Scan barcode
ralfcazam's review against another edition
3.0
This book presents a very interesting concept. It takes place partially in London and partially in a world in which all the imaginings of our world exist. It is called the Archipelago of Dreams. It will be interesting to read the sequel and see where else Owen takes the idea.
authorcharlottee's review against another edition
4.0
Note that this, right here, is how you write fanfiction. All the connections that he wrote made it actually feel that this Imaginarium Geographica was real. That all these famous authors had adventures in these worlds and wrote them down in a version of their own. Being a huge Lord of the Rings fan, I especially loved how he made Tolkien the head Caretaker of the atlas because Tolkien is really known to be the master behind fantasy.
What this book did for me more than anything was inspire me. The vibe I got from the book was that these young writers were supposed to be the protectors of imagination, not just this imaginary world, but people's imagination in general. As a writer this had an impact on me. The whole reason I started writing was to preserve my own imagination and to get others to keep theirs also. Writing fantasy is doing that, writing about the impossible and adding realistic elements makes people believe that there is something more out there. For example: within my writing there is an underlying storyline. Like in "Here There Be Dragons" young Jack, John, and Charles wrote about their adventures, in my own I do the same. Within the words I write and the places I show and the characters I create, I am telling my story.
What this book did for me more than anything was inspire me. The vibe I got from the book was that these young writers were supposed to be the protectors of imagination, not just this imaginary world, but people's imagination in general. As a writer this had an impact on me. The whole reason I started writing was to preserve my own imagination and to get others to keep theirs also. Writing fantasy is doing that, writing about the impossible and adding realistic elements makes people believe that there is something more out there. For example: within my writing there is an underlying storyline. Like in "Here There Be Dragons" young Jack, John, and Charles wrote about their adventures, in my own I do the same. Within the words I write and the places I show and the characters I create, I am telling my story.
faylines's review against another edition
5.0
This book is brilliant. When a friend recommended I didn't know I'd love it as much as I did. As a fan of fantasy and mythology this book uses ancient tales in an innovative fashion. Couldn't do it justice. Already starting the next one (thankfully have the lot)
brisingr's review against another edition
5.0
A murder brings three Oxford students together. Stuck in a select club during a rainy night, an unusual guest reveals some extraordinary things to them, and being suddenly followed and wanted by some blood-thirsty creatures, they escape by embarking on their guest's ship and reaching a territory of imagination.
This is literally the most unaccurate description of what this book is about, but I want everyone to be as pleasantly surprised as I was. This book is a portal to childhood and imaginary worlds and it gives us the chance to sit in front of (maybe) favorite characters and legends from all over the world. The places that our three heroes visit and explore are part of the cultural and imaginary heritage of the whole humanity, and while this is a middle-grade book, I recommend it to people who have some basic knowledge on popular stories and legends, so it'll be easier to follow all the characters and adventures presented in it. If not, it's not really such a bad thing, as most of the less-known names are explained.
To be honest, I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. It has quite a simple writing style (I guess it's expected, taking in consideration the target readers), and while at first it bothered me, I learnt to appreciate how raw the feelings inflicted on me were thanks to the simplicity of the sentences. The characters were all likeable from the very first start, and I liked how each had to face some fears and insecurities, and all learnt something and got chanced by this experience they shared.
As Owen said in the author's notes, he took the gaps in history and gave them some magical touches, borrowed them and fitted them into his stories perfectly. I adore the mix of legends and ideas this book is and the enthusiasm I had as a child for mythology came back now even stronger. I was smiling every time a character I could recognize appeared, and all the talks about a past influenced by this land made of dreams and imagination was very interesting.
I had a lot of fun reading it! It's easy to get sucked into the story, it's entertaining, and the illustration are such a nice addition to the story! I adored how this book ended, it's hopeful and intriguing and never in a thousand years would I imagine such a wonderful turn of events! The ending is actually the tie-breaker, and the one that made this book a 5/5 stars experience for me! I had to just stare at a wall, while hugging the book, because this is how much I loved it.
