Peter Boyle's Reviews > Impossible Creatures

"He would never find it again, that kind of friendship. But once is enough. You need it only once – so that you may know what your human heart is capable of."

Christopher is a boy who has always had a natural affinity with animals - they flock to him for reasons he can't explain. But on a stay with his grandfather in a remote part of Scotland, things get even stranger - a group of peculiar creatures he never knew existed start racing down a hill towards him. These mythical animals come from a place called the Archipelago, and it turns out his grandfather is the guardian between our world and theirs. A baby griffin is one of those creatures and as Christopher gives it comfort, its frantic owner arrives. She's a girl called Mal with secrets and special abilities of her own. And she's being pursued by a relentless killer. Mal asks Christopher for help and being the brave, responsible lad he is, he naturally agrees. This decision will take him on an incredible journey, full of danger and excitement.

The reviews for Impossible Creatures have been effusive to say the least - The Telegraph hailed it a modern classic, while Rundell is being described as the heir to C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. And maybe that's why I was left feeling a little disappointed. I enjoyed the novel but it didn't blow me away in the manner I was led to expect. It is imaginative - I liked how the book begins with a detailed glossary of all the mythical creatures that exist in the Archipelago. And in Christopher and Mal, she has created two characters that are easy to root for - the friendship that develops between them is a beautiful thing. But I must say that I found it a bit too derivative of children's fantasy, and Pullman's work in particular. More than once I thought of the His Dark Materials series while reading this one, and that trilogy felt like it had a lot more depth and nuance to it. Perhaps Impossible Creatures is a victim of its own ecstatic hype: an entertaining, colourful story but not quite the groundbreaking achievement I was led to believe.