The Indigo King

The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #3

by James A. Owen

"Answer the question unanswered for more than two millennia, and perhaps you may yet restore the world."

On a September evening in 1931, John and Jack, two of the Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica, discover a cryptic warning on a medieval manuscript -- which is not only addressed to them but seems to have been written by their friend, Hugo Dyson! But before they can discover the origin of the strange book, Hugo walks through a door in time -- and vanishes into the past.

And in that moment, the world begins to change.

The Frontier, which separates our world from the Archipelago of Dreams, has fallen. Dark and terrible beasts roam throughout England. No one can be summoned from the Archipelago. And both worlds have fallen into darkness under the reign of a cruel and terrible king.

The only hope to restore the proper order of things lies on a forgotten island at the edge of the Archipelago, where a time travel device left by Jules Verne must be used to race through history itself -- from the Bronze Age to ancient Alexandria and the founding of the Silver Throne -- in one night. And in that single night, John and Jack will find that the only way to save their friend and stop the chaos destroying the world is to solve a 2,000-year-old mystery: Who is the Cartographer?
From ISBN 1416951075 / 9781416951070

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dragons, Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Time Travel

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Elsa Qazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My accidental five-star rating of this book proved to be quite a prophecy.

Years ago in the world that we know, Hugo Dyson, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis went strolling through the gardens at Magdalen. Lewis a staunch atheist, or at any rate vehemently NOT Christian came out of the night the complete opposite. James A Owen wrote this book as an explanation for why that happened.

I am in awe of Owen, his complete knowledge of what he writes, his beautiful imagination being able to form connections in myths in such an intricate manner, his attention to detail and his usage of the characters and stories (fictional and otherwise) in such a manner that the characters feel new yet the same. I can't wait to delve into more of what the series holds, I can't wait to go on more adventures with these familiar, ever-so-endearing characters.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to the second book, I found all the time travel stuff hard to follow (see my rant in that review) and also fairly unnecessary. The premise is that John and Jack's friend Hugo sends them a note from the past, even though he is a contemporary, then he walks through a door into a different time, disappears, and the world changes around them. They have to then travel back in time to find him, fix whatever it was he changed, and defeat an old enemy again. There is a lot of emphasis on multiple timelines and parallel worlds and I couldn't help wondering how that note from Hugo in the past made it to them in their original timeline, since he wrote it after he changed stuff and sent the world down a different timeline. Uh oh, I sense a rant coming... Also, two previous Caretakers who are both expert time travelers basically coordinate everything for John and Jack, yet in really obscure, far fetched ways, and I kept wondering why these time traveling experts just do it themselves because John and Jack clearly had no idea what to do and only got by on luck and the help of their badger friends.

This brings me to why I still gave it three stars despite the overall plot not making much sense or feeling necessary. Even though I couldn't keep track of the bigger picture very well, I did enjoy the individual scenes, and the interactions with the various characters. I liked Chaz and I loved the Badgers especially. They were so cute and funny. I enjoyed the book while I was reading it, it moved quickly and had some funny parts. At the end, there was a helpful conversation which summed up some of the main points and helped me remember what had actually happened and why. I appreciated that a lot. And I enjoyed the connection between real life events in the Caretakers' lives and in the book.

[Orbi Alter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sve je zanimljivo. Prica kombinira poznate fantasticne svjetove, glavni likovi su meni inace obozavani autori i anegdote koje im se dogadaju su fantazija koja je utemeljena na stvarnim nekim razgovorima. Jazavci (djeca zenlje <3) su mi najasladi likovi u 2016., a jos se svako malo upletu zmajevi da poravnaju racune. Svaki od ovih nastavaka se oslanja na mitove i klasicnu kulturu, ali unatoc ok stilu, fali nesto. Mehanicki precizno napisano i bez duse. Procitat cu jos ovu cetvrtu prevedenu jer me zivo zanima kako ce "objasnit" noviju povijest i ne znam sto cu s ostatkom. Mozda jednom procitam. Razvlaci se ista spranca u milijun nastavaka i to me redovito demotivira. Saga stvarno mora bit napisana tako da dises s njima i da se mrzis alo ti nastavak nije pri ruci, a ne da se mrzis jer vracas zadnju neprocitanu knjigu...

[Jacq.and.the.readstalk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this certainly takes a darker turn!

James A. Owen is a marvellous storyteller, continually weaving new mysteries with literature, history, science, mythology, and religion, accompanied by exquisite illustrations drawn by the author himself and the exceptionally witty dialogue between characters. The world-building and the plot are complex and layered but written in a way that is easy to comprehend. As with all the books in the series everything is so cleverly connected.

