The Imaginarium Geographica
"What is it?" John asked.
The little man blinked and arched an eyebrow.
"It is the world, my boy," he sa...
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reviews
Jun 26, 2011
Anne
rated it: 
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!
Aug 23, 2011
Mike (the Paladin)
rated it: 
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 tha More...
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 tha More...
6 comments
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Aug 10, 2010
Luqman
rated it:
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/2009/06/D... More...
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/2009/06/D... More...
11 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Dec 16, 2010
Lauren aka John Matthew's Girl
rated it:
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
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(2 people liked it)
Oct 01, 2007
Patty
rated it:
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 fo More...
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 fo More...
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(2 people liked it)
Mar 25, 2009
Teri
rated it:
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 ledge More...
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 ledge More...
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(3 people liked it)
Aug 02, 2008
Christine
rated it:
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 th More...
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 th More...
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Dec 21, 2008
Ryan
rated it:
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) More...
I like fantasy books that base themselves on folklore and hint or flat out say (in this case) More...
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(2 people liked it)
Dec 13, 2008
Amanda
rated it: 
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 More...
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 More...
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Feb 04, 2012
Karen
rated it:
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 jour
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Oct 10, 2011
Littlebearries
rated it:
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 l More...
Aug 10, 2011
Ghoule
rated it: 
*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 err More...
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 err More...
Jun 05, 2011
Yune
rated it: 
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 More...
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 More...
Feb 25, 2011
Alice
rated it:
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 " More...
There is some violence (battles), but it's not graphic. No " More...
Dec 12, 2010
Splash Of Our Worlds
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 21, 2010
Carre
rated it:
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-eno More...
On the other hand, the original characters are well-eno More...
Apr 02, 2010
Mai
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 02, 2011
Lillian
rated it:
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Apr 09, 2010
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 tak
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Jun 14, 2010
Shannon
rated it:
This is the third time I've tried to sit down and write a review of this book, so let's home the third time's a charm.
Here, There Be Dragons is a book that was better in concept than execution. I heard about this book when my eight year old checked out the audio book of the third in the series. We listened to part of it together and I decided I would prefer to go back and start at the beginning (my daughters could care less whether they start at the beginning of the series, the end More...
Here, There Be Dragons is a book that was better in concept than execution. I heard about this book when my eight year old checked out the audio book of the third in the series. We listened to part of it together and I decided I would prefer to go back and start at the beginning (my daughters could care less whether they start at the beginning of the series, the end More...
Oct 17, 2011
Marchel
rated it:
Um, saat beli buku ini gw nda ngeh kalau ini salah satu buku yang kuinginkan sejak lama. Cuma lihat cover, wuuiiiih draaaaggggoooon, langsung suka :D (norak yah? biarin :p)
Pas bukunya sampai, baru sadar ini buku yang kucari-cari.*nyengir-senang*
Jadi deh, bukunya mba Sefryana terpaksa ditutup dahulu demi membaca buku ini. Maaf mba, maaf, pasti kubaca kok bukunya mba nanti. *menjura*
Dah ah.
Mari kita ke Avalon. *lho?*
-Edit-
Senin, 17 More...
Pas bukunya sampai, baru sadar ini buku yang kucari-cari.*nyengir-senang*
Jadi deh, bukunya mba Sefryana terpaksa ditutup dahulu demi membaca buku ini. Maaf mba, maaf, pasti kubaca kok bukunya mba nanti. *menjura*
Dah ah.
Mari kita ke Avalon. *lho?*
-Edit-
Senin, 17 More...
