is the last remaining descendent of the King (of course). Apparently that's all she's good for. Surprisingly, most other reviewers seem to have no problem with the blatant racial stereotyping of the villains in the book. The descriptions are bad enough but the illustrations made me cringe. Owen is so clearly pleased with his own cleverness at devising this idea that he leaves the plot and characters to their own devices. By the time Owen started pulling rabbits out of his hat at the end of the book (who the three heroes are, who Bert is)I had given up, and so will you. This book is one of the many reasons why people continue to snub Fantasy as something less than literature. Readers need to start demanding a solid story with real characters to complement the fun ideas. This book has plenty of fun ideas, but that's about it.
Brilliant! September 17, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Though listed as a Young Adult book, and I am sure young adults would love it, I can tell you that this 47 year old devoured this book. A wonderful tapestry of fanatsy worlds woven together in one place, and creating an amazing background for an adventure. Worth the money for Mr. Owens rich illustrations alone , the book is a rollicking adventure tale that any fantasy lover will enjoy. I highly recommend it. But a piece of advice, take your time with it, I read it all in 2 days and can't wait for a sequel!
Fantasy Inklings October 29, 2006
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
Here There Be Dragons is one of my favorite sorts of fantasy: Three strangers meet in the mundane world of 1917 London and shortly find themselves plunged into a struggle to save the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas which holds the key to understanding (and saving) the Archipelago of Dreams.
John, Jack, and Charles are all well drawn characters, and their adventures as they journey through the Archipelago are exciting. The young adult audience at which this book is primarily aimed will find it irrestistable.
But the reader who has a bit of background knowledge and experience with fantasy will quickly recognize that there's more to Here There Be Dragons than that. Such readers will find themselves enjoying the clever allusions to other fantasy works and will quickly get more than an "inkling" that Owen has tapped into the main veins of the works of three major writers. They will not be surprised when John, Jack, and Charles' full names are revealed at the end of the book.
Young adult readers may not be as familiar with the milieu from which Here There Be Dragons springs, but it is to be hoped that they will go on to read many other fantasy works, and in so doing will come to recognize Mr. Owen's accomplishment even more.
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