I adore all of the characters and their representation. There are new characters, old characters, warped characters, and best of all the talking animals! The third book in the series mainly focuses on King Arthur masterfully woven with A Connecticut Yankee and The Time Machine. It also explores how major events in history were created like the loch ness monster, the destruction of the library of Alexandra etc. (I was crying with laughter at some). I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read this series, but it’s definitely over 10, I just love, love, love it so much!

A mystifying and gripping adventure to solve the ultimate question: who is the Cartographer?, with many adventures, mishaps, and discoveries along the way.

IG Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CcL7m0pPn...

[Mith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best in the series, so far! Loved, loved, LOVED it!

The thing I love about the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series is that they keep you guessing! You think you have it all figured out, only to be proven wrong a few pages later. This was one such book - I could NOT put it down!

The Indigo King focuses on the mysterious Cartographer this time around. Much like how Dumbledore shows Harry the history of Voldemort and how he came to be, Jules Verne shows John, Jack and Charles the history of Mordred and the Cartographer, and how they came to be. The whole thing was expertly handled and was brilliant to read about. I cannot believe I actually felt sorry for Mordred at the end of it all! Just goes to show there are always two sides to a story.

The book takes time-travel in the Archiepelago to a whole new level! Several places, I found it a bit difficult to digest the story as I firmly believe, in cases of Time travel, you cannot change the past - what has happened, has happened and what will happen, will happen. The Universe always, always course-corrects itself.

So I wasn't comfortable with the idea that Hugo Dyson had gone back in time and somehow ended up changing the past. But in the end, Owen again managed to explain it all away, leaving me with no room to complain :)

But, I must admit, in the end, I got a bit dizzy trying to keep track of the chronology of the story. Maybe some day, after several re-reads, I'll be able to jot the chronology down on a piece of paper so that it'll be crystal clear, but, till then, I'm going to trust that Owen knows what he's doing and let him take me along on this ride to the magical world of the Archiepalago of Dreams.

Highly recommended just for the sheer shock-and-awe factor of the book!

P.S - Apparently Charles is awesome no matter what timeline he's in! His story-arc in the book was one of the main reasons I loved it :)

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

As James Owen notes in his afterword, is based on a stroll in 1931 with J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Hugo Dyson, discussing Christianity as mythology versus religion and the author's desire to "mess with the convention of the tales that everyone knows": King Arthur, Merlin and Mordred; Odysseus, Circe and Calypso, even Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee, Hank Morgan. Of course, there are dragons and dragonships; time-travel paradoxes. Lots of humor, especially the badgers, and nonstop action. His lovely illustrations, resembling classic 19th century wood-block drawings that one might see in a masterful Folio Society rendition of a book of fairy tales, add a special element. However, the plot skips around extensively, and I think the context of the first two books in the series are important to understand the battlelines and why the Scowlers (scholars) have to go back in history to restore Hugo's interference. The introduction of Chaz, as a variant of Charles, and his development, is brilliant.

[Valentina Markasović · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily my favourite in the series so far. It isn't about the Caretakers traveling to the Archipelago to fight some evil - no, this book's plot is much more complicated. I loved the time-travel and its complexity. We finally got answers to some questions, but Indigo King also opened new possibilities that I can't wait to explore in the sequels.

Also, what's there not to like about a sassy owl?

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps my favorite of the series so far. I just can't resist good time travel books! And it definitely doesn't hurt that this series is filled with literary and mythical references to the brim, and then it finds clever ways to connect them all. I love it!

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little convoluted, but interesting story.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

100 ⭐!

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Books that involve too much time travel make my brain hurt. I thought this one was going to give me an aneurism. This is much more about time travel and the implications of the time paradox then anything else. Yikes. And it still had lots of the holes/problems of the first two. Granted, I think I liked the story of this one best - finding out who the cartographer is. But, I am utterly unsatisfied with the way it ended. Learning that there were additional conflicts between who the Winter King was and Arthur - but none of them amounted to much... really? That's what you are going to tell me?

The first thing I had to do was accept that the time travel stuff makes virtually no sense. If Verne could do all he could, and knew all that he knew, so that our trio (as modified here) could change history, why didn't he just do it himself? Because the author would have to be even lazier then he already is and we wouldn't need all these pages!

