Septimus Heap series

Septimus Heap- is a series of fantasy novels written by English author Angie Sage. As of yet (2011) there are six novels, entitled Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren and Darke, have been published, the first (Magyk) in 2005 and the most recent (Darke) in 2011.

The series follows the adventures of Septimus Heap who, as a seventh son of a seventh son, has extraordinary magical powers. After he becomes an apprentice to the Extra-Ordinary Wizard Marcia Overtrand, he must study for seven years and a day until his apprenticeship ends. In the first book, he is known as Young Army Expendable Boy 412, until his great-aunt, Zelda Zanuba Heap reveals his true identity. His adventures are placed in the context of the warmth and strength of his family, and developed alongside those of Jenna, his adoptive sister, who is heir to the throne of the Castle, the community where they live. The novels, set in an elaborate fantastic world, describe the many challenges that Septimus and his friends must overcome.

The books have appeared on national bestsellers lists and received worldwide critical acclaim; Warner bros. acquired the rights to produce a movie based on the first book. The series has been noted for the realism and richness of its characters, the compelling nature of their adventures, and its humour. It has been compared with Harry Potter and other works within the genre.

The Novels
The plot of the first book, entitled Magyk (published in March 2005), revolves around the pauper Heap family: Silas, Sarah and their seven children. The story begins when Silas finds Jenna in the snow. Septimus is born on the same day, but is declared dead by the midwife, who robs the baby and brings him to the Supreme Custodian to help start the Young Army. On her tenth birthday, Jenna learns from Extra-Ordinary Wizard, Marcia that she is a princess, but that she—and the Heap family—are in danger. Jenna and Nicko Heap escape to their Aunt Zelda's cottage. They are accompanied by a member of the Young Army called Boy 412, who discovers his magic powers and a legendary ring on the journey. Marcia is imprisoned in Dom Daniel´s boat, Vengeance, and nearly dies, but is rescued by Boy 412, Jenna and Nicko after they find a flying Dragon Boat in a secret cavern by Zelda´s cottage. At the end of the novel, Boy 412 is revealed to be Septimus, and his family hears of his past.

The second book, Flyte (published in March 2006), begins with Septimus (now the apprentice to ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia) witnessing the kidnap of Jenna by her older brother Simon. After seeking help from Nicko and a friend from the Young Army, Septimus finds Jenna at The Port, but they are followed by Simon. They fly to The Castle in the Dragon Boat, engaging in aerial combat with Simon on the way. Marcia's life is threatened by the reassembled bones of DomDaniel, but with Septimus's help, she destroys him. The novel also features the discovery of the lost "Flyte" charm, which gives the book its title, and an egg that hatches into a dragon Septimus names Spit Fyre.

The of the third book, Physik (published in March 2007), is the 500-year-old spirit of Queen Etheldredda, who is accidentally released by Silas Heap. She sends Septimus to her immortal son Marcellus Pye. He is transported back in time to become the apprentice of the young Marcellus Pye, an alchemist who teaches him about "Physik". In the present timeline of the novel, the Castle is infected by a deadly plague and Queen Etheldredda has a plan to acquire eternal life. Jenna and Nicko meet a young trader Snorri Snorrelssen with whom they travel in time to bring Septimus back, though Nicko and Snorri couldn't escape. There, Jenna is taken to the living Queen Etheldredda, but she escapes with Septimus and they return to the present Castle. Marcia then destroys the substantial spirit of Etheldredda and Septimus brews an antidote to the plague using his knowledge of Physik.

The quest of the fourth book, Queste (published in April 2008), is a journey in time to the House of Foryx, in which "all times meet", to bring back Nicko and Snorri, who were trapped there after the events of the third book. Septimus is sent on this mission for nefarious reasons by a ghost called Tertius Fume. Assisted by Jenna and his friend Beetle, among others, he pieces together a map to the House of Foryx. When they reach the house, Septimus meets Hotep-Ra, the first ExtraOrdinary Wizard, while Jenna and Beetle find Nicko and Snorri. Marcia and Sarah Heap arrive outside the house on Spit Fyre, and they return together to their own time.

The fifth book, Syren (published in September 2009), continues from where Queste ended. Septimus decides to bring back his friends from the House of Foryx country and he, Jenna and Beetle get trapped in a mysterious island. There he meets a mysterious girl called Syrah Syara who tells him about a dangerous plot by Tertius Fume to destroy The Castle. Together with the help of the others and a safe-charm Jillee sent to him by Marcia and Aunt Zelda, Septimus stops the invasion of The Castle by Fume and his jinnee warriors and saves Syrah from a terrible enchantment of a malice ghost called the Syren.

The sixth book, Darke (published in America in June 2011 and England in October 2011), sees Septimus and his friends battling the Darke which has engulfed the Castle and everything and everyone in it. The only thing that is standing in between is Merrin Meredith and his gang of Things and his Darke Dragon. Alther Mella has been Banished (together with Tertius Fume) and Septimus wants to release him from the Darke Halls thinking he could help in undoing the Darke. When Marcia Overstrand, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard undoes the Darke spell with the help of the Paired Codes, all is well. Beetle becomesChief Hermetic Scribe; Simon is reunited with his family after leaving his past behind and Princess Jenna is happy that the Palace and Castle is back to normal.

