Queste (Septimus Heap Series #4) by Angie Sage, Mark Zug (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

There's trouble at the Castle, and it's all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus. More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste. But Septimus and Jenna have other plans—they are headed for the mysterious House of Foryx, a place where all Time meets and the place where they fervently hope they will be able to find Nicko and Snorri, who were trapped back in time in physik. But how will Septimus escape the Queste?

Queste, like all the books in the Septimus Heap series, is filled with nonstop action, humor, and fantastical adventure as Septimus continues his journey of Magykal self-discovery.

VOYA

The Heap family is again facing myriad challenges in the fourth of the enjoyable fantasy series, Septimus Heap. Nicko and Snorri are still stuck in the past, and Jenna is determined to mount a rescue. Meanwhile Merrin has grown tired of taking orders from Simon, so he unleashes Darke Magyk in his determination to take revenge on Sepitmus. The ghost of Tertius Fume uses Merrin's Darke Magyk to send Septimus on a Queste, but Septimus is accompanied by Jenna and Beetle, who help in his encounters with witches, an abyss, and howls of beasts on their way to the House of Foryx, the place where all times meet. Septimus manages to unravel the mystery behind the string of failed Questes, rescue Nicko and Snorri, and return with Jenna and Beetle to the Castle with the help of the inimitable Marcia Overstrand. The multiple threads of Sage's saga require the reader's full attention, but her clever wit and enchanting cast, from Septimus to Spit Fyre to Stanley the messenger rat, will keep her audience happy. It is not a series to start in the middle: Sage is building her tale and counts on her readers' knowledge of earlier books for understanding of plot and character motivation. Quiet Septimus seems to be joining the ranks of reluctant hero in a delightful and engaging series that can be shelved alongside the Keys to the Kingdom and Pendragon series. Reviewer: Mary Ann Darby

VOYA

Queste is a great installment for the series of Septimus Heap books, although the main story line starts slowly and takes a long time to develop. Little time is spent at the climax, and the ending is not extremely clear cut. But fans of the other books will enjoy this one, although it isn't quite as good as the last few. Reviewer: Eve Minkin, Teen Reviewer

School Library Journal

Gr 4-9- Fans of Septimus's previous adventures will welcome Sage's latest installment with an eagerness the book deserves. There are fearsome dealings afoot for 12-year-old Septimus Heap, and this time they begin with the foolish Darke Magyk of Merrin Meredith. When Merrin summons Things to do his bidding and aids a malevolent ghost of the first Chief Hermetic Scribe, the result sends Septimus on a Queste. No apprentice has ever survived such an ordeal, but the boy is determined to use this chance to find his brother Nicko, now trapped in time in a mysterious place called the House of Foryx. With his sister Jenna and friend Beetle by his side, he will either succeed in rescuing Nicko and his girlfriend or fall victim to a curse that has claimed too many others. Newcomers to Sage's world would do very well to read earlier books in this series before embarking on this latest title. Characters are almost overly abundant and many crop up in a chapter called "Endings and Beginnings" without making an appearance in the rest of the book. But fans looking for enjoyable characters, a well-paced plot, and the author's customary use of humor and verve will not be disappointed in this newest chapter in Septimus's life.-Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

Still showing no signs of strain, the saga of wizard-in-training Septimus Heap cruises through its fourth episode-and 2,200th page-thanks to generous wads of breezy charm, gusts of spectacular Magyk and a buoyant plot combining drama and comedy in just the right proportions. Here young Princess Jenna draws Sep and his bookish buddy Beetle along in her wake as she determinedly sets out for the remote House of Foryx to rescue time-lost brother Nicko and his companion Snorri. Unbeknownst to the others, Sep is also unwillingly engaged in a usually fatal Queste. Among the teeming cast, which is further swollen by crowds of ghosts and malicious Things, Sep's erstwhile stand-in Merrin Meredith takes on new prominence as a hilarious touchstone for trouble, with an infuriating gift for escaping the worst consequences of his actions. Zug provides finely detailed portraits or spot art at each chapter opening, the volume comes with a "Magykal CD" (not seen) and Sage closes with several seemingly unrelated vignettes tantalizingly labeled "Endings and Beginnings . . . ." Sail on, Septimus. (Fantasy. 10-12)

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Product Details

• ISBN: 0060882077
  
• ISBN-13: 9780060882075
• Format: Hardcover, 608pp
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Pub. Date: April 2008
• Sales Rank: 1,073
• Age Range: 9 to 12
• Series: Septimus Heap, #4

• Read a Sample Chapter

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Chapter One

Nicko's Release

Jannit Maarten, boatbuilder, was on her way to the Palace.

