Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, #1)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Here, There Be Dragons (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #1)

by James A. Owen (Goodreads Author)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 4,377 ratings · 518 reviews

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 fir...more

Hardcover, 326 pages

Published September 26th 2006 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

What To Read After Harry Potter

79th out of 1,087 books — 3,185 voters

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

Fantasy Books Set in Two Worlds

57th out of 416 books — 518 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jun 26, 2011 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Can I give above a 5-star? Because if I could, I would. This book was fantastic! It has a twist at the end, and once you read it, you go "Omigosh, are you serious? How did I not pick up on that?!" and suddenly you love this book all the more. The idea of a sort of parallel universe has been done before, but Owen has done an excellent job with originality. Read it, you will love it, I'm positive!

14 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2012 Jonathan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourite-series, favourites

Well I've decided: having read far too many reviews of this that simply pointed out the flat characterisation and the unoriginal nature of this book that it needs a bit of a lift from yours truly. So here is my attempt.

Now as I mentioned before (once upon a time) I love fairytales, mythology and legends. That is why I appreciated the magical sparkle of this book. Some might state that this book is unoriginal and flat however I personally found it to contain an original premise and interesting en...more Well I've decided: having read far too many reviews of this that simply pointed out the flat characterisation and the unoriginal nature of this book that it needs a bit of a lift from yours truly. So here is my attempt.

Now as I mentioned before (once upon a time) I love fairytales, mythology and legends. That is why I appreciated the magical sparkle of this book. Some might state that this book is unoriginal and flat however I personally found it to contain an original premise and interesting enough characters to drive the plot. Perhaps it would not stand up to scrutiny like some of the other books I have rated five stars in terms of depth. However I rate this as a five star novel due to the combination of incredible plot and the fact that an author has actually written a novel that appealed to me directly.

I did not find James A. Owen's work condescending, although others have differed in their opinion (I find that when it comes to this novel readers hold either a love-it or hate-it opinion). After all when you come to truly love a novel (as when you love a person) you readily ignore any obvious flaws. Failing to love however makes those flaws blatantly obvious. And if no one disagrees with you then there may be something wrong with you (for instance you could be a dictator ruling with an iron fist).

This novel may just, however, be one that appeals more to those life-long fans of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings and the other classics of that era. Someone noted that this work seems to be a collection of those classics and questioned how the characters would know their books would become classics. Of course the reviewer is valid in their questioning logic yet I respectfully disagree with their original starting point. This is not a book about the classics but rather is a book which hints at how those classics were given life. Which is a different thing from my perspective.

All the ideas in this work are perhaps why some state it is an unoriginal book. The plot follows three young friends as they are brought into the understanding of the existence of the Archipelago of Dreams. This is a land of fantasy linked to the real world and made up (as the name suggests - duh) of dreams and ideas. Here the mythological creatures, fairytales and legends exist. Such as King Arthur for instance. Also in this world exist the characters out of the books such as Captain Nemo (which is Owen's way of saying the authors were inspired by the characters in the Archipelago - which rather than being unimaginative I found rather clever).

It was interesting thinking about the plot just now. I believe that it would provide a very interesting case study in the idea of the mono-mythic story. You have the typical evil versus good with evil being defeated. Of course I believe (as the story suggests) that there is one narrative underlying all of society and life in which supernatural evil is defeated ultimately and all our stories spring from that. As such I have a love of the traditional epic fantasy styles and fairytale styles where good triumphs and the stories aren't focused on super gritty realism and too complicated plot threads.

If you like what I've said then give this book a chance. It's a little unknown book compared to some and it is nice to find a little gem that no one has heard of that you can recommend to other people and get them excited about. Much better than a super hyped up novel that does not deliver I believe.(less)

11 likes · like · see review

Aug 23, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Library edition...to the head of the line it goes!

This book started out well and I was immediately interested. The characters are interesting and the story begins to roll along laying out the basic idea and the overriding theme. Unfortunately it's not long before the book bogs down...I suppose overwhelmed by it's own "wonder".

