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The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #5
The Dragon's Apprentice
Seven years after the events of The Shadow Dragons, John, Jack and Charles are finally able to return to their beloved Archipelago of Dreams. But even as their return is celebrated by old friends, new concerns shadow the reunion: the threat of Ecthroi, primordial Shadow. And perhaps even worse, the apparent splintering of Time itself.
Now, the Caretakers must fight against their most fearsome enemy ever and attempt to restore Time. They must journey through a forgotten Door from the destroyed Keep of Time in order to seek out the Dragon's Apprentice. If they fail, it will mean the end of both of the worlds. But success will carry its own price - a price that may be too high even for the Caretakers to bear.
Now, the Caretakers must fight against their most fearsome enemy ever and attempt to restore Time. They must journey through a forgotten Door from the destroyed Keep of Time in order to seek out the Dragon's Apprentice. If they fail, it will mean the end of both of the worlds. But success will carry its own price - a price that may be too high even for the Caretakers to bear.
376 pages, Hardcover
First published October 19, 2010
29 people are currently reading
2511 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
March 29, 2023
My rating does take into account that I haven't read any of the previous books--had I read those, I'd have never made it to this one. I've been slammed IRL so I'm reading this too many days after finishing it to give more details, but suffice it to say that I didn't care for the world building and many of the devices in this book plus I don't usually give fantasy more than 3 stars. Also, I didn't really like enough of the main characters, nor was I keen on how Rose was done and how little she really did, etc. Another of my complaints is much like what I didn't like about the Thursday Next books--too many things shoved into one series. However, many fans disagree since this has a more than 4 star average rating, but there is one other thought. This reviewer wrote that he thought that in this book the author has veered away from what makes his books good (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
August 20, 2022
This is…AWESOME! High-stakes, heart-in-your-mouth, character-cheering awesomeness! Every single book in this series get better and better!
The storyline of The Dragon’s Apprentice is a whole-lot of time travel fun! It’s like Doctor Who got lit, and by lit I meant literature! I loved that Houdini and Doyle got to be a bigger part of the Caretakers journey. The dialogue flows so naturally, it’s almost like you are really listening into conversations. You cannot tell who was on the side of good or evil until the plot twists comes along and whacks you in the feels. It was most surprising to find myself rooting for a particular character, one that I did not expect to become a favourite. But really, this is what the whole novel is about; redemption, and it was done magnificently.
There is some really thought-provoking themes that are subtle within the text, especially regarding good vs evil. One is not simply born it but is made by the choices presented to them in life. Choices are what guide us down paths for better or worse. Choice is the ultimate gift of being human.
The fire scene was absolutely riveting and I may have stopped breathing throughout. James A. Owen takes this addition to a whole other level!
Filled with lots of humour, heartbreak, and hope, the fifth instalment of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica is a heart-pounding addition my favourite series.
IG Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfSRU7yPk...
The storyline of The Dragon’s Apprentice is a whole-lot of time travel fun! It’s like Doctor Who got lit, and by lit I meant literature! I loved that Houdini and Doyle got to be a bigger part of the Caretakers journey. The dialogue flows so naturally, it’s almost like you are really listening into conversations. You cannot tell who was on the side of good or evil until the plot twists comes along and whacks you in the feels. It was most surprising to find myself rooting for a particular character, one that I did not expect to become a favourite. But really, this is what the whole novel is about; redemption, and it was done magnificently.
There is some really thought-provoking themes that are subtle within the text, especially regarding good vs evil. One is not simply born it but is made by the choices presented to them in life. Choices are what guide us down paths for better or worse. Choice is the ultimate gift of being human.
The fire scene was absolutely riveting and I may have stopped breathing throughout. James A. Owen takes this addition to a whole other level!
Filled with lots of humour, heartbreak, and hope, the fifth instalment of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica is a heart-pounding addition my favourite series.
IG Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfSRU7yPk...
September 30, 2015
OK, I will freely admit that, between the lengthy gap between when I read the previous book in this series and when I read this one and the increasing use of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff on which to base the plot, I kind of have no idea what’s going on in this story anymore.
It mostly lost me right around the explanation about how one of the characters once went way forward in time, and then overshot coming back so there were two of him, and the original one was prevented from jumping forward, and none of this caused a paradox because reasons. Which is unfortunate, because that happened fairly early on. And then there were a bunch of explanations about various kinds of time and their relations to each other, and zero points, and stuff not working right, and new villains, and so on and so forth. The rest of the story more or less made sense, as far as linear storytelling goes, but it seems that the resolution didn’t really actually resolve anything? Ultimately, it kind of felt like the whole book’s main purpose was to set up the next one, but I have so little understanding of the overall situation that I don’t know if I’m likely to bother reading the next one. I don’t know. Perhaps this could be another one I read to the nephews, and their young, spry little minds will be able to explain it all to me.
