The Search for the Red Dragon
 |
 | This article consists almost entirely of a plot summary. (June 2010) |
| Author | James A. Owen |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | James A. Owen (illustrator) |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica (Book 2) |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | January 2008 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 400 pp |
| ISBN | 978-1416948513 (paperback edition) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| OCLC | 268802167 |
| LC Class | PZ7.O97124 Sea 2008b |
| Preceded by | Here, There Be Dragons |
| Followed by | The Indigo King |
The Search for the Red Dragon, by James A. Owen, is a fantasy novel released on January 1, 2008. It is the second book in The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica. It is preceded by Here, There Be Dragons and followed by The Indigo King.
Plot overview
| This May 2010's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (May 2010) |
After Jack, John, and Charles return from the Archipelago after their victory against the Winter King, or Mordred, they spend nine years in the Summer Country, our world, without contacting each other. When a dazed girl named Laura Glue, who is the granddaughter of Peter Pan, crash-lands in their garden, asking to speak to James Barrie, John, Jack, and Charles again concern themselves with the Archipelago.
After visiting Sir James Barrie, who tells John and Jack about an old myth in the Archipelago called the Crusade, the companions summon Bert, who brings them to Paralon. In the capital, the companions discover a centuries-old book where two twins encounter Roger Bacon and leave a message for Peter Pan. They also discover from Artus that all of the Dragonships have been stolen and most of the children of the Archipelago have disappeared. Leaving Artus, the party journeys to the Keep of Time, which they find damaged by the fire Mordred had lit during their last adventure.
The Cartographer explains part of their adventure to them and directs them to the Underneath, which is an island underneath the waters of the Archipelago. Leaving the Keep, the companions crash their airship into the water, but are heartened by the arrival of Laura Glue, who brought with her the Imaginarium Geographica, as John had forgotten it in the backseat of his car. Using the Geographica, John opens the passageway, and the party falls into the Underneath. When they landed, they are attacked by a band of Indians, which were said to be the descendants of the failed Roanoke exploration, save for Richard Burton, their leader.
Richard Burton tells the party that he is an important figure in the Imperial Cartological Society, a society created by the Queen whose goal is to recreate the Imaginarium Geographica so that it can be possessed by anyone. The companions manage to escape and flee to Neverland, Laura Glue's home, where they meet Daedalus. Daedalus reveals to them that the Underneath is split up into nine circles or districts (as written in Dante's Inferno). Daedalus also asks them if they would like to become children to understand better the reasons for the decisions of Hugh the Iron and William the Pig, who they are told are the sons of Jason and the original Lost Boys. Jack assents, and the party departs Neverland.
The companions journey through the next few districts mainly without problems, arriving at the isle of Automatons, where the army of gigantic golden automatons take Jack. The companions journey to the island of Aiaia, where they rescue some missing children, including Jack, from their prison inside a building called the Abbey of the Rose. They journey to the Wandering Isles, the final district, where they encounter Roger Burton, who announces that he had let them escape. He interrogates the companions about the whereabouts of Lillith, his daughter, until Hugh the Iron and William the Pig arrive. A Croatoan wounded them, causing them to flee, but they returned minutes later, accompanied by a mysterious shadow leader, who possesses panpipes that can control children. One of the children kills the body of the shadow with a knife, while Jack continues on to the Ninth Circle of the Underneath.
Jack finds a cave called Plato's Cave, which nothing that is not real can enter. Thus, Jack must surrender his childhood before he can enter to save Peter Pan, who is imprisoned inside. Meanwhile, at the new battlefield, Daedalus has been discovered as a traitor and has surrounded the field with the gigantic, golden automatons. John has the idea to try the Summoning in the Underneath, because he believes that it may just be a large Ring of Power. After several minutes, John and the party are saved by Titans, who turn the automatons to stone. Daedalus is killed, and Hugh and William are released from their bondage. Upon Peter Pan's return, the companions learn that the mysterious, bodiless specter is none less than the Winter King, Mordred, their previous enemy. Peter dissipates the shadow temporarily with fairy dust. The companions return to Paralon, and to the Summer Country, where they are reunited with Sir James Barrie.