Here, There Be Dragons

Written by James A. Owen

Narrated by James Langton

The Imaginarium Geographica...

"What is it?" John asked. The little man blinked and arched an eyebrow.
"It is the world, my boy," he said. "All the World, in ink and blood, vellum and parchment, leather and hide. It is the World, and it is yours to save or lose."

An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the first World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica -- an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship the Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams.

Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds. And in the process, they will share a great adventure filled with clues that lead listeners to the surprise revelation of the legendary storytellers these men will one day become.

An extraordinary journey of myth, magic, and mystery, Here, There Be Dragons introduces James A. Owen as a formidable new talent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9780743569415

James A. Owen

James A. Owen is the author of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series, the creator of the critically acclaimed Starchild graphic novel series, and the author of the Mythworld series of novels. He is also founder and executive director of Coppervale International, a comic book company that also publishes magazines and develops and produces television and film projects. He lives in Arizona. Visit him at HereThereBeDragons.net.

Reviews for Here, There Be Dragons

[joririchardson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the first few chapters of this book, I was not very convinced that it would be anything but mediocre, prematurely writing it off as a the commonly found cliche, fluffy middle schooler's type of adventure fantasy.However, the deeper into the story I read, the more impressed I became with the originality and depth of the author's writing. While his writing style is perhaps a bit too immature and simplistic for such an immense accomplishment, it does not dim the story's brilliance.Owen masterfully weaves together both large and small bits of famous science fiction and fantasy literature, tying together bits and pieces of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, H.G. Wells, Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Williams, Arthurian Legends, and more into an epic, sweeping collage of rich storytelling.The ending was very strong and satisfying.An great book! I look forward to reading the second in the series.

[boppisces · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written with numerous references to literature.

[thebacklistbook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As I mentioned before Here, There Be Dragons is without doubt one of the better books I've read in recent months. It is a watered down, Porn free version of Game of Thrones, and I loved every second i will definitely continue with this series.

[shaunesay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun mix of classic fantasy elements.

[forevermasterless · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Bland, poorly-written, overwhelmingly stupid fan-fiction disguised as a novel that's clearly supposed to make fantasy nerds cream their pants from all the references but probably only made the author cream his pants while writing it. As a fantasy nerd, I was not impressed. Neat premise, sure, but terrible execution. I can't help but wonder who this is for. It is so poorly written, so pandering, so bland, so generic, so predictable, so stupid, so contrived, so utterly derivative that you'd need to be a kid to get any enjoyment out of it, and this is coming from an adult that reads a lot of kid's books. Not a single aspect of it could be called good writing by any standard.

Characters
The characters have exactly zero personality until the author needs to manufacture drama, and then they get angry with each other for absolutely no reason. Jack (C.S. Lewis) in particular is portrayed as a callous jerk, but only sometimes, when it's convenient and the author needs to add some tension to a boring scene. At the start of the book he really tears into John (Tolkien) for things that are clearly not his fault, and continues to take shots at him throughout the book when you're least expecting it and never for any legitimate reason. What the hell? Why? It's the most contrived crap I've ever read, and totally unnecessary. Like I said, it's manufactured drama. It's fake. It's false. Is this a novel or reality television?

Having fictionalized versions of beloved authors that are kind of bland is something I can totally understand. If your prose, world-building, plot, and secondary characters are all fantastic then you can easily get away with bland protagonists, and they're real people, so maybe you don't want to portray them as anything other than stereotypical upstanding Englishmen just to avoid controversy and to be respectful to their memory. But then why turn them into annoying drama queens at the drop of a hat?

It very much seems like the author tried the first method, realized his characters were completely two-dimensional and every other aspect of the book was so terrible that it didn't make up the difference, so he added a bunch of random "flavor" to them in the second draft that straight up doesn't make any sense and comes out of nowhere. Such poor character writing I have scarcely seen in my entire life. If you're a writer yourself this book is almost worth reading just as a crystal clear example of what not to do.

Plot
The plot is just generic magical nonsense. To give you an idea of how much the story cares for logical consistency, the seat of power in the Archipelago of Dreams originally became such not through military might, but because they grow fantastic apples and people really love good produce. As if someone with military might wouldn't just take over your land and your apples... It's said as an off-hand joke, sure, but it's representative of how much the book as a whole cares about having any kind of logical consistency, which is to say it doesn't care at all.

