Table Of ContentFor Jimmy
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people,
or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are
products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events
or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 by James A. Owen All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or
[email protected].
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event.
For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at
www.simonspeakers.com.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Book design by Tom Daly and James A. Owen
The text for this book is set in Adobe Jensen Pro.
Manufactured in the United States of America
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Owen, James A.
The dragon’s apprentice / written and illustrated by James A. Owen. — 1st ed.
p. cm.— (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica; [5])
Summary: Seven years after facing the Dragon Shadows, John, Jack, and Charles
return to the Archipelago of Dreams but their reunion with old friends is spoiled by the threat of primordial Shadow Echthroi and the
apparent splintering of Time itself, and they set
out on a new quest in which success and failure each carry a high cost.
ISBN 978-1-4169-5897-0 (hardcover) [1. Time travel—Fiction. 2. Characters in literature—Fiction. 3. Fantasy.] I. Title.
PZ7.O97124Dr 2010
[Fic]—dc22
2009038674
ISBN 978-1-4424-0964-4 (eBook)
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Part One: Independence Day
Chapter One:
The Ghost of Magdalen College
Chapter Two:
Ariadne’s Thread
Chapter Three:
Chronos & Kairos
Chapter Four:
The Bridge
Part Two: The Discontinuity
Chapter Five:
The Pirate
Chapter Six:
Strange Devices
Chapter Seven:
The Watchmaker
Chapter Eight:
The Black Dragon
Part Three: The Shadowed World
Chapter Nine:
The Waste Land
Chapter Ten:
Fallen Idols
Chapter Eleven:
The Little Prince
Chapter Twelve:
The Regency
Part Four: The Family Trade
Chapter Thirteen:
The Passage
Chapter Fourteen:
Craven Street
Chapter Fifteen:
The Reluctant Mapmaker
Chapter Sixteen:
The Pirate’s Biographer
Part Five: The Dragon’s Apprentice
Chapter Seventeen:
Namers and Un-Namers
Chapter Eighteen:
The Heir
Chapter Nineteen:
The Maps of Elijah McGee
Chapter Twenty:
The False Caretaker
Part Six: “All of Eternity in a Speck of Dust”
Chapter Twenty-one:
The Summer King
Chapter Twenty-two:
The Choice
Chapter Twenty-three:
The Revolution
Chapter Twenty-four:
The Third Alternative
Epilogue
Author’s Note
List of Illustrations
… the light that emanated from the ghost filled the courtyard
… the moon wore a frock coat, fingerless gloves, and sensible shoes.
… a massive clock of stone, wood, and silver …
Rose caught him by the arm before he could disappear …
From the garden, all that could be seen was half of a stone bridge …
All the various time travel devices … were stored in the repository …
The Watchmaker … had a prominent nose … and small, close-set eyes.
The second enclosure … housed the Black Dragon.
There, on a protrusion of rock, stood a man.
It was an immense statue, half broken … it was a centaur.
There, peeking from behind the timeworn throne, was a child.
There on a pedestal … stood a very familiar looking device.
In another chamber … there lay a deep cradle of crystal and silk …
One … was having a lot of difficulty getting his kite out of an elm.
The room resembled an Aladdin’s cave …
“What do you think, Arthur? Is this a rational plan of action …?”
“Hello, Moonchild,” the old woman said.
“I’m sorry,” Lauren said … “but Master McGee isn’t in right now.”
… the Echthros … began to shimmer and change, growing larger and darker
…
Briefly Edmund explained about the book …
Defoe had retrieved the portrait of Charles Johnson and was holding it …
… a sleek, massive creature erupted out of the Thames and into the sky.
Burton stood … watching the small craft as it became consumed by the
flames.
… a tall, lanky man was just stepping through.
Acknowledgments
In many ways, The Dragon’s Apprentice was the most difficult book to write
so far, for a lot of reasons. Complexities abound, as the story progressed and
evolved, and it would have been impossible to finish sequestered in my garret, in
solitude.
David Gale was, and continues to be, the first champion of these books. From
the very beginning, he had a natural grasp of the kind of story I wanted to tell,
and has allowed me to keep the accelerator floored ever since. Under another
editor, I truly believe these would have been lesser books. And Navah Wolfe,
whom I knew casually as an online friend before her employ at Simon &
Schuster, is without a doubt my most exacting reader. The questions she poses,
whether regarding subtle nuances of character, or overarching plot threads, are
the ones that shape and reshape my stories into their final form. That she is so
caring about the work, while at the same time looks after the well-being of her
author is a combination for which I am most grateful. Jenica Nasworthy and
Valerie Shea are my seasoned coveterans of the editorial battle, who pull
everything together into a cohesive whole, invented words and all. Without these
people this series would not work.
My stellar attorney Craig Emanuel, and especially my management team at
The Gotham Group—including Julie, Ellen, and Lindsay—have done wonderful
work with the contracts, and handling my business relationship with my
publisher. And Gotham’s Julie Nelson has made other weights I’ve had to
shoulder far, far easier to bear this year, and deserves much gratitude.
The rest of the team at Simon & Schuster has been equally supportive, from
my publisher, Justin Chanda, to our Executive Vice President Jon Anderson, and
the most attentive CEO I’ve ever known, Carolyn Reidy. They make it clear that
we are partners in this endeavor, and my work is easier because of their trust and
support.
My art director, Laurent Linn, continues to do extraordinary work. My
publicists, Paul Crichton and Andrea Kempfer, have taken excellent care of me
during my signing tours, and have always encouraged me through a very
demanding process. And I want to also thank the other staff at Simon & Schuster
for doing so much good work to package, promote, and sell these books. It is
genuinely a team effort.
Without my team at Coppervale Studio, Jeremy Owen and Mary McCray, I
would not have time to write or draw, and the whole process would be much,
much more difficult. And my new partners in Hollywood crime, Rick Porras and
Travis Wright, have helped restore my faith in both creative collaboration and
the magic of Tinseltown. I’m still not moving there, though.
My friends are my rock, without whom I would have floundered long before:
Daanon DeCock, who not only handles my websites, but also looks after my
general well-being; the collective Book Babes, especially Faith, who have been
so wonderful to know; Bill and Peggy Wu, for reminding me that magic is real;
Brett and Shawn, who have believed in me from the beginning; and Shannon,
who has helped me remember that I became just who I wanted to be.
And most of all, I want to thank my family: Cindy, Sophie, and Nathaniel, for
being the reasons that I do what I do, better than I would have done it without
them. You all have my profound thanks.