You need the background of the first two books for this one to really make any sense. This author, unlike a lot of then in the serial YA novel business, doesn't really provide much summary/background if you've missed the predecessors. So, one would probably be a little lost without having read the first two books. Although after reading the first two, my brain was a little overloaded with all the (what I am calling) "name dropping" that went on here. Back to the display of all that the author has read. And if you are not as well read as he is, then it's hard to appreciate some of this.

The idea to better tie the Arthurian legends to all the other stuff going on here is a neat idea. Although these days, it seems that's what everyone is trying to do. But, here, the author is again trying to cram thousands of nods to hundreds of legends and myths into very, very little space. I again found myself reading at a much slower pace then normal to make sure I was paying enough attention, trying to catch all the clues. But often, the characters would say something like "Could it be..." like the reader has come to the same place and has the conclusion in their minds - and my thoughts at those moments were "what in the world is this about?" And the conclusion left me totally perplexed.

As for the characters here - well, Chaz is the most interesting. And he's sort of a new character. The new badgers are cool. And so is Archie. Jack, John and Hugo - almost don't need them in this book. Which is a shame. But, then again, all three of these books so far have been pretty poor when it comes to the character development. The trio is clearly not the trio, with Chaz instead of Charles. And Hank? Well, my opinion of that was that he was unnecessary and merely another way for the author to show off what he's read.

The method for time travel here was interesting. A projector? Really? The talking animals and the Whatsit are more believable.

I struggled with the idea of Jesus being a "myth" - I am not saying that he was real or not. My problem is the fact that it is really hard for me to see how modern religions mesh with the notions of ancient mythology or fictional writing and putting it all together. If I was a religious fanatic (which I am totally not) I probably would have been very offended by a number of things in this book.

It turns out to be an awful lot about "faith" - in what, it's left for each reader to decide. But that's the end message.

I would have loved to have some of the time travel stuff make a little more sense - or be explained a little. I don't like that in the universe Owen has created is the idea that I don't have many of the rules. It feels like he makes them up as he goes along. Which is very inconsistent with what he must be doing because of the way all the characters are weaved together. There were also a number of abrupt chapter jumps in this book which did not have smooth transitions. When we first meet Circe we don't have any clue as to why. Why introduce us so early if we don't have any idea why.

Again, this too tries to weave together too many legends, myths, etc., in much too little plot and writing. And the premise that we need to find out the true name of the Winter King - it turns out to not matter at all. So, why send me on that wild goose chase. Finally, I really don't like the wimpy half-hearted effort to set up what must be the next book. The last little chapter with Burton - please. That was a waste of my time. I am left wondering if I really want to read the 4th book. I know at a minimum, I am reading a few other things first.

I am bored of this world. Which is a shame since I think it's a great idea, I am just not sure the writer has faith that it is too. And I am bummed that they changed the cover art with my version of this one. But, oh well, not buying the 4th installment anyway (might library loan it, if I can get the energy to do so).

[luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

"What does the dragon represent?"
"Hope," said John. "It represents hope"

a bit confusing but so so so entertaining, so moving and so cool
I love these books so much

[Michelle Spencer · Rating 1 out of 5]

And here is where my journey with this series ends.

I tried. Who wouldn’t want to follow Tolkien and Lewis through landscapes of imagination and mythology and witness them save time and history over and over again, all while interacting with some of the greatest heroes of literature, myth, and legend? Seemed like great fun.

However, it all falls quickly apart.

The first problem I had with book one was clunky writing. Not to worry, I said, that will get better as the author matures in his writing in later books.

Well, it didn’t. Not after three books, at least. This one was not only clunky and amateur, but it was chaotic and disorganized. I rarely knew what was going on. There were so many characters that it was hard to keep track of them all, especially when they all ended up having two or three or four similar names that I was also supposed to remember and keep separate somehow.

Also, the tone was weird. We had cute, talking, oyster-cracker-obsessed badgers sharing the same page as a severed head in a burlap sack. Hard to get the cute vibes from the badgers OR the dark and scary vibes from the head-in-a-bag when they kind of cancel each other out in a lot of ways.

Oh, and let’s not forget the dialogue stolen directly from the Black Knight scene of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I’m surprised Owens didn’t get sued for that.

The second problem I had - that blending all these myths and legends and presenting them as one story would set Tolkien’s teeth on edge, especially if he knew he was the main character in that one story - is only getting worse and worse and worse. I’m having an increasingly hard time ignoring how I know Tolkien would feel about these stories, and loyalty to him is winning against the curiosity I felt when initially approaching this series.

