200610020350Comics-type James A. Owen (STARCHILD) has a new career as the author of a new children’s fantasy novel, HERE, THERE BE DRAGONS and the book is already on the Hollywood fast track for a film with HARRY POTTER producer David Heyman and David Goyer to produce.

The book brings together three strangers — John, Jack and Charles — in London during World War I, where they become entrusted with the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. They end up traveling to the Archipelago of Dreams, fighting the dark forces that threaten two worlds. It is later revealed that the three are future fantasy authors J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams, who met in real life at Oxford and enjoyed a competitive friendship.


The book comes out this week from Simon & Schuster with a 100,000 first printing, and six more books planned. Owen did some illustrations for the book, and is writing the screenplay.

In the link, Goyer explains that “Very few people really know what they [the Inkling] were like. They had really colorful lives, enough so you could tell straight biographies on them. By doing it this way, you get to have your cake and eat it too.”

While this may be fine hype for a movie, we do mildly object to the idea of Tolkien, Lewis and Williams as dragon-fighting adventurers. Their idea of an adventure was a pipe and some brandy and a bit of Old English translation. But, heck, it’s a nice yarn.

Owen is off for a signing tour, btw with stops as follows:

October 4th–Jim Hanley’s Universe (Across from the Empire State Building!)
October 5th–Books of Wonder (NYC – with Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, Gail Carson Levine, Susan Cooper, and Scott Westerfeld)
October 7th–BN–Yonkers
October 9th–BN–Brooklyn
October 10th–Center for Cartoon Studies (Burlington, Vermont – a lecture, discussion, and art display for Steve Bissette’s class)

1 COMMENT

  1. I like Owen’s work, have done since the early days of Starchild and I like his dream big philosophy as well. I look forward to reading the book when it’s released here in the UK.

  2. >>>While this may be fine hype for a movie, we do mildly object to the idea of Tolkien, Lewis and Williams as dragon-fighting adventurers. Their idea of an adventure was a pipe and some brandy and a bit of Old English translation. But, heck, it’s a nice yarn.

  3. Heh, James, it is a great idea! I just get a kick out of imagining the scholarly Inklings actually having any adventures!