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alboyer6's review
3.0
This book is just a set up for more adventure to come. It is the story of Artie, a fairly typical modern 12 year old with an older sister Kay and a good father. He soon learns that he is really a young King Arthur destine to reconnect the two worlds. Fun story that is a good set up for more books to come.
jezzebelljc's review against another edition
4.0
Dr. Pepper Heads and Tom Thumb
I find Middle Grade reads rather invigorating because they can take you places that other books just can't with good clean fun.
The Good
The transition from old school legend to modern day gamers and technology in this book is fascinating. I don't know a child alive that wouldn't enjoy the idea that they could actually go into their video games. Now, what I know about the legend of King Arthur comes from the movie The Sword in the Stone so I'm aware that I only have one wonderfully colorful side of the story. It happens to be one of my favorite animated movies to date, and like that movie, this book has Merlin and King Arthur and a red-headed Kay although she is his sister. They appear to get along rather well for pre-teen siblings, but then again he is adopted.
This book follows Artie as he journeys to a video game store for a controller for his sister to use in a tournament and meets Merlin. It all goes wild from there. He is introduced to Tom Thumb and is on a quest for two incredible swords (one for him and one for sis). Excalibur in The Invisible Tower has a lot of awesome abilities. I don't want to go into a lot of detail and ruin it for readers, but I'm an adult and my 10 year old has been reading it, and we both enjoy the action and characters. Johnson-Shelton really knows how to talk to children and the child in us. I am not really sure what a Dr. Pepper head is, but I know that I love Dr. Pepper and definitely do things that people think are nerdy.
The Bad
While I grew close to a wide array of characters, there were some that felt flat.
The Romance
There is a little bit of crush action going on, but nothing really in the realm of romance.
Conclusion
This is a fun ride down a path in a modern world of video games, melded with an old school legend, riddled with obstacles, well-known names, and fun. Adults and kids alike that like these kinds of adventures will enjoy this book.
I find Middle Grade reads rather invigorating because they can take you places that other books just can't with good clean fun.
The Good
The transition from old school legend to modern day gamers and technology in this book is fascinating. I don't know a child alive that wouldn't enjoy the idea that they could actually go into their video games. Now, what I know about the legend of King Arthur comes from the movie The Sword in the Stone so I'm aware that I only have one wonderfully colorful side of the story. It happens to be one of my favorite animated movies to date, and like that movie, this book has Merlin and King Arthur and a red-headed Kay although she is his sister. They appear to get along rather well for pre-teen siblings, but then again he is adopted.
This book follows Artie as he journeys to a video game store for a controller for his sister to use in a tournament and meets Merlin. It all goes wild from there. He is introduced to Tom Thumb and is on a quest for two incredible swords (one for him and one for sis). Excalibur in The Invisible Tower has a lot of awesome abilities. I don't want to go into a lot of detail and ruin it for readers, but I'm an adult and my 10 year old has been reading it, and we both enjoy the action and characters. Johnson-Shelton really knows how to talk to children and the child in us. I am not really sure what a Dr. Pepper head is, but I know that I love Dr. Pepper and definitely do things that people think are nerdy.
The Bad
While I grew close to a wide array of characters, there were some that felt flat.
The Romance
There is a little bit of crush action going on, but nothing really in the realm of romance.
Conclusion
This is a fun ride down a path in a modern world of video games, melded with an old school legend, riddled with obstacles, well-known names, and fun. Adults and kids alike that like these kinds of adventures will enjoy this book.
tcbueti's review
4.0
Artie Kingfisher is looking for a special video game controller to help his sister Kay win a video game tournament. He checks out a quirky shop called The Invisible Tower, where he meets the wizard Merlin and plunges into an Arthurian quest, which turns out to be very familiar, from the video game "Otherworld" that Artie has spent countless hours mastering. It seems that the adopted Artie is the sort-of-cloned "brother" of King Arthur, and his involvement has been well planned. His first job is to get Excalibur and then free Merlin from the (actually invisible) tower, where he's been held captive for nearly a thousand years. Along with his eager sister, Artie rises to the challenge.
Funny, fast-moving and a great mix of modern technology and legend. I really enjoyed the sibling dynamics and Otherworld characters.
Warning: severe cliffhanger ending, but the sequel, The Seven Swords, came out in January 2013.
Funny, fast-moving and a great mix of modern technology and legend. I really enjoyed the sibling dynamics and Otherworld characters.
Warning: severe cliffhanger ending, but the sequel, The Seven Swords, came out in January 2013.
leslie_d's review
2.0
(and a 3/4 star for this juvenile adventure)
The nearly-twelve daughter inhaled The Invisible Tower, and said she was already for the next. Too bad since Otherworld Chronicles book one was only just getting published. How did I feel about it?
