Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen

John, Charles, and Jack go to the edge of the world in this wild, fantastic romp through the lands of myth and legend.

Here, There Be Dragons (Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #1) by James A. Owen. Simon & Schuster, 2006. 336 pages.

Reading Level: Teens, Ages 12+

Recommended For: Teens, Ages 12+

John answered a summons from his former Oxford professor only to arrive after the professor was murdered…and discover that he was a suspect! Called into questioning with two other men (Charles and Jack), John and his new associates head to a local pub after being cleared of suspicion. The pub’s address? 221B Baker Street. Bert shows up, hustles them along to the wharf, and urges them onto a ship that can only be from a fairy tale. Of course, the Wendigo hard at their heels are also somewhat unbelievable. Without further ado, the three men are suddenly bound for the lands of myth and legend, John learns that he’s the new caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica, and the Winter King is determined rule over all.

Confused? So were John, Charles, and Jack. But they quickly entered into the spirit of their new adventure as will astute readers. The Imaginarium Geographica is a collection of maps of all the lands in the world—and out of the world: Prydain, Lilliput, Avalon, and the rest. John’s task is to protect these maps and keep them from the Winter King. John, Charles, and Jack aren’t the most well developed characters in fantasy literature, but they are fun and their adventures are even more fun. Here, There Be Dragons is perfect for teens who’ve grown up reading (or listening to) classic fantasy and adventure novels with a healthy dose of mythology thrown in. Those who aren’t as well read will enjoy the surface story, but those who recognize Nemo, Nessie, Pandora’s Box, Arthur’s legacy, and the rest will delight in the myriad offhand references to stories they’ve already read and enjoyed. It’s a hard book to categorize, but the style will remind readers a little of the Prydain Chronicles, a little of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next books, a smidge of Narnia, a touch of Auxier’s Peter Nimble, and a wee smattering of Tolkien. Don’t miss the last page! (And don’t skip to the end, either.)

Considerations:

• A few scattered instances of language: 2 instances each of “bloody,*” “d—,” and the Lord’s name. One of h—. *Since these are British characters after all!
• As of this writing, we’ve only read/reviewed this first book in the series. Our hope is that the author has written the rest of the series in the same vein with the same standards.
• The author lumps *all* allusions and ideas in together. As such the biblical flood, the Serpent from the Garden of Eden, and more are included alongside mythological references with no distinction. Most teens will do just fine with that, reading between the lines where necessary and not taking anything in this book too seriously.
• One final consideration: there is a nice dose of “believe in yourself” messaging in parts, but the overwhelming theme is that the team does best when each person is using their unique gifts and talents.

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 4 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Read more about our ratings here.

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader

• A Review: Ashtown Burials is another fantasy series for teens that mixes legend and myth freely into the storyline, although the style is quite different.
• A Resource: Here Be Dragons (convenient that our big fantasy book list has a similar title as this list!)
• A Reflection: I first heard of these books from Eli Evans of Exodus Books: read more about him in our Back Porch Book Chat with him!

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