I will come back to a point I made way back in Book 2, I think, though, which is about Owen's refreshingly accepting take on relationships and the sexual activity that occurs therein. I mentioned at that point how great it was that a female character was presented as having a sexual history and not judged for it, and here we have a pair of teenagers sneaking off to a hayloft at point to engage in unspecified activities — if you feel more comfortable assuming that they just went up there to talk, neither I nor Owen will present any evidence to the contrary. In so many stories, this would lead to Terrible Consequences. Something would happen that they should have seen coming in order to prevent it, they would miss some key detail that would be useful later, hell, perhaps their own barn would just burn down. But here, they went off, did their thing, came back, and the only consequence is that we've basically now established them as a couple. And I think that's awesome, because I think that constantly presenting sex — particularly unmarried, teen sex — as inevitably leading to horrible consequences is stupid. So for that, James A Owen, I salute you.
It mostly lost me right around the explanation about how one of the characters once went way forward in time, and then overshot coming back so there were two of him, and the original one was prevented from jumping forward, and none of this caused a paradox because reasons. Which is unfortunate, because that happened fairly early on. And then there were a bunch of explanations about various kinds of time and their relations to each other, and zero points, and stuff not working right, and new villains, and so on and so forth. The rest of the story more or less made sense, as far as linear storytelling goes, but it seems that the resolution didn’t really actually resolve anything? Ultimately, it kind of felt like the whole book’s main purpose was to set up the next one, but I have so little understanding of the overall situation that I don’t know if I’m likely to bother reading the next one. I don’t know. Perhaps this could be another one I read to the nephews, and their young, spry little minds will be able to explain it all to me.
I will come back to a point I made way back in Book 2, I think, though, which is about Owen's refreshingly accepting take on relationships and the sexual activity that occurs therein. I mentioned at that point how great it was that a female character was presented as having a sexual history and not judged for it, and here we have a pair of teenagers sneaking off to a hayloft at point to engage in unspecified activities — if you feel more comfortable assuming that they just went up there to talk, neither I nor Owen will present any evidence to the contrary. In so many stories, this would lead to Terrible Consequences. Something would happen that they should have seen coming in order to prevent it, they would miss some key detail that would be useful later, hell, perhaps their own barn would just burn down. But here, they went off, did their thing, came back, and the only consequence is that we've basically now established them as a couple. And I think that's awesome, because I think that constantly presenting sex — particularly unmarried, teen sex — as inevitably leading to horrible consequences is stupid. So for that, James A Owen, I salute you.
June 19, 2015
Sadly, I am giving up on this series. I think that James Owen has drifted away from what made his books so good, weaving fantasy with fairy tales, the classic theme of good versus evil, and a focus on a small group of caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica. The books have drifted into a dizzying, senseless series of time travel escapades, with a veritable "Who's Who" list of famous characters from history from magic to invention to explorers to writers. Too many characters to keep track of and impossible to figure out who is good and bad anymore.
April 22, 2015
I chose to read the Book 'The Dragons apprentice' which was written by James A. Owen, I decided to read this as I have a soft spot for adventurous mysteries. The book itself follows a group of so called 'caretakers' whose jobs are to protect the two fabrics of time and stop the shadows from bringing back a dark enemy… the 'Ecthroi' … the book itself is hard to follow at times as it will go back and forth from a lot of characters in different timezones (e.g.. 1891 to 1977) very quickly and can be confusing to recall certain events. It's a fast paced sci-fi/fantasy and brings back and turns famous authors (such as Shakespeare and Jules Verne) into beloved characters who have very personalized traits and abilities.
Set in the magical realm of the Archipelago the caretakers struggle to remain confident as each new piece of evidence leads them away from the main target. As the Ecthroi grow to be more of a problem, one of the characters must seek out the help from a long lost dragon apprentice whose existence was unknown until it was brought to them in the night by a mysterious being.
A favourite character of mine in this book was 'Rose' as she embodies the idea of 'young and adventurous' she was chosen to live side by side with many great long dead authors in a large mansion called 'Tamerlane House' of which has portraits of said dead authors hanging in the main rooms of the house enabling them to be present in the current world.
One of my favourite quotes is "What kind of books are lost books?...If they're lost, who would know about them at all?" as it's humorous and takes the usual edge of the books' fast-paced and confusing story-line.
'The Dragon's Apprentice' made me think more about how authors and poets might of acted and what their writing would have sounded like, it also gives me more of an insight into what it was like back in the time when they were alive and the vocabulary they used to express themselves which was often shown through the book.
The book is the 5th of its series however still hasn't lost its charm, if you're interested in a descriptive read that spans time (and probably space in the future) then I recommend reading the series and seeing for yourself if they're successful in their conquest to banish the evil that haunts their lives.
Set in the magical realm of the Archipelago the caretakers struggle to remain confident as each new piece of evidence leads them away from the main target. As the Ecthroi grow to be more of a problem, one of the characters must seek out the help from a long lost dragon apprentice whose existence was unknown until it was brought to them in the night by a mysterious being.
A favourite character of mine in this book was 'Rose' as she embodies the idea of 'young and adventurous' she was chosen to live side by side with many great long dead authors in a large mansion called 'Tamerlane House' of which has portraits of said dead authors hanging in the main rooms of the house enabling them to be present in the current world.
