Title: |
Impossible Creatures |
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Author: |
Katherine Rundell |
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Category: |
Fantasy / Science Fiction |
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Rating: |
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Date Reviewed: |
January 25, 2025 |
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mpossible Creatures is children's book. I was attracted to it due to a glowing review written by Bookpage. I found it to be an okay story, but I am puzzled why it is a #1 International Bestseller, as the cover claims it is. |
Two youngsters are the protagonists of this tale. Mal (short for Malum) is a young girl who lives with her grandmother on an island in the magic Archipelago. She owns a big floppy magical coat that allows her to soar when the wind blows. She has a baby griffin (believed to be the last of its kind) named Gelifen. In our "real" world, Christopher is a young lad sent to live with his grandfather for the summer. His grandfather warns Christopher not to climb to the top of the nearby hill, it is dangerous. Naturally, Christopher climbs the benign-looking hill the first chance he gets. There he is astonished to discover a stampede of mythical animals - unicorns and horned squirrels. He rescues an young griffin that is drowning in a lake - yes it is Gelifen. The lake is a portal between worlds.
His grandfather explains that their family serves as guardians, watching over the portal between our world and the magical Archipelago. Mal soon arrives from the lake, looking for Gelifen. She tells Christopher of a dangerous man who has murdered her grandmother and is trying to kill her. Why? Mal has no idea, but the killer is vicious and she needs Christopher's help. Soon enough, Christopher has followed Mal through the magical portal and into the archipelago.
Mal and Christopher must discover why the evil man sought to kill "the flying girl". Even worse, it seems that magic is draining from the landscape - as if an evil power were drawing off the energy that keeps the Archipelago vibrant. On their quest, Mal and Christopher encounter mythical beasts of every kind - sphinxes, centaurs, dragons, manticores, unicorn, the kraken - it is veritable tour of the mythical bestiary. They also meet up with stern adults who eventually become allies and join their impossible cause. As they sail from island to island, discovering clues and battling obstacles, the nature of threat becomes clear, though how they will halt it remains a mystery.
There are a number of fortuitous events and last minute escapes in this book. Mal and Christopher face some real peril. I was surprised by the death of some of the characters, it is not something I expected in a children's book. The appeal of this story must be all the encounters with the various beasts of legend. I was not overly impressed with the story myself, but I suppose it is targeted at a younger audience. Maybe if I had read it at a younger age I would have enjoyed it more. Although Impossible Creatures is listed as book #1 in a series, the tale is complete in itself.