A new problem that reared its head, though, was the disappointment when the book brought in Hugo Dyson, sent him on a walk with Tolkien and Lewis around the Magdalen campus, had him participate in a discussion of Christianity and mythology . . . and then not following through with the rest of that fateful night in Lewis’s life. Anyone who knows Lewis’s testimony knows how central of a turning point that walk around Magdalen with Dyson and Tolkien, and the conversation they had that lasted long into the night, was for him. I was fine with this imagined version of Jack being the pre-converted Lewis, but to dangle that carrot in front of his fans, to tease at the big event that pushed him towards becoming everything he is most well-known for, was a splash of cold water right in the face. It trivialized it, cheapened it by adding talking badgers, and glossed over it without giving it even a hint other than being mentioned in the Author’s Note. Kind of a death knell for any enthusiasm I had left for this series.

Worst of all, though, is that Owens seemed to get his theology from The Da Vinci Code. To completely alter Lewis’s experience with Christianity is disappointing enough, but of all the study I have done so far of both Tolkien and Lewis, I have yet to find anything that would indicate either one of them believed in Jesus Christ having direct descendants. To include a character who fits that bill felt like a panic swerve away from Biblical orthodoxy for the sake of riding the coattails of a much more famous, much more successful piece of literature with the guise of it simply being Grail lore. Granted, I know this is a book that deals most directly in the realm of myth and lore and is not trying to make any theological statements on the divinity and humanity of Christ . . . but when your two main characters are based on people known at least in part for their theology - particularly Lewis - I feel like you’re doing them a disservice by squeezing them into your Da Vinci Code knockoff plot element. If the main characters had been anyone else, I would have had a much easier time overlooking this, even if I still disagreed with it. As it is, though, it feels like too much of a betrayal to Tolkien and Lewis - and yes, to my own beliefs on the subject - to continue reading.

I am disappointed it ends this way for me, but even with some of the deeper problems I had with this installment, on the surface level there still remains the problem of poor writing that is not improving, which makes reading the series unenjoyable on its most basic level. I at first thought it was going to be hard to walk away from this series because I love Tolkien and Lewis so much. Turns out that’s the very reason I’m letting it go. Too bad.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, thoroughly enjoyed this book! 4.5/5 stars!

It grows from the previous 2 books in the series, and really expands on the mythology and world-building that Owen only touched on in the 2 prequels. This installment doesn't have as much travel to the Archipelago of Dreams, and most of the adventures take place in our world, but in different TIMES of our world. The play with time travel is done quite well, with nods to the works of HG Wells and Mark Twain.

Be prepared for a wild ride through time! This one will really get you thinking!

[Jonathan Terrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong continuation of the unique fantasy series that begins with Here, There Be Dragons. Interestingly what makes this series unique is the features which are not unique. Yes this series has pretty much a combination of all kinds of mythic, fairytale and fantasy characters from Peter Pan to Captain Nemo or even characters who are real like Jules Verne. The uniqueness of the series is however how the author blends these various ideas together to create a singular story within each book. It could be very easy for him to simply throw a variety of fantasy ideas together, attract a reader by the idea of what his book is and then conclude in a highly unsatisfactory way. However James A. Owen is able to take his unique ideas and create a convoluted story that concludes by the end of the book and proves satisfactory.

Like the previous two books The Indigo King takes time to tell a story that focuses around the Arthurian legend while also incorporating fairytale and sort of fictional characters into the plot. James A. Owen suggests that the fictional places in his book are behind the creation of the fictional characters in works such as The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia,Peter Pan andTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
Unlike the other two stories this novel spends much of its time focused around incorporating a popular science fiction element into its fantasy world: that of time travel and alternate dimensions. Because due to one character's blunder in the past the future becomes transformed and our protagonists are forced to travel back into the past themselves to both find him and fix the mess he created.

While the story is a stand alone novel there are many plot elements which tie into the previous two books so I would recommend if this novel sounds intriguing that you begin at the start. I do highly recommend this series, although I view the first and second novels as the better imaginative works. However I still found this an intriguing addition to what is a fine series and one which I recommend for all lovers of mythology, fantasy, fairytale and legend.

[Daanon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to compare to the previous two books in the series because it takes on completely different narrative. Unlike the last two books in the series it does not follow the formula of the caretakers being brought to the Archipelago of Dreams to thwart an effort by a dark force to take control of the lands of myth. Unfortunately to tell you how it's different would give away too much. It's an entirely satisfying read and if you've been burning with curiosity as to identity of the Cartographer of Lost Places fear not as all will be revealed. I think I need to read it again to figure out if I like book 2 or book 3 better, but I'm leaning towards book three as being the best in the series so far.

