"for we, we are not long here / our time is but a breath / so we'd better breathe it"

[larryhammer]

It's difficult to talk about Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen without the context of the big reveal of the final page, one that is clearly supposed to make everything click into place for the reader who hasn't figured it out before then. Difficult enough, I need a spoiler cut.

But first, what I can say while speaking in generalities: It's a well-plotted, well-paced adventure story that takes place in the Archipelago of Imaginary Places, a world of fictional lands adjacent to ours. The trio of protagonists are the new Caretakers of the atlas of the Archipelago, and before they can really get a handle on their new responsibilities are thrust into a war over the vacant throne of the High King and the fate of the Archipelago itself. Mythopoesis abounds, and not just by grabbing elements willy-nilly -- they're articulated together to create something new and numinous. The yarn is not entirely ripping, but the characterization is humane and the story never flags.

I suspect this an excellent story for kids who have read and enjoyed the usual classic kid's adventure books -- Narnia, Kim, Ivanhoe, Treasure Island, Lord of the Rings, A Tale of Two Cities, and the like. It very much has the same vibe, but not in an artificial way.

Note, though, that I almost wrote "boys" instead "kids," as it's a very boy-centric book. It does not pass the Bechdel test -- only once do we have more than one named female character on stage at a time, and not only do they spend all that time talking about men, it's arguable whether they are really three separate women (it's that kind of mythic story). I can't tell whether it's specifically a "boy book," but it's not for girls who want girls in their books.

The big reveal on which all this hinges is that the new Caretakers John, Jack, and Charles are the young Inklings Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams. Which is, of course, why most of the adventure is dressed in a blend of images and characters from Middle-Earth, Narnia, and Logros with the mythologies of western Europe. (I hope later books expand the mythic scope to more of the world.) It's not just because those are trappings this sort of story wants, but because those particular settings are integral to this story.

Which conceit is why this probably works best with kids who have most of read the above-named books -- so they have the pleasure of recognizing people and places and tropes.

The result is surprisingly good mythopoesis -- the nexus of numinosity contained in Ordo Maas is particularly well-done, with aspects of the Cartographer's Tower coming a close second (there was too much mundane reality there to be wholey successful, I thought). That said, tho', I have two big issues with the story.

The first is personal: In the end, everything we've seen turns out to be the origin story for the trio's future works. This is better handled than the usual oh-look-writers-get-everything-from-real-life tale, but as a genre, I generally Do Not Like them because of the reductivism. But I recognize this is a personal issue, secondary to my main beef, which is with the logic:

Caretakers are specifically chosen for the imaginative ability as writers, for what they can add to the Archipelago. And yet here we're shown that they're actually taking their imaginative details from it instead. The story tries to have it both ways, and that doesn't work.

(BTW, the subject line is from "C.S. Lewis Song" by Brooke Fraser. Couldn't resist.)

This is the first of a series, and I will be looking for the next book -- but I won't be running out to grab it.

---L.

Comments

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a children's book for adults.

[larryhammer]

I would say that, but I've seen kids in the wild reading them with attention.

---L.

[kate_nepveu]

it's arguable whether they are really three separate women

@@ <-- my eyes, they roll

[larryhammer]

These would be a trio called the Morgane, of whom we are told more than shown they have a separate personalities. Functionally, they act as a unit, much like the Morae in some interpretations. Including this one, as they are in a sense both the Morae and a celtic analogue.

---L.

[harvestar.livejournal.com]

I've read the first and second and quite enjoy them. :) His art is amazing, too!

I think the 2nd one goes a bit darker and deeper.

I also think about it more as satisfying the want to actually go to the places of myth, legend, and story. You can, if you have a Dragon Ship. ;)

[harvestar.livejournal.com]

I didn't really think of it as a boy book.

There's a nice prominent, strong female character who doesn't take *(&^ from anyone. (but that's just me)

[larryhammer]

Useful datapoint, that.

And yes, Aven is strong, and not in a informed ability sort of way. But she is the only one.

---L.

[randimason.livejournal.com]

This is coppervale's series, yes?

I think he does some of the most amazing linework this side of Gary Gianni (or Michael Kaluta, take your pick) but I haven't read anything but his graphic narratives.

Not sure what I'll make of the books now.

[larryhammer]

That's him, yes. The illustrations were indeed quite good, especially anything with dragons in it (though sometimes the perspective seemed a little wonky).

---L.