Septimus Heap, Book Five: Syren audiobook

Syren (Septimus Heap, #5), Angie SageSyren is the fifth book in the child fantasy Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. It was released on September 29, 2009 by HarperCollins and Bloomsbury Publishing. The story continues from the previous release Queste and deals with Septimus going to pick up his friends from a distant land. While coming back they are trapped in an island and there they learn of an evil plan to destroy their homeland, The Castle. The rest of the story deals with how Septimus and his friends save their home and destroy the evil coming their way.تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه جولای سال2011میلادیعنوان: سپتیموس هیپ: کتاب پنجم سایرن خبیس؛ نویسنده: انجی سیج؛ مترجم مهرداد مهدویان؛ تهران، انتشارات افق؛ چاپ نخست سال1388، چاپ سوم سال1393، در642ص، شابک9789643697341؛در کتاب پنجم از سری «سپتیموس هیپ»، با عنوان «سایرن خبیس»، «سپتیموس هیپ» در یکی از هفت جزیره‌ سحرآمیز، گیر می‌افتد؛ و به همراهی اژدهایش «آتش آب‌دار»، «جینا»، و «بیتل»، دنبال راه فرار می‌گردند؛ اما جزیره عجایبی دارد، که یکی پس از دیگری آشکار می‌شوند، روح دختری به نام «سیرا»، که توسط شبحی پلید به نام «سایرن» تسخیر شده، و موجودی عجیب، که برای «سپتیموس» آواز می‌خواند؛تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 06/02/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 26/01/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

This is the fifth of a seven-book fantasy–adventure series featuring Septimus Heap by English author Angie Sage. I haven’t read any other books in the series before, and this was a chance find on the shop-soiled table in my neighbourhood bookshop. What attracted me to the book was the cover, and its somewhat different shape—it’s nearly but not quite a square. I loved the cover art—and the others in the series (one set of covers, in particular) are equally pretty. Septimus Heap is the seventh son of a seventh son, and so as folklore tells us, he has magykal powers. He is apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand with whom he must serve an apprenticeship of seven years and seven days.The books starts out with two parallel storylines. On the one side we have Septimus Heap who is setting out to fetch his friends Jenna and Beetle, and his brother Nicco, and Snorri (who I think is Nicco’s girlfriend, though I’m not very sure) from the trading post where they have stopped after their previous adventure. Jenna and the others have in the meantime met her father Milo Banda and his ship the Cerys, and have gone on board. Septimus sets off on his dragon Spit Fyre, and on the way back (only Jenna and Beetle have accompanied him), Spit Fyre is injured and they are forced to land on an island where everything is not quite as peaceful and calm as it seems on the surface—there is something amiss in the background. The Island belongs to the Syren, and she is luring more than one person there, though at this point it is unclear why. Meanwhile Wolf Boy is sent by Aunt Zelda to the Port Witch Coven to perform an unpleasant and dangerous task, which he doesn’t know is the first step to being her apprentice. At the Coven he finds Lucy Gringe (girlfriend of Septimus’ other brother Simon) has been captured by the Witches. He helps her escape but in getting away they end up aboard a ship, the Marauder captained by the shady Captain Frye, which is setting off on a mission to steal the light from Cattrokk Lighthouse, with a nefarious purpose. Both events end up related to a dangerous plot, and the rest of this about 630-page adventure relates how Septimus and his friends tackle the situation.I really enjoyed this one despite the obvious drawback of reading a book from this late on in a series. This did mean that I wasn’t quite sure who was who, their backgrounds, what adventures they’d had in the past, how the magyk and such worked, among other things—and not all of those questions cleared up by the time I reached the end either. But the plot itself I thought was very well done—I liked how the author tied all the different plot threads together to create an exciting adventure. I only picked up some clues of what was going on, but didn’t entirely see how the different lines would come together, and what they were leading to. I also very enjoyed the world the author has created—there’s a map of the actual world―but I also meant the other elements—the magyk, alchemy, dragons, and jinnees—as other reviewers have said, not as dark as Harry Potter’s world but very imaginative all the same—there’s the magic of course, and also the legends, and even games (at least one in this one). And speaking of Harry Potter, while there were things one could compare, I liked that this one didn’t have its protagonists on in the Harry–Ron–Hermione as many fantasy series/books following Potter have done. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but it’s nice to see something different too. I liked many of the characters, Septimus himself, the Wolf Boy, Beetle, and Mr Miarr. But while the ExtraOrdinary Wizard may have been female, two of the girls in this, Lucy with her tendency to scream all the time, irrespective of the occasion, and Jenna who seems to rely on her emotions/heart more than her head didn’t come across too well, especially the latter. Syrah on the other hand I liked much better, and a part of her story was very well done—pretty scary when one thinks about it. I also loved Spit Fyre the dragon and Jim Knee (you’ll know who that is when you read the book).This was a really fun read for me, and I definitely want to read more of the series. Of course, I can’t end this review without writing about the illustrations which I really liked very very much. Those of the characters of course, but my favourite was that of the ship the Cerys, which I though was really beautiful—all her sails and details stood out very well. This review is on my blog at: https://potpourri2015.wordpress.com/2...

