Magyk

“As he reached the door it flew open, and a large red-faced woman wearing the dark blue robes of a Matron Midwife ran out, almost knocking Silas over as she fled. She too was carrying a bundle, but the bundle was wrapped from head to toe in bandages, and she was carrying him under her arm as if he were a parcel and she was late for the post. ‘Dead!’ cried the Matron Midwife.”

The midwife’s perfunctory bedside manner to the bereaved couple and her hasty exit foreshadow the revelation that Septimus Heap is alive and that she’s kidnapping him on DomDaniel’s orders. The simile comparing the bundled infant to “a parcel” adds a little humor to this vital and somber scene.

“Jenna loved her cupboard bed. Sarah had made some bright patchwork curtains that Jenna could draw around the bed to keep out both the cold and her noisy brothers. Best of all, she had a small window in the wall above her pillow that looked out onto the river. If Jenna couldn’t sleep, she would gaze out of her window for hours on end, watching the endless variety of boats that made their way to and from the Castle, and sometimes on clear dark nights she loved to count the stars until she fell fast asleep.”

Sage uses imagery to help readers imagine the Heaps’ home. For example, “the cold” appeals to the sense of touch, the “noisy brothers” provide auditory imagery, and the “bright patchwork curtains” and “clear dark nights” offer visual imagery. These detailed sensory descriptions foster a relaxed mood of comfort and familiarity. This moment of calm in which Jenna feels certain that she is a Heap is soon disrupted when she learns that she is the Princess and must leave her cozy home behind.

“In this way the strange pair moved unnoticed through the Castle. Past the heavy murmuring doors that hid the many workshops where the people from the East Side spent their long working hours making boots, beer, clothes, boats, beds, saddles, candles, sails, bread, and more recently guns, uniforms and chains. Past the cold schoolrooms where bored children chanted their thirteen times-tables and past the empty, echoing storerooms where the Custodian Army had recently taken away most of the winter stores for its own use.”

One of the novel’s major themes is The Struggle Between Good and Evil. This passage develops the theme by showing how the Castle changes after DomDaniel’s minions seize control. The list of the workshops’ products includes ordinary, peaceful items like “candles, sails, [and] bread” as well as “guns, uniforms, and chains.” The observation that the latter items have only been produced “more recently” depicts the Supreme Custodian’s menacing, authoritarian rule. In addition, the description of the storerooms as “empty, echoing” illustrates the Custodians’ greed and adds to the scene’s foreboding mood.

“Jenna gazed at the unfamiliar riches that surrounded her as she stood, entranced, in the massive circular Hall. The golden walls flickered with fleeting pictures of mythical creatures, symbols and strange lands. The air was warm and smelled of incense. It was filled with a quiet, soft hum, the sound of the everyday Magyk that kept the Tower operating. Beneath Jenna’s feet the floor moved as if it were sand. It was made up of hundreds of different colors that danced around her boots and spelled out the words WELCOME PRINCESS, WELCOME.”

Sage’s descriptions of the Wizard Tower utilize visual imagery, such as the “golden walls” and sand in “hundreds of different colors,” and auditory imagery, such as the “quiet, soft hum” of Magyk. The imagery adds to the scene’s sense of wonder and reflects the tower’s standing as one of the most magical settings in the fantasy novel.

“‘Keep still, Queenling,’ sneered the Assassin. ‘There’s someone who wants to see you. But he wants to see you—dead.’ The Assassin raised the silver pistol to Jenna’s head. Crack! A Thunderflash flew from Marcia’s outstretched hand. It knocked the Assassin off her feet and threw Jenna clear of her grasp.”

The italics on words like “dead” and the onomatopoeia “Crack!” add to the suspense as the Assassin corners Jenna, and Marcia comes to her aid. As seen with the word “Thunderflash,” Sage uses capitalize letters for spells throughout the book, a stylistic choice that emphasizes Magyk’s importance to the narrative.

