Saturday, September 20, 2008

Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen

I think that if you took The Chronicles of Narnia, The Neverending Story, and the Lord of the Rings, and found a way to brew them together, Here, There Be Dragons is what you'd end up with. And while I'm not a Tolkien fan, I did enjoy this book. And, delight of delights, I was even surprised a number of times.

I was expecting a light YA/teen fantasy, but what I found was a complicated weaving of various fantasy and mythological elements, written in the style of CS Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia). I enjoyed them, but I wonder how many of the references to various cultures' myths and Arthurian legend the intended younger audience will miss or not understand through simple inexperience, and how much of a difference that will make to the reading.

Were I offering this book to a young adult/teen reader, which I certainly encourage if you know any who are inclined to like fantasy, I would also seek out companion books to satisfy the interests in mythology and legends this book will likely spark. (This might be easier to do browsing in a bookstore than searching online--everything I found was either for adults or a younger audience.)

Readers/buyers should be aware that this is the first book in a series.

4 comments:

Fyrefly said...

This was already on my wishlist, but this review just pushed it up towards the top. Sounds great!

Ana S. said...

I promised myself not to start any new series until I finish the ones I'm in the middle of, but I really, really want to start this one. Reviews like yours don't help :P

Framed said...

I haven't heard of this series, but I'm adding it to my list. Thanks for the great suggestion.

jenclair said...

I've heard about this one, but have never gotten around to actually seeking it out. Now, I think I will. Thanks!