“It was a very fine day, until something tried to eat him.”
Wherever Christopher goes, animals seek him out–cats, dogs, rats, foxes, swans, crows…but he only learns the reason for this when he goes to stay with his grandfather in Scotland and discovers that his family are the guardians for a magical realm called The Archipelago, where magical creatures live on islands, safe and hidden from humans. The book starts with ‘The Guardians Bestiary’ – a 30 page glossary of all of the creatures in the world, (most of whom want to eat humans) ranging from ones I’d heard of like: mermaids, unicorns and griffins, to some I hadn’t like: the avanc, the borometz and the longma, originating from mythologies all over over the world.
“It was a very fine day, until somebody tried to kill her.”
Mal has grown up in the Archipelago, soaring over her home with the help of a magic flying coat, until the day a murderer knocks on her door and she is forced to escape to the human world where she asks for Christopher’s help to return. They manage to get back the Archipelago and avoid the murderer, but they soon find out that Mal is not the only one at risk – there is a problem with the Glimourie the magic that sustains their world and keeps the Archipelago hidden. Mal and Christopher set off on a voyage to save the world with an unlikely crew of allies including a Beserker called Nighthand, an academic researcher called Irian, a baby griffin and a ratatoska.
‘Impossible Creatures’ is a classic portal fantasy, reminiscent of the Narnia Chronicles, ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ in particular. Katherine Rundell has an incredibly beautiful writing style, full of imaginative touches that bring the Archipelago and its inhabitants to vivid life. It’s also a deliciously dark story, full of bloodthirsty creatures and deathly consequences, and I thoroughly enjoyed this enticing new fantasy world.
Thanks to Bloomsbury for the ARC.
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