The Search for the Red Dragon

This is the second book in the series and is just as marvelously inventive as the first. There are so many details that I will definitely reread as I am sure I missed some of the hints and connections the first time. A young adult book, but a great book for adults as well if you enjoy adventure/fantasy. The world created by the author is every bit as intricate as that in the Harry Potter series.

In HERE, THERE BE DRAGONS, James A. Owen introduced readers to John, Jack and Charles, three adventurers who traveled through mythology, folklore and biblical stories to save the world in their new positions as Caretakers. Nine years have passed, but this time they come together to find the thousands of missing children disappearing all over the magical world. John, Jack and Charles are careful never to be seen together, lest their secret status is revealed. John and Charles know that nothing good has happened when they are summoned to Jack, who has been tormented by terrible dreams. They learn that they have all shared parts of those nightmares and are about to fight the reality in the Archipelago of Dreams. When they begin to discuss what is happening, a little girl with wings flies down into the garden with a letter containing the mark of the Rose. This, among other marks, tells the men that they are needed in their role of Caretakers, but the girl, Laura Glue, is not seeking them out. She is looking for the previous Caretaker, Sir James Barrie, who wrote PETER PAN. In this story Barrie is no author, but the now ex-friend of Peter Pan. The three men bring Laura to Barrie and learn that things are not going well since they left the Imaginarium. Aven has a son who is now missing, along with all the Dragon ships. They take off in a hurry, leaving the master tome of the IMAGINARIUM GEOGRAPHICA in John's car by accident. The men plow gamely ahead, with no map, to revisit several familiar folks from HERE, THERE BE DRAGONS, including Bert, and Bug, who is now King Artus. He helps them search in the library to find out where the children may have gone. They ask the Morgaine witches what is happening, only to learn that they are pulling out a tapestry of Time. Jason and Medea's story takes center stage in this adventure, as well as Peter Pan, the Pied Piper and the Lost Boys. Aven turns out to be a former Lost Child, and she joins them to fight for and free the children. John, Jack and Charles think that the Winter King is dead from Book One's war, but his evil tentacles continue to reach into this story. Even American history comes out as the Caretakers discover the Lost Colony of Roanoke. While those Lost folks have discovered an admirable racial harmony among the English and Native American settlers, they have developed some scary traits and endanger the heroes more than once. John, Jack and Charles continue to struggle to find their gifts in their roles as Caretakers. While John may misplace the all-important book from time to time, he is still evaluating situations calmly and asking the right questions. Jack, who will never fully recover from his role in Nemo's death from Book One, sacrifices himself in this second volume to become a child again in order to discover how that point of view may bring them to the other children. Charles is hiding things about himself and his real life that come to the forefront as the men travel through T

What a wonderful story by a fabulous author! The Search for the Red Dragon had me on the edge of my seat several times! It is also laugh out loud funny in parts. I LOVED it! I thought the first book was amazing, little did I know Mr. Owen was just setting us up for a Really wild ride on the Red Dragon...a ride no lover of a great fiction or science fiction stories should miss. Don't be put off because the book is classified as Young Adult....I haven't been young in a few decades but this book made me feel young.....Bravo James Owen for giving us such a wonderful story that we check every day to see when the next installment will be out so we can devour all of it's delicious twists and flavors.

And he stands tall. This book is a masterpiece of fantastic literature that has something to please everyone. A perfect merge of his own storyline with history, mythology,and prominent fantastical and science-fictional litearure will make this book a delight for anyone who picks it up, child or adult. As an adult, you will feel compelled to brush on your literature, as the great masters of universal storytelling are referenced time and again. And you will find children interested in many classic authors, opening their horizons considerably. These books will make kids go back to Cervantes, Dickens, Verne and many more, and do it joyfully. This is an absolute recommendation for anyone who loves fantasy, literature, and good stories in general. Be sure to read the whole story and pick up "Here, There be Dragons", book one of this fabulous Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica Series. I cannot wait for part three to come out.

In "The Search for the Red Dragon" James Owen continues to show readers, young and old, the fantastical landscape of the Archipelago of Dreams through the eyes of the Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica. Owen writes about characters and stories anyone might remember from their own from childhood, weaves in figures from classical literature folklore and mythology, then applies his trademark spin to the lot and presents you with something new and captivating. I devoured this book! In a single sitting I read through 103 pages. The illustrations were the proverbial icing on the cake, my favorite dealt with a certain scarecrow fans of "Here There be Dragons" will recognize. This book has earned a place of honor in my library, next to its predecessor and 4 other masterpieces of word and illustration, all signed, by James A. Owen