I know that some love this (these) books. I can even see why, I know there are readers who will be totally enamored by the very things that finally caused the book to fall...more Library edition...to the head of the line it goes!

This book started out well and I was immediately interested. The characters are interesting and the story begins to roll along laying out the basic idea and the overriding theme. Unfortunately it's not long before the book bogs down...I suppose overwhelmed by it's own "wonder".

I know that some love this (these) books. I can even see why, I know there are readers who will be totally enamored by the very things that finally caused the book to fall out of my "good books" (possibly a double meaning there). I think it might be said of this book and my reaction to it that I just "missed the magic". In the end I wasn't sucked into the "feel" of the book. There came a time in the book about when they reached the Keep of Time (he said mysteriously being careful not to reveal more than the name lest there be a spoiler) that I knew I was fading out. When you're reading a book and your mind keeps wandering off to what you plan to read next, when you should start dinner, or whether you've checked the mail today or not, something's wrong.

I suspect many of you will find the setting and the idea behind the book familiar. It has been done before. You'll also recognize the characters (or at least who they're supposed to be) as you come across them, though they've been played fast and loose with at times. I got through the book, but I skipped forward several times. The author is doing his best to bring you into his world and get you to "know" his characters. Unfortunately this often devolves into long, pointless conversations that sometimes attempt to move beyond plot exposition into "cuteness" and humor. Too often however they manage to only be slow, boring, or even silly and annoying.

I suppose I should look at this as a youth book and accept that as the reason for the above, but I see no reason to talk down to YA readers???

The above is of course (as always) only my opinion. I know many liked this book and it's sequels greatly, I however do not. I didn't get into this volume, was glad to see it end and don't plan to follow it up. If it's a book you like I'm happy for you, please enjoy. Not for me however. I didn't hate it, mostly I was only left cold and bored by it. (less)

9 likes · like · see review

Aug 10, 2010 Luqman Hakim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Pertama kali tertarik sama buku ini, tentu saja... karena di sini ada naga!
dan naga dalam cover buku ini "beda" dengan naga2 yang pernah saya lihat sepanjang hidup saya memainkan game, nonton film, maupun komik2 yang pernah memunculkan naga sebelum2nya...

ya.. "beda"

bahkan sempat merasa sedikit aneh dengan gambar naga ini, alih2 memiliki moncong seperti buaya aligator *begitulah rata2 naga yang nempel d benak saya*

http://www.playkon.com/uploads/2009/0...

ini naga yang ada d benak saya dari game Dragon Age

ini naga yang ada d benak saya dari game Dragon Age

Dengan moncong yang seperti paruh, naga d...more

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 16, 2010 Lauren aka John Matthew's Girl rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, young-adult-teen-new-adult

James A. Owen took the words "What If", and created a wonderful series and how! He said what if the some of the world's greatest authors and playwrights such as William Shakespeare, Jules Vern, James Barrie, H.G. Wells, J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams came up with their stories and plays not purely from imagination, but from very real events. Well he did just that in what is one of the hands-down best fantasy series out there. From the first page i was utterly captivated, John Jac...more

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 01, 2007 Patty Cryan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of literary fiction

Shelves: youngadultfantasy

Title/Author : Here, There Be Dragons - Volume One of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, written and illustrated by James A. Owen

Publisher/Publication Date: Simon and Schuster, October 2006

ISBN: 1416912274

Price: $17.95

Core audience: ages 12 and up

Strengths: descriptive language, imaginative setting, strong characters, literary allusions

Review: This is THE book that I would have felt was personally written for me when I was a teenaged bookworm. The author is known for his work on grap...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 25, 2009 Teri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-5-star-books

Well I wasnt expecting to give this a 5 star rating when I was 1\3 or even 1\2 way through the book. I was thinking maybe a 4ish..
It does start out a little hard to feel engaged.
The characters are also a little hard to connect with.
But by the end I was very fascinated with the characters\plot\history\mythology and how the writer has built and intertwined all these elements into one world. how this one place could be the whole base of not only our various gods and mythical ledgends but the very p...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2012 Mith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, wizards-n-dragons, time-travel, i-needz-moar, fairy-tales, love-the-cover, owned

Even before I begin to write this review, I know right away that no matter what I say, I'll never be able to do this book justice. I'll try, though.