One of my favourite quotes is "What kind of books are lost books?...If they're lost, who would know about them at all?" as it's humorous and takes the usual edge of the books' fast-paced and confusing story-line.
'The Dragon's Apprentice' made me think more about how authors and poets might of acted and what their writing would have sounded like, it also gives me more of an insight into what it was like back in the time when they were alive and the vocabulary they used to express themselves which was often shown through the book.
The book is the 5th of its series however still hasn't lost its charm, if you're interested in a descriptive read that spans time (and probably space in the future) then I recommend reading the series and seeing for yourself if they're successful in their conquest to banish the evil that haunts their lives.
January 4, 2015
James A. Owen is awesome in create fun, curious intertextual compositions. He isn´t, however, as good creating time-travel stories. Unfortunatelly, Imiaginarium Geographica lost it´s focus on adventures on the Archipelago of Dreams, guided by the most awesome atlas ever, and became a poor time travel tale :(
I´m only still reading because I´ve read that much so far to stop. I want to go till the end. I hope, however, he doesn´t release too many books - I was thinking the next one was the final one, but something in the epilog makes me feel that it will go way further.
If someone that read just the first, or maybe the first and second and ask me if it´s worth to read the next ones, I´d say no. The first is an awesome book, the second is a good book... And, although this one is better than the previous in sequence, it´s not a good one. It has some good parts, and that´s all.
I´m only still reading because I´ve read that much so far to stop. I want to go till the end. I hope, however, he doesn´t release too many books - I was thinking the next one was the final one, but something in the epilog makes me feel that it will go way further.
If someone that read just the first, or maybe the first and second and ask me if it´s worth to read the next ones, I´d say no. The first is an awesome book, the second is a good book... And, although this one is better than the previous in sequence, it´s not a good one. It has some good parts, and that´s all.
June 10, 2015
While I feel like I should like John the most (for obvious reasons), Jack still remains my favourite character. Probably because he has undergone the most character development and has any distinctive characteristics. Generally most of the lot gathered in these books have the same reactions to everything.
That set aside, the plot is extremely detailed and very well thought-through. My favourite part are still Caretakers Emeritis and I also enjoyed traveling back in time together with the companions. However, I don't feel like anything was resolved in this book. It seems to me that this sequel suffers from middle-book syndrome. I guess it was necessary to use The Dragon's Apprentice to fix up previous mistakes and prepare ground for new Caretakers and new Enemies.
That set aside, the plot is extremely detailed and very well thought-through. My favourite part are still Caretakers Emeritis and I also enjoyed traveling back in time together with the companions. However, I don't feel like anything was resolved in this book. It seems to me that this sequel suffers from middle-book syndrome. I guess it was necessary to use The Dragon's Apprentice to fix up previous mistakes and prepare ground for new Caretakers and new Enemies.
July 31, 2015
The dialogues hurt, but there's a lot going on.
A lot of the characters who were enjoyable in the previous books, got really annoying and somewhat dumb in this one, and I think the author is aware of that because of some of the comments in the book, which is really weird, like why would you like to have unlikeable characters in your book dude.
The time travel things are getting weirder and weirder.
The pace and overall feeling of the book remains enjoyable.
A lot of the characters who were enjoyable in the previous books, got really annoying and somewhat dumb in this one, and I think the author is aware of that because of some of the comments in the book, which is really weird, like why would you like to have unlikeable characters in your book dude.
The time travel things are getting weirder and weirder.
The pace and overall feeling of the book remains enjoyable.
October 10, 2011
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 the same time, with his mistakes. He owns them, and does his best to live by a moral code he deems worthy. As the series goes on, John becomes more and more of an adult, and it’s evident in the disregard he pays to the children in the story. He is in no way unlikable, but he is no longer quite in touch with youth. It’s not that he disrespects children, not in the least, more like, he overlooks them.
Jack: Younger, brash, fighting against the powers that be, in the first novel, Jack comes close to being downright annoying. He is the second caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica. He’s the one chosen to make the stupid mistakes, the one who has to rebel against his own youth and desire to do the right thing. As the series progresses, Jack grows, and it’s easy to see why he was chosen as a caretaker.
Charles: Possibly my favorite caretaker, due to his great affinity for the animals of the Archipelago, Charles is a bit of a third wheel once you discover who the first two caretakers are. Historically, he’s not as recognized, but in this story, he’s quite the standout character. If not him, then some alternate dimension version of him. He believes in travel through both time and space, and studies that intently. Possibly the most down to earth of them all, and certainly the one most prone to mistakes without meaning to (for Jack, it always seems to be a choice, to pick good or evil, for Charles, well… let’s just say, accidents happen).
Mordred: The big bad in practically all of the books except The Dragon’s Apprentice, Mordred (yes, the Arthurian Mordred) keeps showing up in one form or another to ruin the caretakers’ day. This may sound dull, or contrived, but let me assure you, Mordred becomes one complex character who I truly enjoyed reading about.
