The ghost of an evil queen has been turned loose on the castle and her pet is spreading a plague. Jenna, the princess, is tricked into taking Septimus to a magic mirror where he is snatched back 500 years in time by a wizard who wants him to help with a potion for never-ending life and youth. Jenna is determined to find Septimus and bring him back to his own time. It is a good read with plenty of twists and turns and plenty of magic.

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

I have to state that it's taken me a very long time to write my review of PHYSIK, mostly because it took me such a very long time to finish the book. Although I absolutely loved MAGYK, and was nearly as impressed with FLYTE, it was much harder for me to get into the story of PHYSIK. I wasn't immediately struck by the newly introduced characters, and even some of my old favorites were, at first, acting quite different than they had originally. That being said, though, I'm glad I finally finished this third installment in the Septimus Heap saga, and can recommend it to others without feeling guilty.

The story opens with Silas Heap, father of the Heap clan, unknowingly unleashing the ghost of Queen Etheldredda, a Castle Queen who ruled long ago. Along with her spirit is also released that of her pet Aie-Aie, a rat-dog-snake hybrid that is hideous to look upon. Although Silas and his companion, Gringe, aren't first aware of what has happened, they'll soon learn that the room they unlocked would have been better left alone.

Nearly at the same time, Snorri Snorrelssen, a young North Trader, arrives at Sally Mullen's Tea and Ale House -- and can immediately sense that she's not welcome there, even if she can't understand the language that's being spoken. After weeks at sea, however, Snorri is not about to turn her back on her mission, that of following in the footsteps of her father.

Back at the Palace, Septimus Heap is putting off his studies with ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, instead indulging in his new obsession of learning all there is to know about Alchemy. He wishes to learn under the famous Alchemyst Marcellus Pye, who just so happens to be the son of the dreaded Queen Etheldredda.

All of the usual characters are back in this installment: Jenna, Nicko, Aunt Zelda, Spit Fyre, and Alther Mella, along with new ones like the above-mentioned Snorri and Marcellus Pye. Some of them act as they've always acted; some of them act in surprising ways. All of it leads up to a showdown of wits and talents and, of course, the next book in the series.

As I said, I'm glad I finally finished reading PHYSIK, as I definitely plan to read QUESTE, the fourth book. Although some readers may have trouble in the beginning, as I did, once you get into the story of Septimus and family, you'll be quite enthralled until the very end. ( )

This is an excellent series, and this book keeps up the momentum. An ancient nasty ghost of a former queen haunts the castle, and a strange pestilence afflicts the population. Septimus Heap begins his study of the art of Physik in an attempt to find a cure. But, of course, more is going on than he bargains for and before long he is swept off into an adventure that wil take the combined resources of himself and his friends to resolve.

The book has tension and poignancy, all nicely set off with the off-beat comic relief of the funny little world of Angie Sage. A delightful read. ( )

As with the first two, Physik is full of adventure for Septimus, Jenna and the rest of the characters. In this outing, Silas Heap unwittingly releases a nasty spirit when he unseals a room. The spirit of the long dead queen causes many problems culminating with Septimus travelling back through time. Great story, I'm already on to the next one. ( )

I am not sure what keeps me reading these books, because this one took me a long time to read (more than a week), but I do always want to read the next one. These books are complicated stories, with lots of Magyk in them, and a complicated family and royal structure. Jenna was part of the Heap family, and then it was discovered that she really is the Princess. Her brother Septimus, seventh son of a seventh son, in this book learns Alchemy and is taken back in time 500 years, where there is a truly terrible queen who is trying to remain queen forever. There are also complicated plots in this book, with a lot of twists and turns. One of these, a Northern Trader girl named Snorri, will feature in the next book, which centers on one of the other Heap brothers who has been stranded in time with Snorri and has no way of getting back. I bet there are seven books in this series, since it's titled Septimus. It is really popular with kids, and they don't seem to mind the length and the complication. I will keep reading the series. ( )