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Here, There Be Dragons: Book Review

A Rousing Fantasy Adventure For All Ages by James A. Owens

Oct 12, 2008

James A. Owen weaves a thrilling, high-seas adventure story in this first installment of a seven book series, which is also being developed for a major motion picture.

Here, There Be Dragons is a tale with a unique twist that blends real life fantasy authors together with classic fantasy characters and faraway lands.

Short Synopsis

Three men are brought together by the murder of a beloved professor and as a result, embark on an incredible journey to save the world from an evil ruler known as, The Winter King.

Theme

Dark and Light play a major role in this story as one of the main characters, Jack, struggles with seduction towards the dark side.

Story Intro

During World War I in London, three men, Jack, Charles, and John have all arranged to meet one other mentors, Professor Sigurdsson at his residence. They find the Professor murdered and a stranger named Bert claims they must immediately flee to his ship, the Indigo Dragon, to save the trio from the same fate of the Professor. They narrowly escape with a magical book called the Imaginarium Geographica and use it to sail to a magical realm known as the Archipelago.

Bert reveals that John is new Caretaker of the book and that an evil being known as the Winter King from his world seeks the Geographica to conquer all the lands in the Archipelago. Thus begins their journey through different lands to uncover the mystery of the Imaginarium Georgraphica in a mixture of high-seas adventure, perilous danger, and heroic efforts.

Review

One of the best features of the book are Owen's own black & white, highly detailed illustrations that accompany each chapter. Here, There Be Dragons is written for younger audiences from ages 10 and up, but is told in an engaging way for adult readers to enjoy as well. The story moves rapidly from one encounter to the next, keeping up a good momentum for the story.

Readers well versed in previous fantasy literature will enjoy the numerous fantasy allusions found in the story. The allusions serve as a surprising revelation at the end when the identities of the main characters are revealed, a satisfying payoff for the book.In the end, Here, There Be Dragons is a fun, exciting read and a great addition to the fantasy genre.

Awards & Recognition

Nominated for the ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Here, There Be Dragons - The Movie

The series has been picked up by a major movie studio and will be produced by David S. Goyer who wrote screenplays for Blade I & II, Dark City, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight.

About the Author

James A. Owen has worked professionally as a writer and illustrator for over two decades. He has worked on two dozen Starchild comics and books including the forthcoming six-volume Set of Complete Essential Starchild followed by Starchild: Mythopolis II. Owen's first novel, Mythworld, won the 2003 AI award for Best Novel and was nominated for the Phantastik Preis for Best International Novel.

Here, There Be Dragons is the first in a seven-volume series of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica.

Here, There Be Dragons

Written & Illustrated by James A. Owen

Published by Simon and Schuster, 2006

ISBN 1416912274, 9781416912279

337 pages

Hardcover - $17.95

Paperback - $9.99

The copyright of the article Here, There Be Dragons: Book Review in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction is owned by Joe Lam. Permission to republish Here, There Be Dragons: Book Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.