Since I originally was going to use this blog to record the books I've read, I thought I might actually start doing it. I do have a Shelfari page here, but I want to try this out, too.
The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica: Here, There Be Dragons, by James A. Owen.
I initially picked this book up on a friend's recommendation. Wasn't too sure about it at first. It seemed kind of old-timey with old-timey interior illustrations, and I've somehow convinced myself that I don't like old-timey children's books. Of course, this book was published in 2006 (translation: not so old-timey as I had judged). And it's not in the children's section at the library; it's in the teen section. Although in terms of appropriateness, it certainly could be in the chidlren's section. And best of all, there's a reason for the old-timey-ness. But I didn't really get that until the end. Silly me!
This story is a curious blend of "real life" WWI Britishness and a multitude of fantasy of all sorts. It reminds me some of Michael Scott's Alchemyst series with its cocktail of fantasy legends and myths. But I also saw some Tolkien (Ring of Power, anyone?), and some Eddings, and some Llyod Alexander, and some dragons (of course), and the list could go on and on and on. Which is why I really loved the book. In fact, at the end (and don't skip to it, because the figuring it out is half the fun), when all sorts of things fell into place for me, I wanted to go back and reread to find all the nuances that I'm sure I missed.
I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