Jannit, a lean, spare woman with a long stride and a sailor's pigtail, had never in her strangest dreams thought that she would one day be tying up her rowboat at Snake Slipway and heading for the Palace Gates. But, on a chilly gray spring day, here she was, doing just that—and feeling more than a little apprehensive.

Some minutes later Hildegarde, the sub-Wizard on door duty at the Palace, looked up from her night-school assignment titled "The Politics, Principles and Practice of Transformation." She saw Jannit hesitantly walking over the wide plank bridge that spanned the ornamental moat and led to the Palace doors. Happy to have a break, Hildegarde jumped to her feet with a smile and said, "Good morning, Miss Maarten. How may I help you?"

"You know my name!" said Jannit, amazed.

Hildegarde did not tell Jannit that she made it her business to know everyone's name. Instead she said, "Of course I do, Miss Maarten. Your boatyard repaired my sister's boat last year. She was very pleased with the work."

Jannit had no idea who this sub-Wizard's sister could possibly be, but she could not help wondering what boat it was. Jannit remembered boats. She smiled awkwardly and took off her battered sailor's boater, which she had worn especially for her visit to the Palace—it was Jannit's equivalent of a party frock and tiara.

"Ladies are welcome to keep their hats on," said Hildegarde.

"Oh?" said Jannit, wondering what that had to do with her. Jannit did notthink of herself as a lady.

"Is there someone you wish to see?" Hildegarde prompted, quite used to tongue-tied visitors.

Jannit twisted her boater around in her hands. "Sarah Heap," she said. "Please."

"I will send a messenger. May I tell her what it is you wish to see her about?"

After a long pause Jannit replied. "Nicko Heap," she said, staring at her hat.

"Ah. Please take a seat for a moment, Miss Maarten. I will find someone to take you to her right away."

Ten minutes later Sarah Heap, thinner than she had been but still in possession of the usual quota of Heap straw-colored curls, was at the small table in her sitting room. She gazed at Jannit with worried green eyes.

Jannit was perched on the edge of a large sofa. Although Jannit felt ill at ease, this was not the reason she was on the edge of her seat. It was because that was the only space left on the sofa—the rest was covered with the clutter that always seemed to follow Sarah Heap. With a couple of plant pots digging into her back and a teetering pile of towels settling cozily up against her, Jannit sat up very straight and then almost jumped off the sofa as a soft quacking came from a pile of clothes beside the fire. To Jannit's amazement, a pink-skinned, stubble-covered duck wearing a multicolored crocheted waistcoat emerged from the pile, waddled over and sat beside her feet.

Sarah clicked her fingers. "Come here, Ethel," she said to the duck. The duck got up and went to Sarah, who picked it up and sat it on her lap. "One of Jenna's creatures," Sarah said with a smile. "She never was one for pets and suddenly she has two. Strange. I don't know where she got them from."

Jannit smiled politely, unsure how to begin telling Sarah what she had to say. There was an awkward silence and at last she said, "Um. Well . . . it's a big place you have here."

"Oh, yes. Very big," said Sarah.

"Wonderful for a large family," said Jannit, immediately wishing she hadn't.

"If they want to live with you," said Sarah bitterly. "But not if four of them have decided to live in the Forest with a coven of witches and they refuse to come home, even for a visit. And then of course there's Simon. I know he's done wrong, but he's still my first baby. I miss him so much; I would love to have him living here. It's time he settled down. He could do a lot worse than Lucy Gringe, whatever his father says. There's plenty of room for them all here—and children, too. And then there's my little Septimus. We've been apart all these years and there he is, stuck at the top of that Wizard Tower with Marcia Fusspot Overstrand, who whenever she sees me has the nerve to ask if I am enjoying seeing so much of Septimus. I suppose she thinks it's some kind of joke, since I hardly ever see him now. In fact ever since Nicko . . ."

"Ah," said Jannit, seizing her chance. "Nicko. That's what—well, I expect you can guess why I'm here."

"No," said Sarah, who could but didn't want to even think about it.

"Oh." Jannit looked down at her boater and then, very purposefully, put it on top of a pile of something behind her. Sarah's heart sank. She knew what was coming.

Jannit cleared her throat and began. "As you know, Nicko has been gone for six months now and as far as I understand, no one knows where he is or when—indeed, if—he is ever coming back. In fact—and I am very sorry to say this—I have heard that he will never return."

Sarah caught her breath. No one had dared to say this to her face before.

"I am very sorry to have to come here like this, Madam Heap, but—"

"Oh, it's Sarah. Please, just call me Sarah."

"Sarah. Sarah, I am sorry, but we cannot struggle on without Nicko any longer. The summer season is looming, when even more foolhardy idiots will be putting to sea to try and catch a few herring. They'll all be wanting their boats ready, plus the fact that the Port barge is in . . .