Timoken und der Trank der Unsterblichkeit

Chronicles of the Red King #1

by Jenny Nimmo

Timoken und seine Schwester sind Königskinder, die ein furchtbares Schicksal ereilt: Ihre Eltern werden von unheimlichen Gestaltwandlern getötet. Die Kinder können sich mit drei magischen Gegenständen in Sicherheit bringen: einem Unsterblichkeitstrank, einem Zauberring und dem Netz der letzten Mondspinne, das Timoken besondere Kräfte verleiht. Doch auf den mächtigen "Mondmantel" haben es auch die Gestaltwandler abgesehen. Eine atemlose Verfolgungsjagd beginnt ...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Young Adult, Juvenile, Magic

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Jenny Nimmo was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England and educated at boarding schools in Kent and Surrey from the age of six until the age of sixteen, when she ran away from school to become a drama student/assistant stage manager with Theater South East. She graduated and acted in repertory theater in various towns and cities: Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Hastings, and Bexhill.

She left Britain to teach English to three Italian boys in Almafi, Italy. On her return, she joined the BBC, first as a picture researcher, then as an assistant floor manager, studio manager (news) then finally a director/adaptor with Jackanory (a BBC storytelling program for children). She left BBC to marry a Welsh artist David Wynn Millward and went to live in Wales in her husband's family home. They live in a very old converted watermill, and the river is constantly threatening to break in, as it has done several times in the past, most dramatically on her youngest child's first birthday. During the summer they run a residential school of art, and she has to move her office, put down tools (type-writer and pencil, and don an apron and cook! They have three grown-up children, Myfawny, Ianto, and Gwenwyfar.

Reviews

[M.C. Crocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the entire series of Charlie Bone's adventures as he learns to understand his special powers and the powers of those who go to school with him, it was perfectly logical to want to read about his predecessor, the man from whom all endowed children of the series came from. I admit, when I approached this book I was a little cautious, considering I had only recently finished reading another book by Jenny Nimmo and was less than enthralled by it. Yet with this book, I was not disappointed.

After reading and enjoying the story of a small African boy named Timoken, and his flying camel Gabar, I have concluded that Jenny’s earlier works are not as good as her later works. I’ve heard it said that an author’s first published work is quite possibly their best, as they had to prove themselves to be published and once there, the effort to do better is not much. Jenny Nimmo though, is the opposite of this adage, her work has vastly improved over time. The characters are amusing, and have depth. The story is just fun, as it follows Timoken as he learns of the magic he has had since shortly after birth, and quests for several hundred years trying to find a home, as he had lost his.

One of the best parts of the story was how well it tied in to the series that it was designed to precursor. When it came to a long span of time Jenny would recap and move on, which was nice to keep the pace of the book going without rushing things too much that I felt lost. The progression of relationships and interactions made sense and flowed very well and I would have to say that I would happily recommend this book, particularly if you are a fan of the Charlie Bone series which was written before this book. Overall, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating.

[Jace Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite surprised by this book, but not in a good way. I really love Jenny Nimmo's stories. Even though they aren't always the most beautifully written, the stories have been pretty fun. However, I found myself struggling to get through this book. It's pretty short with only two hundred pages, but about halfway through I had to force my way to the finish. (I really don't like to stop reading a book party way through). It started off well, but I felt that the entire story was bogged down by some pretty boring characters, and explanations to things that I feel should have been left alone. And maybe that's one of the main problems for me. I knew that Nimmo would be explaining more about the Red King, when I feel that she should have left this character as mysterious as he was in the Charlie Bone Books. I am glad I gave it a go, but I don't think that I will be reading the sequels.

[Jelena Roksandic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kupila sam ovu knjigu na Sajmu knjiga 2018, pre toga nisam ni znala da postoji. Prijatno sam se iznenadila kada sam ugledala čitavu trilogiju na sniženju.

Počela sam da čitam Čarlija Bouna još u osnovnoj školi i zaljubila sam se u serijal. Sećam se priče da je ideja za Hari Potera potekla baš od Čarlija Bona i njegovih magičnih pustolovina. Iako sam najveći deo radnje zaboravila, bilo je lepo vratiti se u detinjstvo i u magični svet Dženi Nimo. Međutim, mislim da je ova knjiga napisana dosta lošije u odnosu na serijal, ne znam da li je to zbog toga što sam sada starija ili jednostavno zato što knjiga nije dobra.
U svakom slučaju, pročitaću i ostale dve knjige. Žao mi je što ih nisam otkrila dok sam bila mlađa, verovatno bih mnogo više uživala u njima i možda bi dobile i mnogo veću ocenu.