“‘Very well,’ said Marcia. ‘We’ll go to Aunt Zelda.’ Silas looked surprised. Marcia had actually agreed with him without an argument. But then, he smiled to himself, they were all in the same boat now.”

Humor is an integral part of Sage’s writing style throughout the Septimus Heap series of middle grade fantasy adventures. In this scene, Silas’s observation that “they were all in the same boat now” is a pun because the characters are literally sailing aboard Muriel.

“A moment later Sally heard the heavy thud of hurried footsteps coming up the gangway. The pontoon rocked as the Pack ran along it, and the cafe shook, its plates and glasses nervously clinking with the movement. Sally put her tankard away, stood up straight and with great difficulty put a welcoming smile on her face. The door crashed open.”

The passage contains multiple instances of onomatopoeia, including “thud,” “clinking,” and “crashed.” These sound effects increase the tension as the Hunter approaches Sally’s cafe by helping the reader experience what the anxious woman hears as the threat draws inevitably closer.

“Jenna stole a look behind her and, to her horror, saw the black shape of the bullet boat. It was like a long repulsive beetle, its five pairs of thin black legs silently slicing through the water to and fro, to and fro, as the highly trained oarsmen pushed themselves and the boat to the limits, gaining fast on Muriel’s frantically paddling occupants.”

The simile comparing the Hunter’s bullet boat to “a long repulsive beetle” conveys the vessel’s structure and the fear it inspires in Jenna. In addition, Sage’s diction adds to the tense atmosphere of the chase scene through word choices like “horror” and “frantically.”

“‘Do I hear a Boggart?’ asked Silas. ‘Yeah,’ said the Boggart. ‘Zelda’s Boggart?’ ‘Yeah,’ said the Boggart. ‘Has she sent you to find us?’ ‘Yeah,’ said the Boggart.”

The repetition created by Silas’s questions and the Boggart’s laconic replies provide humor. The exchange signals that the characters have found safety after the Hunter’s pursuit and offers readers comic relief after the revelation that DomDaniel has returned to the Castle.

“DomDaniel woke up with a start. He sat bolt upright and stared around him, momentarily wondering where he was. Soon, with a little sigh of satisfaction, he remembered. He was back where he belonged. Back in the rooms of the ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Back at the top of the Tower. Back with a vengeance.”

Anaphora is a literary technique in which a word or phrase appears at the beginning of a series of sentences or phrases. In this passage, the series of fragments starting with “[b]ack” emphasize DomDaniel’s feelings of triumph after the antagonist reclaims the Wizard Tower.

“Let me Fade into the Aire

Let all against me know not Where

Let them that Seeke me pass me by

Let Harme not reach me from their Eye.”

The invisibility spell takes the form of a poem with an AABB rhyme scheme, adding another element to the middle grade fantasy story. Sage’s spelling of words like “Aire” and “Seeke” give the verses an archaic touch. The lesson in which Marcia teaches the invisibility spell to the children in Chapter 22 foreshadows the scene when they use it to find her on The Vengeance later in the novel.

“‘Say the words,’ Marcia prompted gently. Boy 412 said nothing, but the words to the spell whizzed around his brain and filled his head with a strange buzzing sensation. Underneath his red beanie hat, the stubbly hairs on the back of his head stood up. He could feel the Magyk tingling through his hand.”

The passage teems with tactile imagery, such as the “strange buzzing sensation” in Boy 412’s head and the “tingling through his hand.” The boy’s strong physical response to Magyk suggests that he is predisposed toward magical greatness. This develops the thematic link between power and identity by providing a clue that he is Septimus Heap, the seventh son of a seventh son.

“Fact One. No early morning roll call: GOOD. Fact Two. Much better food: GOOD. Fact Three. Aunt Zelda nice: GOOD. Fact Four. Princess-girl friendly: GOOD. Fact Five. Have Magyk ring: GOOD. Fact Six. ExtraOrdinary Wizard cross: BAD. Boy 412 was surprised. Never before in his life had the GOOD outnumbered the BAD. But somehow that made the one BAD even worse. Because, for the first time, Boy 412 felt he had something to lose.”