5th book of a seven book series, Warner Bros have brought the film rights and will start movie production as soon has harry potter has finished. Get those signed first editions while you can!

This book series is middle grade but that I do believe that it can be enjoyed by people of any age because each installment is filled with amazing characters and fantastic adventures that will make you excited for the next book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to awaken their inner child and have a great time.

Am reading this excellent series along with my 9 year old daughter. She is a book ahead, and loves to talk to me about them. Funny, well-written, exciting and well-plotted, a delight for kids and adults alike! Recommended.

Wow, setelah merasa agak kecewa dengan buku keempatnya, buku kelima ini makin menarik ternyata... Petualangan Septimus makin asyik dan bikin penasaran. An ever-deepening understanding of life of a young hero. Makin banyak juga bagian yang bikin ketawa-ketawa saat membacanya, terutama bagian-bagian saat Jim Knee muncul, hahaha... kocaakk!. Suka!. Dan, Jenna, aku makin suka juga sama karakternya.

** spoiler alert ** Kinda disappointing after Physik and Queste, but I suppose I was judging based on the thickness of the book compared to the others and the title. The Syren hardly plays any role in the plot. I mean, yes she's the one who lures The Cerys over and takes over Syrah but that's it. And Syrah in turn doesn't do anything in this book, and it just makes me want to read more Septimus Heap, the fact that she falls unconsious and doesn't wake up. Septimus's obsession with her is a little annoying, I mean, he hardly knew the girl, and she's five years older than him. It was the same case as Snorri and Nicko. Why can't Angie make her relationships more gradual? And Stanley doesn't show much either. That's a shame.On the bright side, some new characters I really would like to see more of are introduced here, such as the lazy 'Jim Knee', the jinnee, and Miarr and his futuristic Red Tube, and Skipper Frye and his goons. Plus I'm hoping for more of Ephaniah Grebe and Catchpole, who's great for a laugh. This series is addictive, I'm glad I picked up on it! Can't wait for Sep Heap #6!

I really did. Totally in the flow, I can now sit back, relax and read the madness unfold. The Syren bits legit spooked me out while I was reading them last night. So much that I went to bed scared. Well done, middle-grade book, well done indeed!I don't know why but I don't feel like explaining what happened in these books. I've been writing uncharacteristically short reviews for them. I will try and undo that here:So, in the last book Septimus, Jenna and Beetle were trying to get Nicko and Snorri back into their own time. They did and the book ended before all of them could go home. In this one, Septimus and Co. get sidetracked by getting marooned on a Spirit Island. We have three groups: Septimus, Beetle and Jenna then Nicko, Snorri and Milo Banda then Lucy Gringe and Wolf Boy. All go their separate ways do their separate things and then their paths converge.-I love how Angie Sage begins the book with multiple threads and then all of it slowly and perfectly fits into place at the end. The transition from wtf-is-even-happening to it-all-makes-sense is so smooth I love it! -I'm a little annoyed that no one has bothered to give Wolf Boy a proper name yet. I mean, come on, it's been years. How hard is it to give someone a name? Instead of being called 409 or Wolf Boy give the guy a real name like Paul or something. -I've been secretly hoping that Merrin would come back from the darke side but the little weasel remains a giant thorn in the backside till date. -I've also slowly come to appreciate how badass Marcia is. Like, she's literally the most powerful woman in the Castle with a temperament to match and when she sasses people it makes me happy.-Can Septimus and Co please age and be 17 or whatever? I like growth in a series both psychological and physical. They all seem to be stuck at 13. Part of the reason I left How to Train a Dragon series is because the repetition combined with the fact that time refused to pass tired me out.

