The Seven Swords by Nils Johnson-Shelton

Spending the summer fighting dragons, rescuing wizards, and leaping through portals into the Otherworld was only the beginning for Artie and Kay Kingfisher.   The two worlds remain divided, Merlin is missing, and worst of all, Qwon Onakea, their kidnapped friend, may be lost to the Otherworld forever.  It seems the only way to save both world-and to save his friends-is for Artie to claim his throne as King Arthur reborn.

To do this, Artie must gather his knights so they can venture forth and recover each of the Seven Swords.  Finding them all is Artie's only hope for victory.

But all the video games in the world haven't prepared Artie for the battles to come against giants, dragons, ogres, and sorcerers.  Nor is he ready for the unexpected threat of the Peace Sword, a mysterious weapon used by the treacherous Mordred to kill the original King Arthur more than a thousand years ago.  (taken from inside book jacket)

Unrelated to the actual story, I have to say how excited I am that I've learned something about these books.  I didn't remove the book jacket from the first book, and so I didn't notice it.  Having removed it from the second jacket, I was impressed with just how pretty these books are!  They're beautifully hardbound. On the front cover of each, is the impression of a sword.  My first book, The Invisible Tower, has a shiny aqua sword impressed in the front cover. This book has the most beautiful purple sword emblazoned on the front.  The third book, my next upcoming review, The Dragon King, has a gorgeous teal sword on the front.  All of the writing on the book spines is in the same shiny, metallic ink impressed into the binding.  Absolutely beautiful!  I can't imagine anyone not wanting these for their bookshelf, regardless of the contents inside!

However, speaking of the contents inside, they're quite valuable!  We continue Artie's quest to save both the Otherworld and our world.  We meet new characters and go on different adventures this time.  Even though I adored the characters in the first book, this second book has really cemented a sort of kinship with them.  I'll admit it, Kynder is my favorite.  We have all the action and thrills of The Invisible Tower, but things have become increasingly tense.  Now it's not just a matter of getting Artie to believe who he is and begin a quest, our villainy has greatly increased and the odds appear insurmountable at times.

For those fans of Arthurian legend or the Princess Bride, you'll find this to be an excellent mix of both.  Toss in a few video games, and you have the Otherworld Chronicles.  Don't start with this book, however.  Definitely start with The Invisible Tower.  That way, you can continue the journey with The Seven Swords.  Although you could read it as a standalone, I wouldn't suggest it anymore than I would suggest starting the Harry Potter series with book four.