Merlin: Another character who pops up through the books, the story of Mordred and Merlin is captivating (and takes place largely in The Indigo King), setting up quite a bit of what occurs in both previous and future books.
Tummler: A character pulled from The Chronicles of Narnia, Tummler is a badger who is also a printer, making a mock Imaginarium for distribution, as well as guides to the histories of the world, as well as practical things, like how to get out of a binding, in a book called The Little Whatsit.
Samaranth: The greatest of the dragons we know, he’s often a source of knowledge when the characters don’t know where else to go. Unfortunately, he’s fond of not speaking clearly, so they spend a lot of time trying to figure out what he means.
Fred: The Grandson of Tummler, he is a constant companion from The Indigo King onwards, and becomes the first animal to become Caretaker to the Imaginarium Geographica. He’s another of my favorites, with his animal loyalty and ability to sniff out danger or quell it with a well placed blob of tapioca.
Bert: In it from the beginning, he is mentor and guide to the three new caretakers, Jack, John and Charles.
Aven: Daughter of Bert, future queen of the Archipelago.
Arthur: The “Arthur” character, be he the original, or a descendant (In this series, “Arthur” is the title of the kingship, not an actual name) shows up often. Their noble bloodline allows them to do things others can’t, such as summon dragons.
EVERYONE ELSE: Honestly, these books are packed tight with historical figures, be they real or mythical… everyone from Lovecraft’s Ancient Ones to Benjamin Franklin show up… and always with good reason.
Writing:
The books actually started out catering a bit more to children than I preferred. There were “big reveals” at the end of almost every chapter, and it started to wear on me as a reader. I understand that these books are, in fact, for children, but the “reveals” were starting to get out of hand… especially since the characters being revealed wouldn’t really mean anything except to adults or children who had learned about them. They weren’t often explained historically, and without the background, for kids not in the know, the reveal was meaningless. There was also one point, in particular, where a specific historical figure was eluded to… but one of the characters in the book said the equivalent of “Ah, never mind about them,” which… was actually really annoying… to introduce and then just as quickly dismiss a historical icon.
Other than those brief complaints (and the “big reveal” issue lessens as the series goes on, either that, or Owen has gotten better at making them less blatant), the writing is entertaining, the words flow and action is constant.
Ending:
I have to admit, at the end of the first book, when I reached the “BIG REVEAL”… I chucked the book across the room in disgust, and refused to pick up the next one… it took me a year to pick the next one up. I had no desire to read the series after finding out who the characters were at the end of the first book. For whatever reason it just annoyed the hell out of me. Perhaps because it seemed like such a gimmick… at the end of the first book, there seemed, at least to me, little point in having the main characters be who they are (I’m being vague on purpose, so as not to ruin the surprise), but as the series went on, it became evident that there was in fact a reason, and that the story was an interesting, well thought out one. I’m glad I picked the series back up… and the ends to the future books in it have been much more satisfying.
Plot:
The stories follow the adventures of the Caretakers as they try to keep balance between two very different worlds. I really don’t want to elaborate too much, for fear of giving away something important.
Believability of World:
The way this series ties in to real world events makes it a believable bit of story telling. It is a wonderful flight into a million “What if”s concerning bringing some of the greatest literary minds together… and you get swept up in the energy of it.
Overall Grade: A- Stick with this series. I did, and it’s become complex and twisted.
May 26, 2025
The Dragon's Apprentice by James Riley is a middle grade, childern’s fantasy book. On the surface, this book has everything: a young girl as the protagonist, dragons, an interesting back-story and world-building, and a unique magic system.
Unfortunately, I hated the characters. Ciara is annoying and whiny, the dragon, Scorch, is irritable and cranky. And while an irritable, cranky dragon could be an interesting plot point, it just didn’t work for me.
I only finished this to see if it would get better, but it really didn’t. The only decent characters are Ciara’s best friend Meg, her mother, and Meg’s dad.
I wish there were better fantasy books with girl characters. This was disappointing.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own. Links in this review are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
This review and more at Brie's BookStack.
Unfortunately, I hated the characters. Ciara is annoying and whiny, the dragon, Scorch, is irritable and cranky. And while an irritable, cranky dragon could be an interesting plot point, it just didn’t work for me.
I only finished this to see if it would get better, but it really didn’t. The only decent characters are Ciara’s best friend Meg, her mother, and Meg’s dad.
I wish there were better fantasy books with girl characters. This was disappointing.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own. Links in this review are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
This review and more at Brie's BookStack.
May 16, 2017
Every book the story gets more interesting! The author wrote in his ending note about good vs evil and how we all have choices. This is something I mentioned earlier and I kinda feel a warm fuzzy realizing I really understood the underlying theme that the author was basing his story on! Any one of us can change, even if or after we make a bad choice. As long as we make choices and are responsible for them! So happy days.. in the lives of some charaters and more secrets are revealed. I always wondered about the Cheshire Cat.. there was always more to him than it seemed. Some people are lost in time, and some are found. Our dear Rose, and caretaker Jack are pivital in the fixing of the time disruptance!! Also I found out.. other characters are explored in Mr.Owen's other books outside this series! Which of course..now I want to read them all!!