Syren is the fifth book in the world of Septimus Heap series and a great one, with a huge page count. I read the paperback edition of the book sometimes switching to Ebook and ended up reading it in five days and giving it a straight five star. This book has been so well written and planned that I can barely find any flaw and its better than the previous books in the series and much like Magyk. Angie extends the Magyk Universe discovering new haunted Islands and introducing new maps and locations to the reader. These locations have a unique climate and changes the mood of characters in the book like Cattrock Light, The Peele, Sand Dunes, Star Island,etc. Also sage introduces two new ship namely Cerys and Marauder in the book and they have a lot of Pirat-ish things in common. The character development is very well and the secondary characters many of them which are new like Jim Knee, Linda, Syrah Stars(My favorite), Miarr, Jack, Theodolite, Barney Pot, etc have been introduced with their own particular story and nature and a fixed behaviour and speech which makes the reader indulge band enjoy these characters heartily. Septimus, Beetle, Milo, Lucy, Wolf Boy, Jenna, Nicko can be considered as a major characters who have grown a lot. Septimus has been awarded his Senior Apprentice and this marks the series coming to its midway. Even the plotlines of Jenna, Wolfboy, Lucy were not at all boring. Here, the author tries to introduce a lot of new things in the magical world skipping all the previously important landmarks and characters like the Castle, Marfan Marshes, Simon, Zelda, Marcia, Silas, Sarah, Merrin. I love the Grim Feeding Part and find it very funny and horrifying at the same time. Even the bind between Spit Fyre and Septimus is clearly and particularly explained in the earlier chapters. There is a a closeness and sometimes argument between the major characters. The Pigeon Post was also excellent. The Syren and the Syarh Syara part is the one which amazes and wonders me in the most in the book. It is delicate and a bit horror and emotional for to reader. Septimus reacts to things and events in the book very naturally. Milos new band and Theodolite's new band in the book is well portrayed. I was very shocked as the final plot was revealed which included that Fume has allied with the Syren to destroy the castle and do blue bluffing Milo to capture warrior Jinnies and transport them through the underground ice tunnels. The ending will be understood by the person who has involvingly read the first four books. The character Jim Knee is the real spotlight as he is dramatic, Humorous, and wary. I would strongly recommend this book to every Magical Genre reader with a great twist. It involves potions, charms, chants, safeguards, Jinnies, Dragons, Haunted Islands, Spirited Souls, Pirates, Ghosts, Wizards, Cat-Man, And a load of great heroes and villains that will be sure to entertain you. The descriptive Nature of Sage of various locations and landmarks is at the epitome and paramount here, reaching its highest potential and giving the reader a world full of fantasy and beyond imagination and also teaching him about how to interact with people and understand and help them. A truly great and fantastic Read.!!!Plot