First, a little background :

"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...more Even before I begin to write this review, I know right away that no matter what I say, I'll never be able to do this book justice. I'll try, though.

First, a little background :

"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 our world and 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."

Now, before you get any false ideas, do not go into the book expecting an unique and original story. Seeing as the story is set in a place where all the lands (ever written about in fiction), exist, you'll probably find yourself going, "Hey, haven't I read this somewhere, before?", more than once. But do not lose heart - the ending will explain everything.

The main attraction of this book is the author's writing. His love for his work, the world he is building and its characters, shines through in every page. I can give no higher praise.

Here, there be Dragons is fantasy in its purest form. A grand old adventure on a ship over foreign seas, with magic, dragons, elves, dwarves, goblins, trolls and many more! In these days where "fantasy" is synonymous with vampires and werewolves (ALWAYS with a bit romance thrown in) this book comes as a wonderful breath of fresh air!

And, the ending! Oh, the ending! Sheer cheek, and sheer brilliance on the author's part! :D Without giving anything away, I can safely say that it blew me away! The fantasy geek in me was thrilled to bits! :D

I cannot recommend this book enough to everybody. Fantasy lovers, this one's for you :)(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Apr 28, 2013 Nessima Tavariel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fantasy, fantasy, favourites

Let me explain this book for you. No, there is too much—let me sum up: Three young Oxford chaps who have never met before, John, Jack, and Charles, are brought together on a dark and stormy night (not even kidding) by the death of Professor Sigurdsson—the Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica, the atlas of every mythological and legendary land. Then a mysterious man of diminutive stature and looking something like "what might result if you shredded an illustrated edition of the works of Jacob...more Let me explain this book for you. No, there is too much—let me sum up: Three young Oxford chaps who have never met before, John, Jack, and Charles, are brought together on a dark and stormy night (not even kidding) by the death of Professor Sigurdsson—the Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica, the atlas of every mythological and legendary land. Then a mysterious man of diminutive stature and looking something like "what might result if you shredded an illustrated edition of the works of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, then pasted the pieces back together in random order" (who just happens to be H.G. Wells from the future) knocks on their door (which just happens to be 221B Baker Street) and tells them that, apparently, they're the new Caretakers. They then get chased through the streets of London by a nasty bunch of Wendigo, sail on a magic ship to the Archipelago of Dreams, and then they have to defeat a nasty old bottom feeder called the Winter King. There are also dragons who drink tea, badgers who build cars and bake muffins for the sole purpose of throwing at people's heads, the origins of the Loch Ness monster, and other lovelies like that. Oh! Have I mentioned yet that John, Jack, and Charles are actually J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams? No? Well, I have now.

I'm being completely serious when I say that I was jumping up and down over that amazing plot. However, had the plot been any less amazing, I'm pretty that I wouldn't be able to overlook this book's faults so easily.
Because really, it's riddled with faults that in most books would have seriously done it in for me.
The characters are flat and unremarkable, and quite frankly, they sometimes verge on annoying—which grieves me greatly, because hey, two of the main characters are only my two mostest very favouritest authors in the whole world.
There are some things aren't explained very well. Jack's shadow—or lack thereof—for instance. I'm not sure I ever understood why that happened. Also, some of the things the characters did seemed almost random and without reason. That bugged me slightly.
And the writing, while not without wit and humour, really could have been better.
Overall, a less than brilliant execution of a brilliant idea.

