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| The Indigo King (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica) | 
 enlarge | Creator: James A. Owen
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $17.99
Buy New: $9.90
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 8804
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1.6
ISBN: 1416951075
EAN: 9781416951070
ASIN: 1416951075
Publication Date: October 21, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new condition! We ship daily! Over 50,000 books in stock! (1sb)
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Product Description
"Answer the question unanswered for more than two millennia, and perhaps you may yet restore the world."On a September evening in 1931, John and Jack, two of the Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica, discover a cryptic warning on a medieval manuscript -- which is not only addressed to them but seems to have been written by their friend, Hugo Dyson! But before they can discover the origin of the strange book, Hugo walks through a door in time -- and vanishes into the past. And in that moment, the world begins to change. The Frontier, which separates our world from the Archipelago of Dreams, has fallen. Dark and terrible beasts roam throughout England. No one can be summoned from the Archipelago. And both worlds have fallen into darkness under the reign of a cruel and terrible king. The only hope to restore the proper order of things lies on a forgotten island at the edge of the Archipelago, where a time travel device left by Jules Verne must be used to race through history itself -- from the Bronze Age to ancient Alexandria and the founding of the Silver Throne -- in one night. And in that single night, John and Jack will find that the only way to save their friend and stop the chaos destroying the world is to solve a 2,000-year-old mystery: Who is the Cartographer?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Interesting for fans of the series or of CS Lewis October 23, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was my first reading of one of the "Imaginarium Geographica" series. The author does explain some of the past history from previous books, but does not go into as much detail as other works I have read. So I found myself "catching up" with basic priciples of the series while I read.
As a fan of both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, I enjoyed watching their characters work out the various problems; it is evident that the author is quite knowledgable of their lives and thoughts (especially Lewis). In fact, the epilog indicates that the author wrote this book specifically because it details a certain evening stroll that happend in "real", not fictional, history, because he wanted to show some of the thinking behind the conversion of CS Lewis to Christianity. The author feels that this evening stroll and the conversation had a great impact on Lewis.
That being said, the work is pure fantasy, and I think that Mr. Tolkien and Mr. Lewis were not quite as active as the novel suggests. Think Tolkien or Lewis combined with a bit of Indiana Jones and you will get a sense of what I am saying. The novel has them jumping around in time attempting to change events that were accidentally modified in the time of King Arthur, but we get to see ancient Greece, Alexandria, and the early dark ages. For anyone familiar with the Grail legends, this will be interesting reading. Indeed, to really comprehend the various references, the reader should be somewhat familiar with these subjects as well as ancient mythology and history. It can be read as a simple story without such knowledge, but it would lose some of it's inner meanings - but I suppose such a reader would never know the difference!
The book reads very quickly; the writing style gets on with the tale, without a lot of description. I found the story line to be a bit predictable, though the author did not hint as to the final ending.
Alternate realities, Stonehenge, talking animals, immortal beings who live for millenia, giants and dragons, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Authur, Merlin and Mordred; this book has all the ingredients of a fine fantasy tale. The fact that the author puts all of this together in a coherent fashion is worthwile in and of itself.
The book is suitable for children, who would lock onto the fantasy and ignore the various peeks back into Authurian legends.
While I enjoyed the book, I do not feel the need to rush out and read other titles in the series, so I gave this four stars instead of five. In general, I'm not sure this is my kind of fantasy work. But I recommend it for reading - if you like this kind of combination it may be addicting.
 An incredibly engaging story that builds into the Imaginarium Geographica series and James Owen's legacy October 27, 2008
An interesting story which was wonderfully executed, The Indigo King is a story no fantasy fan should miss.
The story follows the adventures of all-time favorite writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, which occur throughout history and mythology, from Homeric Myth to Arthurian Lore, all perfectly bound with the flawless craftsmanship James Owen has displayed throughout the series.
This is an easy read, quite dynamic, and very hard to put down. Everyone should find something compelling in this story: kids will love the engaging plot and adults will love the numerous references to milestones in world literature, varied mythology, and even events of true world history.
As always, a big plus with this series is that, as an adult, you will feel compelled to brush on your literature; and you will find children interested in many classic authors, opening their horizons considerably. They will joyfully go back to Dickens, Verne and many more.