Fifth in the Septimus Heap fantasy series for young middle-grade readers and revolving around Septimus, a young magykal Apprentice.My TakeSyren is a whimsical fantasy sure to appeal to children (and adults, ahem, *she said with a grin*) complete with the gross and the responsible that will make you laugh and worry. I do love a children's story that places children in adult-like positions in which they make decisions, realize truths, help each other, and save the day…*grin*…"…possibly not much more intelligent than the average Port fish crate — indeed, there were some Port fish crates that might have successfully disputed that."It's not all roses for that wicked Merrin. For every evil deed, he gets a fright of one sort or another. I keep hoping he gets his! Then there's that nasty, little Linda who scares the pants off me! Now, Jim Knee, he is a crack-up. A jinnee with an annoyed-child attitude who snarks off in his mind and to the Great One, lol."…in fact it was down to Spit Fyre's innate ExtraOrdinary Wizard-ignoring skills."There are multiple sub plots in Syren that find Tertius Fume at the center of them all. And Sage is tying together all sorts of loose ends that involve Septimus' time-traveling past as well as why Jenna's father was missing for so much of her life.That Milo is an obnoxious, bragging man with a need for power and control. It's part of why I had to laugh when Spit Fyre started inhaling their fancy dinner with Milo pulling fiercely on the other end of the tablecloth!There are some scenes which are confusing, and on second look, stay confusing, yet Syren is fun to read with great visuals from Sage. It's a child's view of life with all the bravery, scariness, and treats a child imagines.It's freedom, a badly injured dragon, a deserted island that turns out not to be so deserted after all, and the most humongous betrayal. I cannot wait to read Darke , 6, and find out what happens next!The StorySeptimus ends up on a captivatingly beautiful island, one of seven set in a sparkling sea. He's stranded there with his badly injured dragon, Spit Fyre, along with Jenna and Beetle. There are some strange things about the island, including a Magykal girl named Syrah, a cat-shaped lighthouse that has lost its Light, and an eerie presence that sings to Septimus — can he escape the persistent call?Trouble is also brewing for Lucy and Wolf Boy, who have become entangled with some nefarious sailors at sea, and for Milo Banda, Jenna's father, who is harboring a mysterious treasure chest in his ship's hold.The Characters Port is… the town where the Heaps and Princess Jenna live and is the home of the Wizard's Tower, the Manuscriptorium, and the Ramblings. Barney Pot has joined the Castle Cubs, a type of Boy Scouts. Uncle Billy Pot tends Spit Fyre. Alther Mella and Alice Nettles are ghosts who live in the striped tent on the Palace grounds.Septimus Heap, once known as 412 in the Young Army, is the seventh son of a seventh son and an ExtraOrdinary Apprentice under Marcia. House Mouse serves Septimus. Spit Fyre is the dragon he Imprinted in Flyte , 2.Nicko Heap and Snorri have been hopping through time on their adventures. He's gone from a carefree boy to a sober one who thinks before he speaks. Simon Heap is Septimu's wicked brother who wanted to learn Darke Magyk. Lucy Gringe is his girlfriend who's gone missing ( Queste , 4). Sleuth is his Tracker Ball that Marcia appropriated. Maureen runs the Harbor and Dock Pie Shop. Mistress Sarah Heap is the mother who raised Jenna and the other little Heaps, and she is now in charge of the Palace. Silas Heap is their wizard father, and his arthritic wolfhound is named Maxie. Princess Jenna and her panther/kitty, Ullr, usually live in the Palace. Domino is her horse. Good Queen Cerys was Jenna's birth mother, murdered some twelve-and-a-half years ago, who now guards the Queen's Room. The bragging Milo Banda is Jenna's birth father, a roguish merchant with a ship, Cerys . Jem is a deckhand with some experience in Physicking and the Darke.The Wizard's Tower is……where the wizards live. Marcia Fusspot Overstrand is the ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Hildegarde Pigeon had been possessed by a Thing in Queste , 4.The Magykal Manuscriptorium and Spell Checkers Incorporated is……where Beetle Beetle used to be the Front Office Clerk until he was fired by Jillie Djinn, the idiotic Chief Hermetic Scribe. Ephaniah Grebe is half-human and half-rat and does restorations, when he's not recovering from events in Queste . Romilly Badger is the new Inspection Clerk. Partridge is one of the other scribes. Merrin Meredith, a.k.a., Septimus Heap and Daniel Hunter, is now the very nasty chief scribe who's rarely at work. He had been Simon Heap's apprentice and still has a too-greedy desire for Darke Magyk.Tertius Fume is a plus-500 years old mean old ghost, one of the Ancients, the former first Chief Scribe, and a seven-day ExtraOrdinary Wizard back in the time of Hotep-Ra, his best friend. Well, former best friend. Tertius was the assassin who tried to kill Hotep-Ra who Banished him. Tertius is also the Ghost of the Vaults.Aunt Zelda lives in her patchwork dress and the Keeper's Cottage in Marram Marshes outside Port. Wolf