[Deborah D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is supposed to be youth fiction...but it is pretty darned wonderful for us grownups, too!

Still more mind-warping interweaving of time, paradox, legends and myths with side dishes of history, personal growth, magical dimensions alongside our more mundane dimension.

Familiar characters and warped familiar characters...the reader ends up exploring how people can change...or stay the same...or not. Learning about various historical figures and wondering how much is real\true and wondering what does "being real\true" really mean?

There are 2 more in this series...I am eager to start the next one!

[Rosary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, it's a young adult book, but it's well written, has great characters, and is fantastically literate. The plot is also fast moving, and it's rather great fun to see how Owens takes some great literary names and plays with them.

I have to say that ultimately I think these are better books than the Potter series.

[Angelique · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story!! James is such a superb storyteller. It was captivating and kept me on the hook from the beginning to the end. I love the humor that is littered through out and especially the references to the Cubs being a symbol of hope! I can't recommend this series of books enough.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owen's said he was most dreading and looking forward to writing this book, and I can tell why. Time is one of the most difficult subjects to write. He incorporates time-travel, altered timelines, and the unforeseen ripple effect continuously throughout this book that I can only imagine how long it took him to write it and how the outlining process must have gone. To be completely honest, the book gave me a headache and I'm still not entirely sure I followed everything, but I'm hoping that continuing the rest of the series will help clarify a few things.

Part of why I love this series so much is that each book is so unique and a story all its own. With series' like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Divergent, Lord of the Rings, Mortal Instruments, Sword of Truth, and many others...though we may learn of new characters, new places, and the general plot of each story is different or a continuation; we are still ultimately reading the same story. Harry is still at Hogwarts, a location we're all too familiar with and a world of magic we understand. Dystopians are all alike, Lord of the Rings has the same characters fighting the same war over three books, etc.

That is not the case with The Imaginarium Geographica. Each book has the same characters, but we get so many new characters, and the setting is NEVER the same. Each book involves time-travel, different realms, different lands in those realms, and a different battle that I do not get bored or feel like I'm reading something similar to the previous books. In the first book John, Jack, and Charles learn they are caretakers and are fighting the Winter King on a ship and in a couple different islands in the Archipelago of Dreams. In the second book John, Jack, and Charles fight shadows and an army of children in "Neverland". In the third book John, Jack, and Chaz travel across time to learn the history of the cartographer, Mordred, and Arthur himself. In fact, the third book gives us about 7 different worlds as the protagonists travel through various moments in time trying to learn the truth. Therefore, how can anyone ever get bored or predict what will happen next?

Naturally, I was excited to finally learn who the Cartographer of Lost Places, trapped in the Keep of Time, was--and I also learn that I was right! Sort of. I had it narrowed down to two people, and one of those people is the answer; however, I definitely had no idea about who that person "truly was". You might think that Owen gave away his biggest mystery in the third book when there are four more to go, but that's not the case. There are plenty of other mysteries behind this series, the biggest one is about the future, not the past. How has the future been altered because of the past? That is the key to the next book. Each book ends with a new mystery that needs solving in the following book.

This is a shorter review than my other two for one reason: the plot is so complex with the time-traveling that it is difficult to discuss it without spoiling it and I really want you all to read this series. 

As I publish this review, I'm already halfway done with the fourth book. I just cannot put this series down! 

SPOILERS--DO NOT READ BELOW UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE BOOK OR DO NOT CARE ABOUT HAVING THE THIRD BOOK IN THE SERIES SPOILED

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I am still confused about one point, which is crucial, especially in this third book. Mordred, in most stories, is the bastard child of Arthur who is destined to kill Arthur in battle. Sometimes he's a druid, sometimes he's a man, sometimes he's a teenager, sometimes he's good, and sometimes he's evil...sometimes he's not even Arthur's biological son, but more just a boy Arthur helped. All versions have Mordred as younger than Arthur, by at least a decade, usually more.

Everything made sense in the first book to learn that Arthur was the first king of the Archipelago of Dreams, and Mordred was his greatest adversary; however, I did not understand how Mordred could be an immortal unless he was taken from the druid myth. I figured it would be explained in a later book.  Now we get to the third book and I am just more confused than ever, likely missing something that is right in front of my face.

