“"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, and hardly went through any pages at all during my week-long trip. But when I got back and got properly settled, I went and finished the book.
One thing that's going for this book: the unique plot. Sure, there are dragons. Sure, there's Avalon and a host of other familiar-sounding locations. Sure, there are familiar literary names. But how they interact and come together is the key both to the actual plot, and the book's unique charm. Mr. Owen is definitely on to something big here.
I had some minor issues with the writing style, and sometimes it seems certain scenes are too cliché, some just bordering on overkill. However, during these shaky points in the book, Mr. Owen manages to pull off something fantastic, and the story powers on faster than a dragonship, leaving the uncomfortable moments floundering in its wake.
The ending certainly came as a surprise (although it probably shouldn't), but that was a shaky point for me as well. My initial reaction was: "No way! Overkill!" But in hindsight, maybe not. I should probably re-read the book. ;) I will not spoil the ending for anyone here because it's obvious the reader is meant to see the characters differently before the big reveal.
The drawings are a nice touch. It helps that Mr. Owen is also an artist, and the drawings give us visions of his world exactly as he imagined it.
Volume 2, "The Search for the Red Dragon", is coming out early next year. And as if someone was whispering hints to me, I decided to write my thoughts on the book today, checked Mr. Owen's Livejournal for the first time ever, and found that samples of the audiobooks for Volumes 1 and 2 are now online. :)
James A. Owen's LiveJournal:
http://coppervale.livejournal.com/
Samples from Volume 1 and 2 Audiobooks:
http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?pid=537506&tab=5&agid=5
http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=5&pid=537508&agid=5
”
meann wrote this review Wednesday, December 26 2007.
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