I’d been wonder when Arthurian legends would make the rounds in popular juvenile fiction. I understand Meg Cabot has modernized the lore for teen girls and Mary Pope Osborne plays with it a bit (near the beginning at least) with The Magic Tree House for the early chapter books set.
Nils Johnson-Shelton traps Merlin in a tower that has since taken on the appearance of a gaming store in Cincinnati, Ohio–exotic right? He can’t leave, but Artie when comes along, he finally has hope of escape. And why Artie? because he is the genetically replicated (not cloned) sibling of the original King Arthur. Yep, Artie was adopted. Better, there are other coincidences and encounters involving other paralleled Arthurian characters.
Unlike Rick Riordan who educates as he goes, Johnson-Shelton dives right in, and readers will need to do some research on their own. I know a reasonable number of the stories and characters, but I get the feeling I am missing quite a bit. But do you have to know any of the stories to enjoy the read? Not at all.
Gamers will take a special liking to the Otherworld Chronicles because well, access to the Otherworld is via a portal or a gaming console. The virtual representation is a mimicry of an actual overlapping yet paralleled world. There are exchanges between the two worlds and even though some do not care for the idea, they are interdependent. What excites Artie’s adoptive father is Otherworld’s clean energy. Oh yeah, there is a strong eco-message, too.
There are a lot of pop culture references and slang and high-action sequences. Excalibur is painfully convenient, essentially gifting Artie with all the info and skills he needs, but I don’t think young reader’s will mind. There are the bad-ass, the creepy, the ignorant/helpless adults, and a nerd who gets muscles, confidence, and very likely a girlfriend by the end of the Chronicles.
If you are a grown-up who is curious how Johnson-Shelton translates the stories and characters, I would love your thoughts on it. Otherwise, this is most certainly a book for tweens–boys and girls alike! I don’t think it will have the timelessness of Ranger’s Apprentice, or the massive myth-adventure appeal of Percy Jackson and series, but for your reader’s looking for a quick, adrenaline read, pick this one up.
L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/book-the-invisible-tower/
The nearly-twelve daughter inhaled The Invisible Tower, and said she was already for the next. Too bad since Otherworld Chronicles book one was only just getting published. How did I feel about it?
I’d been wonder when Arthurian legends would make the rounds in popular juvenile fiction. I understand Meg Cabot has modernized the lore for teen girls and Mary Pope Osborne plays with it a bit (near the beginning at least) with The Magic Tree House for the early chapter books set.
Nils Johnson-Shelton traps Merlin in a tower that has since taken on the appearance of a gaming store in Cincinnati, Ohio–exotic right? He can’t leave, but Artie when comes along, he finally has hope of escape. And why Artie? because he is the genetically replicated (not cloned) sibling of the original King Arthur. Yep, Artie was adopted. Better, there are other coincidences and encounters involving other paralleled Arthurian characters.
Unlike Rick Riordan who educates as he goes, Johnson-Shelton dives right in, and readers will need to do some research on their own. I know a reasonable number of the stories and characters, but I get the feeling I am missing quite a bit. But do you have to know any of the stories to enjoy the read? Not at all.
Gamers will take a special liking to the Otherworld Chronicles because well, access to the Otherworld is via a portal or a gaming console. The virtual representation is a mimicry of an actual overlapping yet paralleled world. There are exchanges between the two worlds and even though some do not care for the idea, they are interdependent. What excites Artie’s adoptive father is Otherworld’s clean energy. Oh yeah, there is a strong eco-message, too.
There are a lot of pop culture references and slang and high-action sequences. Excalibur is painfully convenient, essentially gifting Artie with all the info and skills he needs, but I don’t think young reader’s will mind. There are the bad-ass, the creepy, the ignorant/helpless adults, and a nerd who gets muscles, confidence, and very likely a girlfriend by the end of the Chronicles.
If you are a grown-up who is curious how Johnson-Shelton translates the stories and characters, I would love your thoughts on it. Otherwise, this is most certainly a book for tweens–boys and girls alike! I don’t think it will have the timelessness of Ranger’s Apprentice, or the massive myth-adventure appeal of Percy Jackson and series, but for your reader’s looking for a quick, adrenaline read, pick this one up.
L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/book-the-invisible-tower/
holtfan's review
3.0
A fun, action-packed, modern day King Arthur story (not really a re-telling...but almost?) If you like Percy Jackson, you might like this. Alternatively, you might realize that Percy Jackson is much better and give up quickly.
