Acclaimed author and Oxford scholar Katherine Rundell brings back the magic in a big way in her upcoming middle-grade novel, The Poisoned King, illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie (Knopf, September 11). This beautifully outlandish novel is a sequel to Rundell’s bestselling 2024 children’s fantasy book, Impossible Creatures, returning readers to the fantastical Archipelago as Christopher and Princess Anya uncover the mystery of what’s killing the dragons—and who’s killed the king. Rundell is no stranger to writing about weird and wondrous creatures (check out her 2024 adult nonfiction title Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Creatures), and The Poisoned King is another rich display of her imaginative flair and deep curiosity about the natural—and supernatural—worlds. A starred Kirkus review calls it “a spectacular return to a magical world.” Rundell answered our questions by email.
Tell readers, briefly, about your book.
The Poisoned King is about Christopher, returning to the Glimouria Archipelago of Impossible Creatures to save the ancient dragons, and Anya, a princess whose father has been framed for a crime he did not commit. It’s about how their stories collide: with sphinxes, murder, poison, and, ultimately, justice.
What’s most challenging about continuing a series? What’s most rewarding?
I’ve found it to be both fantastically challenging and a joy—I think the greatest difficulty was making sure that you could, if you wanted, read The Poisoned King without having read Impossible Creatures: I wanted them both to continue and, I hope, to stand alone. The greatest delight was returning to the world of the creatures: to kankos and manticores and dragons.
Are there any creatures you’re excited to introduce?
Yes! I’ve loved writing the gaganas for The Poisoned King—birds with copper claws and iron beaks—but in my book, there’s a subspecies with golden beaks and silver claws. They’re acerbic, and clever, and, if you’re lucky, riotously loving.
Where and when did you write the book?
I’m trying to learn, as C.S. Lewis ordered all writers to, to be able to work anywhere. Some of The Poisoned King was written in Zimbabwe, where my parents currently live; some of it in the British Library; some of it at my desk at home, which is close enough to the London Zoo to hear the lions sounding their nightly roars.
Ellie Halleron is an editorial intern.