I would sincerely recommend it to anyone! If you're a young reader, in search of a breath-taking adventure, or an everything reader that needs some break from serious books, or if you're old and you're craving for the hurried heartbeats a nice book would give you.
This book is for those that dare imagine.
This is literally the most unaccurate description of what this book is about, but I want everyone to be as pleasantly surprised as I was. This book is a portal to childhood and imaginary worlds and it gives us the chance to sit in front of (maybe) favorite characters and legends from all over the world. The places that our three heroes visit and explore are part of the cultural and imaginary heritage of the whole humanity, and while this is a middle-grade book, I recommend it to people who have some basic knowledge on popular stories and legends, so it'll be easier to follow all the characters and adventures presented in it. If not, it's not really such a bad thing, as most of the less-known names are explained.
To be honest, I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. It has quite a simple writing style (I guess it's expected, taking in consideration the target readers), and while at first it bothered me, I learnt to appreciate how raw the feelings inflicted on me were thanks to the simplicity of the sentences. The characters were all likeable from the very first start, and I liked how each had to face some fears and insecurities, and all learnt something and got chanced by this experience they shared.
As Owen said in the author's notes, he took the gaps in history and gave them some magical touches, borrowed them and fitted them into his stories perfectly. I adore the mix of legends and ideas this book is and the enthusiasm I had as a child for mythology came back now even stronger. I was smiling every time a character I could recognize appeared, and all the talks about a past influenced by this land made of dreams and imagination was very interesting.
I had a lot of fun reading it! It's easy to get sucked into the story, it's entertaining, and the illustration are such a nice addition to the story! I adored how this book ended, it's hopeful and intriguing and never in a thousand years would I imagine such a wonderful turn of events! The ending is actually the tie-breaker, and the one that made this book a 5/5 stars experience for me! I had to just stare at a wall, while hugging the book, because this is how much I loved it.
I would sincerely recommend it to anyone! If you're a young reader, in search of a breath-taking adventure, or an everything reader that needs some break from serious books, or if you're old and you're craving for the hurried heartbeats a nice book would give you.
This book is for those that dare imagine.
rosiesnow's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
shrimpy's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ettuladyblue's review against another edition
2.0
I liked it until the ending...a little too gimmicky for me, and turned it into a weird fanfic. But there's a lot of good before that point.
It definitely had the old school adventure feel of those English fantasy novels we all grew up with, complete with seafaring adventures and derring do. Also appreciated many callbacks and allusions to Narnia and LOTR/
I would note that this is definitely a boy's club--there are 4 female characters (3 of which only appear in one chapter) and an off screen, unnamed wife...So four and a half? Perhaps that's remedied in future installments? I think this book would be awesome for a younger reader in late elementary or early middle school, but I still enjoyed it.
It definitely had the old school adventure feel of those English fantasy novels we all grew up with, complete with seafaring adventures and derring do. Also appreciated many callbacks and allusions to Narnia and LOTR/
I would note that this is definitely a boy's club--there are 4 female characters (3 of which only appear in one chapter) and an off screen, unnamed wife...So four and a half? Perhaps that's remedied in future installments? I think this book would be awesome for a younger reader in late elementary or early middle school, but I still enjoyed it.
orsuros's review against another edition
2.0
The book had a lot of good ideas but those will only get you so far. I felt the characters needed work because I never really connected with them. Too much of the book also seemed to be spent on conceptual conversations between the characters which made the action seem too thin throughout most the book. I wanted to like it for the good ideas but those alone weren't enough to immerse me in the story.
tatibri's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
theevilcactus1's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The plot was interesting enough, but there was so much information and worldbuilding all the time that I had a hard time processing all of it. I also didn’t really care about any of the characters. I finished this one, but won’t be reading the sequel(s).