Septimus Heap, Book Two: Flyte (Septimus Heap, Book 2) [Kindle Edition]

Angie Sage (Author), Mark Zug (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. At the close of Sage's Magyk (2005), Necromancer DomDaniel had his bones picked clean by Quake Ooze Brownies--but 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--from 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... Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1214 KB
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (October 13, 2009)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0016P2FCE
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,564 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #16 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Children's Fiction > People & Places > Royalty
  • #18 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Royalty

More About the Author

Angie Sage loves the sea, spooky old houses, and medieval England. Ms. Sage has created many books for children, including the Araminta Spookie series. You can visit her online at www.septimusheap.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Take 'Flyte' With Septimus Heap ..., May 21, 2006

By 

T. J. Jones "TJ" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flyte (Septimus Heap, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Angie Sage continues her best-selling and enjoyable Septimus Heap series in 'Flyte', and while it is not as good as the first book, it still continues the series quirky charm and 'magykal' prose.

One year after the events of book one, Septimus Heap has easily slipped into his new life as Apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, the ever-dignified Marcia Overstrand. But the 'darkeness' still lingers as a menacing shadow follows Marcia constantly. Meanwhile, Jenna also has easily adjusted to her new life as Princess and ejoys the freedoms the Palace offers. But one day, when the mysterious and revengeful Simon Heap shows up, no one understands why he suddenly kidnapps Jenna. Septimus, agitated that no one believes him when he says Simon is now evil, goes off on his own to rescue Jenna from Simon's plot to return the evil Dom Daniel back to life.

In 'Flyte', Sage continues Septimus' story with her trademark offbeat humor and quirky magic. All the little details that readers have come to love about her writing are abundant in this sequel, and all old favorite (and not quite so favorite) characters make reappearences. However, the middle book in a trilogy always suffers from some problems. The adventure feels very loosely created, with no defenite climax. The characters wander around from place to place in the supposed big finale for the last hundred pages, meeting and overcoming new obstacles just like a video game. The villain Dom Daniel was defeated so quickly with about a hundred more pages to go, that I felt confused about what was the climax and what wasn't. Also, in the first book, you felt like your were actually there with the characters on their adventure, but in 'Flyte' Sage sometimes opens chapters with brief descriptions of what happened to her characters simply so she can get them to their next destination. But, seeing as this is light fantasy meant for younger readers, 'Flyte' still is consistent and ejoyable enough to hold on to young and older readers' attention. And how can anybody not fall for Sage's wonderful characters, quirky magic, and fantastical world full of swimming bogarts and pet dragons?

While somewhat sloppy in its plotting, 'Flyte' is still an enjoyable entry into the Septimus Heap series. I highly reccommend it to all readers who enjoy a little 'magyk' when it comes across them, and a good, solid read that entices their imaginations. I look forward to book three, and hopefully Sage will return to the more consistent plotting techniques that made the first book shine above the second.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flyte, May 22, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Flyte (Septimus Heap, Book 2) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book full of fun and adventure in which the Heaps are caught up in the stream of magic and the evil plot of evil wizard DomDaniel trying yet agian to become king and the Extra ordinary wizard. Along with some help from one of the Heaps (which one is it?), DomDaniel almost succeeds. Anyone who likes adventure and magic will like this story because of its amazing storyline and happy ending.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Septimus Heap: Flyte the long lost art of Flying, June 1, 2007

By 

amanaamazing "amanamazing" (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flyte (Septimus Heap, Book 2) (Paperback)

Flyte, the second book in the Septimus Heap series, is about an ancient lost art of Flying. Flyte is almost rediscovered by Darke Magyk. To add to that, little princess Jenna is kidnapped by one of her own family member. Septimus Heap goes out searching for Jenna and ends up putting Flyte together. He gets two ways to fly: Flyte and Beast.....

It is an intriguing well written book with its quick, witty cast of characters and infinite magical imaginary capabilities.Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1)Physik (Septimus Heap, Book 3)