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The Poisoned King - Impossible Creatures (Hardback)
  • The Poisoned King - Impossible Creatures (Hardback)
  • The Poisoned King - Impossible Creatures (Hardback)
  • The Poisoned King - Impossible Creatures (Hardback)
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The Poisoned King - Impossible Creatures (Hardback) The Poisoned King - Impossible Creatures (Hardback)

The Poisoned King - Impossible Creatures (Hardback)

(author)
Price: £14.99
Hardback 336 Pages
Published: 11/09/2025
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Waterstones Says

The mesmerising follow-up to Katherine Rundell's Waterstones Book of the Year 2023-winning Impossible Creatures finds Christopher embroiled in an elaborate rescue mission as he returns to the magical world of the Archipelago.

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.

The dragons call out, and the ratatoskas tell of murder. Come with us now. There is justice to be done.

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...

Publisher information

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781408897447
Number of pages: 336
Dimensions: 218 x 142 x 28 mm
Interest age: From 9 years
Weight: 415 g
Language: English


MEDIA REVIEWS

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

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

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

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

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

Transcription

Hello, I'm Katherine Rundell, the author of The Poisoned King, the sequel to Impossible Creatures and part of my five book fantasy series. In The Poisoned King, you'll encounter a tiny newborn Gagana chick with a pure gold beak and silver claws who is intent on wreaking havoc. You'll go to a dragon's lair where you discover unheard of secrets and strange mysteries. And I think something you should look out for would be a girl who has in her heart a hunger for furious revenge.

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“Perfection!”

After reading Impossible Creatures, I said that it felt destined to be a classic - after reading this second installment I *know* that this series will be a classic! One of the best things about Impossible Creatures... More

Hardback edition
3 similar books recommended
Helpful? Upvote 31

“A gripping sequel from start to finish - Katherine Rundell can do no wrong”

The anticipation of a sequel is often more rewarding than when the book finally arrives and doesn't live up to the expectations.. Impossible Creatures was the "must-read' of 2023; a glorious trip into a... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 25

“Astonishingly good”

While my list of upcoming titles that I’m desperate to read is – quite naturally – different from those of many of my fellow children’s fiction-reading friends, this is a read that I suspect is on everyone’s list. The... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 19

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