The Indigo King is the third part of The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Georgraphica. Here, There Be Dragons and The Search for the Red Dragon are parts 1 and 2. I strongly recommend all three of them.
A fantastic adventure for young people October 31, 2008
The Indigo King by James A. Owen is a wonderful adventure for young people that uses time travel to weave history and mythology of two alternate worlds. It is alive with problems to solve, obstacles to overcome, and challenges to take.
The adventure begins with English scholars and a time portal, then along comes talking animals, kings and wizards, giants and dragons. There are magic, battles, and heros.
The pace is fast enough to keep your attention and most of the mysteries are solved.
I would recommend it for any teen or older reader. I am well beyong teen and enjoyed it.
The magic of myths November 2, 2008
I have not read the first two books of the "Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica." But even though I was not familiar with what has been going on in the Chronicles, I found the third volume, "The Indigo King," fascinating.
One September night, John and Jack, Oxford scholars, and their friend Hugo encounter a mysterious door bearing the image of the Holy Grail. When Hugo crosses the door and vanishes, the world as the three friends knew it changes--for the worse. England becomes Albion, a desolate and mythical land ruled by their foe, Mordred. And to make matters worse, Mordred has also destroyed the Archipelago of Dreams, the world John and Jack were responsible of as Caretakers of its atlas, the Imaginarium Geographica. The Archipelago was the place where fables and legends were real. John and Jack realize that Hugo's crossing has disrupted timelines and history itself and to repair the damage, they must travel through time to find Hugo and to discover Mordred's real name in order to prevent him from coming into power.
In "The Indigo King," James Owen has woven a captivating adventure that cleverly blends historical and mythological figures and events. A number of historical personalities make their appearances in this book but as the story develops, I easily forgot that John was J.R.R. Tolkien, Jack was C.S. Lewis, and Bert, H.G. Wells. The only times I was aware of John as being Tolkien and Jack as being Lewis were during their conversations about Christianity and faith. As to the legends and myths incorporated in the plot, I think if you're familiar with the Odyssey, the Iliad, and the Arthurian legends, you will enjoy this book a lot more and understand it a bit better. What with time loops and name changes, I had to write myself notes, so that I could keep the who was who straight.
The publishers targeted this book to young adults, but if I don't see "The Indigo King" flying off the shelves is because, I think, it may be hard for a teen to identify himself or herself with tea-sipping, fortyish Oxford professors (actually, in 1931, Tolkien was 39 years old; Lewis, 33; Charles Williams, 45 and Hugo Dyson, 35). However, I don't have any doubts that this fantasy book will find its way into the hands and heart of anybody who loves the magic of fables, legends, and myths.
A Better than Excellent Fantasy Thriller November 17, 2008
Stop right here if you have not read HERE THERE BE DRAGONS and THE SEARCH FOR THE RED DRAGON. Though you can read this book without having read the first two in the trilogy, it would be a mistake, because if you're a lover of fantasy, you'd be missing a couple royal treats and they'll make this book so much more fun.
In HERE THERE BE DRAGONS, we met Jack and John and though Mr. Owen didn't disclose their try identities till the end of the book, I figured it out. Anyone who's read Tolkin and C.S. Lewis would have. Jack (Lewis), John (Tolkien) and Charles Williams (also a fantasy writer of the time) become caretakers of the world's imagination and there adventures continue in a swashbuckling way in THE SEARCH FOR THE RED DRAGON, where they meet a pixie with wings and the creator of Peter Pan.
Both books held me captive and Mr. Owens' illustrations only added to their pleasure. This book continues the tale as our intrepid heros are called back into action when a friend vanishes through a door in time and things in the present start changing and not for the better. Jack and John have to find Jules Verne's time machine, go back in time and fix whatever damage their friend may have done and in this book they will finally learn the identity of the Cartographer, who you will know a little about if you've read the first two books, which I can't recommend highly enough.
If you've read Tolkein and Lewis and H.G. Wells and Sir James Barrie's PETER PAN then you'll get even more enjoyment out of Mr. Owens' work, but even if you have not, you will still find yourself engrossed in an excellent fantasy from the first to the last page.
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