Sep 08, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
My impression of this book, from the beginning, was that Owen offered us nothing new. All of the major elements of this story were recycled - some from unbelievably compelling works of fantasy. Even in his repackaging I found Owen's writing to be quite shallow. It lacked the descriptive elements necessary to allow the fantasy reader to believe in the fantasy. If it were not for the fact that many of the places/characters Owen was describing had been previously described in other fantasy literatu
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Sep 27, 2009
Jackie
rated it:
Three unlikely strangers meet for the first time and bond at the scene of a mysterious murder. John, Jack, and Charles then meet Bert, who cryptically tells them they are the new guardians of The Imaginarium Geographica...of course, they have no idea what the book is and why it is important. But, they quickly find out that within its pages is the map, and thus the entry to, the Archipelago of Dreams. They must travel on the great ship The Indigo Dragon, a vessel that can safely travel in this ne
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Apr 16, 2010
Trina
rated it:
I enjoyed reading some of the other reviews of this book because they expressed exactly what I felt. This book felt difficult to engage with initially, and was also more shallow in character background than I like. Had I known this was the author's first foray into narrative writing after success in graphic novels, I would have been more patient with the seeming lack of description.
As I progressed through the book, I was amused and entertained by the literary references and the m More...
As I progressed through the book, I was amused and entertained by the literary references and the m More...
Sep 12, 2007
George
rated it:
Took a wonderful premise, and made a complete mess of it by making shallow characters, shirking on detail, and leaving it as took much of four piece puzzle plot.
The only positive point, is Trummler, the badger, who had more character in his left footpaw than the entire rest of the cast. Otherwise, amazing disappointment, though the art is sorta good. Do Not Buy. Check from the library at the most...if even that.
The only positive point, is Trummler, the badger, who had more character in his left footpaw than the entire rest of the cast. Otherwise, amazing disappointment, though the art is sorta good. Do Not Buy. Check from the library at the most...if even that.
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Jul 17, 2010
Hayley
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
May 17, 2010
Ali
rated it:
I only recently learned of this series' existence, thanks to a random Google search for "lewis and tolkien" while bored one day at work. I am a child of the Inklings; their work and lore informs my very worldview. So when I discovered that Tolkien, Lewis, and Charles Williams (too often forgotten) featured as the main characters in a series of YA fantasy novels? Well. Let's just say I almost broke down the door to Barnes and Noble after work one day to pick up a copy of this first book
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May 17, 2011
Chelsea
rated it:
Ever wonder where imagination could take you? Here, There be Dragons is the book for you. James A Owen provides a richly detailed book about John, Jack and Charles’ quest to protect the Imaginarium Geographica, or geography of imagination, from the wicked winter king. Meet John, the knowledgeable scholar thrust into a world where the lessons he forgot are the most important, Jack, imaginative student pressured to join the winter king, and Charles, down-to-earth trying to cope with a magic wor
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Oct 08, 2010
Kristy
rated it:
It was a decent read; fairly entertaining. One person mentioned that the characters were hard to connect with and I have to agree. The writing feels a bit chopping and parts of it feels like it's been stolen from Tolkein. However there are definitely some original elements to the story and some of the connections between the world of the Archipelago and ours are witty and cute. I got a good chuckle when the characters were in the Time Keep and accidently let loose a dragon in 16th Century Sc
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Sep 30, 2010
Nielam
rated it:
damn, this one is good!
much better than the book about a dragon rider whose name sound a bit like the last king of Rohan.
kapan nih buku selanjutnya keluar,apa mending beli inggrisnya buru2 ya,hehehe...
suka banget sama pencampuran berbagai macam cerita yang di mix dengan sangat seru dalam buku ini, mulai dari King Arthur, 20.000 leagues under the sea,dll.buku ini bikin gue jadi penasaran buat baca karya sastra2 klasik lainnya. kemaren sampe nyari2 buku Treasure Island-nya More...
much better than the book about a dragon rider whose name sound a bit like the last king of Rohan.
kapan nih buku selanjutnya keluar,apa mending beli inggrisnya buru2 ya,hehehe...
suka banget sama pencampuran berbagai macam cerita yang di mix dengan sangat seru dalam buku ini, mulai dari King Arthur, 20.000 leagues under the sea,dll.buku ini bikin gue jadi penasaran buat baca karya sastra2 klasik lainnya. kemaren sampe nyari2 buku Treasure Island-nya More...