Some more extreme examples of complete logical failings:

The Winter King, the clever and powerful antagonist we're supposed to fear, steals a leather-wrapped book from our protagonists and then immediately sails away and sinks their ship without unwrapping the book to make sure it's the right one, which of course it isn't. I check my bag at McDonald's to make sure they got my order right before leaving and you can't even check to make sure your enemy didn't sneakily hand you the wrong book before sinking their ship and leaving them to drown?! The Winter King clearly has an intellectual disability and needs a legal guardian to look after him, because nobody who's that stupid is capable of looking after themselves. This book is secretly a post-modern meta-commentary about the mental health-care system (I wish).

And this happens right after one of the characters mentions that he purposefully didn't sink their ship when disabling it with cannon-fire because he really needs the book and can't have it sinking to the bottom of the ocean and getting lost forever, which it absolutely would have if the protagonists hadn't been rescued from drowning by a deus ex machina. Speaking of deus ex machinas, they seem to be the main way of moving the plot forward in this book, so get used to that.

The Winter King isn't the only dolt though. Our characters are deliberately trying to destroy the aforementioned book at this point, sailing to the original creator of the book so he can tell them how to destroy it when The Winter King boards their ship. But get this, they can't destroy it because it doesn't burn. Okay, but then why do they take great pains to keep it from getting wet? Have you tried getting it wet? Have you tried ripping the pages into a million pieces and scattering them to the winds? No, of course they haven't. That would make too much sense. The only character that does try to rip it is one of the bad guys, towards the very end of the book. It doesn't work of course, but the fact that it wasn't even tried is ridiculous. Lazy, lazy author.

And if it can't be destroyed, why do they not think to throw it in the damn ocean which, as they just pointed out, would keep it out of The Winter King's hands? Literally things would've been better if our main characters just drowned, because they're so stupid that being alive is a hindrance to the entire world. It all works out in the end, of course, because this book is contrived bullshit, but you get the point. They had a specific goal and would have been more successful as corpses.

A human steward of The Winter King (the character that actually tries ripping the pages) winds up on the sinking ship with our protagonists and the depth of his past treacheries is revealed pretty much right after they're all rescued. They loathe him, distrust him, and debate killing him in cold blood (which is a messed up thing to imagine Tolkien and Lewis debating) and yet instead of doing that, they take him along on their adventure for...some reason that is not explained, and let him walk around freely and unobserved. It backfires immediately (duh) and he runs off with the two magical items they were supposed to protect.

Uhhhh, hey guys? You realize there's a grey area between murdering people you distrust like a freaking psycho killer and letting them just do whatevs, right? Tie the dude up, or have someone watch him at all times, or leave him behind and don't take him along on your super important mission in the first place. How hard is that? I swear, between The Winter King and our "heroes" this book is like watching two village idiots engage in a battle of wits. You just want it to end so the cringe-inducing second-hand embarrassment will go away.

Okay, let's not get too bogged down in specific examples here or I'll be at it all day. You get the idea. It's far too idiotic, poorly written, and generic for adults to enjoy, even adults (like myself) that regularly enjoy books written for children.

Children?
On the other hand, is it even enjoyable for kids? I didn't even know who Charles Williams was, so I know for sure kids don't have a clue. Why is his name some big reveal? Kids won't give a crap. And while I'll easily accept that a kid could be familiar with C.S. Lewis or Tolkien, would they know H.G. Wells or Jules Verne? Do they know what Avalon is? Are they going to be familiar enough with Jason and the Argonauts to recognize the reference to Argo? Do they know who the hell Nemo is, or is the adorable clown fish the only Nemo they know?

Maybe a kid wouldn't notice how utter crap this book is because kids don't know shit and have atrocious taste in entertainment, but the vast majority of the references would be lost on them. And the story often grinds to a halt for the sake of those references, or relies on those references to add context to what's happening or what's being said. The big reveal of The Winter King's true identity is Mordred, for instance, which no kid is going to get. The references seem to be the entire point of the book, and there's really not a ton of action or excitement, so you have to wonder if it would even hold their attention.

This really shouldn't have any audience whatsoever because it seems to please no one, and yet a decent number of people seem to love it anyway. Unabashed, five-star love! From adults! Madness! I won't even begin to try and understand what anyone sees in this masturbatory, self-congratulatory, fan-fic garbage. It's too confusing and I lose faith in the human race with every second that I spend thinking about it. Best just to move on and try to forget. This is the dictionary definition of a one-star book, and that's what it gets from me.

