'MAGYK: Septimus Heap, Book One' by Angie Sage to Tide Kids Over 'til Next Harry Potter

On July 16, 2005, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will thunder into a bookstore near you...but summer vacation is coming first. If you or the children in your household are finding it hard to wait for the sixth installment of Harry's adventures, this may be the perfect time for you to become acquainted with another entertaining young boy who has magic flowing through his veins.

Magyk: Septimus Heap, Book One is the first volume in a promising new fantasy trilogy. It weighs in at a fast-paced 546 pages, as author Angie Sage builds a fantasy world of powerful wizards, stolen babies, secret identities, orphaned royalty, sibling rivalry and a young boy's discovery of the magical powers that will shape his life.

Harry Potter lives in a recognizable modern world where Hogwart's School Of Wizardry exists within muggle England. By contrast, Septimus Heap's world is entirely imaginary, a place of castles and slums, royalty and prisoners, incantations and amulets, Shield Bugs and a sentient pet rock named, appropriately enough, Petrock Trelawney. Septimus himself is a seventh son of a seventh son, and the description of his first exploration of his powers makes fascinating reading.

Each chapter is whimsically named, with titles like 'Pythons And Rats' and 'The Wendron Witch', and begins with a detailed pencil sketch by artist Mark Zug, who has also created artwork for the collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering. In addition, the book itself, attractively packaged by HarperCollins, is available in an edition which includes a small CD containing related games and extras.

All in all, Magyk: Septimus Heap, Book One is a welcome addition to the ranks of coming-of-age fantasy novels. The young princess is feisty and kind, the Heaps are a loving and boisterous family, and Septimus himself is a deserving young hero who will hold your interest even after Harry's latest adventure comes to town.