Characters
Septimus Heap- as the seventh son of a seventh son, the aptly named Septimus has exceptional magical powers. He shares his birthday with Jenna, his adoptive sister, but is presumed dead at birth by his family. For most of Magyk he appears as Boy 412, a child from the Young Army, where he has spent the first ten years of his life after Domdaniel attempted to abduct him. Thereafter he is apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand. He has a mop of curly hair, wears green apprentice robes and has a Dragon Ring on his right hand. In the Flyte, he acquires a dragon called Spit Fyre as a pet.

Adopted by the Heap family as a baby in place of Septimus, Jenna Heap is the daughter of an assassinated queen. She is a small girl, with deep violet eyes and fair complexion; she wears a deep red cloak and the gold circlet of the princess on her head. She is portrayed as loving and caring at heart, but sometimes very stubborn. In the first novel she has a pet rock called Petroc Trelawney, which she loses when the Marram Marshes are flooded; she later acquires a pet duck called Ethel.

Marcia Overstrand- is the powerful, ambitious and wilful ExtraOrdinary Wizard of the series. She is characterized as stern, bad-tempered and intimidating, but with a good heart beneath. Her affection towards her apprentice Septimus is manifest in the novels, as is the responsibility she feels to protect him and his sister, even with her own life. She is described as a tall woman, with long, dark curly hair and deep-green eyes, and generally wears a deep purple tunic with purple python-skin boots. Her symbol and source of power, an Akhu-Amulet, hangs around her neck.

Domdaniel- is the main antagonist of the first two novels, a Necromancer and ex-ExtraOrdinary Wizard who wants to regain control of the Wizard Tower from Marcia Overstrand.

Fictional setting
Like other fantasy novels, the Septimus Heap series is set in an imaginary world. Maps are provided in all of the books. Magyk contains a map of the Castle and its surroundings to the Port in the south. An enlarged map of the Castle is also included. Flyte has a map showing the Badlands and the Borderlands in the north. Physik has an enlarged map of the Castle with more details showing the Alchemie chambers. Queste has a map for the House of Foryx, drawn by Snorri for Marcellus. Syren keeps the past maps but adds the isles of Syren.

The Castle-
The Castle is the main location in the series. It is situated by a river on a piece of land, circular in shape, which has been cut off from the surrounding forest by an artificial moat. The Wizard Tower, the Palace and the Ramblings are located in the Castle. Sage based the structure on that of ancient walled cities which were completely self-sufficient, like little nations in their own right.

The Wizard Tower is the place where the ExtraOrdinary Wizard (Marcia Overstrand) resides along with Ordinary Wizards and the ExtraOrdinary Apprentice (Septimus Heap). Built by the first ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Hotep-Ra, it is a purple 21-floor tower with a gold pyramid at the top, surrounded by an aura of magic. The Palace is the royal residence, home to Jenna, Sarah and Silas. It is much older than the Wizard Tower with secret places, such as the Queen's room, which is accessible only to the Queen or the Princess, and has a secret passage to the Marram Marshes.

The lands around the Castle
To the south of the Castle are the Marram Marshes, a long stretch of marshland near the mouth of the river, which is inhabited by many creatures, such as Brownies, Quake Oozes, Boggarts and pythons. Zelda Heap's cottage is on Draggen Island, in the middle of the marshes. It is built above the secret temple where Septimus finds the Dragon Boat. The Forest lies to the north-west of the Castle, and is feared by the Castle's inhabitants as a dark and dangerous area. The Wendron Witches and the witch community live there, as does Galen, Sarah Heap's mentor in "physiks". The Forest has many mysterious aspects, and is dominated by shape-shifting or carnivorous trees, wolverines, and secrets. The Forest has a secret way to transport a character to the path leading to the House of Foryx. Sage based the Forest on medieval forests, which were huge and a law unto themselves, free from the authority of the outside world.

The House of Foryx is a magical house situated somewhere deep in another forest, surrounded by perpetual winter. It is an octagonal building flanked by four octagonal pillars. Here all times meet, and characters can go from one time to another. Characters can come into the building from any time, but can leave it in their own time only if another from that time stands outside the main door; otherwise they are lost in time, and may even end up in a time when the House of Foryx did not exist, giving them no chance of ever returning. The house is named after Foryx, a huge elephantine creature in the Septimus Heap universe.

Other locations
The Port lies in the extreme south near the sea, and is portrayed as a place full of strangers. Here ships load their cargo, which is verified by the customs officer, Alice Nettles(deceased). A dangerous coven called the Port Witch Coven can lure strangers into a trap or turn them into toads. There is a short cut from the Port to Zelda's house in the Marram Marshes. The author created the Port because of her love of the hubbub accompanying the arrival of boats. According to Sage, she sees the Port as full of "beginnings and adventures—and endings too."

The Badlands are a rocky and hilly valley on the northern borders of the Septimus Heap world, where DomDaniel once practised his dark magic in an observatory atop a hill. Simon Heap now lives there with Lucy Gringe. They are inhabited by Land Wurms, giant carnivorous snakelike animals, making them a dangerous place.