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! Highly recommend!

[Easton Groskreutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response:
I enjoyed this book and truly did not stop reading it once I started. I loved the fact that there was adventure and plot twists. I felt like I was transported into the book when there was a bad situation. This made me feel like I needed to figure out a way to solve a problem before the story revealed it.
Plot Summary:
Timoken and his sister, Zobayda, were the son and daughter of the king and queen of The Secret Kingdom. When they were young a forest genie gave their parents two items, the cloak of the last moon spider, and Alixar (a potion which made the consumer never age). These items were to be given to Zobayda and Timoken for if the king and queen were attacked. When the kingdom got attacked, the king and queen were killed and Timoken had to take on the role as king. Timoken and Zobayda were then lead on a journey to find a new palace. Along the way, they made friends with a camel, Gabar, who decided to join them on their quest. The problem that loomed was that they just couldn’t find what they were looking for. They spent hundreds of years trying to find a new palace fit for them. They crossed many people’s paths and gained many friendships along the way. An issue that occured was that Zobayda had gotten kidnapped and Timoken had lost his Alixar and now could only live his life as a mortal. Timoken finally found his sister in a town called Castile. She had gotten married since the last time the siblings had seen each other. Timoken chose to live out his life adventuring with Timoken after a fight with his mortal enemy, where Zobayda and survived.
Characterization:
Timoken is the main character in The Secret Kingdom Chronicles of the Red King. Timoken was born a prince. Everything was great until the kingdom was attacked by the Viridees. Timoken spent over two-hundred years searching for a new home to live at. With him on this journey was his camel Gabar. Gabar developed into another main character in chapter three. He was welcomed into the family by Timoken and Zobayda. They found him running from a sandstorm but was protected by the Last Moon Spider blanket. Zobayda was Timken's older sister that ventured for decades with Gabar and Timoken. She also had a ring that gave her powers of healing and kept her protected.
Setting:
This story may start centuries in the past due to it showing references to slaves in Africa and having a Blacksmith in most villages. The story’s setting began in The Secret Kingdom. Timoken had lived there for his entire life of eleven years until every resident died from the attack of the Virdees. Timoken and Zobayda ventured through the desert for a while to find a new palace, since theirs was destroyed. They stayed mainly in the desert because the camel had lived there. After Zobayda was kidnapped, Timoken finally found Castile. They have spent over two centuries on this planet because of the help of the Axilar. His sister has made a life there and after the big clash between Timoken and his mortal enemy, Timoken decided to leave with Zobayda. They decided to go to Britain where one of Timoken’s friends lived.
Recommendation:
I recommend this book to nine to fifteen year-old boys and girls who love adventure. This book is a fantasy and the narrator is a twelve year-old boy. This book also has an ever changing plot and never leaves the reader bored. This book’s reading level is easy and readers never have to read over to understand. I also recommend reading the series that follows this book. I gave this book a five star rating because I could not put it down once I got into the story, and I think others will not be able to put it down either.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Secret Kingdom is Jenny Nimmo's first installment into the origins of Charlie Bone's ancestor, the Red King. Some aspects were alluded to in the Charlie Bone series but it was nice to have them all fleshed out in a story of their own. While the pace of the story was good, I felt like the ending was a little flat for me and didn't really leave me with the feeling that most sequels do of having to read the next book in the series.

[RaeLeigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what a book by Paton Yewbeam would sound like. It might even be better than the main series

[Luciano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this book was amazing. I loved it. Timoken was an amazing character. It was sad that his mother and father were killed by a rival army and Timoken and his sister were left to leave with a bottle of elixir and powers of their own with a cloak made from the last moon spider. During the middle of the book they meet a camel who was called Gabar and he joined them on their journey until Timoken’s sister fell into the river over a hundred years later after taking a drop of the elixir. Of course they found each other late in the book and his sister was already older then he was since she didn’t take the elixir. The journeys that they both had where amazing. There was a group who was trying to get their equipment but they failed to find them and grab their stuff for the past 100 years. I loved it when Timoken and his sister found out that the red cloak that he was wearing had once belonged to a great magician and that cloak gave Timoken the ability to fly. Of course Gabar was an angry camel but he was also a loyal one too. Timoken and Gabar land in a town where he saw these slave traders took this batch of kids and he went after them to free them. All of them soon became his allies after a long time of untying them and helping out this little girl who is lost in thought. This book was a great adventurous journey. When Timoken and Gabar leave the south to cold temps the thieves who couldn’t catch him could not be able to go after him anymore. To me this book is well worth reading to move on to the next book.

