It is not quite often one comes across such a light-hearted medieval fantasy like Physik. The story of the young protagonist “Septimus Heap“ speaks to the inner child within us all. The hardships and misfortunes that carry the young apprentice to the strict yet caring …more teacher Marcia depicts such a familiar world of a struggling students coming to grips with himself and the world-all so familiar but with a touch of magic. The depicted world of Angie Sage truly comes alive the deeper you delve in the wonderful world of Physik filled with dragons, spirits, seers, magic and alchemy. These elements may be seemingly common to the fantasy world but Angie Sage makes it different by always keeping its readers peering over the edge yet never letting them go of hope. Young Septimus gets caught in contradiction between two disciples of knowledge Alchemy and Magic, starting of as another abrupt peril, the journey filled with humor, friends’ mischief and concern, thrilling villains and of course the foot treading dragon is ripe with hope, emotions and love.
The time phase and story is perfect for youth deciding on majors they should pursue or faced with conflict of interest like a journey of self-discovery .I never read the previous parts of the series but I had no trouble understanding the story which in its simplicity was joyous and reminded me of childhood. Personally, even I a devout skeptic find myself vouching for Physik as a definite read especially for middle to high school students. It is truly an imaginative and hopeful work that may become a part of you through life. (less)

It is no understatement but the dire truth that famed author Paulo Coelho outdoes himself in his book which should be rightfully regarded as a classic literature masterpiece.The book Winner Stands Alone vividly portrays the keel point of the writer,s motto -The price of a …more dream.Unlike the scores of his collection , "The Winner Stands Alone" does not follow the mellow advice enacting upon itself as the reader ascends to the core of the story instead it starts off as a tale of vengeance with the seemingly psychotic millionaire Igor,like an orchestra slowly approaching an epic finale with him at the center but as the story progresses it portrays a brutally honest depiction of high society. An overcoat to act out your life whilst burst of human nature in a twisted pattern seeps out from the very top of hierarchy giving a vital lesson in life- a typical style of Paulo Coelho "Never let your ego guide your dream lest one loses sight of self in blind pursuit". The story in a dramatic way brings highly unlikely bits (characters) together to clash in a classical way and yet instead of falsified ending it brutally portrays an ironic truth leaving the reader baffled and unfulfilled thus ending in rambunctious fashion of early eighteenth century -tragic suspenseful endings left to the readers imagination.In crux of it all the book depicts a fateful encounter of unlikely personality- a clash of egos in a dramatic flair of suspense,wit and intellect and leaves the reader parched after a certain point. (less)