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The Poisoned King
Impossible Creatures (Related to this series)
- Author
- Katherine Rundell
- Narrator
- Samuel West
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 11 September 2025
- Run Time
- 7 hours 8 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Fantasy, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Supernatural and mythological creatures
- Rating
- 4.0 (1 review)
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What to expect
The dragons call out, and the ratatoskas tell of murder. Come with us now. There is justice to be done.
Return to the magic of the Archipelago... The Poisoned King is the dazzling second book in Katherine Rundell's epic and bestselling Impossible Creatures series.
'There was Tolkien, there is Pullman and now there is Katherine Rundell' – Michael Morpurgo
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...
The unmissable sequel to Impossible Creatures, WINNER of the Waterstones Book of the Year, British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year, Foyles Children's Book of the Year and the Books Are My Bag Readers Award
'A book stuffed full of fantastical, magical delight' – Cressida Cowell on Impossible Creatures
'Readers will seize this with delight' – Philip Pullman on Impossible Creatures
'A masterpiece to rival Tolkien' – Daily Telegraph on Impossible Creatures
'Every sentence sparkles ... Magnificent' – The Times on Impossible Creatures
Critics Review
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Katherine Rundell returns with a perfect fantasy
Telegraph
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Rundell is back with a sequel to her runaway middle-grade fantasy hit “Impossible Creatures,” which offers magical thrills for young readers and adults alike.
New York Times
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I love Katherine Rundell and everything she writes. Her books are treasure troves of glittering wisdom and breath-taking plots; her characters leap off the page, singular, passionate, and satisfyingly complex. I defy anyone to not lose their heart to her stories.
Maggie O'Farrel, Author of Hamnet
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An exquisitely written, expertly plotted, emotionally affecting and totally immersive triumph!
LoveReading4Kids
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A mythical and magical world, the Archipelago is full of colour and opportunity for children to lose themselves in their imaginations. Katherine Rundell delights with this sequel: Exceptional
Children's Books Ireland
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Few writers today channel the wild heart of children’s literature quite like Katherine Rundell. The award-winning author of Rooftoppers, The Explorer and Impossible Creatures, Rundell has a rare gift: she writes with both intellectual muscle and reckless wonder.
iNews
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The fantasy world is richly imagined, the dialogue sharp and witty and short chapters drive the pace. This series is pure class.
Daily Mail
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Dazzling ... the imaginative scope of this series remains colossal
The Times
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Katherine Rundell's books are an automatic purchase in my house. She is a magician, one of the great storytellers of our time.
Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing With Feathers
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A treasure chest of myths
Spectator
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One of our finest authors
Observer
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Enthralling adventures – a sphinx-back rescue, a harpy-guarded library, a glimpse of a terrifying future – ensue, while characteristically humorous, elegant prose exhorts the reader to defend the frail and precious, remembering that “love is the greatest weapon against the world’s cruelties”.
The Guardian
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The second book in the Impossible Creatures series is spectacular. These stories are about so much more than dragons, unicorns and gaganas. They’re about how to live within the chaos and beauty of our miraculous world, and Katherine Rundell is a writer at the top of her game.
Abi Elphinstone
User Reviews
Book 4.0
Narration 4.0
-
4.0 4.0
Great book,
ring01 2026-03-04
Details
- Author
- Katherine Rundell
- Narrator
- Samuel West
- Duration
- 7 hours 8 minutes
- Release Date
- 11 September 2025
- ISBN
- 9781526680556
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Fantasy, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Supernatural and mythological creatures
- Rating
- 4.0(1 review)
- Narration
- 4.0(1 review)
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Impossible Creatures: The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell, read by Samuel West The dragons call out, and the ratatoskas tell of murder. Come with us now. There is justice to be done. Return to the magic of the Archipelago... The Poisoned King is the dazzling second book in Katherine Rundell's epic and bestselling Impossible Creatures series.'There was Tolkien, there is Pullman and now there is Katherine Rundell' – Michael MorpurgoWhen 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...The unmissable sequel to Impossible Creatures, WINNER of the Waterstones Book of the Year, British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year, Foyles Children's Book of the Year and the Books Are My Bag Readers Award'A book stuffed full of fantastical, magical delight' – Cressida Cowell on Impossible Creatures'Readers will seize this with delight' – Philip Pullman on Impossible Creatures'A masterpiece to rival Tolkien' – Daily Telegraph on Impossible Creatures'Every sentence sparkles ... Magnificent' – The Times on Impossible Creatures
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