[Eleonore Caron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Chronicles of the Red King, The Secret Kingdom by Jenny Nimmo, John Keating, narrator was quite an adventure . Timoken and his sister who were orphaned literally flew from their castle home to escape being killed like their parents , the king and queen. Timoken has magical gifts that help protect his sister and him from the evil Viridees. Zobayda has a special ring that is magical , it has the little face and voice of the bestower of the gifts. The magical forest jinni told the king and queen that the cloak made from the web of the last moon spider would protect their son from danger and the Alixir if one drop were taken at every full moon would ensure that the brother and sister would never grow old.The Alixir was the water of eternal life. The camel Timoken befriended became his only family after Zobayda disappears.
The author has a great imagination and sense of adventure as I found myself hoping the two children would survive the evil Viridees and be reunited and live happily ever after.
I enjoyed the trip around the world and the adventures of the Red King.

[Tanner clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

in the book "the chronicles of the red king: the secret kingdom" by jenny nimmo there is a kid named timoken who is magic. All because a bird flew into his parents kingdom when his mother was pregnant with Timoken the bird gave them a cloak made out of the last moon spiders web. the cloak was guaranteed to keep him safe as long as he had it with him. But, the queen wanted to keep her daughter safe as well and her daughter had already been born. so the bird gave the queen a ring to put o the girls finger and then she would be magic as well. the bird also gave them a bottle of elixir that would make them never age. when Timoken had grown up the veridees attacked their kingdom and Timoken and his sister flew away to safety where they met a camel that Timoken could understand and talk to but his sister couldn't. later in the book his sister gets attacked and when she is about to be killed she jumps off a cliff and then Timoken finds his sisters ring in the bottom of a river and it becomes his.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Harry Potter, you will love Charlie Bone and this series by Jenny Nimmo explains how the Red King became the Red King from an ordinary boy in a not so ordinary world. Jenny Nimmo works her magic (no pun intended) in this trilogy. I have never met a Nimmo book I did not love and this is no expection. Can't wait to read Book 2 for the further adventured of Timoken, his camel, his sister & followers. Charlie Bone also sticks his head in every once in awhile too!

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm very disappointed about this book. I was so happy that Jenny had written a prequel to Charlie Bone, and I was too excited. This book just lay flat! Yes it did reveal some of the beginning to CB but the plot was just weak. But I will read on this series.

[Raegan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such a let down. :( Not anything like the Charlie Bone series.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda slow. Magic solved everything. It was plot driven rather than character driven. Still fun to read in companionship with the Charlie Bone series (that I love).

[Cora Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads like an old fairytale, which makes it hard to emotionally connect to.

[Minato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dženi Nimo, ''Hronike Crvenog kralja''

Ovaj serijal sastoji se od tri knjige: ''Tajno kraljevstvo'', ''Kamenje Rejvenglasa'' i ''Zlato leoparda''.

''Tajno kraljevstvo''

Na afričkom kontinentu nalazi se jedno skriveno i malo kraljevstvo koje njegovi stanovnici zovu Tajnim kraljevstvom. Osim njegovih stanovnika, niko drugi ne zna za njegovo postojanje. Tajno kraljevstvo blagosloveno je mirom. Njegovi stanovnici su čuli da izvan granica Tajnog kraljevstva postoji rat i da se ljudi međusobno bore i ubijaju, tako da su i oni sami napravili zalihe oružja, za svaki slučaj. Međutim, otkako kraljevstvo postoji, rata nikada nije bilo. Kraljevstvo vode mudar kralj i njegova kraljica. Kralj i kraljica imaju malenu ćerku od dve godine. Kraljica je trudna i predoseća da će drugo dete biti sin i naslednik prestola. Međutim, kraljica je veoma uznemirena jer stalno sanja strašne snove u kojima je život njenog budućeg deteta u opasnosti. Kada se probudi, ona se ničega ne seća. Ali, strepnja i strah su i dalje prisutni. Iznenada, jednog dana će kralju i kraljici stići neočekivani gost. To je poslednji šumski duh koji nosi darove. Poslednji šumski je u opasnosti. Njega vrebaju zli viridi, mračna bića šume. Oni tragaju za njegovim darovima. Pošto mu je ukazano gostoprimstvo, poslednji šumski duh rešava da kraljevsku porodicu daruje neobičnim poklonima. Detetu koje tek treba da se rodi ostavlja magičnu mrežu poslednjeg mesečevog pauka koju je on sam nakapao suzama stvorenja koje niko nikad nije video i natopio rosom sa latica cveća koje će uskoro iščeznuti sa lica zemlje. Taj plašt je veoma moćan i štiti onoga koji ga nosi. Devojčici je darovao čarobni prsten tako da će ona imati magiju u svojim prstima. Ostavio im je i bočicu Aliksira, vode života, koja daruje večan život ako se redovno uzima. Tada je otišao. Međutim, duh im nije rekao da će njihov sin zauvek biti jednom nogom u carstvu magije i da će večno živeti. Zato će se suočiti sa mnogim opasnostima jer sva zla stvorenja žele taj magični plašt. Dete se rodilo i dečak je. Timoken, zajedno sa svojom sestrom Zobejdom, srećno i bezbrižno odrasta u zamku, okružen ljubavlju i pažnjom. Timoken poseduje neobične moći jer je na rođenju bio umotan u plašt mesečevog pauka. I tako godine prolaze. A onda, u dečakovoj jedanaestoj godini, njegovo kraljevstvo je napadnuto i roditelji su mu ubijeni. Viridi su napokon ušli u trag plaštu i sve će uraditi kako bi ga se dočepali. Deca su uspela da pobegnu i tada počinju njihove avanture...

