Recommended Ages: Gr. 8-12

Plot Summary: The Winter King has killed the entire royal family, but before he can become king of Archipelago, he must defeat his enemies (Trolls, Goblins, Elves, Dwarves). He chases John, Charles, and Jack around Archipelago in pursuit of the Imaginarium Geographica (an indistructable book containing maps of Archipelago) and the high ring, thinking those are the key to the silver throne.

Setting: London, Archipelago (fantasy world, main island called Paralon)

Characters: John - primary caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica
Charles - caretaker
Jack - caretaker
Bert - captain of the White Dragon
Aven - Bert's daughter, also captain
Artus (AKA Bug) - rightful king
Winter King - captain of Black Dragon
Shadow-born - soul-less bad guys created by taking the shadow from a person
Magwich - steward for Winter King
Samaranth - dragon
Tummeler - badger, helps caretakers
Professor Sigurdsson - trained John to be caretaker, dies in first chapter
Green Knight - punished to guard the island of Paralon for centuries
Wendigo - most evil bad guys, to become must each flesh of family or friend
Morgaine - three witches on Paralon
Ordo Maas - ancient man, built the ships
Nemo - captain of the Nautilus
Charys - centaur, captain of Green Dragon
Eledir - elf, captain of Blue Dragon
Urek Ko - goblin king, captain of Violet Dragon
Falladay Finn - Dwarf King, captain of Orange Dragon
Violet Dragon - Goblin King
red Dragon - first Dragonship, hasn't been seen since it's creation
Indigo Dragon - destroyed in this book
King Archibald - dead

Recurring Themes: good vs. evil, maps, ships, survival, Pandora's Box, Noah's ark

Controversial Issues: None

Personal Thoughts: I have to admit I'm not a big reader of classic literature, and this book could be compared in terms of the writing style. There are many characters and few seem to be developed enough to me. For example, they mention once that John has a family, but he is taken on this adventure away from his family and they are not mentioned again. I would like to know more about how John feels about leaving his family.

Sophisticated vocabulary is used throughout this book, and there are many literary, historical, mythological, and pop cultural references that make the story more meaningful if you know the reference.

Sadly, this didn't quite work for me. I didn't feel that Owen's characters came alive, and I thought that many of the "surprises" were telegraphed too early and too obviously. I might be optimistic enough to look up the next one, to see if it hits its stride; I normally love this sort of thing! ( )

What a wonderful fantasy story! Here's another one that I can't really say too much about without spoiling the surprise. Let me just say that fantasy fans will find the characters and events a bit familiar, but will be very rewarded for keeping with it. ( )

Centered around an interesting, original idea, this story is a wild ride of a fantasy tale! It is epic and intriguing. And, for many fantasy fans, it's a wonderful homage to the classics of the fantasy genre. ( )

I don't think I can talk about this one without spoiling it, so stop now if you ever intend to read this one and don't want ruined the delight of sorting what's going on here for yourself.

On the night in 1917 when an Oxford professor is mysteriously murdered, three young men who are strangers to one another meet up at the professor's study through a series of coincidences. Shortly they are met by a strange man carrying an important book which he explains is the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of all the imaginary lands. He claims that the professor was training John, one of the young men, to be the Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica and that the Archipelago of Dreams is now under threat from the Winter King. The strange man, Bert, takes the three young men (the other two are named Jack and Charles--anyone have it sorted yet?) to his ship, which, by virtue of its living dragon-head mast, can navigate the barrier between the "real" world and the world mapped in the Imaginarium Geographica. Adventures ensue.

Anyone familiar with any works that might be deemed "fantasy" will find the characters, settings, and situations of the adventures in the Archipelago highly derivative--and that is precisely the point. Or rather, the implication is that those fantasy stories arise when Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica return to the "real" world from the Archipelago and share their wonderful adventures there in the only way they believe they can without being made a laughing stock--by turning their adventures into tales. Past Caretakers include Cervantes, Shakespeare, Poe, and Jules Verne, among others. Our three strangers are Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien, though the book does not reveal this until the last page. (I was pretty sure before the one-third mark.)

The very delight of Here, There Be Dragons is in recognizing the characters and settings from various myths, legends, and tales and celebrating, along with the narrative, the importance to the "real" world of all that is encompassed in the Archipelago of Dreams. I think the revelation of who the three main characters are must be held until the end in order to achieve the desired effect of an ah-ha moment which confirms and underscores that importance of fantasy. But I wonder if suspicion of their real identity is not necessary as well, for that suspicion, once confirmed, creates a delicious sense of having been "in on it" and of having access to something quite wonderful that not just everybody could understand. People, like Eustace in Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader, for instance, who haven't read "the right sort of books," here being marvelous tales involving the imagination rather than dull, practical books, might have difficulties.

This is intertextuality at its delightful, gleeful best and anyone who loves imaginative, fantastic stories will love Here, There Be Dragons for its own adventure, yes, but most for the joy it takes in the adventures that have gone before it. ( )

http://musebookreviews.blogspot.com/2... ( )

A fun read for young adults. ( )

Three young men are thrown together in an adventure when John's Oxford University professor is murdered. Jack is due to start Oxford University next year and Charles works for the Oxford University Press and all are in London answering questions about the professors death. Whilst there the soon to be companions meet the strange Bert who claims to be a friend and entrusts John with a mysterious book called The Imaginarium Geographica.

