Perma-Bound Edition ©2006 | -- |
Paperback ©2006 | -- |
At the close of Sage's Magyk (2005),Necromancer DomDaniel had his bones picked clean by Quake Ooze Brownies t fantasy evil-doers are a rather resilient lot. Indeed, the dark wizard has recruited weak-minded Simon Heap, still smarting over brother Septimus' claim to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard's apprenticeship, to dispatch future queen Jenna and assist in the villain's resurrection. A cat-and-mouse chase ensues, encompassing a legendary charm that confers true flight and a baby dragon that imprints upon Septimus, and deepening Sage's zealously particularized magical culture (which still involves distracting pepperings of bold-faced lingo). In the absence of the identity mix-up that propelled book one in the Septimus Heap series, similarities to Harry Potter stand out even more baldly om the presence of benign talking ghosts to asides about enchanted sweets (FizzFroot, Mint Blasts). Purists will scowl, but many readers, won over by Sage's confiding, whimsical tone and tightly interlocking plot elements, will welcome Septimus Heap as their second-favorite wizard. An enclosed CD contains games and other extras to make a nice package.
Horn BookEleven-year-old changeling Septimus Heap, reunited with his family in Magyk, is now a wizard apprentice. When his corrupt oldest brother returns, Septimus, racing to save Princess Jenna, learns to fly, uncovers past secrets, and inadvertently adopts a dragon. Though the quick, multi-threaded plot can be overwhelming, the characters and situations will nevertheless spark sympathy and suspense.
School Library JournalGr 4-8-Septimus Heap, Apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, is back in this sequel to Magyk (HarperCollins, 2005). The defeated, but not destroyed, DomDaniel is still bent on ruling the Castle as ExtraOrdinary Wizard by removing Jenna, the rightful heir to the throne. This time it's Simon Heap who, as the necromancer's new Apprentice, pursues Jenna through both new and familiar territory. Meanwhile, a sinister plot unfolds at the Castle to banish the current ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand, by means of a Darke Shadow that follows her around and grows ominously more visible by the day. Readers will find themselves quickly immersed in this imaginative world, moving from one well-crafted adventure to another at a suspenseful pace. While some intricacies of the plot may be lost due to the ungainly cast of characters (listed at the end of the book), others are simply not logical, such as when the good characters allow Simon to escape without so much as a second thought despite his many attempts to murder them. This seems to be an obvious lead-in to the next book in the series, though other questions surrounding Jenna's parents will nag at readers' minds. Those who have been waiting for Flyte to see Septimus Heap grow into his role as Apprentice will not be disappointed and are likely to return for more.-Emily Rodriguez, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Voice of Youth AdvocatesA year has passed since the Heaps have discovered that their seventh son, Septimus, is alive and well. But the family's joy is not shared by oldest brother, Simon, who sees Septimus as a fraud and upstart who has taken the position of Apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, which Simon thinks should be his. So while Septimus learns Magykal Charms, Simon turns to Dark Magyk to overthrow both Septimus and Marcia. He begins by returning to the Castle to kidnap Princess Jenna. Jenna uses her own wiles to escape Simon, meeting up with Septimus as he searches for her. They complete their journey to the Dragon Boat, which Jenna must visit each MidSummer Night, but Simon pursues with his newfound Flyte ability, determined to wreck the Dragon Boat. Septimus must fly the Dragon Boat, sled through ice tunnels, and wrest Flyte from Simon in order to save Marcia Overstrand, the Dragon Boat, and Jenna. This novel is a delightful continuation of the Magykal capers begun in the first of this series,Magyk (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins, 2005/VOYA February 2005). Although the book is written for younger Harry Potter fans, older students and adults can enjoy the series, with its quick pace, humor, and clever cast of characters. Sage is clearly following in the footsteps of other fantasy masters, echoed in twists and turns of the tale that include Septimus's stone from Jenna hatching into a dragon (Ó la Paolini'sEragon), but the story is terrifically entertaining. Fans of the first book will be delighted with this sequel to Septimus's story.-Mary Ann Darby.
ALA Booklist (Mon May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2006)
Horn Book
School Library Journal
Voice of Youth Advocates
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Wilson's Junior High Catalog
Chapter One
Spiders
Septimus Heap tipped six spiders into a jar, screwed the lid down tight and put them outside the door. Then he picked up his broom and continued sweeping out the Pyramid Library.
The Library was cramped and dark. It was lit by a few fat candles that spat and spluttered, and it smelled weird -- a mixture of incense, musty paper and moldy leather. Septimus loved it. It was a Magykal place, perched right at the top of the Wizard Tower and hidden away deep inside the golden Pyramid, which crowned the Tower. Outside, the hammered gold of the Pyramid shimmered brightly in the early-morning sun.
After Septimus had finished sweeping, he made his way slowly along the shelves, humming happily to himself while he sorted out the Magykal books, parchments and spells that the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand, had, as usual, left in a mess. Most eleven-and-a-half-year-old boys would rather have been out in the bright summer morning, but Septimus was where he wanted to be. He had spent quite enough summer mornings outside -- and winter ones, come to that -- in the first ten years of his life as Young Army soldier, Boy 412.
