Magyk

Published in 2005, Angie Sage’s Magyk is a middle grade fantasy novel and the first book in the Septimus Heap series. The story follows the adventures of the Heap family, particularly focusing on the seventh son, Septimus Heap. The narrative unfolds with the mysterious disappearance of Septimus on the day of his birth, leading to a magical journey filled with enchanted forests, dark wizards, and hidden secrets. The Heap family navigates a world brimming with magical creatures as they uncover truths about themselves and battle the forces of evil. The novel explores themes of family, identity, and The Struggle Between Good and Evil.

Citations in this study guide refer to the e-book edition released by HarperCollins in 2005.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death, emotional abuse, child abuse, child death, and animal cruelty.

Plot Summary

Silas Heap is the seventh son of a family of wizards who live in a town attached to a castle. On the day of Silas’s birth, Alther Mella overthrows the corrupt DomDaniel and becomes the new ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Silas Heap grows up, marries a woman named Sarah, and has seven sons of his own. Silas’s seventh son is named Septimus. On the day of Septimus Heap’s birth, a midwife tells his parents that he is dead and smuggles him away. DomDaniel knows that the seventh son of a seventh son is destined to possess great magical power and seeks to make Septimus his Apprentice. However, Septimus is accidentally switched with the midwife’s infant, who becomes DomDaniel’s Apprentice while Septimus is raised within the inhumane Young Army. On the day of Septimus’s birth and supposed death, Silas finds a violet-eyed infant in the forest, and the Heaps raise her as their own. Silas and Sarah later discover that the queen and Alther have been murdered and that their daughter, Jenna, is the missing Princess. The Custodian Guardians who committed the assassinations serve DomDaniel.

Ten years later, magic is banned under the Supreme Custodian’s rule. He discovers that Jenna is the Princess and sends an Assassin to the Heap family’s home. Marcia Overstrand, the current ExtraOrdinary Wizard, hurries to the Heaps, tells Jenna that she is a Princess, and convinces her family to entrust the girl’s safety to her. When Marcia and Jenna arrive at the Wizard Tower, they see a 10-year-old Young Army sentry called Boy 412 stationed outside. The boy has nearly frozen to death, and they save his life. Silas brings his son Nicko and the Heaps’ wolfhound, Maxie, to visit Jenna at the tower. Soon after his arrival, the Assassin bursts into Marcia’s room and aims a silver pistol at Jenna. Marcia creates a magical shield, and everyone escapes to safety by diving down a rubbish chute that takes them to a dump by the river.

Sarah’s best friend, Sally Mullin, owns a tea shop near the dump, and she gives the group her boat, Muriel. The unlikely band sets sail for the Marram Marshes, where Silas’s Aunt Zelda lives. They are pursued by the Hunter, who interrogates Sally and sets her cafe on fire when she refuses to reveal her friends’ whereabouts. Sally survives thanks to a protective charm from Marcia. The Hunter pursues Muriel, and Marcia uses her magic to conceal the boat. With the trail gone cold, the Hunter returns to the castle.

Jenna and her party journey into the Marram Marshes, where they stay with Aunt Zelda, a White Witch who brews potions and tends to animals. During the group’s time with Aunt Zelda, Boy 412 falls into an underground tunnel and discovers a golden ring in the shape of a dragon. The tunnel takes the boy back to Aunt Zelda’s cottage, and he conceals the ring. Later that day, a message arrives from Sarah. She and Sally are staying in the forest outside the castle, and Simon, the Heaps’ eldest son, is missing. Silas decides to go to the forest and look for Simon, and Marcia asks him to retrieve her protective charm while he’s there. He departs the following morning.

Marcia teaches the children an invisibility spell and is shocked when Boy 412 masters it instantly. The boy has never worked magic before, and the experience convinces him that the Young Army is wrong to despise magic. The next day, Marcia tells Boy 412 that he has an innate magical aptitude and asks him to become her Apprentice. He declines because he thinks the power she senses in him is from the dragon ring.

Silas sneaks into the castle and learns that Simon has been arrested. The Supreme Custodian wins Simon’s cooperation by claiming that he can become DomDaniel’s Apprentice, and Simon tells him that Marcia and Jenna are at Aunt Zelda’s cottage. A weeks-long blizzard blankets the kingdom and makes most forms of travel impossible for the heroes and villains alike. The Supreme Custodian tricks Marcia into teleporting to the castle by sending a message allegedly from Silas. She’s thrown into a dungeon, and DomDaniel regains the amulet that gives ExtraOrdinary Wizards their power.

After the kingdom thaws, DomDaniel, his Apprentice, and the Hunter travel to the marshes in a ship named The Vengeance. When the Hunter chases Jenna and Boy 412, they take shelter in the tunnel where the boy found the ring. Aunt Zelda uses a spell to freeze the Hunter like a statue, and Nicko catches DomDaniel’s Apprentice, who claims to be Septimus Heap. When Aunt Zelda uses a scrying spell to see the first day of Septimus Heap’s life, she sees that the baby boy survived and was taken to one of DomDaniel’s servants in the Young Army barracks. Boy 412 and Aunt Zelda erase the Hunter’s memories and make him think that he’s a circus clown.

DomDaniel’s Apprentice escapes back to The Vengeance and reluctantly informs his master that he was unable to capture the Princess. Jenna and Boy 412 sneak aboard the ship, discover that Marcia is a prisoner there, and give her the golden ring before fleeing back to Aunt Zelda’s cottage. DomDaniel raises a powerful storm that floods the marshlands and pursues them in his ship. Aunt Zelda sends the children into the secret tunnel, where they find the Dragon Boat of Hotep-Ra, the first ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Jenna’s touch awakens the Dragon Boat, which carries the children to The Vengeance. With the help of the golden ring, Marcia escapes her captors, reclaims the amulet, and boards the Dragon Boat. DomDaniel is powerless to stop them.

Thousands of magical marsh creatures called Brownies attack The Vengeance, sinking the vessel and everyone inside. DomDaniel escapes and disguises himself as his Apprentice, hoping to gain his enemies’ pity and steal the amulet back. However, Marcia sees through his disguise and teleports him back into his sunken ship. Marcia tells Boy 412 that Hotep-Ra’s ring has chosen him to be the new Dragon Master because of his remarkable magical ability. Finally aware of his innate power, he happily accepts her offer to become her Apprentice. Aunt Zelda finds DomDaniel’s Apprentice, who was attacked by his master, and saves the boy’s life. A celebration is held to mark the start of Boy 412’s apprenticeship with Marcia. When the ExtraOrdinary Wizard offers to grant a wish for him, he expresses a desire to learn his true identity. Aunt Zelda’s scrying spells reveal that Boy 412 is Septimus Heap, and he reunites with Silas and Sarah.