The Indigo King

This post first published June 6, 2011.

Author: James A. Owen
Published: October 2008
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Series: The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #3
372 pages (hardcover)
 
The first two books of this series were averagely good, so when I cracked open book number three, I was expecting something along the same lines. What I got, instead, was something that was so much better. Book number three of this series is, simply put, amazing. I actually couldn’t put the book down and stayed up way too late reading it, wanting to know what happens next on every page.

The structure of the plot is different in this book compared to the previous two. In the previous two, the plot followed a general formula where the Caretakers would enter the Archipelago of Dreams and go on an adventure around the islands in an attempt to stop evil doings. In this book, the plot structure is completely different.

The story begins with Jack and John meeting with their friend Hugo Dyson one evening. The Caretakers would like to bring Hugo into their secret “club” and have him become an apprentice Caretaker, as well as discuss with him a strange book they received as a parcel, in which Hugo has written them a warning message … fourteen centuries earlier. However, before they can puzzle out how that is possible, Hugo disappears through a door in the woods, and falls backwards in time somewhere.

As soon as that happened, Jack and John find themselves in a world completely different from their own. Hugo has done something in the past to alter time drastically. Britain is no longer Britain, but a place called Albion, with monsters and other frightening creatures roaming about. The only way for them to put time back on its proper course is by using a time travel device left to them by Jules Verne, to be used to find the one thing that can fix the world: the identity of the Cartographer.

I loved this book. Reading about Jack and John travel throughout time, trying to collect clues and piece together what has happened and puzzle over how to fix history, it was just a marvelous adventure and it kept me on the edge of my seat. In comparison to the other two books, this book felt very strong: well thought out and well written. You might recall from my post about the first book that the writing was really simple, almost as if it was meant for a children’s book, and I mentioned it improving in the second book. Well, I thought the writing was superb in The Indigo King. With each book in the series, James A. Owen betters his craft and as a result, each book becomes better and better. It seems as if everything that happened in the first two books were just stepping stones to lead to where we are now in the series.

As usual, this book is also riddled with myths and literary allusions. Unlike the first two, I found I understood many of the references better. It may be just me, but in the first book and a bit in the second one, I felt the author assumed a little too much in what his reader may or may not already know, in terms of books and myths. This time around, he offered explanations, particularly on the mythologies, many of which were vital to the overall plot of The Indigo King. As for the literary allusions, well, it doesn’t affect your reading and understanding regardless if you caught it or not, but it sure is fun when you do catch it.

Admittedly, after the first two books, I was sort of ho-hum about reading the rest of the series (and to be honest, the only reason I really continued was because I happened to have the entire series taken out from the library, so they were all sitting in front of me anyway). However, after finishing The Indigo King, my interest in the series has increased tenfold and I’m super excited to start on the fourth book, The Shadow Dragons. I really don’t know what else to say about this book — I have no complaints at all, and I can’t talk too much about the plot because, since it has many mystery elements to it, it would be revealing too much. Just trust me that this is the best book in the series (that I’ve read so far), and it is definitely worth reading the first two books in the series if only to read this third one.

My Rating: 5/5