[jrashk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting mash-up of many legends, tales, and myths into a WWI Era adventure. The main character suffers from trench fever (Aka PTSD) from his time in the war which gave an interesting twist to the story. If you like British characters in classical adventure stories with a heaping helping of fantasy you'll like this book.

[courtney_anne-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I can't believe so many people liked this book. The whole reading experience was like listening to nails on a chalk board. It had such potential, but the execution was terrible. His writing style is so incredibly juvenile it completely ruined the story for me. Rather than be impressed with his revelations and his inclusion of lots of characters from both real life and fantasy, I thought the whole thing was overboard, rather like a child saying, "Look what I can do!!" "I bet you didn't see THAT coming, did you?!" It's not that it's not my preferred genre, either. It definitely is, and the plot had great potential. It just didn't work at all. I was incredibly disappointed. I'm thankful I read a friend's copy instead of buying my own.

[stewartry · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I am very disappointed in this audiobook. I loved the beginning – so much. James Langton was charming as a reader. No, really – charming. He read in a neutral, British-flavored voice, which perfectly set off the tones and accents he used for the characters, each distinctive and enjoyable. I didn't realize that the physical book is illustrated; perhaps the characterizations balance that loss. (I hate discovering that books I've gotten in audio are illustrated. It's such a cheat.) I enjoyed the heck out of how the story began. The Imaginarium Geographica (is that correct Latin? It doesn't feel right) allows for cameos by characters like Captain Nemo; it recalled [book:Silverlock] more than the other similarly-themed novella I listened to earlier this year, Legendarium. Unlike the latter, this did not aim primarily for humor (and aim low at that), and I did not loathe the characters (until I found out who they were supposed to be). Everything in the opening chapters clicked in all kinds of ways. Nice idea, nice storytelling, just lots of fun. The reveal of the other identity of the Green Knight is lovely. The repeated motif of characters waving farewell as the heroes move on to the next stage of their adventure was nice. I loved some bits: "What's that [constellation], there?" asked Charles, pointing. "The line that looks like Orion's Belt?""It's Orion's Belt," said Artus."Ah," said Charles. Successful humor. "A smile began to Cheshire over his face" – nice wordplay. "I say we just kill him and spare ourselves the trouble of watching our backs.""Seconded," said Charles."Kind of bloodthirsty, don't you think, Charles?" said John."I'm an editor," said Charles. "I have to make decisions like that all the time."I love that. It was because of stuff like that there that I had five stars dancing in my head for several chapters. And yet even toward the beginning I questioned some things. Three young men find themselves on a dragon-prowed ship sailing out of London and this world in 1917, and are stunned to discover that the ship's crew is made up of fauns. So agile and sure-footed, the captain of the ship (Aven) says. But… perhaps it's apocryphal that sailor often went barefoot so as not to slip? The author explains that, like mountain goats, the fauns are remarkably nimble even in the midst of a storm … I don't know. Maybe cloven hooves have better traction, even on water-slicked wooden decking. And then the ship is captured, and all the fauns taken prisoner, and it is known that their status will be going from "crew" to "entrée" – and our heroes barely twitch. This is the first time it becomes clear that there are "lesser races" in this world, and I found that distinctly uncomfortable. Something else I thought odd... or, rather, distasteful… Okay. In a PBS piece on Harper Lee, Oprah Winfrey talks about how astounding it was that "little Harper Lee" – with accompanying hand gesture indicating diminutiveness – had the courage to tackle Southern racism in the midst of the fight for civil rights. I'll talk about Harper Lee, at length and adoringly, elsewhere; I likely won't talk about Oprah anywhere ever again, and not just because she ticked me off here by seeming to equate lack of height with lack of courage. This is relevant, even apart from the fact that I'm short, because here are a couple of remarks from Here, There Be Dragons: "Their short stature made them rather disagreeable". The enmity between elves and dwarves? "It's a height thing". I think there was more – and it's particularly irritating in that this is a book aimed at young adults, many of whom aren't very tall, after all. I probably bring up Chekhov and his gun more often than I ought, but that's because it's a kind of big obvious thing, and when it's missed it leaves a vague feeling of incompleteness. This time the gun was a guy. Very early on, Captain Aven is hissing and spitting