I generally liked it, especially the sibling bond between Arthur and his sister. I assume it is revealed in later books why they possess it. The two make a great combination.
I also liked that the story lacked romance.
Good action and adventure kept up at a pretty quick pace.
The thing is...one of the main reasons for going on the quest is to join the two worlds to prevent global warming. The whole global warming line felt really out of nowhere, unnecessarily political, and kind of a stupid motivation.
Further, I never found the book particularly compelling and kept looking for more of a twist that never emerged. It is straight forward in who bad guys and good guys are and kind of lacking because of it. The minute Arthur touches his sword, he knows things, which conveniently skirts around any need for training, etc. It sort of left me feeling...underwhelmed.
Don't think I'll seek out the sequel.
I generally liked it, especially the sibling bond between Arthur and his sister. I assume it is revealed in later books why they possess it. The two make a great combination.
I also liked that the story lacked romance.
Good action and adventure kept up at a pretty quick pace.
The thing is...one of the main reasons for going on the quest is to join the two worlds to prevent global warming. The whole global warming line felt really out of nowhere, unnecessarily political, and kind of a stupid motivation.
Further, I never found the book particularly compelling and kept looking for more of a twist that never emerged. It is straight forward in who bad guys and good guys are and kind of lacking because of it. The minute Arthur touches his sword, he knows things, which conveniently skirts around any need for training, etc. It sort of left me feeling...underwhelmed.
Don't think I'll seek out the sequel.
millionfalcon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
daisy87's review
3.0
This was a pretty sweet book. I was really interested in reading this one because I LOVE everything about the Arthurian legend. I'll admit it, I'm an Arthur junkie. And a modern twist with a video game entering into it sounded really exciting :)
And it was a sweet book and I thought how Johnson-Shelton incorporated the myth into The Invisible Tower was pretty good in my opinion. It had enough of the original thing and also a definite touch from the author.
Things happen with enough speed to keep me interested but it wasn't so fast it felt rushed. I was however a bit shocked at some of the stuff happening, I mean, I thought this was a children's book and it had some pretty gruesome stuff in it that would have scared me as a kid. I mean, I know the original story is not without major shedding of blood, but I hadn't expected it in The Invisible Tower so much.
The characters were nice, I really liked that Kay, Artie's sister, was a major part of the action and not just a sidekick. I really liked the familybonds! There's some real love between the siblings and their father and I loved it! And I really liked the supporting characters, they were so cute! I am sort of questioning one major characters motives, but I can't tell you who because I might spoil something...
While there The Invisible Tower definitely had some really good qualities, I didn't feel very excited while reading it. I'm not exactly sure why that is, but I didn't really feel the urge to keep reading. I do think this is a fun way for kids to learn about the Arthurian legend, though I'm still partial to the original tale (which scared the crap out of me as a kid, good times).
My rating: 3 stars
And it was a sweet book and I thought how Johnson-Shelton incorporated the myth into The Invisible Tower was pretty good in my opinion. It had enough of the original thing and also a definite touch from the author.
Things happen with enough speed to keep me interested but it wasn't so fast it felt rushed. I was however a bit shocked at some of the stuff happening, I mean, I thought this was a children's book and it had some pretty gruesome stuff in it that would have scared me as a kid. I mean, I know the original story is not without major shedding of blood, but I hadn't expected it in The Invisible Tower so much.
The characters were nice, I really liked that Kay, Artie's sister, was a major part of the action and not just a sidekick. I really liked the familybonds! There's some real love between the siblings and their father and I loved it! And I really liked the supporting characters, they were so cute! I am sort of questioning one major characters motives, but I can't tell you who because I might spoil something...
While there The Invisible Tower definitely had some really good qualities, I didn't feel very excited while reading it. I'm not exactly sure why that is, but I didn't really feel the urge to keep reading. I do think this is a fun way for kids to learn about the Arthurian legend, though I'm still partial to the original tale (which scared the crap out of me as a kid, good times).
My rating: 3 stars
plexippa's review against another edition
2.0
Arthur "Artie" Kingfisher -- twelve, rail thin, and not nearly tan enough for a kid in July -- had just finished slaying Caladirth, a female green dragon with sharpened rubies for teeth and curved golden spikes for horns.
Synopsis:
Artie Kingfisher is a pretty average kid. He likes Mountain Dew and video games. He has a close relationship with his older sister, Kay, and their dad, Kynder. (Since he was eight years old, when he learned that he was adopted, Artie has called his father by his first name.) As Nitwit the Gray, he slays dragons and finds treasure in a game called Otherworld, but he knows wizards and magic only exist in fantasy. Or do they? Searching for a last-minute replacement game controller for Kay, Artie visits a store called the Invisible Tower, where he learns his own unbelievable true story: he is King Arthur, and he must journey to the real Otherworld to retrieve Excalibur and complete a quest that just might save the world.