And yet, Here, There Be Dragons has a whimsical lure and irresistable pull—not unlike that feeling you (or I, at any rate) get from thoughts of moss and vine covered stone walls with hidden gates, old maps, swords in stones, fire-breathing dragons, hidden moonpaths, the wood in between the worlds that you visited with Polly Plummer and Digory Kirk once upon a time. That tingle you get from the untold secrets of a fairytale and the adventures yet to be had by heroes yet to be made. The sort of thing we played at as children.
It is, ultimately, a bit childish, and that is it's redeeming quality.
Despite all it's failings, it found its way into my heart and managed to get a 4-star (or just slightly under) rating from me.

And the gorgeous pen and ink illustrations really don't hurt either...(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 10, 2013 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Here, There Be Dragons focuses on a group of travelers that start off in London and take a voyage to a place called the Archipelago of Dreams. A 'world' of different islands, races and people. There are three from out world as we know it. John, Jack and Charles. They are told by a man named Bert (another primary character) that they are to be Caretakers of a map called the Imaginarium Geographica.
Also in this story is Aven, Bert's daughter and ship captain, and Bug, a youth they meet at their f...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 02, 2008 Christine Norris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Personally I think those that ranked this low just didn't 'get it'. Yes, he used a ton of source material, but he wove it together into such an original, rich tapestry of an entirely new world. I mean, the Arthur legend side-by-side with Captain Nemo? Who would have thought it?

The surprise ending is just the icing on the cake to his easy to read, well-written novel that flows across the imagination like the sea that surrounds the Archipelago of Dreams.

I have also read the sequel, which did NOT...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 21, 2008 Ryan Mishap rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fantasy

Three Oxford men find themselves visiting a murdered professor in 1917 London. There, a strange little man compels them to run from the beasts what did the murder. they board a dragonship and sail to the waters where everything that exists in fable , myth, and legend has a real counterpart. They three must guard a book of maps and language that could be put to foul use by the Winter King.
I like fantasy books that base themselves on folklore and hint or flat out say (in this case) that folklore...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 13, 2008 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

I admit that reading the reviews here after I read the book gave me a little more perspective on my own reaction. That the author came from a graphic novel background seems obvious to me now (as I kept wishing for more description) but if he's used to working with a visual medium, I'm not surprised that the description is lacking.

Unlike others, who seem to have hated the allusions to other fantasy works, I thought it was very cleverly done and that everything tied in together well at the end. I...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 02, 2013 Kayla Tornello rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens

John, Charles, and Jack can't believe what has just happened. First, they are hunted down by whoever just killed their mutual acquaintance. They escape with a stranger onto a strange ship. One minute, they are in London, and the next minute there are in the Imaginary World. Danger and fantasy lurks all around them. At the moment, their only ally is a badger, named Tummeler, who takes them to see the last remaining dragon.

"Hello?" said Tummeler. "Is anyone there?"

"Welcome," rumbled a deep, smoky...more

like · see review

Apr 10, 2013 kingshearte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, books-for-boys, fantasy, fiction, teen, teen-books-worth-reading

Note that review covers this book as well as The Search for the Red Dragon.

These books were fun. It's hard to resist anything with the literary tie-ins that this series has, and although they don't have much depth, they are fun, swashbuckling adventures, with some literary references thrown in for kicks.

I do have to wonder, though, how many of those references will actually be picked up by the target demographic (it's a teen book). And I don't mean that in a disparaging way (nor should I fail to...more Note that review covers this book as well as The Search for the Red Dragon.

These books were fun. It's hard to resist anything with the literary tie-ins that this series has, and although they don't have much depth, they are fun, swashbuckling adventures, with some literary references thrown in for kicks.

I do have to wonder, though, how many of those references will actually be picked up by the target demographic (it's a teen book). And I don't mean that in a disparaging way (nor should I fail to acknowledge that there are likely references I didn't pick up on either — hell, even one of the legendary storytellers that the heroes turn out to be was completely unfamiliar to me), but, for example, one of the earliest ones is not spelled out explicitly. You meet a French character named Charles who says he's doing penance because someone sacrificed his own life to save his. I definitely wouldn't have gotten that one as a teen, because I only read the book it came from — classic as it is — within the last few years. Other references are more blatant, but some are definitely subtle. I suppose it might add some re-read value: after you've read lots of other books, come back to these and see what else you can identify.