''Kamenje Rejvenglasa''

U ovoj knjizi Timoken napokon nalazi mesto koje može da zove domom. Rešava da na tom mestu sagradi zamak kako bi on, njegova porodica i prijatelji mogli zauvek da žive srećni, bezbrižni i zaštićeni. Međutim, zla stvorenja ne prestaju da ga vrebaju iz senki...

''Zlato leoparda''

Timoken je odrastao i ima devetoro dece. Njegov miran, jednoličan i srećan život poremetiće krvavi događaji. Ko je izdajica? Ko preti njegovoj porodici i prijateljima? Sada će njegova deca pokušati da spasu svoj dom i svoju porodicu...

Ova trilogija napisana je nakon čuvenog autorkinog serijala o Čarliju Bounu. U neku ruku, autorka ovom trilogijom osvetljava život Čarlijevog pretka, čuvenog Crvenog kralja Timokena. Serijal o Čarliju Bounu do sada nisam čitala, ali sada svakako hoću.

Knjige su mi se veoma svidele. Stil pisanja je jednostavan i lagan. Prijemčiv je za čitaoca. Iako je ova trilogija obeležena kao štivo za decu, mogu je čitati svi. Ovo nije fantastika u stilu Tolkina ili Martina, radnja je jednostavnija i likovi su ili dobri ili zli. Nema sredine. Radnja je čak pomalo i predvidiva. Međutim, lik Timokena mi se veoma svideo. Dečak kralj bez kraljevstva, kralj-prosjak, koji nakon što izgubi svoj dom, luta od mesta do mesta bežeći od smrtne opasnosti. Viridi su mu stalno za petama. Ali ipak, Timoken uvek pomaže onima u nevolji koje sretne na svom putu. Tako sklapa mnoga prijateljstva. On uvek vidi ono najbolje u ljudima. Veoma je pozitivan i veruje u ljudsku dobrotu. Sve će uraditi kako bi zaštitio svoju porodicu i prijatelje, ali povlači crtu kada se radi o oduzimanju života. Nikada ne ubija, sem ako nije prinuđen na taj odvratni čin. Timoken voli sve životinje i poštuje i njihove živote jer sa svima njima može da razgovara (to je jedan od njegovih magičnih darova). Sa decom je blag i nežan. Čak i kada treba da ih kazni zbog njihovih loših dela, on to čini preko volje. Njegove kazne nikada nisu strašne (možda će to imati nezamislive posledice u budućnosti, u serijalu o Čarliju Bounu). Međutim, on je takav i rešen je da svoje darove uvek koristi kako bi pomogao drugima, a ne na njihovu štetu. Te vrednosti pokušava da usadi i svojoj deci, ali ne žele sva deca da budu poput svojih roditelja...

U svakom slučaju, trilogija mi se veoma svidela i preporučujem je svima. Ako vaša deca vole serijal o Hariju Poteru, zavoleće i ovaj. Što se tiče malo starije dece 🙂 pročitajte ovu toplu priču. Nećete se pokajati.

[Beetle The Bard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review time!
I picked this book up on a whim whilst I was browsing my library’s shelves. It’s focused in africa, and the main characters are african. It’s extremely short, a little over two hundred pages, but I felt that it wasn’t a problem. Since the book was short, expect scenes to be a bit hurried and rushed, a lot of time skips. Things don’t get explained very well, either. I found myself getting confused quite often. Now, why is this a still a three star read for me? After that?