Mordred is a twin, whose twin brother is the Cartographer of Lost Places--making them both immortal and the same age--ok fine. I still understand all of this until we get to the part where apparently, these twins are Odysseus's sons...Odysseus and Calypso happened like 5-600 years after the legends of Arthur--therefore, I'm not understanding how Mordred can be in the Arthurian legend and still not be born until centuries later...not to mention the other twin is supposedly Merlin...I understand that all of this is likely possible due to time travel; however, I'm not following this logic--I'd love to see a chronological timeline, though I imagine that's impossible. Part of me thinks this has to do with Calypso and her island is in the Archipelago, which moves through time differently, but I feel like either I really don't remember my Homer and Arthurian lore, or I missed something. 

If you've read the series, please share your thoughts. 

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Indigo King does the unthinkable: James A. Owen takes away the best part of his previous installments (Charles), amplifies the worst part (the lack of diversity), and somehow manages to pull off the most enjoyable novel of the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series.

Five years after their last adventure in the Archipelago of Dreams, Caretakers John and Jack (better known as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis) are considering inducting their friend Hugo Dyson as an apprentice Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica. Hugo thinks they’re having him on—until he walks through a mysterious door and finds himself in Arthurian Britain. Something he does there changes the course of history, and if John and Jack can’t stop it from happening, the world they know will be replaced by one in which the Winter King (Mordred) has devastated the real and imaginary realms.

As in the previous books, Owen balances high stakes with humor and does so better than ever here. It’s become a recurring gag for John to misplace the Geographica at the worst time ever, just as it has been for Charles to set fire to the most sacred of places (this time, the Library of Alexandria). Like most time-travel narratives, the plot here gets a little garbled, but the “sometimes, we screw things up for the better” approach goes a long way toward making everything come together. (So do the sassy clockwork owl and the Cubs banner flying at the knights’ tournament as a symbol of “Impossible Quests and Lost Causes.”)

It’s hard to create a compelling villain. Neither Here, There Be Dragons nor The Search for the Red Dragon accomplished much on that front. But The Indigo King is all about how to create a villain (or two), as Owen delves into the backstory of a character that heretofore had been a shadow, both figuratively and literally. In order to prevent Mordred’s reign, John, Jack, and a reluctant ally (more on him later) travel to pivotal moments in the lives of two men, one of whom would become the Winter King and the other, the Cartographer. The problem is, the Caretakers don’t know which is which. Owen doesn’t merely let his protagonists witness their greatest rival’s backstory; he lets them shape it, which makes the results even more heartbreaking. (There is an argument to be made that Mordred would have never become the Winter King without John, Jack, and Hugo’s interference.)

Just because Mordred becomes a more sympathetic character, however, does not necessarily make him a more complicated one. If there’s one fault, it’s that Owen doesn’t fully bridge the gap between the past events revealed in this novel and the future events that occurred in the previous books. In fact, after what happened, I wasn’t entirely sure the events of the first books would take place. But they did, and since I don’t buy the argument that one can become a villain by chance, I’d like to know more about Mordred’s motivations—if he’s driven solely by bitterness and vengeance, or if he’s still desperately trying to prevent whatever future he glimpsed behind that door in his youth. Hopefully, the next book will continue to explore Mordred’s evolution toward evil without reverting him to the black-and-white cardboard tyrant of the first two novels.

Mordred and the Cartographer aren’t the only characters who get shaded in. That reluctant ally I mentioned earlier is none other than Chaz, the version of Charles who grew up in Mordred’s Winterland as a plainspoken miscreant. He does, however, share at least one thing with his other self: He’s by far the most interesting of the three Caretakers.

After finishing The Search for the Red Dragon, I wasn’t sure I’d continue the series past The Indigo King. Owen put that notion to rest with this adventure. With a rotating cast and a more ambiguous villain, the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica have started to break the mold of their genre into uncharted territory.

[Mkittysamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugo Dyson enters into our troop of caretakers of the Archipelago of Dreams and the book of maps..but.. he thinks that John and Jack are jerking his chain.. and wanders into a door..into the distant past. Charles is missing.. but John gets a mysterious package addressed to Charles about the Holy Grail. The tower in Archipelago, where the Cartographer is stuck...is falling apart because Mordred set it on fire in the earlier books. Now we are finally getting to the reprecussions of the Time Warp... on this adventure John and Jack meet some new badgers with the Animal Rescue brigade.. and some much needed help! They must find their missing friend and learn the history of the WinterKing in order to reverse the damage or rather destruction he has wrought everywhere. But I believe a person is never really good or evil.. they always have both and always a choice of whether to continue on their path or change. This book is a very good example of how choices shape the very world we live in! And it highlights my belief that man isn't inherently good or evil. I loved finding out the history of some of the characters! This was yet another fun adventure! As a faithful reader I have now witnessed many different sides to all the characters and as always I welcome the new ones as well! The author is just amazing at world building and smoothly guiding each adventure/mystery into the next without giving everything away. There is much to think about during and after reading! Onto book 4.. Mordred.. is ... dread to me.. he never goes away!