I do want to address Aven, though, and this part may be a bit spoilery, as it does address both books (and perhaps a bit beyond, as I'm currently reading the third), but I'm going to try to keep things mostly vague. So Aven spends most of the first book at least a little bit flirting with Jack. But at the end, when one of the characters, who she's more or less ignored the whole way through, is revealed to actually be the High King, suddenly he needs a queen, and it's like there isn't even any question: of course it'll be Aven. Later revelations do shed some light (without explicitly explaining), suggesting that, having lost the one she really loved and being in a certain circumstance, what the king had to offer would have been very tempting. But certainly by the end of the first book, it didn't really make her look good. That said, we ultimately learn that, if you count Jack (which maybe we shouldn't, since that was a mild flirtation at most), Aven has had five relationships. Not unusual for real people, but for a female character in a work of fiction to be presented with that much romantic (and sexual) history without judgement is kind of awesome, and I absolutely give Owen credit for that.

Other than that, these books are really just fun. They're easy reads (I've been chewing through them in a few hours) with engaging characters (including some adorable badgers!) and literary references to figure out. Good times.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 20, 2012 Kyle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lit

My one re-read book. This is a very underrated book in my opinion and I wish it was more mainstream. It is a fantasy book that starts the series call the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen. It is one of my all time favorite books because of how Owen ties in many different pieces of literature and aspects of adventure/fantasy.

The book is about the journey of three Oxford mates who find themselves intertwined in a murder of a dear colleague and before they know it they bec...more

like · see review

Nov 02, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I was a little nervous to reread Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owen. I remember just loving it when I read it the first time. Would I still enjoy it? Still find the characters enjoyable? The plot twists clever? I was not disappointed. In this first adventure, readers meet Jack, Charles, and John, the three caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica. They meet Bert, a former caretaker as well. Readers are introduced to a few other key characters as well: Tummler, Aven, Bug, Samaranth, the Cart...more

like · see review

Aug 17, 2012 David Litwack rated it 3 of 5 stars

A great premise, a mediocre book

How can you not love a book about characters who eventually will became the Inklings, the famous writers group that included C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the lesser known Charles Williams. In this story, they appear as young university students post World War I and wind up in a fantasy adventure to an alternate world, which in theory becomes the basis for their future writing.
Wow. What an idea? It took me no time to decide to buy and read this book.

But alas, th...more

like · see review

Feb 24, 2012 Meann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

"Here, There Be Dragons" is the first volume of The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, written and illustrated by artist James A. Owen.

I picked up the book to take with me on an out-of-town business trip. I was curious about the story of an atlas of imaginary lands. Did someone say Atlas? Maps? Fantasy? Dragons? Without hesitation, I took the book to the cashier, paid for it, went home, and put it excitedly inside my carry-on luggage.

I wasn't able to read much during the short flight, an...more

like · see review

Feb 04, 2012 Karen Ball rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the midst of World War I, a bizarre murder discovered on a dark and stormy night draws three strangers together. An odd little man comes out of the night to tell them that they are the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica, the atlas of all imagined, legendary and mythical places, otherwise known as the Archipelago of Dreams. The group escapes in the Indigo Dragon, one of seven ships that can travel between the normal world and the Archipelago of Dreams, and they embark on an epic journey...more

like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Littlebearries rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica
by James A. Owen

Story Title: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Ending: 5/5

Synopsis:
John, Jack and Charles, three young men from Oxford, find themselves called to duty to care for what is possibly the most well protected book ever, the Imaginarium Geographica.