Well, I really somehow enjoyed this book! I thought it was a lot of fun. The camel was my favorite character. The leopards were amazing. The main siblings were pretty well written. I pictured the main characters, who are brother and sister, as T’Challa and Shuri from black panther, lol. The pace is, of course, fast. It was also enjoyable to have different terrain and scenery. They were African, they rode a camel, they traveled through deserts and jungles, I loved that! The magical abilities were super cool, but sometimes it felt endless and rule-less, shrugs.

This book was problematic, yes... but I had immense fun whilst reading it. I shall continue on with these books, and hope they get even better.

Overall rating, 3.75 Stars

[Cheri Luyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable read. Simple writing but amazing and dynamic plot which shifted midway through which was interesting. The main character was very brave and noble. His sister was very goal driven and loyal to her brother. The magic was playing with different elements and sizes of objects but then it went in a different direction with the villains because they were mythical creatures who were magicians themselves and could control poison and turn into different animals and mist apparently. The group of kids fighting a powerful enemy gave me Percy Jackson vibes and it was welcome. African main character heck yes! I'm from Africa so I was very pleased with that. The journey across the world was also reminiscent of other adventure books I have read but not with so many changing climates that added a sense of unrest which was what the author wanted to convey. I wish I read this sooner.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

207 pages.; Great adventures of boy king with magical powers and web made by the moon spiders to keep him safe; Timoken travels with his sister Zobayda on a camel named Gabar; they travel the world and try to stay alive until they encounter the terrible Viridees, evil creatures bent on destroying them and stealing the magic spider web. It is AR level 4th, but this is really 5th grade and up reading. It is VERY well written and entertaining. I like how the author pulled it all together at the end. There must be more in the series...so I will have to work on the next one soon. I already purchased this one and LOVE it! I think boys or girls would read it, but boys would like it best for the adventures and sword fighting.

[Elpis G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really unexpectedly good. As someone who avidly read the Charlie Bone book when I was a child and then lost touch with the universe, I didn't realize that this book existed until recently. The Red King is an important ancestor to the children in the Charlie Bone books and this book explores his origin story. It was interesting to watch Timouken develop as a character throughout the book and as he discovers the different kinds of powers he possesses. It also introduced an interesting villain known as the Viridee's and also introduced a character who is a villain for multiple books in the Charlie Bone series.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal experience: 2 Stars. But I feel like this is probably a decent book -- if you're in the mood for it. I just wasn't. In fact I was intending to listen to the second Charlie Bone, but I didn't pay sufficient attention to my selection.

That said, I'm still looking for a repeat of the particular magic Jenny Nimmo cast on me with the Snow Spider trilogy. Sadly, this didn't even begin to approach it. I won't read any more of the series, although I'll likely revisit Charlie Bone himself.

[Twyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not like this book as much as the original Charlie Bone books, but it was still interesting. I really like the prologue. I do not know what my favorite part was, but me least favorite part was when Zobayda was thought to be dead after the whole rest of their family actually was, which left only Timoken and Gabar.

[Jacob Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

everything Charlie Bone is and more

The writing and story I loved as a kid is back. The adventure is exciting the emotions impactful. The Charlie Bone series dables in the heartstrings department and this one feels no different. The new/old protagonist in this prequel series enjoys the life of magic and it brings a smile on my face to read.

[Seth Huber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright. The plot really dragged at some points, and the characters weren't particularly memorable, but the premise was interesting, and I liked the connections to the original series. I remember enjoying the original series quite a bit more, but it's been a long time since I read them. I'll probably finish this series just to check it off the list and see if it gets any better.

[Rachel Naegele · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of the book was arduous and if it wasn't an audio book I'm not sure I would have finished it. The second half of the book, while better, was not enough to redeem it to three stars in my opinion.

[Lauren White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Husband described this to me as ‘there’s a magician and a flying camel’. What’s not to like?! Thought the characterisation was good and the ideas were great and original. The only possible negative was that the trials seemed to be too easy to overcome. Look forward to reading the next book.

[Perch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A prequel to the main Charlie Bone series, but written post the main books this one is a bit hampered by having the plot and universe already set up and it shows, but it was still nice to read about the childhood and origins of the progenitor of Charlie's line.

[Artimus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is filled with magic and fantastic creatures, but is fairly well written. It is not the most intriguing story I have ever read, but it did pique my interest and now I have to read the next books!

[Korbie Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely prequel to the Charlie Bone series! This book is everything that is lovely about children's fantasy - heroes, heroines, magical creatures, battles against incredible odds, great friendships. I'm excited to read the next!

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and I think that 6 graders or higher would love this book. It has a lot of mysteries in it.