The Invisible Tower by Nils Johnson-Shelton
Part of the spell has already been broken.
The first stones have begun to crumble.
In Artie Kingfisher’s world, wizards named Merlin, fire-breathing dragons, and swords called Excalibur exist only in legends and lore—until the day his video game Otherworld springs to life.
You are special, Arthur,
Says the mysterious message in his game.
In one week’s time you will come to me at the it.
Cryptic clues lead Artie to a strange place called the Invisible Tower, where he discovers that nothing in his life is as it seems. Artie is none other than King Arthur, brought to life in the twenty-first century. Artie has won the battle in the virtual Otherworld—now the key to saving the real Otherworld lies in his hands as well.
Green dragons, hungry wolves, powerful sorcerers—suddenly Artie must battle them all as he wields Excalibur and embarks on a quest worthy of the Knights of the Round Table. With his sister, Kay, by his side, Artie steps into the Otherworld—straight toward his destiny.
Seven Swords by Nils Johnson-Shelton
The thrilling, action-packed sequel to The Invisible Tower, whichSchool Library Journal called “a surefire hit with the legions of Rick Riordan fans.”
Spending the summer fighting dragons, rescuing wizards, and leaping through portals into the Otherworld was just the start of Artie Kingfisher’s quest to claim his throne as King Arthur reborn. Now, Artie and his sister, Kay, must gather a team of knights to recover the legendary Seven Swords—or face defeat at the hands of the evil Lordess Morgaine.
The Seven Swords is filled with epic battles, unexpected enemies, and life-changing adventures. Rich in mythology and bursting with twenty-first-century fun, this high-spirited spin on Arthurian legend is perfect for middle grade fans of Percy Jackson, the Alex Rider Chronicles, and House of Secrets.
Now you’re probably wondering why my parents weren’t married, and I’ll tell you. They were more or less West Coast hippies from the1970s. I can assure you that those factors went into making a lot of kids like me.
Anyway, I lived in a nice home with both my folks until the age of four, at which point we moved to New York City. That’s right, my parents decided to move to New York City in the mid-1970s, which means they were either super-cool or super-dumb or super-shrewd about real estate investing (I can assure you it was not the latter). My mom worked at The New Museum, and my dad was a painter, and we lived in a loft, and I grew up around artists and their kids, and my father had a mustache.
The parents “divorced” (see above) around my 11th year, and I ended up spending a lot of time alone. A little sad, but hey, that meant I had a lot of time to read. And play video games, and play D&D, and play video games.
The Dragon King by Nils Johnson
The exhilarating final book in the Otherworld Chronicles trilogy, which School Library Journal called “a surefire hit with the legions of Rick Riordan fans.”
Artie Kingfisher, his sister, Kay, and the New Knights of the Round Table have finally reached the legendary isle of Avalon. But before Artie can take his place as King Arthur reborn, he must recover nothing less than the mythical Holy Grail. And as the greatest battle of his life looms, Artie finds himself facing off against the one person he never dreamed he’d be fighting.
In The Dragon King, Artie’s life-changing quest comes to a spectacular close as the young king discovers what it truly means to be a hero. Rich in mythology and bursting with twenty-first-century fun, this high-spirited spin on Arthurian legend is perfect for middle grade fans of Percy Jackson, the Alex Rider Chronicles, and House of Secrets.
Otherworld Chronicles is best-selling author Nils Johnson-Shelton’s first foray into books for children (and grown-ups who never, er, grew up). His first book, No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels, which he co-authored with ATF Special Agent Jay Dobyns, whom the book is about, is not at all for children. Still, it managed to do pretty well, becoming a New York Times and Der Speigel (that’s in Germany) bestseller. Nils is proud to say that this book can still be found in airports all across the US of A — and bookstores, too! Nils currently lives with his family somewhere east of Shadyside, Pennsylvania and west of Glastonbury, England — two locations that figure into Otherworld Chronicles at one time or another. He likes rock climbing, sleeping, basketball, and even beets. He does not like Mountain Dew nor does he condone drinking it (unlike Artie and Kay Kingfisher, the brother-sister team at the middle of all three OWC books — The Invisible Tower, The Seven Swords, and The Dragon King). When Nils isn’t at his desk writing, he’s usually shuttling his kids from one place to another (sound familiar, parents?), wishing he had time to play more video games, or going out to get even more coffee.
My Reviews:
Book 1: The Invisible Tower~
This was a really good introduction to a new trilogy. The author's take on King Arthur and Excalibur were different then others that I have read. I enjoyed ready the simple terms and the easy flow of the book. I was able to read and escape into another world. I liked that the author included modern day technology, and it made me wonder how much different the original Arthur would be if written in today's world. The hidden video game message brought me back to my younger days of hidden 1-ups in Mario Brothers! I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.
Book 2: The Seven Swords~
A lot of times I read the middle book of a trilogy and it is just filler. That is not the case with this book. There was more action and the author expanded on the characters more. I enjoyed reading the author's take on old characters, and I liked that Artie has his round table members ready to go. I did not like the end and it was too much of a cliff hanger for me. However since I had the final book ready to go it did not damage the characters or plot. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.
Book 3: The Dragon King~
I did not want this series to end. I really hope that this author comes out with more books. I would love to see his take on other mythical characters. The ending surprised me a little because I expected the setting to be the opposite of what it was (there are 2 main settings I am referring to. Artie's world or Arthur's world). However I can understand why the author chose the ending he did. This book really brought the legend of Arthur into today's world. The Holy Grail, Avalon, and of course Morgaine were all in this final installment. I liked the music key versus a door key "clue". This is definitely a book that I will be reading with my nieces and nephew! I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.
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