Customer Reviews

Magyk (Septimus Heap, Volume 1)

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This series is often compared to Harry Potter, but I think in many ways it's much different. The only parallels that I see are that it involves a boy, who at one point is an orphan, and magic. Definitely written for a younger audience, the Septimus books have a tendency to be a little silly sometimes and the endings easily resolved. However, in contrast, Sage deftly creates an interesting world with often odd and humorous characters who have the ability to surprise the reader.The plot structures of each story vary, and, to any fantasy reader's great joy, she doesn't use the same antagonist throughout every single book. Some of the characters switch sides, and other, new bad guys emerge as the series progresses. Also, unlike many series writers, Sage will start a chain of events that last throughout several books, continuing to hook readers from book to book. She does not wrap everything up neatly, but is still able to finish a book in a way that makes the story seem complete. Then, the reader has the anticipation of discovering how some of the issues that arise in earlier books will unravel in later additions.

One of the things that I love specifically about this book in particular is that it's about a boy, Septimus Heap, who has no idea that he is, in fact Septimus Heap, nor does he understand that he's the hero or protagonist of the story. In fact, nearly the entire story he spends thinking he's someone else entirely. This was a new and interesting twist on the typical boy with magic powers story, and Sage does an excellent job of creating interesting scenarios that surprise and delight, especially for readers who explore this genre a lot. She seems to break many of the typical fantasy tropes and creates what is a unique and enjoyable story. I recommend this to all readers 9+, skewing more toward boys.

-Lindsey Miller, [...]

Having just finished "Magyk"-I'm debating on whether or not to continue with the Septimus Heap series or to move on to something a little more exciting. On one hand, there are a couple of interesting characters introduced in "Magyk" which I would like to spend more time with and get to know a little better. On the other-for as much as I wanted to like the book, the whole thing just came off as sort of dull. For instance, there's never a true sense of danger for any of the characters despite them being pursued or captured by several villains. And though the story jumps back and forth between multiple groups of characters-nothing of any real significance seems to happen to any of them. 90 percent of the story instead focuses on a single group holed-up in a cottage in the swamp for months on end and the very mundane things that happen to them while they are there.

For a book that deals with magic and enchantment, it's also disappointing that the entire made up world of Septimus Heap seems flat and uninspired. The story is also highly predictable and introduces a "twist" near the end that any reader could see coming a mile away. (It's almost frustrating waiting the entire duration of the book for that moment of "reveal" when you've already known about it since the first couple of chapters) Much of "Magyk" also seems derivative of other literature-a scene involving a character finding a magical ring in a dark cave for instance.

Though "Magyk" is not a terrible book by any stretch, I cannot say that it was great either. At the end it just felt sort of empty and unsatisfying. Try the Harry Potter series, The Bartimaeus Trilogy, The Edge Chronicles, or anything by Cornelia Funke instead.

I actually hesitated to buy this book because the Artemis Fowl books put me off so much. With a vaguely similar title and premise I put off reading "Magyk" for a long time. But we were at a local shop before a weekend of lazing around at the park, and I needed something to read, so I grabbed it.

It's surprisingly good, although it does have a writing style that reminds me of "Peter Pan." Occasionally I'll read a kids' book that reads as though it were written by the author for his/her children - perhaps a fleshing-out of a bedtime story they shared - and this one is like that. I can't really pinpoint why. The characters do make a big fuss out of the funny domestic habits of their dog. That might be part of it.

Anyway, I really enjoyed it and cruised through it in one sitting of about 2 hours.

The one thing that bothered me (which some people feel is trivial, I know) is that this starts out seemingly in a fantasy world, where people can learn Magyk and cast spells; the architecture & lifestyle seem like mid-19th century. Then later in the book an Egyptian character (long dead) is mentioned and some particulars of his country are given. Water creatures on their way to the Sargasso Sea are mentioned. So I don't know whether this is set in some post-technological future time, or what, but it bothered me.