January 23, 2020
The twists and turns continue in the fifth book of James A. Owens' amazing series.
If you've read any of these books, you know to expect solid characters, a complicated plot, and good laughs. What more, you know there will be thought-provoking moments and conversations. These are all present in THE DRAGON'S APPRENTICE, along with a healthy dose of time-travel and mythology.
The three Caretakers we've come to love continue to develop and grow. Newer characters also shine -each of them saving the day in their own way.
Overall, I still love this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves myth, time-travel, or just a satisfying storyline. This book has it all.
If you've read any of these books, you know to expect solid characters, a complicated plot, and good laughs. What more, you know there will be thought-provoking moments and conversations. These are all present in THE DRAGON'S APPRENTICE, along with a healthy dose of time-travel and mythology.
The three Caretakers we've come to love continue to develop and grow. Newer characters also shine -each of them saving the day in their own way.
Overall, I still love this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves myth, time-travel, or just a satisfying storyline. This book has it all.
December 31, 2019
The fifth book in the Imaginarium Geographica series. The Caretakers can finally return to the Archipelago of Dreams; as they prepare to return they receive a message from an old friend. The thread of History has unraveled and it needs to be repaired. Once they arrive at Tamerlane House they discover they are now stuck, due to the unraveling of History. Only Rose might be able to repair History and the Caretakers set out to help her, but things are not always as they seem and they will be opposed by a terrible enemy. Fans of the series will thoroughly love this installment.
October 15, 2024
Another great book in the series. I love the time travel adventures throughout each book and this one had a lot of them. It also has been great to see Rose, Burton, Houdini, Doyle, and Madoc grow as characters throughout the series along with our caretakers. I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen next. There are so many thought-provoking aspects in the story especially about the nature of good vs. evil and how this can change based on your actions.
March 17, 2021
This series is like comfort food for me, I love diving back into the the beautiful world that James A. Owen has created. The fifth installment kept up the tradition of things I didn't quite expect, tear jerking scenes as well as lines that actually made me laugh out loud.
February 26, 2018
This is a great series! It continues to take mighty twists and turns and causing me to love new characters, even ones, that I once hated. I enjoyed this book as I have the rest of the series.
May 1, 2018
The best one so far
July 15, 2018
I read this one straight through- such a great time travel series!! It has a great twist at the end. I can’t wait to get the next book!!
October 20, 2018
Still enjoying this series.
March 6, 2021
The story for this one was very interesting and new foes and friends were introduced. It did get a little confusing at times, but you catch on pretty quick. Definitely worth the read.
July 16, 2024
oH mY gOodNess!
I can not believe it, why why is that the ending...
NOoooooo.
Dammit.
Excuse me, I now need to start the next one.
I can not believe it, why why is that the ending...
NOoooooo.
Dammit.
Excuse me, I now need to start the next one.
October 5, 2025
that ending though???
May 21, 2019
Originally reviewed at Thoughts Stained With Ink:
I am still completely and totally in love with this series.
I want to make that pretty clear.
The Dragon’s Apprentice is the last reread in the series, before I get to reading books six and seven for the first time. After the first two books, however, it’s really felt like new reads, probably because my memory is pretty shite (not that I’m complaining, because there are always moments and elements within my favorite books I want to relive as if it were the first time I am experiencing them and The Dragon’s Apprentice is no exception to that).
It might also be because of the time traveling aspect.
I won’t lie: even though it’s well fleshed out, it still makes my head hurt. I think it’s time travel itself–the very concept of it–that has my brain struggling slightly to keep up and making me wish, just a little bit, that we could go back to the adventures of the first book, before time travel really ingrained itself as one of the main motivators of the plot. That isn’t to say Owen doesn’t do a good job explaining it and how it works. I love how each books elevates how creative time travel, and the ability to do so, gets. That part is fantastic. I think I’m just always going to struggle, at least a little bit, with fully understanding any plot that deals with that concept, including one of my favorite series of all time.
I also found myself shaking my head a lot of John and Jack, especially because they continued to ignore those they considered to be “children”–and even ignore Fred from time to time, too, even though he’s a talking dog badger. It was pretty obvious this was going to come back to bite them and I hope it’s a lessen they truly take to heart. I expected more of them (though, none of us are perfect, are we, so I can’t really judge them too harshly, but I couldn’t stop being like, “What are you doing?” every time they ignored Rose or Coal).
I also enjoyed some of the new elements in play within this novel: the Mystorians (which I don’t think I spelled correctly, but I don’t have the book handy to double check), the McGee family, getting to interact and understand more deeply with a few more characters–some whose arcs came to some pretty dramatic peaks within this book–plus Theo, who I adored (and whoa, that hurt).
Honestly, even though the time travel aspect makes my head hurt a little bit, thinking about this book, there is a lot that I enjoyed.