about a Caretaker called Jamie who abandoned the Imagninarium for "playacting in Kensington Gardens", which in light of the fact that 99.99% of Caretakers named were renowned authors made me think of J.M. Barrie. I had two guesses up in the air: Barrie, or – given the sheer venom from Aven – kin; her brother, perhaps. At the end it was revealed at last that it was indeed Barrie … and that was it. I see now that there are several other books in this series; maybe Jamie shows up in one of those. But there should have been something in here, because good grief was he ever given a dramatic build-up. I've never heard anything about him to make me expect it: why was he such a rebel? I guess I'll never know. When I began to roll my eyes, those five stars I envisioned near the beginning began to fade, one by one. The characters simply had no sense. Example: A door left open with disastrous consequences is … still left open even after the disastrous consequences. Our hero John stresses about how terrible a student he was, because he did not take his apprenticeship as a Caretaker seriously, not seeing much point in studying dead languages when there was a war on and he was suffering from shell shock. Why did he never see much point? Because he was never told why it was important. It was even worse than all those romances where the two main characters go through hell simply because they don't talk to each other. If someone had simply told John a little bit of what was going on … there would be no book. And I will very much come back to that "terrible student" thing. That aimed-at-young-adults thing I mentioned earlier became more and more obvious the further I got. There was a lightness of tone at what were to me surprising moments which I can only attribute to the intended reading level. There aren't really any teeth to the book. It begins with a murder, and with a young man on leave from WWI trying to cope with shell shock, so as events spun out I expected there to be patches of grim reality. And – spoiler alert – there really weren't. Well, one: a secondary character died, and it was because of a rather arrogant mistake made by one of the primary characters. But it's okay, because the young man whose fault it was redeems himself spectacularly. Based on memories of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain I rather thought that the redemption would involve the young man losing, or at least risking losing, his life, but no. And then it was revealed that that one death was the single solitary "good guy" casualty in the big battle, although the description made it sound like a bloodbath. There was one bit that made one eyebrow Spock up: our heroes are standing in front of a magical door with no apparent way in, but bordered by carving. "It says, basically, 'declare allegiance and be welcomed'." "Well, doesn't it perhaps mean that the magic word that opens the door is 'allegiance'," said Jack, "in Elvish?" "That's a stupid idea," said John. "Then anyone who spoke Elvish could get in." Have I mentioned how important The Lord of the Rings is to me? I'll come back to that, too. As I listened to that bit, I see-sawed between "Heh, cute" and "Come here and I will slap you so hard you'll see all the stars I'm not giving your book". Since I'm bent on spoilerizing this book, I will go ahead and say that towards the end, as Jack and John and Charles were about to sign their names in the endpapers of the book, I made a note to the effect that Jack had bloody well better not be J.R.R. Tolkien. Well, he wasn't. He was C.S. Lewis. (I didn't remember that Lewis was called Jack.) John was Tolkien. (For some reason I did have a memory that he was called Jack.) From biography.com: he got a "first-class degree at Exeter College, specializing in Anglo-Saxon and Germanic languages and classic literature." I could be wrong, but that doesn't sound like "terrible student" to me. And here comes another reference to another book I listened to recently: The Stress of Her Regard. In that book, Byron and Shelley and Keats are characters, and the concept of the novel is that all of the blaze of genius in these three poets is down not to inborn talent, but … vampires. I found that as offensive and nauseating as I find the "glover's son couldn't have written Shakespeare" thing, and even the "clearly aliens built everything spectacular" thing. The more I think about it the more annoyed I am by the use of Tolkien as a character in this book (and Lewis) (and in fact, now I come to think about it, every other author mentioned), not only because these portrayals of Tolkien and Lewis were far from flattering (slanderous, if anything), but because it ends on a note of "hey, what a great idea, I'm going to transcribe accounts of my adventures in the guise of fantasies – like other Caretakers who became famous authors doing so!" No.

[srearley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There were parts of this that were a little choppy, but it was a fun read, with lots of references to other books and myths and stories that were fun to try to figure out. I'm sure I missed a lot of them. Good fun.

