A satisfying adventure and series closer.
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)Pub Date: Dec. 31, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-207097-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2013
A bit repetitious but a fine, unusual story altogether.
Mutiny on their shipboard home separates mouse siblings.
Clarice and Charles Sebastian—the runt of the litter—have lived all their lives on the Carlotta. But after their mother is washed overboard, Clarice knows it’s up to her to take care of Charles Sebastian, especially since her mother’s last words were that she believed in her. During a mutiny, Clarice’s crate is thrown aboard the launch along with the castoff human captain and crew, but Charles Sebastian is left aboard with the mutineers. Clarice is devastated to lose her brother and horrified to discover that Special Lady, the ship’s cat who ate her sister, is in the launch as well. Dire need forces the cat and mouse to collaborate, as the launch runs out of food and water and people start dying. All the while, Clarice worries that Charles Sebastian won’t survive by himself, and she vows to find him again. Adventures follow, the narration going back and forth between the siblings. The relationship between Clarice and Special Lady is very well drawn, as is Charles Sebastian’s unusual friendship aboard the Carlotta with Benjelloun, a 12-year-old girl chained in the brig by the mutineers. However, Clarice’s repetitious rumination on her worry for Charles Sebastian and her mother’s final words eventually become threadbare prompts, blunting the theme’s impact. Human characters read as White. Final illustrations not seen.
A bit repetitious but a fine, unusual story altogether. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-32337-3
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
All the ingredients of a first-rate fantasy, disappointingly half-baked.
When life deals precocious, friendless Milton P. Greene a blow, he escapes into his hand-held video game.
Exploring the game’s island with intrepid naturalist Sea Hawk is impossible after Milton’s divorcing parents send him to visit his real-life naturalist uncle on an actual tropical island with no electricity and that used to be owned by Uncle Evan’s mentor, the late Dr. Ava Paradis. Still smarting from the loss of his only friend, Milton gets the chance at a friendship reboot after meeting the resident scientists’ children, Rafi and Gabe Alvarez and Fig Morris. Though unfriendly Rafi rebuffs him, Fig, if skeptical, welcomes his company. Dr. Paradis had described amazing flora and fauna, but despite scientists’ efforts, few have been verified, as the impenetrable Truth-Will-Out Vine closed off the interior after her death. When Milton discovers how to part the vines, he finds Dr. Paradis’ field guide—a mystery until Fig decodes it. Learning that the island will almost certainly be sold to a developer, Rafi and Gabe unexpectedly join the urgent quest to find species like the Push-Pull Centopus and Menu-You Bush and prevent the sale. The story is entertaining and fast-moving but suffers from slapdash execution and jarring shifts in tone. The silly flora and fauna, played for laughs, clash with potentially effective messages about bullying, loneliness, and family breakup and undercut the sincere environmentalist theme. Milton is presumed White; Rafi and Gabe are Latinx, and Fig is cued as Black.
All the ingredients of a first-rate fantasy, disappointingly half-baked. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-374-31471-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
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