Chris Soul

'Impossible Creatures: The Poisoned King' is one of my favourite reads of 2025. Written with directness, wonder and vivacity, Katherine Rundell goes from strength to strength. Like Ursula le Guin with Earthsea, Rundell brings to life a whole world - the Archipelago - in such a captivating and vivid way without it being bogged down with too much detail or history. Her world feels possible: one of danger and magic and charm. 

 

 When Christopher Forrester is unexpectedly woken by a miniature dragon chewing on his face, his heart leaps for joy. For months he’s dreamed of returning to the Archipelago – the secret islands where all the creatures of myth still live. But he did not know it would involve a rescue mission on the back of a sphinx, or a plan to enter a dragon’s lair. Nor did he imagine it would involve a girl with a flock of birds at her side, a new-hatched chick in her pocket and a ravenous hunger for justice... 

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'The Poisoned King' feels like a fairy-tale by way of Hamlet with a fierce female protagonist that dares and rebels with all the strength of a Lyra. Brilliantly entertaining and enriching, I cannot wait for book 3!

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My review of Book One is here. 

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https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-poisoned-king/katherine-rundell/9781526685452

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