Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I'm a big fan of the Septimus Heap books, and loved the 3 previous titles, Magyk, Flyte, and Physik (and gave them all 5 stars). These are all great books for kids - excellent action packed fantasy that is thrilling without being nightmare inducing. My son (2nd grader) devoured them all enthusiastically and his mother and I did as well. These might be well pitched for young readers but they are a great read for adults as well. The world of Septimus is a Tolkein-like medieval tech place brimming with mythical creatures and colorful monsters and lots of compelling magyk. The stories are classic good versus evil with stunning pace. The protagonists are awesome recognizable kids imbued with fabulous developing powers which never overshadow the fact that what drives them is their sense of friendship and human decency.
With Queste, the 4th in the series, Angie Sage has served up a continuation of the narrative, and takes Septimus, Jenna, and Beetle to some fabulous new places (The House of Foryx is just a flat out cool creation), but she deviates markedly from the pacing and drive of the previous titles. The first three books set up the central conflict immediately and then rush headlong into action. They burn brightly and then finish up with plenty of pages to go to allow a leisurely denouement. This one plods along without any passion or fire for more than 300 pages before the action gets going. We visit all the major characters and are treated to lots of Septimus world color, but the central crisis is centuries in the past and there is no life-or-death urgency at all until the drama of the "Gathering" kicks the plot into high gear - well after the middle of the book. Then the plot moves at headlong fashion (some really great situations and action with the Queste and more cool weirdness in the Sep world - lots of danger and suspense) until the very end of the book where it ends surprisingly abruptly. The crisis ends on literally the last page. There's a tiny bit of wrap up in the form of the usual character vignettes - but we are deprived of any narrative about our characters recover from their ordeal. We don't even get to know how they get home. I imagine Ms. Sage is saving that little complication for the start of book 5 - but I miss the healing run out at the end which I enjoyed with the previous 3 titles.
Look - if you've read the first 3 and love the Septimus series you are going to read this - if for no other reason than you'll need it before reading the 5th book when it comes out. If you stick with it you'll have a good time. However, I imagine a lot of kids will bail out before things get cooking after page 300. I wish Ms. Sage had kept with the previous pattern of action up front. I'll update this when my 2nd grader reads it. It will be interesting to get his perspective on this issue.
I have more issues with Queste than just the pacing. Tertius Fume is a colorful character - and a cool new addition to the roster of Septimus world folk. As a villain and prime plot mover, however, he is problematic. His motivation is a mystery - and is never revealed in this book. His mode of agency is bit questionable as well. I don't want to have spoilers in this review, but the titular plot element here requires a degree of magical authority on Fume's part that is not established in the narrative anywhere. I'll grant that the previous villains were fairly undeveloped characters too - but at least their motives and goals were clear (DomDaniel wanted the Castle and the Tower; Simon wanted to be Extraordinary Wizard; Queen Etheldredda wanted immortality and eternal rule). What does Fume want? Where is the evil plan? Merrin Meredith's tangential role is far more believable - and his adolescent rage is extremely realistic (and familiar to anyone who knows young teens). Too bad he didn't get to do much more than binge on candy and get the ball rolling.
I also have to complain about a couple of thug-like bouncers who show up at the climactic scenes and have a keystone-cop-like aspect. I feel they are out of place and detract from what should be a magical mysterious situation fraught with rather more transcendental perils than these bruisers.
I know I've said some harsh things - but I'll be the first to admit that I raced through this and couldn't put it down for the last 100 pages. I love the Septimus Heap series and I enjoyed this whole book - including languorous first half. I missed the action early on but I was really happy just to be back in Septimus' cool cool world. The last half was (mostly) Sage in fine form. I'd call it 3.5 stars overall. I'm looking forward to book 5 - I'm quite confident in Angie Sage and will bet there's lots of life left in this series.
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