Physik (Septimus Heap Series #3)

From Barnes & Noble

Silas has only himself to blame for sparking the plot of the third Septimus Heap installment. Unsealing a long-forgotten room in the palace, he accidentally unleashes the formerly inert spirit of malevolent old Queen Etheldredda. Five hundred years of downtime have not mellowed the scheming monarch; in fact, she's now eager to enact a devilish plan to make herself immortal and omnipotent. To neutralize her, Septimus and his allies must go into corrective overdrive. Plot surprises, engaging characters, and snappy wit.

ALA Booklist

"Few fans of the best-selling Septimus Heap series will be disappointed."

Children's Literature - Stephanie Guerra

The plot in this third magical adventure of the "Septimus Heap" series weaves and darts in unexpected directions, entertaining the reader with tight prose, humorous observations, and notable new characters along the way. When the ghost of Queen Etheldredda the Awful is released from the portrait where she has been locked for centuries, she starts wreaking havoc in her quest to reclaim the throne from its rightful heir, Princess Jenna. As if Etheldredda is not plagued enough, a fearful sickness spreads through the kingdom and people start to question Jenna's rule. It takes time travel, Septimus' crash course in the study of physik, and the help of a wayward teenage dragon to discover the mysterious cause of the plague and put Etheldredda back in the portrait where she belongs. Angie Sage is an expert craftsman; she has created a believable fantasy world peopled with colorful characters and rich with adventure. She navigates without a slip the complicated task of writing time travel into her plot and once again delivers a most compelling and satisfying story. Fans of J.K. Rowling and Eion Colfer will be sure to love Sage's books.

VOYA - Mary Ann Darby

In this third installment of the Septimus Heap series, while Septimus tries to discover a cure for a mysterious disease sweeping through the Castle and its environs, Jenna must deal with an unwelcome ghost of a dreadful queen from the past, who manages to have Septimus yanked through a mirror to the Castle five hundred years earlier so that he can assist her son, an alchemist. Determined to bring Septimus back, Jenna finds help from a young Northern Trader named Snorri, Sep's brother Nicko, Spit Fyre, Stanley the rat, and a host of others-ghost, animal, and human alike. When Jenna and her companions also go back in time, the full story of the horrible plotting Queen Etheldredda emerges, but Septimus and Jenna respectively find a cure and dodge a bullet. The story starts off with what seems to be an incident disconnected from Septimus, Jenna, and the other main characters of the story and then follows new and very likeable Snorri and her changing cat, which might leave some readers a bit confused. But Sage quickly heads back to the travails of Septimus and Jenna, as well as many others of the enjoyable cast, weaving the bits and pieces into a magykal tapestry of merriment, bordered by Sage's quick wit. By the middle of the tale, readers will be indubitably hooked-worrying, laughing, and gasping over the nonstop adventures of this engaging troupe. Fans of the first two books will not be disappointed with this installment and will certainly hope for more.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-10
In the third volume in the series, the young Apprentice to the Extraordinary Wizard yearns to go beyond his training in Magyk to Physik, an ancient form of healing championed by the great Physician Marcellus Pye. He gets his chance when the decrepit, 500-year-old Marcellus kidnaps Septimus back in time to help him turn his ill-fated tincture for everlasting life into one for everlasting youth. Princess Jenna, joined by Nicko and his love interest, a new character named Snorri, goes searching for a way to reach Septimus and bring him back to his rightful time. She must also elude the ghost of Marcellus's mother, Queen Etheldredda, who is bent on murdering the princess so she can assume the throne. Explanations of time travel are wisely avoided: "at that point, Septimus' brain refused to think anymore," and many other plot elements are juggled successfully. There are too many characters to keep track of, however, including lesser figures who are not presented with enough background information. Readers will quickly warm up to the stars of the book, sketched with liberal doses of humor, and all back in top form. Chapters alternate points of view, keeping suspense high, while lots of vivid details portray a palace life humming with Magyk. Fans of the series will enjoy the secrets that are revealed as Physik delves deeper into the labyrinthine palace walls and will eagerly await the next installment.
—Emily RodriguezCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review)

“Readers will be indubitably hooked—worrying, laughing, and gasping over the nonstop adventures of this engaging troupe.”