Jamieson Wolf
Number-one bestselling author
Do you believe in Magyk?
Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I’m a bit obsessive about books. Not only do I read anything and everything (with Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance and Magic Realism being favourite genres), I also collect books. I have signed first editions, special order books and more eBooks than you can shake a stick at.
I do have my favourites though. I always find my way back to young adult books. It seems, as of late, to be the genre I live in most. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Twilight Saga, Skeleton Creek and Dark Eden, The Iron Fey Series, The Blood of Eden, Prophecy of the Sisters. The list goes on. I’ve read and re-read all of these books many time each. One of my favourite series’, though, is Septimus Heap.
When Septimus Heap Book One: Magyk came out in 2005, I almost didn’t read it. It sounded like a young reader version of Harry Potter and I wasn’t too keen on it. But the book came with a nifty CD Rom (what was on that, I wondered) and as I flipped the book over I noticed a quote from Clive Barker. The quote read thusly:
Septimus Heap: Magyk is a book full of wonders, charms, and surprises. Beautifully written and richly imagined, it invites us into a world we never want to leave. Marvellous.
Now, I am a lifelong fan of Clive Barker. Unlike Stephen King, Barker does not do a lot of cover blurbs. And unlike Stephen King, I thought Clive Barker’s blurb would be truthful. So, because of Clive Barker’s quote, I ended up getting Septimus Heap Book One: Magyk.
I’m not sure what I expected, really. I thought I would read a few chapters and go “Well, that was cute.” I didn’t expect to open the book to the first page and get immediately and completely pulled into the story. The hours faded away as I fell under a Magyk spell that Angie Sage had weaved and I have looked forward to each book in the series as if Christmas came early.
Make no mistake, this is not a Harry Potter knock off. The Septimus Heap Series stands on its own merit. It you took a tiny bit of Harry Potter magic, mixed it with a world so well imagined much like Game of Thrones and added wonderful characters that you care for much like The Hunger Games and stirred in a magic so real, so captivating, like the Iron Fey. The Septimus Heap Series is all of that and more. It’s spellbinding, page turning, magical fun. I haven’t had such a good time with a series of books since Harry Potter.
As each book was published (Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren, Darke) my anticipation for the last book (Fyre) mounted. Angie Sage constantly topped herself, making sure that each new book was better, more thrilling and more magical than that previous one. There are even two add on books to the series: The Magyikal Papers, which is sort of like a prequel or a companion to the series as a whole, and The Darke Toad, an eBook that takes place between Magyk and Flyte.
I was anxiously awaiting April 16th so I could get my copy of Fyre. I haven’t been so excited for the last book in a series since Deathly Hallows, Mockingjay and The Dark Tower Book VII. By a happy accident, the ebook is still on pre order with release tomorrow; but the physical copy of the book was already in the bookstore down the street from me.
There was no choice, really. I had to have it. I took it home with me and ignored chores I should have been doing to lose myself in the story that Angie Sage had created. After only an evening and one morning of reading, I’m 102 out of 702 pages and I can’t wait to find out what Angie Sage has in store for me.
I can’t wait to find out what happens. After eight long years, the wait is over and the series will end. I’m trying to take my time with the book, to savor it as much as possible, but that won’t happen. If you haven’t discovered the Septimus Heap Series yet, what are you waiting for?
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The end is near. Won’t you read along with me and have a bit of Magyk for yourself? I have fallen in love with this series, with the world that Angie Sage has created so realistically.
I can’t wait to read the whole series over again, once I’m done with Fyre!
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Jamieson Wolf has written a compelling story about navigating multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. His story will touch your heart, make you cry, then laugh, and inspire you. A touching memoir with a bit of magic…and tarot! ~ Theresa Reed, author of The Tarot Coloring Book
Jamieson Wolf 