[humouress · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story starts in London of March 1917, during the Great War. Three strangers are brought together, one to be Caretaker principa of the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of the Archipelago of all the imaginary lands of myth and story. Only, these lands are real and do exist in a different universe. Their fate is intertwined with our world and they are in danger, as the Winter King is rapidly conquering islands, throwing a shadow over them as he goes.Escaping from the creatures of shadow who have killed the previous Caretaker, John, Charles and Jack board a semi-sentient dragon ship and sail to the Archipelago, where they become embroiled in a quest to save the Archipelago from the ravages of the Winter King, and thus, save our world.The story recalls fond memories of classics and old favourites, being reminiscent of Narnia, in particular. Anyone who has read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, Peter Pan, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Sword in the Stone, Alice in Wonderland, Tea with the Black Dragon, A Tale of Two Cities, The Book of Three, 1,001 Arabian Nights - and many more - will find themselves on familiar ground. With good reason, too; the lands in the Imaginarium Geographica are the lands created in those stories.I did wonder why Owen chose to begin his story in war-torn London when I felt his characterisation wasn't spot on (I'm sorry; two of my favourite authors are Jane Austen and P. G. Wodehouse and I get pernickety about period references), but the reason becomes clear at the end. I feel that while the storyline is commensurate with many well-loved adventures , the writing isn't quite as tight as those classics, so it falls into the junior fiction category for me, and I'm rating it as such. It is a good beginning to the series, although it is a complete story in itself. I'll be looking out for the sequels.

[stefany_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have to say that I was a bit disappointed by this one. When I came across this at the bookstore (yes, I judged this book by its cover!) The artwork, both on the cover and inside as well as the cool maps and the blurb on the jacket all hinted at something truly special to me. However, I found the story contained within to be just good, not great. That is not to say that I didn't like it, on the contrary, I did enjoy it for the most part. However, what seemed to have to potential to be something truly magical turned out to just be above average. I think if the author had slowed down a bit instead of taking his characters from one fantastical situation to another and really concentrated on paring down the experiences to 3 or 4 things in this book and put a little more development into his characters so that the reader could connect better to them as individuals, he could have had a more cohesive and wonderful story. The reveal at the end was a nice touch however, I just wish that I felt a little more connection to the characters when the reveal was made.Overall, Here, There Be Dragons was a decent YA Fantasy novel. I would most probably pick up the second book in the series if I ran across it, but it's not something that I would actively seek out.

[debbiemccauley-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written with numerous references to literature.

[dbhutch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Owen has created a new classic masterpiece with his new series. Join John, Jack, and Charles as they join Bert, and a cast of others in an adventure that begins in London, and crosses worlds, to the world of imagination and dreams. But all worlds have their problems, and the Archipelago is no different. With the government in shambles, and an evil Winter King out for the throne of the land, our three adventurers set out to solve several mysteries to save this new found world, and their own.Owen does a masterful job of weaving histories and myths into his tale, from Captain Nemo, to King Arthur, Noah and the Ark, and the likes of brilliant dreamers and writers such as Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. A true work of art in crafting a new tale from old legend.

[davidpwhelan_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Owens' story is a satisfying adventure story littered with literary references to other children's authors. The story is enjoyable but nothing fantastic, and parents reading it with their children may find the constant references (and the final revelation about who the three main characters are) tiresome and twee. The literary references feel gimmicky and detract from what is otherwise a good story about taking responsibility, learning from mistakes, and accepting challenges in order to become better.

[amylynn_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have read this book several times since it was released, and each reading has given it a new impression. I highly recommend this book be read twice, so you can fully appreciate the plot twist at the end.James A Owen is a master of storytelling, who clearly spent time creating the Archipelago of Dreams, where all of your favorite literary haunts exist in one form or another. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, Victorian themes, or fantasy.

[cynara_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sadly, this didn't quite work for me. I didn't feel that Owen's characters came alive, and I thought that many of the "surprises" were telegraphed too early and too obviously. I might be optimistic enough to look up the next one, to see if it hits its stride; I normally love this sort of thing!

[drneutron_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a wonderful fantasy story! Here's another one that I can't really say too much about without spoiling the surprise. Let me just say that fantasy fans will find the characters and events a bit familiar, but will be very rewarded for keeping with it.

[hobbitgirl09 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Centered around an interesting, original idea, this story is a wild ride of a fantasy tale! It is epic and intriguing. And, for many fantasy fans, it's a wonderful homage to the classics of the fantasy genre.

