The Dragon King

October 1, 2013
In the conclusion to the three-volume Otherworld Chronicles, King Artie Kingfisher and his New Knights of the Round Table fight Merlin to control the fate of the world. In a frenetic, action-packed tale, Artie is King Arthur Pendragon the Second, the medieval King Arthur's latter-day genetic sibling, poised to battle Merlin. The adventure opens on the legendary island of Avalon. Merlin is plotting an attack to punish Morgaine for imprisoning him, but he can't go to Avalon without being invited by Artie, which Artie is not about to do since Merlin has gone over to the dark side. "Very Darth Vader. Creepy," as Artie says. Besides, Merlin wants to kill Artie, but if he does, he'll never get to Avalon. Whew! So much going on, including witches and wizards, dragons, giant prehistoric creatures, Excalibur, the Holy Grail, purple knights, battle-filled days and one of the most memorable creatures in recent fantasy literature--a 60-foot-long Questing Beast, created, with 100 Questling accomplices, to battle Artie's loyal dragons. Battle scenes are well-drawn, and there are enough of them to keep readers flipping the pages all the way to the series' rewarding end. A satisfying adventure and series closer. (Adventure. 8-12)

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January 1, 2014
Grades 5-8 The Otherworld Chronicles trilogy sails to a well-crafted close on a brisk tide of challenging quests, stunning revelations, and marshaling of rival forces. King Arthur clone Artie Kingfisher acquires the Holy Grail at last. Enlisting the world's remaining dragons to face half-demon Merlin and his armies of chimerical Questing Beasts and hypnotized video gamers, Artie marches to battle. As in previous episodes, the author expertly stirs earnest and not-quite-so-earnest elements into a Percy Jacksonstyle epic in which the fate of both the mundane and the magical world depend on the courage and leadership of a seemingly ordinary preteen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
This trilogy-ender sees King Arthur reincarnation Artie and friends search for the Holy Grail amid dragons and other fantastic beasts. The parallel-realm-via-video-game conceit lets them jump back and forth between worlds to learn secrets of their pasts. It adds up to a lot going on, but series fans who love action may find all the threads worth following.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)