Character Likability:
John: The Principal Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica, John is logical, wise and patient. He’s not only likeable, he endears himself to the reader with his compassion and at t...more

like · see review

Aug 10, 2011 Ghoule rated it 1 of 5 stars

*English version follows*

Bien que ce livre semble généralement apprécié, j'ai décroché après moins de 100 pages. Essentiellement, je lui reproche les éléments suivants :

1. Le récit est un fourre-tout de références littéraires de l'imaginaire : les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde, Jules Verne, l'Atlantide, etc... on dirait que le roman à une prétention pédagogique... mais qui au début du 20e siècle pouvait décider quels seraient les classiques reconnus en 2010? Il y a une erreur de logique ici.

2. Le...more

like · see review

Jun 05, 2011 Yune rated it 3 of 5 stars

Three Englishmen find themselves sailing away from London and into lands described in an imaginary atlas. Naturally, they become embroiled in a quest. Definitely a fantasy suited for children, exuberant in its inclusion of various legends and fiction -- from Biblical to Greek to Arthurian to Verne. Literary allusions abounded.

And for all that, there was much lacking. I personally found little to distinguish the three main characters, and there was only one woman of note, who of course was feisty...more

like · see review

Feb 25, 2011 Alice rated it 3 of 5 stars

My expectations were fairly low for this first "real" novel by a graphic novelist. But I was pleasantly surprised. The author is a good story-teller, and though he borrows a lot from myths, legends, and classic literature, it's quite inventive. Though the title suggests otherwise, I wouldn't classify this as "dragon lit," just a classic adventure story (with a few excellent pen-and-ink illustrations).

There is some violence (battles), but it's not graphic. No "language" that I recall. The story i...more

like · see review

Dec 12, 2010 Splash Of Our Worlds *Yiota* rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As it says above, our three characters we summoned to be guardians of Imaginarium Geographica (the most awesome book ever!). Of course except that, they need to save both our world and the world of Geographica. Cliche much but still the main thing from almost all the stories.

But what make the book different than the all the rest? Imaginarium Geographica of course! It's like the super atlas in a world with every classic fairytale or story we grew up (at least the ones were written at the certain...more

like · see review

Sep 21, 2010 Carre rated it 3 of 5 stars

My kids and I listened to the audiobook version of this during the long hours we spend driving to and from school. The storyline of the book involves (naturally)a plucky band of (naturally) reluctant heroes who complete a quest-they-never-sought by visiting imaginary places from literature: Atlantis, Camelot, and so on. As a result, much of the book has a "borrowed" feel to it. Like, oh, I've heard this story before....

On the other hand, the original characters are well-enough done, although can...more

like · see review

Apr 02, 2010 Mai rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, ya, want-to-own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. An atlas that maps out worlds only seen in stories. Three young men drawn into a parallel world and told that they must decipher and protect said atlas and save this world. Journeying with characters both familiar and not. All set in a 1917 backdrop. The premise of Here, There Be Dragons is wonderful and reading the back cover I knew I had to read it and in fact I plopped down in a chair in a bookstore intending to read the first couple chapters to see if I liked it and ended up sitting there fo...more An atlas that maps out worlds only seen in stories. Three young men drawn into a parallel world and told that they must decipher and protect said atlas and save this world. Journeying with characters both familiar and not. All set in a 1917 backdrop. The premise of Here, There Be Dragons is wonderful and reading the back cover I knew I had to read it and in fact I plopped down in a chair in a bookstore intending to read the first couple chapters to see if I liked it and ended up sitting there for nearly 3 hours reading the book cover to cover.

The Imaginarium Geographica maps out all the imagined worlds, the worlds seen in books and heard in tales in our world, the worlds that inspired those tales. There are always three Caretakers of this atlas who come from our world and in this story John, Charlie, and Jack learn exactly what that means because events in both worlds lead them to becoming the new Caretakers.

Reading this book has a major dejavu feeling, as it should. As I was reading I got a bit annoyed at the very heavy handed Lord of the Rings and Narnia allusions/feeling of the book, but the reason for that becomes very very clear at the end and the annoyance rapidly turned into delight as I realized just how deliberate those overtones were.

