I suppose I am going to
have to call it the Septimus Curse - odd
numbered volumes rock, but even numbered volumes do not. I thought Magyk
was terrific. I was disappointed in Flyte. I thought Physik was brilliant. And now I am confused with Queste. Of course, it is actually more complicated than that. There are parts
of Queste with which I was thrilled. There
are parts that I didn’t think were integral. My hope is that these seemingly
unnecessary parts will become important in future books. But shouldn’t they
have been important here as well?
When Physik ended, Septimus’ brother, Nicko, was trapped in a different time in
the past along with Snorri, a trader. In Queste, we begin with a prologue that shows us where they are and what they
are doing. The true Queste of the book will be
finding them and bringing them home. Septimus and Jenna know this to be of the
utmost importance and they are indeed working on the problem to the best of
their ability. This is despite the lack of cooperation or focus of anyone else
involved.
And so, it seems
strange to me that the series title character, Septimus, does not make an appearance
in this volume until page 117! If that were not bad enough, Jenna does not
arrive on the scene until page 170! That is nearly a third of the way into the
book! Not that I didn’t enjoy the first third of the book. There is some truly
funny stuff there. But after the fact – after the book is finished – I don’t
see why the first 100 pages were necessary. I am unsure how many children will
stick with it to get to the “good” part. 100 pages of inaction is a lot to
require in my opinion.
That is your warning.
It will be tough, but you have to muck your way through it because you will
have found OZ afterwards!
Nicko and Snorri have
left a map, notes and doodles behind in their current time long ago. Marcellus
Pye, the great alchemyst of the last novel, is living his eternal youth in the
present time and he has Nicko and Snorri’s writings in his library. He hands
them over to Septimus and Jenna. The papers hold the clue to where Nicko and
Snorri can be found.
Before Septimus and Jenna
can begin their journey to retrieve their sibling and friend, problems arise.
First, Jenna accidently drops the papers into a puddle and they are ruined.
Fortunately, Septimus’ buddy Beetle knows someone with the ability to Restore the muddled mess. Enter
Ephaniah Grebe, the Conservation, Preservation and Protection Scribe. Best
part? He is half man and half rat. He is my favorite new character!
While Jenna is hoping
for a magical restoration, Septimus is called upon to complete a Queste. Another new character, Tertius
Fume, the Ghost of the Vaults, has called a Gathering of all ExtraOrdinary Wizards. He has brought forth the Questing Pot from which Septimus must
draw a stone. If the stone is inscribed with a Q, he must accept the Queste
and see it through to the end. Regrettably, all Apprentices who have ever drawn
the Q and accepted the Queste have never returned. Yes,
Septimus draws the Q, but can he
ignore it at least until he can find his brother and bring him safely home?
This series is a must
read for boys and girls alike, 5th to 8th grade,
particularly if they enjoy magic.
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