My favorite part was actually the ending, though, and how masterfully Owen teased the premise of the next book and left us hanging on exactly what they have to do next: discover who made The Keep of Time. That is going to be no easy task, but I’m ridiculously excited to see not only who it is, but how they did it and how our Caretakers are going to do the same (especially after reading the blurb for book six, I’m over here like, Holy shit, let me read is now. But, of course, those library books I’ve been putting off for weeks now can no longer be put off or else I’ll lose them, so I’ve forced myself to finally read them and give them the attention they deserve…)
But I’m already itching to go back to the Archipelago.
What’s left of it, at any rate.
I am still completely and totally in love with this series.
I want to make that pretty clear.
The Dragon’s Apprentice is the last reread in the series, before I get to reading books six and seven for the first time. After the first two books, however, it’s really felt like new reads, probably because my memory is pretty shite (not that I’m complaining, because there are always moments and elements within my favorite books I want to relive as if it were the first time I am experiencing them and The Dragon’s Apprentice is no exception to that).
It might also be because of the time traveling aspect.
I won’t lie: even though it’s well fleshed out, it still makes my head hurt. I think it’s time travel itself–the very concept of it–that has my brain struggling slightly to keep up and making me wish, just a little bit, that we could go back to the adventures of the first book, before time travel really ingrained itself as one of the main motivators of the plot. That isn’t to say Owen doesn’t do a good job explaining it and how it works. I love how each books elevates how creative time travel, and the ability to do so, gets. That part is fantastic. I think I’m just always going to struggle, at least a little bit, with fully understanding any plot that deals with that concept, including one of my favorite series of all time.
I also found myself shaking my head a lot of John and Jack, especially because they continued to ignore those they considered to be “children”–and even ignore Fred from time to time, too, even though he’s a talking dog badger. It was pretty obvious this was going to come back to bite them and I hope it’s a lessen they truly take to heart. I expected more of them (though, none of us are perfect, are we, so I can’t really judge them too harshly, but I couldn’t stop being like, “What are you doing?” every time they ignored Rose or Coal).
I also enjoyed some of the new elements in play within this novel: the Mystorians (which I don’t think I spelled correctly, but I don’t have the book handy to double check), the McGee family, getting to interact and understand more deeply with a few more characters–some whose arcs came to some pretty dramatic peaks within this book–plus Theo, who I adored (and whoa, that hurt).
Honestly, even though the time travel aspect makes my head hurt a little bit, thinking about this book, there is a lot that I enjoyed.
My favorite part was actually the ending, though, and how masterfully Owen teased the premise of the next book and left us hanging on exactly what they have to do next: discover who made The Keep of Time. That is going to be no easy task, but I’m ridiculously excited to see not only who it is, but how they did it and how our Caretakers are going to do the same (especially after reading the blurb for book six, I’m over here like, Holy shit, let me read is now. But, of course, those library books I’ve been putting off for weeks now can no longer be put off or else I’ll lose them, so I’ve forced myself to finally read them and give them the attention they deserve…)
But I’m already itching to go back to the Archipelago.
What’s left of it, at any rate.
March 20, 2016
A great setup to what I hope will be a spectacular conclusion!
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A few years ago I discovered the novel Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen. This is the first book in the 7 books series known as the “The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica” which follows the lives of Jack, John and Charles as they battle the forces of evil in an effort to save the World. Quite a tall order for three unknown gentlemen from Oxford.
This is a wonderful series of books that draws on many of the known myths and histories laid out in our most treasured stories. The books mix elements of time travel and fantasy to produce a rich and dense forest of interconnected story lines–both real and fictional–that keep you moving forward to discover the Grand Reveal at the end of book seven, The First Dragon. The artwork at the start of each chapter is also stunning! That’s right, each chapter in every single novel of this series is illuminated. Each image is hand drawn by the author himself.
By the third book in the series, The Indigo King, the plot gets a bit complicated and becomes one of those time travel books/series that will keep your mind spinning and trying to work it all out. The shear number of the characters with their similar names and the overlapping, intertwining timelines also cause the mind to spin a bit. However, I stuck it out after a confusing third book and thoroughly enjoyed book 4, The Shadow Dragons, and book 5, The Dragon’s Apprentice, which set the series up for the what I hoped would be a fantastic finish. Book 6, The Dragons of Winter was once again just a s complicated as book 3 and once again confusion set in. However, all was made clear with book 7, The First Dragon. The conclusion was satisfying even if it felt a little rushed with some of the true historical background about the three main Caretakers not being fully fleshed out and shared with the readers.
Overall, I liked “The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica” by James A. Owen. The world he creates is partially known and brand new. The illustrations provided in each book at the start of every chapter are amazingly detailed. “The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica” series by James A. Owen gets a thumbs up.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few years ago I discovered the novel Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen. This is the first book in the 7 books series known as the “The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica” which follows the lives of Jack, John and Charles as they battle the forces of evil in an effort to save the World. Quite a tall order for three unknown gentlemen from Oxford.