[lycomayflower · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't think I can talk about this one without spoiling it, so stop now if you ever intend to read this one and don't want ruined the delight of sorting what's going on here for yourself.On the night in 1917 when an Oxford professor is mysteriously murdered, three young men who are strangers to one another meet up at the professor's study through a series of coincidences. Shortly they are met by a strange man carrying an important book which he explains is the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of all the imaginary lands. He claims that the professor was training John, one of the young men, to be the Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica and that the Archipelago of Dreams is now under threat from the Winter King. The strange man, Bert, takes the three young men (the other two are named Jack and Charles--anyone have it sorted yet?) to his ship, which, by virtue of its living dragon-head mast, can navigate the barrier between the "real" world and the world mapped in the Imaginarium Geographica. Adventures ensue. Anyone familiar with any works that might be deemed "fantasy" will find the characters, settings, and situations of the adventures in the Archipelago highly derivative--and that is precisely the point. Or rather, the implication is that those fantasy stories arise when Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica return to the "real" world from the Archipelago and share their wonderful adventures there in the only way they believe they can without being made a laughing stock--by turning their adventures into tales. Past Caretakers include Cervantes, Shakespeare, Poe, and Jules Verne, among others. Our three strangers are Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien, though the book does not reveal this until the last page. (I was pretty sure before the one-third mark.) The very delight of Here, There Be Dragons is in recognizing the characters and settings from various myths, legends, and tales and celebrating, along with the narrative, the importance to the "real" world of all that is encompassed in the Archipelago of Dreams. I think the revelation of who the three main characters are must be held until the end in order to achieve the desired effect of an ah-ha moment which confirms and underscores that importance of fantasy. But I wonder if suspicion of their real identity is not necessary as well, for that suspicion, once confirmed, creates a delicious sense of having been "in on it" and of having access to something quite wonderful that not just everybody could understand. People, like Eustace in Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader, for instance, who haven't read "the right sort of books," here being marvelous tales involving the imagination rather than dull, practical books, might have difficulties. This is intertextuality at its delightful, gleeful best and anyone who loves imaginative, fantastic stories will love Here, There Be Dragons for its own adventure, yes, but most for the joy it takes in the adventures that have gone before it.

[karenkerr_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun read for young adults.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I did enjoy this story of three Oxford men who have different careers and who meet by accident and end up saving the world of imagination. While occasionally it did feel like the author was trying too hard to fit some of the pieces of the world of imagination into the story it was still an interesting read.I did guess who two of the men who met in 221B Baker Street were and I hope to find some reads by the third. If nothing else Owen may have introduced me to a new classic fantasy writer.

[phantasma_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh, this was a fantastic book. It was exciting and thought-provoking and just altogether wonderful!

[lcsdlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Here There Be Dragons, Owen has created a wonderful fantasy world that is new and familiar at the same time. The story pulls the reader along through a world of trolls, elves, dragons, seafaring, and adventure, weaving bits from the Arthurian legend, Jules Verne, J.R.R. Tolkein, and others. With a satisfying ending that ties everything together and makes the whole book seem even more clever and enjoyable. And I don't really even like fantasy stories.

[ulan25_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I picked up this book at the bookstore because of the following reasons:1) It had the word "dragons" in the title;2) The cover was excellent, intriguing, and promised grand adventure;3) At the backcover, it had glowing testimonials from authorsOrson Scott Card and Kai Meyer.I bought it at a gamble, not knowing anything about it --- that the movie rights to it had already been sold and what not; nor its plot contained an element that would amuse or irritate a Tolkienite like me.I found out about those facts soon enough, when I got home and surfed the web for reviews. I found mostly good ones, btw.I finished the book in one day. It draws you into the story in a rush, and you follow it without a second thought.It makes references to a lot of ancient myths and legends, and even relatively modern tales. It's the stuff of dreams you'll find in this book. I think if you're a lover of fantasy, you'll love it. You'll love the idea of boarding a dragonship and crossing the border into the Archipelago of Dreams where enchanted lands and chivalrous characters live and breathe.It's an adventurous book with lots of humorous banter, but knows when to serve a slice of sorrow.And that one detail -- a very simple detail that any Tolkien nut would spot a few pages into the story -- makes for a very amusing (and cheesily, a goosebumpy) ending. (stay away from writeups in the internet because they give this detail away! I myself saw the spoilers)It's a fun read. And the cover's promise is true: here, there be dragons.