In Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, young Christopher went to spend time with his grandfather for what he expected would be a boring holiday. But then he saved a drowning baby griffin, met a girl who can fly and found his way to a land of mythical creatures. So, yeah, you could say that things started looking up.
It was a very fine day until something tried to eat him.
Frankly, though, Christopher Forrester’s whole trip has been a series of unexpected twists and turns up to this point.
After all, it was supposed to be a rather boring holiday trip for a rather boring kid. Other than the fact that animals tend to be drawn to him in clumps and gaggles—especially birds, squirrels and puppies, a power his mother had as well before she passed away—Christopher is really nothing special. He tends to blend into the background of any gathering.
However, once he made his way to his grandfather’s isolated little house in the Scottish Highlands, odd things started happening. For instance, he saw these … creatures in the hills behind his grandfather’s home.
As he hid behind a tree for safety, a horse galloped by. That may not sound like much, but Christopher could have sworn that this horse was green and covered in scales. And then a whole crowd of animals that looked like large squirrels with horns ran by. And they were crying out “Run! Run!” as they went.
By the time Christopher spotted a creature floundering in a nearby lake, pulled it out, and realized that it was a baby griffin—a being with the body, tail and back legs of a lion mixed with the head, wings and front claws of an eagle—he found himself truly questioning his sanity.
Soon after that, though, he met Mal.
Like Christopher, Mal didn’t appear to be anything more than a short young girl with a chip on her shoulder. But that was before Christopher found out that she could … fly. When the breeze was right, she could open her oversized coat, catch a gust and soar into the sky.
Oh, and Christopher also learned that there is a portal—at the bottom of the lake, no less—through which he, Mal and the griffin can make their way to a magical land packed with mythical creatures.
Centaurs, chimeras, dragons, mermaids, hippocamps—you name it. In fact, Christopher is about to meet those and many more in this crazy place. And he’s also about to find out that he’s not as plain and boring as he thinks.
It’s up to Christopher and Mal, you see, to save everything from magical extinction.
That’s if he can avoid being eaten along the way.
None.
The central theme of Impossible Creatures is that there are two overlapping worlds here: a non-magical human domain and a hidden magical realm made up of islands (the Archipelago) where “mythical” creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years. However, because of an evil malfeasance, the life-affirming magic of the Archipelago is being syphoned away.
We see evidence of that magic most often through magical beasts that are massive and powerful, and many times deadly. We also see some individuals who use magical powers to create deadly mists and gasses and throw people around with physical forces.
In the above-mentioned good vs. evil context, readers could find some spiritual parallels here that illustrate the decline of goodness when it’s faced with the corruption of evil. And ultimately, Impossible Creatures‘ story requires someone’s selfless sacrifice to defeat that corruption.
We don’t see much of the adults in Christopher’s life when the story takes place. His mother is described as a loving woman who passed away when he was a child. His father is a protective man who is called away for work. And he’s staying for a short while with his grandfather, a brusque man who helps reveal family history to the teen.
Mal is a quick-witted young girl (both she and Christopher are teens) who seeks out Christopher’s help. He lends Mal his aid out of an eagerness for adventure as well as his desire to protect a young baby griffin (that appears to be the last of its kind). As these teens grow closer and work together, they eventually take up the heavy mantle of saving an endangered world that no one else will bother themselves with. (There are subtle nods here to real-world environmental concerns.)
In the fantasy world of the Archipelago, Christopher and Mal meet a number of characters who offer aid or guidance. Most are dangerous—such as a gruff, a human berserker named Nighthand and a deadly Sphinx named Naravirala—but they also come to offer protection, guidance and comfort.
Nighthand is a massive pirate who drinks to excess. We see him either tipsy or suffering from a hangover on multiple occasions.
Nighthand is also one of many people (and creatures) who are ready to kill a foe at a moment’s notice. We see him threaten great harm to people, but Nighthand only delivers it on rare occasions. He wields a knife with an edge so fine that it can cut any material. And we see him battling scores of creatures—such as the flesh-eating unicorns called Karkadanns—and ripping the beasts to bloody shreds.
An unknown murderer has also been assigned to find and kill Mal for some unknown reason. He stabs and kills Mal’s great aunt. And though Christopher and Mal have a chance to kill this man (and another deadly human foe), they refuse to do so.
The teen heroes encounter many massive creatures along the way. For instance, an enormous kraken rips their ship to kindling bits, killing a fellow sailor along the way. A human-faced manticore moves to eat Christopher from his face to his feet (though he escapes). A dog the size of a bear, a kludde, attacks with razor-sharp teeth and flames instead of ears. A half-human, half-horse centaur lies to and cheats Christopher and Mal. And the list stretches on.
People are stabbed, slashed, beaten and left writhing and crippled on the ground. One character is empaled by a poison horn and struggles along as his wound festers, seeps and begins to turn his arm greenish gray. A beloved creature is slashed by a knife while trying to defend Mal. It bleeds to death in her arms. Etc.
Nighthand and one of his female crewmates have an obvious attraction to one another. But they are hesitant to pursue that mutual sense of desire, though they both go out of their way to defend and protect each other.
Neither Christopher nor Mal thought they had a lot to offer to the powerful people and characters of the magical Archipelago. But both contributed much more than they initially believed that they could. Is there a message here about being more able than we give ourselves credit for?
What do you think Christopher’s and Mal’s greatest strengths were? What was the greatest thing they offered each other? Can your choice to help and support friends around you make a difference? When you help a friend, do you think that helps them make better choices? How?
If you could encounter one of the mythical creatures from Impossible Creatures, which one would it be? How did you do with the sphinx’s riddles? What was your favorite part of this story?
This broad fantasy novel is creatively fun and action-packed. And its story challenges readers to think about how they can give of themselves to aid friends and care for animals. If you look for them, you can also find environmentally friendly messages here, and even some lightly biblical, good vs evil parallels in the story mix.
Parents of younger readers should note, though, that there is quite a bit of peril and violence in Impossible Creatures’ fantastical storyline (including a knife-wielding murderer and fierce, deadly creatures). Humans and animals (including some central characters) are badly injured and some die.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
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