This is a wonderful series of books that draws on many of the known myths and histories laid out in our most treasured stories. The books mix elements of time travel and fantasy to produce a rich and dense forest of interconnected story lines–both real and fictional–that keep you moving forward to discover the Grand Reveal at the end of book seven, The First Dragon. The artwork at the start of each chapter is also stunning! That’s right, each chapter in every single novel of this series is illuminated. Each image is hand drawn by the author himself.
By the third book in the series, The Indigo King, the plot gets a bit complicated and becomes one of those time travel books/series that will keep your mind spinning and trying to work it all out. The shear number of the characters with their similar names and the overlapping, intertwining timelines also cause the mind to spin a bit. However, I stuck it out after a confusing third book and thoroughly enjoyed book 4, The Shadow Dragons, and book 5, The Dragon’s Apprentice, which set the series up for the what I hoped would be a fantastic finish. Book 6, The Dragons of Winter was once again just a s complicated as book 3 and once again confusion set in. However, all was made clear with book 7, The First Dragon. The conclusion was satisfying even if it felt a little rushed with some of the true historical background about the three main Caretakers not being fully fleshed out and shared with the readers.
Overall, I liked “The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica” by James A. Owen. The world he creates is partially known and brand new. The illustrations provided in each book at the start of every chapter are amazingly detailed. “The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica” series by James A. Owen gets a thumbs up.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews.
January 19, 2011
I couldn't decide if this should have gotten 3 stars. I do really like the series. We are hooked, and unfortunately, now "caught up" and have to wait for the next in the series to be published. Bummer, as this one is the first to end without things being wrapped up.
I don’t know if the time travel element was simpler in this one compared to the others or if my brain has been stretched and it’s getting easier to follow. More explanation was given to the “rules” in this story that I wish would have been given in the previous books.
This is the first book that I wish I would have kept track of who’s who on paper. All of the references to someone in the past books that didn’t seem significant enough, I didn’t pay much attention to. Well, they all have a place in the future (or past, considering time travel) so don’t over look them.
I liked the themes of redemption, second chances, choice and agency, though some of those and other plot lines weren’t developed well enough. It REALLY bugs me that the fall of the Keep of Time is constantly blamed on the Caretakers when it was Mordred who chose to burn it down.
The redemption theme reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my sons a while back. We have pretty high standards for entertainment in our family, and I had just previewed a movie he was interested in seeing. He was very familiar with the music of this movie and was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I decided they (his brothers also) shouldn’t watch it. He wanted to know what happened to the bad guy, “How did he die?” It has always bugged me how the bad guys, as a punishment, always die in movies. I explained that he didn’t die and we don’t really know what happened to him. He had a horrible childhood which influenced his choices as an adult. Hopefully he changed his life and started anew. I asked myself why it bugged me so much. I got the answer. In my worldview, physical death isn’t necessarily a punishment. It shouldn’t be satisfying that we watch the villain die a gruesome death. It’s the spiritual death that matters, and that is decided only by God.
I don’t know if the time travel element was simpler in this one compared to the others or if my brain has been stretched and it’s getting easier to follow. More explanation was given to the “rules” in this story that I wish would have been given in the previous books.
This is the first book that I wish I would have kept track of who’s who on paper. All of the references to someone in the past books that didn’t seem significant enough, I didn’t pay much attention to. Well, they all have a place in the future (or past, considering time travel) so don’t over look them.
I liked the themes of redemption, second chances, choice and agency, though some of those and other plot lines weren’t developed well enough. It REALLY bugs me that the fall of the Keep of Time is constantly blamed on the Caretakers when it was Mordred who chose to burn it down.
The redemption theme reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my sons a while back. We have pretty high standards for entertainment in our family, and I had just previewed a movie he was interested in seeing. He was very familiar with the music of this movie and was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I decided they (his brothers also) shouldn’t watch it. He wanted to know what happened to the bad guy, “How did he die?” It has always bugged me how the bad guys, as a punishment, always die in movies. I explained that he didn’t die and we don’t really know what happened to him. He had a horrible childhood which influenced his choices as an adult. Hopefully he changed his life and started anew. I asked myself why it bugged me so much. I got the answer. In my worldview, physical death isn’t necessarily a punishment. It shouldn’t be satisfying that we watch the villain die a gruesome death. It’s the spiritual death that matters, and that is decided only by God.
October 13, 2021
A pirate ghost who turns out to be an old friend. A rip in the fabric of time itself. A journey that takes the Caretakers, and others, throughout history and the future in an attempt to repair that rip. All this, and so much more is the backbone of this 5 installment of the Chronicles.
When John and Charles see the ghost of Hank Morgan, who had been waiting two centuries to speak to them, it sets in motion a chain of events that transverses years upon years, in the past and the future. After Charles is gone, it is up to John, Jack, Fred, Burton, Rose, Laura Glue, Doyle, Houdini and others to fix what has been broken, while trying to preserve a hard won future. To do that they must battle the Ecthroi, the primordial darkness, in the past and the future to return the Archipelago to what it was. Along the way, they must find Samaranth's apprentice and convince that person to ascend and become a dragon. Only then can what was broken be repaired.
