The Septimus Wave
| The Septimus Wave (L'Onde Septimus) | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2013 |
| Series | Blake and Mortimer |
| Creative team | |
| Writers | Jean Dufaux |
| Artists | Antoine Aubin, Etienne Schréder |
| Original publication | |
| Language | French |
| Translation | |
| Publisher | Cinebook Ltd |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Oath of the Five Lords |
| Followed by | Le Bâton de Plutarque |
The Septimus Wave is the twenty-second Blake and Mortimer book in the series. The story was written by Jean Dufaux. The book was drawn by Antoine Aubin & Etienne Schréder and was released in 2013.
Plot
This is a sequel to The Yellow "M", and deals with Olrik's past with Septimus.
Several months after its conclusion, the case of The Yellow "M" continues to profoundly affect its protagonists.
Mortimer tries to recreate the télécéphaloscope, which he hopes will help psychiatry. Four admirers of Professor Jonathan Septimus, Lieutenant McFarlane, Lady Rowana, a banker and Professor Oscar Balley Evangely also try to recreate the machine.
As for Olrik, he found refuge with Miss Lilly Sing, where only morphine injections for his dedicated Tuog allow him to forget the torment he was subjected by Septimus. Blake is responsible for a strange case: a former commando Major Blanks was found wandering near a hangar that served as headquarters to the commando. Major and his men were interned at Bedlam Hospital following an unknown injury. With the help of Mortimer, who knows Blanks, Blake understands that this trauma is related to Septimus. Digging in the basements hangar, Blake discovers a spaceship, called Orpheus. Since they discovered it, Blanks and his men were struck by madness.
Meanwhile, Lilly Sing deliveres Olrik to serve as a guinea pig for the télécéphaloscope designed by Evangely, as he was for Septimus. Then it was the turn of Mortimer to be removed by Rowana. However, reckless handling of Mortimer and Evangely caused the appearance of thousands of clones of Septimus who begin the siege of Evangely's laboratory. While Balley and McFarlane were killed and Evangely and Rowana managed to escape, and Mortimer and Olrik, forgetting their differences, unite to escape the hordes of clones.
Mortimer then understands that the Spaceship interfered with his experiences and those of Evangely to create an army of Septimus'. Reversing the polarity of his télécéphaloscope, he sends Olrik's spirit to destroy Orpheus. Blake, who had already begun to destroy the ship against the advice of his superiors, lets him send the Colonel. The latter did not escape unscathed: he ends up interned in Bedlam Hospital with Blanks and his men.