Impossible Creatures

A well-plotted, traditional and fast-paced adventure story, with exciting twists, engaging (and at times horrifying) creatures, new concepts to discover and a fair share of sadness. This story reminds me of a modern-day mythical quest. It starts slowly, but soon becomes up-put-downable. The main characters, Christopher and Mal, display a spirited camaraderie as, helped by a group of brave friends, they battle to save the Impossible Creatures and maintain the order of the world. It would probably suit 10 years and upwards, bearing in mind themes of sorrow, loss and some violent fights, unless being read with an adult. It’s in the style of the Percy Jackson series, but for a slightly younger readership. Two more follow (so far) in the series, so lots to look forward to if you enjoy it!

With a beautiful cover, fabulous map, lovely illustrated guide to the creatures and a brilliant story for ages nine to adult, Impossible Creatures really is the perfect gift for any family! The story is engaging and well written, the characters are relateable and I loved the way we met so very many magical creatures (including dragons) and visited so very many of the islands in the archipelago without it ever feeling too much or repetitive. Both Mal and Christopher were great characters and I totally loved Nighthand, Ratwin and Irian too! I also really appreciated the magical objects - the casapasaran and the glamry blade were a little remniscient of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. In all it's a great middle grade fantasy adventure with some complex themes and bittersweet moments and is sure to become a modern classic. I actually read this with my 9 year old and she also totally loved it too and we had fun chatting about it! She loved all the magical creatures as well as the idea of the immortal. An easy 4.5 stars from me and 4.75 from my daughter (rounded up to 5 for Amazon) and we definitely recommend it!

This children book is a bit of a different read from my usual epics, but sometimes you need a little change of pace and this was great. There's nothing overly complex story wise here but it is absolutely laugh out loud hilarious and enjoyable throughout, with likable characters in very intriguing and fun world.

Outstanding. I listened on audible and the narration is wonderful. It’s worth listening to an interview with Rundell to understand her reasons for writing this and for writing for children aged 9-ish, as this adds another layer of depth and beauty. It’s a wonderful magical adventure story, with real depth and feeling. I’m a massive fan! FYI it’s sad at times and I (an adult) gasped and cried so careful with young/sensitive children. (Similar to Harry Potter books in darker themes).

My daughter loves these books - really interesting and fast paced.

I bought 'Impossible Creatures' for my 10 year old, after it was lauded in a literary podcast as being a good read for adults too. My daughter loved 'His Dark Materials' and 'Harry Potter', so I thought it would be a safe bet. Unfortunately, she dismissed the book and stopped reading it quite quickly. I thought i'd read it to see if she was being unfairly harsh and then maybe we could at least discuss what she didn't like about it. In my opinion, 'Impossible Creatures' does hook you in immediately because it has a very dynamic opening with a direct and dangerous antagonist and a basic premise that is interesting and has great scope. However, once past the adrenalised inciting incident and first obstacles, my first impression was that the core dual protagonists, Christopher and Mal, were very reminiscent of Lyra and Will from 'His Dark Materials'. Likewise Mal's relationship with Gelifen is like a poor facsimile of Lyra and Pantalaimon, without any of the deeper emotional subtext. Mal's relationship with Gelifen is never fully explained or explored. As the last Griffin, Gelifen symbolises, more than any other character, what is at stake in this world - the potential extinction of all 'impossible creatures'. Gelifen's experience could have added some of the missing emotional depth in this book. Gelifen was little more than a one dimensional accessory, ultimately just used as a plot device to provide motivation to Mal. As most of the other creatures in this world speak, it felt like a huge missed opportunity. Likewise the Glamry Blade and the compass are pretty derivative poor facsimiles of the subtle knife and the golden compass in 'His Dark Materials' but without any of the depth. I could go on about all the ways this book feels like an amalgamation of many other things but it would need to include spoilers and would take too long! Overall 'Impossible Creatures' hangs together to create a dynamic adventure in an interesting world with some likeable characters, jeopardy and dramatic encounters. It's written in easily digestible chapters and is decent enough if you're an 8-10 year old. However, if they've already read 'His Dark Materials' or 'Harry Potter', my personal opinion is that 'Impossible Creatures' is derivative and paper thin in comparison. Judging by the 5 star reviews many adults have enjoyed this book and it's received high praise by those much more esteemed than myself! My honest personal opinion as a discerning adult reader is that the central plot was weak and the main characters lacked depth. The ultimate antagonist was particularly unsatisfying and the reader's experience of this critical character mostly comes from third party exposition. For such a megalomaniacal character threatening Christopher and Mal's worlds, the antagonist is strangely passive, lacking and absent for the majority of the book, which undermines the climax of the central narrative and just feels like poor storytelling. No doubt 'Impossible Creatures' will be hugely successful and i'm sure the author had an eye on screen adaptation from the beginning but i'm really not jumping on the hype train for this one.

Great book bought for my nephew who loves this type of fiction book, he loved it I have bought him both books in the series.

This really is a beautiful story. There were chapters that I had to fight back tears as I read them. The language use is incredible and the discussions around the different creatures within the book has been wonderful in class. Highly recommended!

Ein tolles Buch. Ich freue mich schon auf den nächsten Teil.

A really good story, well written, with wonderful and magical settings. A classic.

What a beautiful book this is. The story is compelling and magical. Everyone should read it at least once. The book itself has beautiful illustrations, the binding is great, and for once it was sent with appropriate packaging. THANKFULLY, it WASN’T sent in the brown paper envelope packaging that Amazon uses. Proper protective packaging was used by the seller and such the book reached in impeccable condition. Thank you seller.

A fairly fast and not so interesting premise. A bit rushed and probably not particularly exciting.

magnifiquement écrit et philosophiquement édifiant