Review:
This modern-day retelling of Arthurian legend features smart, sassy middle-schoolers tackling quests worthy of the Knights of the Round Table. The concept is good, which makes the execution all the more disappointing. Other than Artie and, to a lesser extent, Kay and Merlin, the characters are flat and lifeless. Because the situations are so bizarre - as even Artie notes - it should take more than a bit of hand-waving to get the characters to cooperate. The writing is clunky, with a heavy dependence on flat-out telling rather than showing. Things happen "suddenly": while describing his first encounter at the Invisible Tower to Kay, Artie "couldn't explain why it all made sense, but suddenly it did." During their trip to the Lake to claim Excalibur, "[t]he sky suddenly got much darker", a few short paragraphs later, "[t]he flock of birds suddenly dispersed", a few pages after that, "suddenly [Artie] found two swords pointing straight up at the sky", and once he holds the sword in his hand, Artie "suddenly knew some Welsh and a fair amount of Latin."
There are many versions of the Arthurian saga available for young readers, from White's classic The Once and Future King to Cammuso's hilarious Knights of the Lunch Table. The standards are high. Otherworld never quite measures up.
Final Word:
This modern-day middle-schooler King Arthur and his Knights are appealing in concept but fall disappointingly short of their potential.
Source:
e-ARC via NetGalley, provided by the publisher by request
Synopsis:
Artie Kingfisher is a pretty average kid. He likes Mountain Dew and video games. He has a close relationship with his older sister, Kay, and their dad, Kynder. (Since he was eight years old, when he learned that he was adopted, Artie has called his father by his first name.) As Nitwit the Gray, he slays dragons and finds treasure in a game called Otherworld, but he knows wizards and magic only exist in fantasy. Or do they? Searching for a last-minute replacement game controller for Kay, Artie visits a store called the Invisible Tower, where he learns his own unbelievable true story: he is King Arthur, and he must journey to the real Otherworld to retrieve Excalibur and complete a quest that just might save the world.
Review:
This modern-day retelling of Arthurian legend features smart, sassy middle-schoolers tackling quests worthy of the Knights of the Round Table. The concept is good, which makes the execution all the more disappointing. Other than Artie and, to a lesser extent, Kay and Merlin, the characters are flat and lifeless. Because the situations are so bizarre - as even Artie notes - it should take more than a bit of hand-waving to get the characters to cooperate. The writing is clunky, with a heavy dependence on flat-out telling rather than showing. Things happen "suddenly": while describing his first encounter at the Invisible Tower to Kay, Artie "couldn't explain why it all made sense, but suddenly it did." During their trip to the Lake to claim Excalibur, "[t]he sky suddenly got much darker", a few short paragraphs later, "[t]he flock of birds suddenly dispersed", a few pages after that, "suddenly [Artie] found two swords pointing straight up at the sky", and once he holds the sword in his hand, Artie "suddenly knew some Welsh and a fair amount of Latin."
There are many versions of the Arthurian saga available for young readers, from White's classic The Once and Future King to Cammuso's hilarious Knights of the Lunch Table. The standards are high. Otherworld never quite measures up.
Final Word:
This modern-day middle-schooler King Arthur and his Knights are appealing in concept but fall disappointingly short of their potential.
Source:
e-ARC via NetGalley, provided by the publisher by request
gabsi77's review against another edition
2.0
I had to read this book for work because we might be using it as the basis of a competition.
The Invisible Tower by Nils Johnson-Shelton is neither an original story idea nor innovative concept. It takes the legend of King Arthur and places it in a modern setting. This is done in a way similar to the Artemis Fown, and Rick Riordan books. In some parts the writing doesn’t flow well and the story doesn’t seem authentic. Reading the conversations among the characters was like watching a poorly scripted and acted play.
The age group that the book is geared towards might not have an issue with the above complaints that I had. Still I think that a good book is a good book regardless of the age reading it and this I did not find to be a good book.
The Invisible Tower by Nils Johnson-Shelton is neither an original story idea nor innovative concept. It takes the legend of King Arthur and places it in a modern setting. This is done in a way similar to the Artemis Fown, and Rick Riordan books. In some parts the writing doesn’t flow well and the story doesn’t seem authentic. Reading the conversations among the characters was like watching a poorly scripted and acted play.
The age group that the book is geared towards might not have an issue with the above complaints that I had. Still I think that a good book is a good book regardless of the age reading it and this I did not find to be a good book.
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