The Poisoned King

Katherine Rundell

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publication Date: 07/05/2026 ISBN: 9781408897478 Category:
Paperback / Softback

£8.99

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Description

‘Katherine Rundell returns with a perfect fantasy’ Telegraph

** BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS’ AWARD WINNER **

The unmissable new story in the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling Impossible Creatures series, for fans of Philip Pullman, Percy Jackson and Skandar.

‘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…

Awards and praise for Impossible Creatures
WINNER Waterstones Book of the Year
WINNER British Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year
WINNER Foyles Children’s Book of the Year
WINNER Books Are My Bag Readers Award

‘A book stuffed full of fantastical, magical delight’ – Cressida Cowell

‘I love Katherine Rundell and everythings she writes. I defy anyone not to lose their heart to her stories’ – Maggie O’Farrell

‘Readers will seize this with delight’ – Philip Pullman

‘A masterpiece to rival Tolkien’ – Daily Telegraph

‘Every sentence sparkles … Magnificent’ – The Times

Impossible Creatures Sunday Times bestseller, December 2023

Publisher Review

Katherine Rundell returns with a perfect fantasy * Telegraph * 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 * An exquisitely written, expertly plotted, emotionally affecting and totally immersive triumph! * LoveReading4Kids * 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 * 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 * The fantasy world is richly imagined, the dialogue sharp and witty and short chapters drive the pace. This series is pure class. * Daily Mail * Dazzling … the imaginative scope of this series remains colossal * The Times * A treasure chest of myths * Spectator * One of our finest authors * Observer * 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”. — Imogen Russell Williams * The Guardian * 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 *

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