Fyre

 

Septimus Heap Book Seven: Fyre

By Angie Sage

3 ½ out of 5 Covers

Septimus Heap has been a very enjoyable series. It began a bit grim, with the murder of the queen, the disappearance of the infant princess and the kidnapping of the newborn seventh son of the seventh son.  Septimus Heap (the seventh son) was supposed to be apprenticed to the great Darke wizard DomDaniel, but was instead a mix up occurred and Septimus was placed in the new ruling Custodian’s Boys Army while DomDaniel was given a nearly non-magical brat.  And the princess was given to the grieving Heap family.  Eventually all these truths were revealed, DomDaniel was defeated and everyone was restored to their proper station.  Princess Jenna began her reign; Septimus became the Apprentice ExtraOrdinary Wizard, restoring many of the magickal and alchemiecal knowledge that had been lost not just during the Custodian’s reign, but over several centuries, culminating with an epic confrontation with the forces of the Darke.

And that is the main problem with this seventh book; that epic confrontation took place in Book Six: Darke.  All the characters have pretty much progressed to their natural concluding point, meaning all that’s left to do is tie up any loose ends.  And while there are loose ends, it’s not enough to build a fulfilling story.  Which may be why the plot doesn’t get into gear until the third act.     

Instead, the reader is treated to a visit with old friends in a wonderful world.  The author has constructed a richly detailed setting, almost to a fault.  Angie Sage may not have quite grasped the concept that while the author needs to know everything about all the characters and settings, the reader does not.  It is both a curse and a blessing, as the details of the function and history of every location and how each character got there is interesting, it does slow down the story.  Unfortunately, Sage feels she has to revisit every character and location for this volume, even when they don’t serve any purpose in the story.

There is a story in there, having to do with destroying two Darke wizards that had been captured in a ring.  Naturally they get out and wreak havoc, leading to a very exciting climax.  But it takes a while to get there.

Make no mistake, I have greatly enjoyed the Septimus Heap series and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy literature.  I just feel that it ends on a weak note.  But that note includes the promise of a new series set in the same world; hopefully one with a stronger arc.