[Littlebearries · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica
by James A. Owen

Story Title: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Ending: 5/5

Synopsis:
John, Jack and Charles, three young men from Oxford, find themselves called to duty to care for what is possibly the most well protected book ever, the Imaginarium Geographica.


Character Likability:
John: The Principal Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica, John is logical, wise and patient. He’s not only likeable, he endears himself to the reader with his compassion and at the same time, with his mistakes. He owns them, and does his best to live by a moral code he deems worthy. As the series goes on, John becomes more and more of an adult, and it’s evident in the disregard he pays to the children in the story. He is in no way unlikable, but he is no longer quite in touch with youth. It’s not that he disrespects children, not in the least, more like, he overlooks them.
Jack: Younger, brash, fighting against the powers that be, in the first novel, Jack comes close to being downright annoying. He is the second caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica. He’s the one chosen to make the stupid mistakes, the one who has to rebel against his own youth and desire to do the right thing. As the series progresses, Jack grows, and it’s easy to see why he was chosen as a caretaker.
Charles: Possibly my favorite caretaker, due to his great affinity for the animals of the Archipelago, Charles is a bit of a third wheel once you discover who the first two caretakers are. Historically, he’s not as recognized, but in this story, he’s quite the standout character. If not him, then some alternate dimension version of him. He believes in travel through both time and space, and studies that intently. Possibly the most down to earth of them all, and certainly the one most prone to mistakes without meaning to (for Jack, it always seems to be a choice, to pick good or evil, for Charles, well… let’s just say, accidents happen).
Mordred: The big bad in practically all of the books except The Dragon’s Apprentice, Mordred (yes, the Arthurian Mordred) keeps showing up in one form or another to ruin the caretakers’ day. This may sound dull, or contrived, but let me assure you, Mordred becomes one complex character who I truly enjoyed reading about.
Merlin: Another character who pops up through the books, the story of Mordred and Merlin is captivating (and takes place largely in The Indigo King), setting up quite a bit of what occurs in both previous and future books.
Tummler: A character pulled from The Chronicles of Narnia, Tummler is a badger who is also a printer, making a mock Imaginarium for distribution, as well as guides to the histories of the world, as well as practical things, like how to get out of a binding, in a book called The Little Whatsit.
Samaranth: The greatest of the dragons we know, he’s often a source of knowledge when the characters don’t know where else to go. Unfortunately, he’s fond of not speaking clearly, so they spend a lot of time trying to figure out what he means.
Fred: The Grandson of Tummler, he is a constant companion from The Indigo King onwards, and becomes the first animal to become Caretaker to the Imaginarium Geographica. He’s another of my favorites, with his animal loyalty and ability to sniff out danger or quell it with a well placed blob of tapioca.
Bert: In it from the beginning, he is mentor and guide to the three new caretakers, Jack, John and Charles.
Aven: Daughter of Bert, future queen of the Archipelago.
Arthur: The “Arthur” character, be he the original, or a descendant (In this series, “Arthur” is the title of the kingship, not an actual name) shows up often. Their noble bloodline allows them to do things others can’t, such as summon dragons.
EVERYONE ELSE: Honestly, these books are packed tight with historical figures, be they real or mythical… everyone from Lovecraft’s Ancient Ones to Benjamin Franklin show up… and always with good reason.



Writing:
The books actually started out catering a bit more to children than I preferred. There were “big reveals” at the end of almost every chapter, and it started to wear on me as a reader. I understand that these books are, in fact, for children, but the “reveals” were starting to get out of hand… especially since the characters being revealed wouldn’t really mean anything except to adults or children who had learned about them. They weren’t often explained historically, and without the background, for kids not in the know, the reveal was meaningless. There was also one point, in particular, where a specific historical figure was eluded to… but one of the characters in the book said the equivalent of “Ah, never mind about them,” which… was actually really annoying… to introduce and then just as quickly dismiss a historical icon.
Other than those brief complaints (and the “big reveal” issue lessens as the series goes on, either that, or Owen has gotten better at making them less blatant), the writing is entertaining, the words flow and action is constant.