It was Septimus's job, as Apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, to tidy the Library every morning. And every morning Septimus found something new and exciting. Often it was something that Marcia had left out especially for him: maybe a Conjuration that she had come across late at night and thought might interest him or a dog-eared old spell book that she had taken from one of the Hidden shelves. But today, Septimus reckoned he had found something for himself: it was stuck underneath a heavy brass candlestick and looked slightly disgusting -- not the kind of thing that Marcia Overstrand would want to get her hands messy with. Very carefully he pried the sticky brown square off the bottom of the candlestick and put it in the palm of his hand. Septimus examined his find and felt excited -- he was sure it was a Taste Charm. The thick, brown, square tablet looked like an old piece of chocolate; it smelled like an old piece of chocolate; and he was pretty sure it would taste like an old piece of chocolate too, although he wasn't going to risk it. There was a chance it might be a poison Charm that had dropped out of the large box labeled: toxins, venoms and basyk banes, which teetered unsteadily on the shelf above.
Septimus pulled out a small Enhancing Glass from his Apprentice belt and held it so that he could read the thin white writing that looped across the square. The words said:
Take me, shake me,
and I will make thee:
Quetzalcoatl's Tchocolatl.
Septimus grinned. He was right, but then he usually was when it came to Magyk. It was a Taste Charm -- even better, it was a chocolate Taste Charm. Septimus knew just the person he wanted to give it to. Smiling to himself, he slipped the Charm into his pocket.
Septimus's work in the Library was nearly done. He climbed up the ladder to tidy the last shelf and suddenly found himself eye to eye with the biggest, hairiest spider he had ever seen. Septimus gulped; if it had not been for Marcia insisting on him removing every single spider that he found from the Library, he would happily have left this one alone. He was sure the spider's eight beady eyes were trying to stare him down, and he didn't like its long, hairy legs either. In fact all eight legs looked as though they were planning to run up his sleeve if he didn't grab the spider fast.
In a flash, Septimus had the spider in his hand. The creature scrabbled angrily against his dusty fingers, trying to pry them open with its surprisingly powerful legs, but Septimus held on tight. Quickly he made his way down the ladder, passing the small hatch that led out onto the golden roof of the Pyramid. Just as he reached the bottom of the ladder, the spider bit the inside of his thumb.
"Ouch!" Septimus yelped.
He grabbed the spider jar, unscrewed the lid one-handed and dropped the creature in, much to the dismay of the six other spiders already there. Then, with his thumb beginning to throb, Septimus screwed the lid back on as tightly as he could. Careful not to drop the jar, in which six small spiders were now being chased around and around by one large hairy one, Septimus made a quick exit down the winding, narrow, stone stairs which led from the Library into the apartment of the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Madam Marcia Overstrand.
Septimus hurried by the closed purple and gold door to Marcia's bedroom, past his own room, and then ran down some more steps and headed for the small potion room beside Marcia's study. He put down the jar of spiders and looked at his thumb. It wasn't a pretty sight; it had become a deep red color and some interesting blue blotches were beginning to appear on his hand. It also hurt. Septimus flipped open the Medicine Chest with his good hand and found a tube of Spider Balm, the entire contents of which he squeezed over his thumb. It didn't seem to do much good. In fact it seemed to make it worse. Septimus stared at his thumb, which was swelling up like a small balloon and felt as though it might be about to explode.
Marcia Overstrand, whom Septimus had now been Ap-prenticed to for almost a year and a half, had found the spiders waiting for her on her triumphant return to the Wizard Tower after ousting the Necromancer, DomDaniel, from his brief second time as ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Marcia had thoroughly Cleaned the Tower of Darke Magyk and restored the Magyk to the Wizard Tower, but she could not get rid of the spiders. This had upset Marcia, for she knew that the spiders were a sure sign that Darke Magyk still lingered in the Tower.
Septimus Heap, Book Two: Flyte. Copyright © by Angie Sage. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.
Excerpted from Flyte by Angie Sage
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
The second book in the internationally bestselling Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, featuring the funny and fantastic adventures of a wizard apprentice and his quest to become an ExtraOrdinary Wizard.
New York Times Bestselling Series
“Terrifically entertaining. Fans of the first book will be delighted with this sequel to Septimus’s story.” —VOYA (starred review)
“Readers will find themselves quickly immersed in this imaginative world, moving from one well-crafted adventure to another at a suspenseful pace.” —School Library Journal
It's been a year since Septimus Heap discovered his real family and true calling to be a wizard. As Apprentice to ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, he is learning the fine arts of Conjurations, Charms, and other Magyk, while Jenna is adapting to life as the Princess and enjoying the freedom of the Castle.
But there is something sinister at work. Marcia is constantly trailed by a menacing Darke Shadow, and Septimus's brother Simon seems bent on a revenge no one understands. Why is the Darke Magyk still lingering?
Bringing fantasy to new heights, Angie Sage continues the journey of Septimus Heap with her trademark humor and all of the clever details readers have come to love.