This was, so far, the most complex of the series. It took the ideas of time travel, Caretakers, Shadows, myths, legends and history and layered them in so many different ways. Themes and well known stories were mixed with historical figures and events from past novels to create an intricate web. The crux of this book was finding the Dragon's Apprentice, and a way to repair a rift in time. At the heart of this book were two things, learning who was friend and who was enemy, and a plethora of difficult choices. Choice was a major theme, what you chose to do determines who you are.
New intriguing characters were met, old characters were transformed and everyone was tested. The series is nearing its end, and with it we will discover many of the deepest, oldest secrets of the Archipelago. A wonderful edition to the series.
When John and Charles see the ghost of Hank Morgan, who had been waiting two centuries to speak to them, it sets in motion a chain of events that transverses years upon years, in the past and the future. After Charles is gone, it is up to John, Jack, Fred, Burton, Rose, Laura Glue, Doyle, Houdini and others to fix what has been broken, while trying to preserve a hard won future. To do that they must battle the Ecthroi, the primordial darkness, in the past and the future to return the Archipelago to what it was. Along the way, they must find Samaranth's apprentice and convince that person to ascend and become a dragon. Only then can what was broken be repaired.
This was, so far, the most complex of the series. It took the ideas of time travel, Caretakers, Shadows, myths, legends and history and layered them in so many different ways. Themes and well known stories were mixed with historical figures and events from past novels to create an intricate web. The crux of this book was finding the Dragon's Apprentice, and a way to repair a rift in time. At the heart of this book were two things, learning who was friend and who was enemy, and a plethora of difficult choices. Choice was a major theme, what you chose to do determines who you are.
New intriguing characters were met, old characters were transformed and everyone was tested. The series is nearing its end, and with it we will discover many of the deepest, oldest secrets of the Archipelago. A wonderful edition to the series.
December 26, 2012
The Dragon's Apprentice add a complication to the story of time travel. With this book, there is time travel in time and in space. The Keep of Time has finally been destroyed as with that history has been broken.
Verne reminds the Caretakers that time can be mappable. It is very difficult but can be done.
Hank Morgan tries to time travel... but what seems like it is 20 seconds in reality is 200 years. The problem is that there is no longer any zero point with the loss of the Keep of Time.
The previous caretakers reside as portraits, but can leave those, reside in Tamerlane House on the Nameless Island. The problem is that it is now separate from the Archipelago of Dreams.
The caretakers, along with others from the Archipelago are able to take the Black Dragon ship and end up in London at the time of the American Revolution. While in London, they met up with Benjamin Franklin. Franklin had been made aware that there would be caretakers who would be coming and need his help.
There is a major complication that no one knows of as they return to the Archipelago of Dreams. It is sure to create major problems as the story continues.
Verne reminds the Caretakers that time can be mappable. It is very difficult but can be done.
Hank Morgan tries to time travel... but what seems like it is 20 seconds in reality is 200 years. The problem is that there is no longer any zero point with the loss of the Keep of Time.
The previous caretakers reside as portraits, but can leave those, reside in Tamerlane House on the Nameless Island. The problem is that it is now separate from the Archipelago of Dreams.
The caretakers, along with others from the Archipelago are able to take the Black Dragon ship and end up in London at the time of the American Revolution. While in London, they met up with Benjamin Franklin. Franklin had been made aware that there would be caretakers who would be coming and need his help.
There is a major complication that no one knows of as they return to the Archipelago of Dreams. It is sure to create major problems as the story continues.
March 20, 2012
This, the fifth installment of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, took me quite some time to get through due to the mind-boggling twists in time-travel mechanics. Much of the mystery and adventure was left to the last dregs of the book, and the number of characters and their motives in combination with the length of time since the last book was released makes for a lot of confusion as the reader tries to sort out what's going on here! I find that the novelty Owen created in the first few books of the series is wearing thin. I suggest he end it soon, as the end note talks about more installments yet to come, and find someone to produce a movie centering on just the first book. I think Owen has the imagination and capacity to create another successful series if he'd just let go of this idea.
November 10, 2012
The series has remained entertaining, but it's so complex now! Time has been unraveled--the Keep of Time is no more--and both worlds are in great danger, not particularly from the Winter King, but from a darker, more ancient Evil. The Caretakers have lost the ability to travel in time AND the ability to travel to the Archipelago. Both worlds are in danger, the Archipelago perhaps will experience the danger first, but, in the end the real world faces the threat of overwhelming darkness too. This adventure has the team of Caretakers (plus a varied assortment of talking animals) traveling through the one remaining door from the Keep of Time, the door that Madoc traveled through in the previous book, and spending a great amount of time in the 1760s. (Meeting Daniel Defoe, Benjamin Franklin, etc.) Can time be restored? Can darkness be defeated?
I am still enjoying this series.
I am still enjoying this series.
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