The book is really an atlas and shows the worlds of the imagination. It is written in many different languages and John has been studying under the tutorship of the late professor and is the new caretaker. The problem is that the Winter King also wants the book and has sent all manner of beasties after them including the wendigo (half man, half wolf) and the shadow-born. The three plus Bert and his crew must sail the Indigo Dragon ship in a race to save all the worlds from the Winter King and being turned into shadows.

I LOVED this book, it as like it was written for me with anything I could possibly want in a novel! There are many references to novels and authors I love including JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Peter Pan, Alice's Adventures in Wonderlan, Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare, HG Wells etc. I know some have faulted it for taking so many ideas, but this is exactly what I adored about it. It fitted the different worlds together in a great adventure with memorable characters. I knew a little about the book to begin with (including Jack and John's identities), but I won't give that away here. Suffice to say anyone with a real love of fantasy needs to read this book! I can't wait to read the next in the series, The Red Dragon. ( )

The first story in the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, this blending of real-life characters and fantasy fiction is a fun-filled journey through mythological and fantastical lands.

Set in 1917, following the death of his Professor, a young man and his companions are entrusted as guardians of the mysterious Imaginarium Geographica. Chased by the vicious Wendigo, creatures that are half-man, half-werewolf, the companions flee with a strange man onto an unusual ship that leads them into the lands described within the atlas that they are protecting, the Archipelago of Dreams. On their journey, the companions discover that the some of the lands in the Archipelago of Dreams are from our own world, such as Avalon. The ship they travel on it one of 7 dragon ships, able to cross between our world and the Archipelago.

They learn that the secrets within this book must be protected in order to bring peace not only to the Archipelago of Dreams, but also in our own world. The Winter King is destroying the Islands in the Archipelago and turning their residents into shadows, forced to fight on his side. To truly become King of the Archipelago however, he needs the Imaginarium Geographica.

Throughout their adventure, it becomes clear that the three companions are more familiar to fantasy readers than first thought. A rollicking ride through multiple fantasy lands, but with a darker tone to the latter part of the book. Richly detailed with intricate iullstrations, Here there be dragons is an excellent start to this series. ( )

Nice Fantasy. Interesting combination of various fantasy stories. Not to crazy about who Charles, Jack, and John are. But you can ignore that for the most part. ( )

I did enjoy this story of three Oxford men who have different careers and who meet by accident and end up saving the world of imagination. While occasionally it did feel like the author was trying too hard to fit some of the pieces of the world of imagination into the story it was still an interesting read.

I did guess who two of the men who met in 221B Baker Street were and I hope to find some reads by the third. If nothing else Owen may have introduced me to a new classic fantasy writer. ( )

Wow, I really enjoyed this YA fantasy novel. It reminded me of LOTR, the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and King Arthur with some great fantasy twists of its own.

It all starts one night when a boy learns his tutor has been murdered and has entrusted him with the care of the Geographica Imaginarium, the atlas that shows maps of all lands, both real and imaginary. John and his friends are taken aboard a ship and sail off to the imaginary, but real lands depicted in the book in an effort to save them and take back those that have been shadowed.

A fantastic adventure story with unusual islands, mysterious characters, and an epic battle for the fate of the world and the soul of a boy. I loved it!
And when it's all said and done, the revelation at the end is a fantastic touch. I'm really excited to read the sequel, Search for the Red Dragon, coming out in January 08.

Oh, this was a fantastic book. It was exciting and thought-provoking and just altogether wonderful! ( )

Let's just say that I would love to see this book made into a film. ( )

An excellent book! I highly recommend it. This book is best if you are really up on your mythology and classics - the more you know or are familiar with, the more you will get out of this book. ( )

In Here There Be Dragons, Owen has created a wonderful fantasy world that is new and familiar at the same time. The story pulls the reader along through a world of trolls, elves, dragons, seafaring, and adventure, weaving bits from the Arthurian legend, Jules Verne, J.R.R. Tolkein, and others. With a satisfying ending that ties everything together and makes the whole book seem even more clever and enjoyable. And I don't really even like fantasy stories. ( )

I had high hopes for this book; but somewhere along the way it faltered. It started out very entertaining. The concept, that there was a way to get between this reality and fantasy worlds via a set of maps, was really cool. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the author did such a great job executing it.

I picked up this book at the bookstore because of the following reasons:

1) It had the word "dragons" in the title;
2) The cover was excellent, intriguing, and promised grand adventure;
3) At the backcover, it had glowing testimonials from authorsOrson Scott Card and Kai Meyer.

I bought it at a gamble, not knowing anything about it --- that the movie rights to it had already been sold and what not; nor its plot contained an element that would amuse or irritate a Tolkienite like me.

I found out about those facts soon enough, when I got home and surfed the web for reviews. I found mostly good ones, btw.

I finished the book in one day. It draws you into the story in a rush, and you follow it without a second thought.

It makes references to a lot of ancient myths and legends, and even relatively modern tales. It's the stuff of dreams you'll find in this book.

I think if you're a lover of fantasy, you'll love it. You'll love the idea of boarding a dragonship and crossing the border into the Archipelago of Dreams where enchanted lands and chivalrous characters live and breathe.

It's an adventurous book with lots of humorous banter, but knows when to serve a slice of sorrow.

And that one detail -- a very simple detail that any Tolkien nut would spot a few pages into the story -- makes for a very amusing (and cheesily, a goosebumpy) ending. (stay away from writeups in the internet because they give this detail away! I myself saw the spoilers)

It's a fun read. And the cover's promise is true: here, there be dragons. ( )