Boy has been her Apprentice, her Intended Keeper, really, and Aunt Zelda has sent him off on the Task. Until Wolf Boy, a.k.a. 409, fell off a bridge, he had been Septimus' friend in the Young Army. The Boggart will guide Wolf Boy out of the Marshes.Jim Knee is the jinnee with his hat of ever-shrinking yellow donuts in the SafeCharm. He's been looking forward to his release from the bottle, but expected a LOT more from Septimus. Before he became a jinnee, he was a turtle trader's fourth wife.The Ramblings is……a neighborhood in Port. Larry owns Larry's Dead Languages where he does translations. Stanley is a Message Rat who has restarted the service and has hopes of the four rescued ratlets: the quiet Sydney, the snuffly Lydia, the confident Faith, and the boisterously silly Edward. Dawnie is Stanley's ex-wife, and he doesn't seem to want her back anymore.The Marauder is skippered by Theodophilus Fortitude Fry, the former Joe Grub of a family of wreckers, hates women. He was Deakin Lee's first mate on his pirate ship. Jakey Fry is the skipper's much nicer son. Thin Crowe is Fry's other seaman, another nasty and stupid man. His twin, Fat Crowe, is just like him.Una Brakket is an agent of some sort. Not the good sort, though.The Port Coven is……a group of nasty Darke witches that includes Pamela the Witch Mother, Linda is Pamela's protégé, Dorinda, Veronica, and Daphne. Their cats are bloodsuckers. Star Island CattRokk Lighthouse has been……manned by Guardians of the Light, a.k.a., the Watchers or Keepers, which, um, somehow bred with cats at some point. The lighthouse is one of four Living Lights lit by an ancient Sphere of Light set to indicate the range of the Syren's Call. Miarr Catt is the last Watcher. His cousin, Mirano, the last of his family, has disappeared. The unlovely Fat Crowe is his co-Watcher.Syrah Syara is an Apprentice who never returned from a Queste. Julius Pike had been her ExtraOrdinary Wizard. She becomes Syren when she must return to the Peepe, the Dwelling Place of this possessive spirit on Star Island. The Trading Post is… …a town for Traders. Harbor Twelve is one of the wealthier ones. Harbor One is one of the poorer. The Pigeon Post Office is quite efficient. Mr. Higgs, the bosun on a ship some 500 years ago, has (had?) a net loft in the Trading Post. The House of Foryx is the Place Where All Times Do Meet in Trading Post territory, the truth of which was revealed in Queste .An ExtraOrdinary Wizard is the head wizard. There are two types of SafeCharm: regular and alive. The Task involves the Port Coven and the need to be the GrimFeeder. The Grim is a gruesome Darke creature with tentacles who lives in the drains. A ghoul's fool is also known as a phantom's bantam, a specter protector, but the real name is a Spirit's Bondsman, someone who has sold his soul to a ghost. A Possession Wraith is like a ghost but does not keep its shape when it moves.In today's Port, the Harbor Master is constantly quarreling with the encroaching Honest Joe, a chandler. The Twenty-One Gang is a group of mostly ex-Army boys. A FlashBoard is a magykal skateboard.The Cover and TitleThe cover is a gorgeous tea-stained blue teal background with lots of gilt for the debossed series name, the title, the author's name, and most of the icons including the squiggles and the pitchforks. The metallic corner "reinforcements" are copper aged with verdigris. The object is what saves the day, a gold carved flask with a spiral metal handle and a stopper topped with strange writing sealed with red wax.The title is but one of the great evils, the Syren, who betrays all.

Septimus Heap and the whole gang are trapped on an island, where a mysterious spirit sings an enchanted song to lure ships onto the rocks. But there is more going on beneath the surface of the murky waters around the islands of Syren, and only Septimus and his friends can unravel the mystery in time to stop the Darknesse that threatens the Castle.I loved this 5th book in the series! I enjoyed the character development, the imaginative plot, the twists and turns and surprises, and of course, the wonderful characters. There's so much depth to the characters, and I love how they interact and argue and understand or misunderstand each other. So many levels of character dynamics happening in every chapter!There's so much action in the plot, and many incredibly unique magical elements in the story. I love the detailed world-building, that provides the perfect backdrop for this exciting story.

I love the series. But I’m starting to get fed up with the female characters. Particularly Jenna and Marcia. They’re always interrupting with stupid questions, sometimes they’re really dense and don’t realize what’s happening until it’s already happened! In a world of magic, why is it so hard for them to understand that all things are possible?

Reading it after years, I liked it more than I did before. But I still find Jen's behavior quite annoying. She used her princess authority way too much when she was practically useless and kept going about Milo and how Sep was obsessed with his magyk and training when Sep was trying hard to save them all.

These books just get better and better!Also, I love Marcia. She's so... Marcia.