Impossible Creatures

4 books in series
4.5 out of 5 stars 236 ratings

Impossible Creatures Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, read by Samuel West.

There was Tolkien, there is Pullman and now there is Katherine Rundell. Wondrous invention, marvellous writing.' – Michael Morpurgo

‘Rundell’s first foray into fantasy is both a deft, rich homage to the greats of children’s literature and an absorbing, profoundly poignant quest story for those aged 9+ – quite possibly her best yet’ – The Guardian

'A book stuffed full of fantastical, magical delight, and a world of richly imagined wonder' – Cressida Cowell

* WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER * BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS' AWARD WINNER * FOYLES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR * SHORTLISTED FOR AMAZON KIDS AND YA BOOK OF THE YEAR

* THE TIMES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK * THE INDEPENDENT CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK * THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK * SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

There’s a place where all the wildest stories began … From Katherine Rundell, winner of the Costa Children’s Book Award, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize comes the first novel in a landmark trilogy for 9+ fans of His Dark Materials

Christopher is stunned when he discovers a passage to the Archipelago: a cluster of magical islands where all the creatures of myth still live and breed and thrive in their thousands. There he meets Mal: a girl from the islands, who is in possession of a flying coat and a baby griffin, and who is being pursued by a killer. Together they embark on an urgent quest to discover why the creatures are suddenly perishing, voyaging across the wild splendour of the Archipelago, where sphinxes hold secrets and centaurs do murder, in a bid to save both the islands and the world beyond them from a rising evil – before it's too late.

'A marvellous, imaginative fantasy told with great style and sparkle – a book to race through in a day and keep for a lifetime' – Jacqueline Wilson

'The world of this new book is so intriguing and so well put together that I couldn’t resist it. Readers who already know her books will seize this with delight, and new readers will love it and demand all her others at once' – Philip Pullman

‘A masterpiece to rival Tolkien and Pullman’ – The Daily Telegraph

'Fantastically exuberant, wildly imaginative, impossibly brilliant. Rundell’s best, which is something to be marvelled at' – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

‘An exhilarating, many-hued adventure, heartfelt and sometimes heartbreaking’ – Frances Hardinge

'Between the covers of Impossible Creatures is a world as enchanting, as perilous, as richly imagined as Narnia or Middle Earth' – Frank Cottrell-Boyce

‘Rundell's book packs a punch with imagination and creativity in its purest form. She has created a story with potential to be adored by fantasy lovers for years to come’ – The Independent

'With a delightful cast of characters, breathless adventure, and an abundance of myth and magic, Impossible Creatures offers the very best of fantasy' – Aisha Bushby

'A fierce, fantastic, wild-hearted adventure that roars and bristles with imagination. I devoured it like a hungry dragon' – Sam Sedgman

'A rare and remarkable feat of glittering imagination from a truly masterful storyteller' – Catherine Doyle

'The action is gripping. Every sentence sparkles. You can feel the flutter of griffin feathers and the menace of strange poisonous shrews. Magnificent’ – The Times

‘Surely the next classic’ – The I

'My Book of the Year' – Lauren St. John
©2023 Katherine Rundell (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Show more Show less
Island Young Adult Fantasy
You're getting a free audiobook


You're getting a free audiobook.

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Product List
  • Book 1

    Regular price: $17.44

  • Regular price: $22.50

  • Book 2

    Regular price: $22.50

  • Regular price: $15.26

Similar series

The Wingfeather Saga Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Amina al-Sirafi Emily Wilde Series Greenwild Secret Zoo Sword of Truth Clocktaur War Fallen Gods The Witches of Eileanan Last Life Of Mermaids and Orisa

Book 1 in other series

The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm Audiobook By Christopher Paolini cover art
The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm By: Christopher Paolini
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi Audiobook By Shannon Chakraborty cover art
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi By: Shannon Chakraborty
Witch King Audiobook By Martha Wells cover art
Witch King By: Martha Wells
The Blacktongue Thief Audiobook By Christopher Buehlman cover art
The Blacktongue Thief By: Christopher Buehlman
A Deadly Education Audiobook By Naomi Novik cover art
A Deadly Education By: Naomi Novik
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage Audiobook By Philip Pullman cover art
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage By: Philip Pullman
Peter and the Starcatchers Audiobook By Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson cover art
Peter and the Starcatchers By: Dave Barry, and others
Six Crimson Cranes Audiobook By Elizabeth Lim cover art
Six Crimson Cranes By: Elizabeth Lim
A River Enchanted Audiobook By Rebecca Ross cover art
A River Enchanted By: Rebecca Ross
The Menagerie Audiobook By Tui T. Sutherland, Kari H. Sutherland cover art
The Menagerie By: Tui T. Sutherland, and others
Oathbound Healer Audiobook By Selkie Myth cover art
Oathbound Healer By: Selkie Myth
Dragonfall Audiobook By L. R. Lam cover art
Dragonfall By: L. R. Lam

Listens by similar authors

Graceling Audiobook By Kristin Cashore cover art
Graceling By: Kristin Cashore
The Bear and the Nightingale Audiobook By Katherine Arden cover art
The Bear and the Nightingale By: Katherine Arden
Spear Audiobook By Nicola Griffith cover art
Spear By: Nicola Griffith
City of the Plague God Audiobook By Sarwat Chadda cover art
City of the Plague God By: Sarwat Chadda
The Memory Theater Audiobook By Karin Tidbeck cover art
The Memory Theater By: Karin Tidbeck
Orphan Monster Spy Audiobook By Matt Killeen cover art
Orphan Monster Spy By: Matt Killeen
A Court of Thorns and Roses Audiobook By Sarah J. Maas cover art
A Court of Thorns and Roses By: Sarah J. Maas
The Lightning Thief Audiobook By Rick Riordan cover art
The Lightning Thief By: Rick Riordan
Clockwork Boys Audiobook By T. Kingfisher cover art
Clockwork Boys By: T. Kingfisher
The Gorgon's Fury Audiobook By Brandon Mull cover art
The Gorgon's Fury By: Brandon Mull
The Winglets Quartet Audiobook By Tui T. Sutherland cover art
The Winglets Quartet By: Tui T. Sutherland
The Last Musketeer Audiobook By Stuart Gibbs cover art
The Last Musketeer By: Stuart Gibbs