Impossible Creatures: INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

I bought this book to read to my 9 year old and was so impressed. It is exceptionally well written with beautiful imagery and colourful characters but remains accessible and exciting for a 9 year old. I looked forward to reading it as much as he looked forward to listening to it. I must admit I found the ending very emotional. What a triumph! Can’t wait for the next one.

Just finished this book. What a wonderful joyful adventure into a new and exciting world.I'm a little older than the target audience at 63, but I found it quite delightful and can't waitfor the next installment next year.Will give me chance to re read it and adventure into her other books, having recently readRoof toppers ,Sky steppers and the Good Thieves...I have some catching up to do!Cindy Wright

I love reading children's fiction, it is sometimes the best fiction. Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, was an absolute joy to read. The writing is very accessible, the plotline moves quickly, the creatures and world she creates are vivid and imaginative. I read this in a few days and really enjoyed it. I do hope that there are more in this series. I can clearly see this being made into a film.

I was attracted to this YA book by the reviews comparing it to Tolkein and Pullman. They were right. I loved it (age 72) my daughter loved it (age 42) and I am planning to give it to a 12 year old granddaughter. A nine year old friend has also enjoyed it. We await the sequel. It is an imaginitive, funny, sad and wonderfully written story that grips from the first page (I skipped the bestiary of amazing animals at the front and used it for reference when I came across them). It's about two twelve year olds in two separate worlds who each discover their hidden powers and destiny and come together to overcome an evil force threatening to wreck the magical world. Superb. It would make a terrific film.

I really enjoyed reading this book, which was our reading group choice. It was exciting and fun to read.

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.

I picked up Impossible Creatures after being attracted by its cover. Having read The Golden Mole by Katherine Rundell I wasn’t sure what to expect from a children’s book by the same author. I absolutely loved the story and delighted in the fantasy world of the archipelago. The tale reminded me hugely of the struggle between good and evil and humanity’s quest to save the world before it becomes too late. When I read the accolades comparing Rundell to Tolkein and Pullman, I was skeptical, but now having read the novel I wholeheartedly agree. This is a new breed of fantasy that will become without a doubt a classic.

Night for eldest granddaughters 8th birthday. She is going to love it

loved the story and characters.

My grand daughter

magnifiquement écrit et philosophiquement édifiant

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.