Ending:
I have to admit, at the end of the first book, when I reached the “BIG REVEAL”… I chucked the book across the room in disgust, and refused to pick up the next one… it took me a year to pick the next one up. I had no desire to read the series after finding out who the characters were at the end of the first book. For whatever reason it just annoyed the hell out of me. Perhaps because it seemed like such a gimmick… at the end of the first book, there seemed, at least to me, little point in having the main characters be who they are (I’m being vague on purpose, so as not to ruin the surprise), but as the series went on, it became evident that there was in fact a reason, and that the story was an interesting, well thought out one. I’m glad I picked the series back up… and the ends to the future books in it have been much more satisfying.

Plot:
The stories follow the adventures of the Caretakers as they try to keep balance between two very different worlds. I really don’t want to elaborate too much, for fear of giving away something important.

Believability of World:
The way this series ties in to real world events makes it a believable bit of story telling. It is a wonderful flight into a million “What if”s concerning bringing some of the greatest literary minds together… and you get swept up in the energy of it.


Overall Grade: A- Stick with this series. I did, and it’s become complex and twisted.

[Kayla Wilmoth-Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand that this is not the first in the series, but is the first I picked up. As it is, I didn't feel confused reading this at all, and everything was explained or perfectly mysterious given the thrilling nature of turmoil. The only time I got approved is when actual dragons showed up. I K on time travel,but I thought the dragons were gone from all existence, for some reason. I think my favorite thing about this is how the author himself drew the cover of the book. It's lovely and unique and I love it. The biggest highlight, story wise was certainly Chaz. I would never regret Chaz, the existence of Chaz, or the christ like sacrifice he made to help save a king and help protect a magical realm. He was so proud of himself too! Gonna miss you, Chaz! Or will I? A story for another sunny british day.

[Night Owling · Rating 2 out of 5]

"A thimble might be a kiss, a flower might be a name, and a dragon might be ship."

But sometimes a myth is just a myth, and a spiritual experience is just a spiritual experience. And there is no need to reconstruct greek muthology and arthurian legend, jack and the beanstalk and set a library on fire so we can put the two together.

We follow our great scolars to a time traveling adventure, where the cause and effect gets muddled and my interest for this series wanes further.

Our characters blunder one adventure after the next. They talk and talk and talk. What this book could have used really was a dose of Aven doing some swashbuckling heroics, but she didn't even make an appearance. A time traveling story might have given her a chance to relive her complicated romance with Aros? Change things? I don't know...something.

[Ladonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little bit harder for me to follow then the proceeding books in the series. I don’t know if it was because of my reading style for this one ( I was only reading one and two chapters at a time) or if it was because of the unfamiliarity with the myths and fairy tales it was based upon. Also, some of the characters were the same throughout the different timelines of the book but went by different names in each one (all of which started with an M) made it hard for me keep up with who the character was in which timeline. However, the creativity that I admired in other two books. I still admire in this one and how the author is weaving everything together is super creative and makes these fun reads.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audio) I did enjoy this book, it just wasn't quite four-star quality though I'm not quite sure why. I would read it again because it is part of a series but if it were a standalone I probably wouldn't.

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An explanation of my rating system:
- Five stars: I loved it and it will probably become a long time favorite
- Four stars: I really liked it and would probably read it again
- Three Stars: Meh, it was good but nothing distinctly that stands out to me
- Two Stars: Not for me
- One Star: Actively dislike

[Elkaza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story! I appreciate how Owen’s fantasy series keeps on developing with the plot and characters. It’s so well written, full of great characters, all created from historical and mythology tales which makes it an extremely excited to know them in a different form. Love how the plot does not linger, but keeps moving forward, and its rather great fun to see altered timelines, and story plots from our admired culture all done in a fresh way. This is what I would call pure and great storytelling!

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like that they focus on expanding on the history of the Archipelago and even make some pretty shocking reveals but this book loses points for being a massive time travel plot as I am never a fan of these types of stories and this one does try to do the loop story where they keep going back in time to fix a present crisis which means that their is some padding. And I am not a fan of this stories take on Merlin as it feels weird making them a more villainous character. But still I do like we do explore about the history and even tying in the Holy Grail into the story.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third volume of the "Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica" was much more complex than the prior two offerings, and the character names were much more difficult to keep straight (but that may have been simply because I was listening to the audio rather than reading the page).

Although very enjoyable, the rest of the series is not currently available at my library through OverDrive, so I may not get to join John, Jack, and Charles on their further adventures for a time.