With the end of Harry Potter, the literary world has been in search of “the next big thing.” One contender for the mantle of fantasy-genre leader is Angie Sage’s Septimus Heap series, currently standing at four books and projected to top off at seven installments. Book One, titled Magyk, introduces us to Sage’s creation, to the characters which we are meant to follow for the series, and the villains who will try and rule the world for their own ends. As books go, especially ones with adolescent readers in mind, Magyk is a fairly long book – which can be intimidating for readers who are just learning to get through novels written by the likes of Jerry Spinelli or Roald Dahl. But Potter veterans shouldn’t blanche at the sight of Magyk and, truth be told, it’s a much quicker read than most Potter installments. But is Magyk any good?

Well, it’s average.

The story world which Angie Sage creates is certainly richly textured and deeply layered. And she smartly introduces us to it only a little bit at a time, allowing us to be immersed without being completely overwhelmed. And there’s plenty of magic here for fantasy fans – usually presented in Sage’s wonderfully bizarre spelling style (just to give it a hint of being more exotic, I suppose). There are wizards and queens and princesses, there’s the requisite villain with his myriad minions. And there’s deeply personal tragedy, too. All in all, Sage has all of the elements with which to construct a very good fantasy story.

And truth be told, Sage’s story is certainly an enjoyable one, even if it isn’t as remarkable as, say, Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings. It’s a tale about a family, led by the father, Silas Heap, who are stuck in the midst of a power struggle between the book’s villain, DomDaniel, and the resident ruler of the land, the Extra-Ordinary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand – who is only in charge because the Queen had been assassinated. Indeed, the Heap family is an intricate part of the struggle, but they do not realize it until the book is well underway.

There’s enough action and adventure to keep most young readers’ attention throughout its 512 pages. But the length is a detriment. Sage is good at descriptions – but she overdoes it a bit too much, which at times bogs down the story and needlessly slows the pace. Also, the story itself is fairly obvious right from the start. Many of the more advanced readers will likely see through Sage’s intended twists and turns. Though young readers, or those who are so fully immersed in the story that they decide they want to enjoy it as it unfolds, may not notice right away. Either way, the twist itself is certainly the central character revelation of the book and leads directly to the rest of the series.

And speaking of characters, what Sage has done for the setting, she has also done for her characters – creating a richly populated world. But the same criticisms as the setting also arise for the characters. Sometimes the descriptions can be overbearing and sometimes there can be too many characters for the reader to either keep track of or truly care about.

Overall Grade: C

On the whole, Magyk is a book in which die-hard fantasy fans will find plenty to enjoy. Passing fans might be put off by the length, the descriptions, or the fairly straightforward story. But there are no major glaring errors, either. All told, Magyk is a worthy beginning to a fantasy series – even if it doesn’t truly contend with Harry Potter in terms of enchantment, character or story.

Topics: Book Review, Fantasy
Filed under: Books

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