The story itself is quite predictable, after all it's a tales we've all heard before all mashed together take from The Bible, Greek Myth, Arthurian Legend and on and on and you know when the world is rich and wonderful it doesn't matter that the plot is something you can see coming from 12 miles away. The three main characters are great guys. John traumatized by the actions he's seen as a soldier in WWI is the Principia Caretaker, the one who has the ability and knowledge to actually decipher the Imaginarium Geographica. He's quiet and unsure of his worth and just the kind of hero you have to love. Charlie is the eldest of the three, the realist, the support. Jack the youngest, brash and immature and so very sure of himself that you want to slap him but it makes you feel that much more for him when he has that moment of realization that all young men who believe they are invincible and better than everyone must have.

Here, There Be Dragons is a wonderful tale and the realization of just who these young men (and some of their companions) are is absolutely splendid. (less)

like · see review

Jun 01, 2012 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ok, so to begin, this wasn't exactly the hardest book I've ever read. However, it was among one of the most entertaining and creative.
Honestly, this book was a random pick for me. I chose it because I thought the cover looked cool and it was cheap. I am so happy that I did.
To start, the story was incredibly well done. I haven't read a book before that has incorporated an imaginary world so well with human history. People, dates, significant battles and ideals that took place and were establish...more

like · see review

Jan 01, 2011 Lillian Yu rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: abandoned, fantasy, terrible

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 09, 2010 Saul added it

I read this because I saw a friend reading this. Even though the idea was cool(what with the characters based off of real contemporary authors)I did not like the way that C.S. Lewis was portrayed as a little git. Where I believe C.S. Lewis might agree that he was naive and probably a brat when he was younger I don't think he would believe himself to be that extreme. That pathetic image of him in this book just rubs me the wrong way. Although one could say that his character being so easily take...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's The Name o...: Living ships, world being erased off map [s]	5	40	Feb 03, 2013 10:34pm
Cartographer of Lost places	7	83	May 28, 2012 09:26am

combine
Other Editions (25)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

423 users

Young Adult

144 users

Fantasy > Dragons

69 users

Adventure

39 users

Historical Fiction

28 users

Fantasy > Mythology

18 users

Science Fiction > Time Travel

17 users

Fantasy > Magic

16 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Fantasy

14 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

10 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Nightmare Academy
by Dean Lorey
The Dragon's Eye
by Kaza Kingsley
The Revenge of the Shadow King
by Derek Benz
Slathbog's Gold
by M.L. Forman
The Hound of Rowan
by Henry H. Neff

Books by James A. Owen

The Search for the Red Dragon (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, #2)

The Indigo King (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, #3)

The Shadow Dragons (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, #4)

The Dragon's Apprentice (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, #5)

The Dragons of Winter (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #6)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Here, There Be Dr...

10 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Here, There Be Dragons

“Simple,' Tummeler replied.' Blueberries is one of the great forces o'good in the world.'

How do you figure that?' said Charles.

Well,' said Tummeler, 'have you ever seen a troll, or a Wendigo, or,' he shuddered, 'a Shadow-Born ever eating a blueberry pie?'

No,' Charles admitted.

There y'go,' said Tummeler. It's cause they can't stand the goodness in it.'

Can't argue with you there,' said Charles.

Foods is good and evil, just like people, or badgers, or even scowlers.'

Evil food?' said Charles.

Parsnips,' said Tummeler, 'Them's as evil as they come.” — 46 people liked it

“Our weaknesses are always evident, both to ourselves and others. But our strengths are hidden until we choose to reveal them--and that is when we are truly tested. When all that we have within is exposed, and we may no longer blame our inadequacies for our failure, but must instead depend upon our strengths to succeed ... that is when the measure of a man is taken, my boy.” — 41 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Here, There Be Dragons
avg rating	preview: Here, There Be Dragons Goodreads rating: 3.85 (4377 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34908.Here_There_Be_Dragons?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347702915l/34908.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34908.Here_There_Be_Dragons?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen[/url]

Here, There Be Dragons (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website