Sage’s use of the list format gives the reader insight into Boy 412’s thought processes, his concerns, and his growing attachments to Jenna and Aunt Zelda. These emerging relationships advance the theme of The Power of Family Ties and Loyalty.

“‘I mean,’ said the Supreme Custodian indignantly as he strode up and down the Hunter’s sparsely furnished room in the barracks, waving his arms dramatically in the air, ‘how can anyone not know exactly where their aunt lives? How, Gerald, can he visit her if he doesn’t know exactly where she lives?’ The Supreme Custodian was a dutiful visitor of his numerous aunts, most of whom wished that their nephew did not know exactly where they lived.”

The passage contains several forms of humor through the repetition and italics on the word “exactly,” the revelation that the Hunter’s name is Gerald, and the narrator’s barbed remark about the Supreme Custodian’s aunts wishing that “their nephew did not know exactly where they lived.” This comic relief serves to alleviate the tension of Simon’s capture and the Supreme Custodian’s discovery of Jenna and Marcia’s hiding place.

“They would spend hours racing along the frozen ditches, listening to the crackle of the ice beneath them and sometimes to the mournful howl of the wind as it threatened to bring yet another fall of snow. Jenna noticed that all the sounds of the marsh creatures had disappeared. Gone were the busy rustlings of the marsh voles and the quiet splishings of the water snakes.”

The descriptions of “the crackle of the ice,” “the mournful howl of the wind,” “the busy rustlings of the marsh voles,” and “the quiet splishings of the water snakes” each contain an example of onomatopoeia. These sound effects help to contrast the prior activity in the Marram Marshes with the stillness of the Great Freeze, creating a hushed atmosphere of anticipation.

“‘It’s not dead, Aunt Zelda,’ said Jenna. ‘Look.’ She held out the brown streak of fur for Aunt Zelda to inspect. Aunt Zelda poked at it warily.”

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which part of something stands in for the whole thing. In this instance, “the brown streak of fur” stands in for Stanley the Message Rat, and the synecdoche conveys the rat’s pitiful state.

“Just a short paddle away, The Vengeance lay quietly at anchor in the early afternoon drizzle, still and steady in the middle of the river’s deepwater channel. The massive black ship was a striking sight: its bow rose up like the steep side of a cliff, and with its tattered black sails furled, its two tall masts stood out like black bones against the overcast sky. An oppressive silence surrounded the ship in the gray light.”

Sage uses literary techniques to create an ominous mood as Jenna, Boy 412, and Nicko catch sight of the Necromancer’s vessel. For example, the similes comparing The Vengeance’s bow to “the steep side of a cliff” and the masts to “black bones” emphasize the ship’s massive size and menacing presence. The visual imagery of the ship’s “tattered black sails” and the auditory imagery of the “oppressive silence” enhance the scene’s suspense.

“The Darke Magyk turned the howl of the wind into an earsplitting shriek. Black storm clouds came sweeping in and piled high over the bleak expanse of the Marram Marshes. The late afternoon light grew dim, and dark cold waves began to break over the canoes.”

Imagery adds to the tension of DomDaniel’s magical storm. The “howl of the wind” that becomes a “shriek” appeals to the reader’s sense of hearing, while the dimming light and dark waves appeal to their sense of sight. Sage increases the scene’s eeriness by choosing precise adjectives like “earsplitting” and “bleak.”

“Silhouetted against the lightning, still far away but with its sails flying in the howling wind, the huge Darke ship was cutting through the waves and heading toward the cottage. The Vengeance was coming.”

The repetition of the suffix “-ing” contributes to the passage’s ominous atmosphere. This effect is achieved through the use of the past progressive verb tense, such as “was cutting” and “was coming,” and the participles in “howling wind” and “sails flying.” This creates a feeling of motion that makes the antagonist’s approach seem inescapable.

“‘Now, go!’ Boy 412 hesitated, and another crack of lightning split the air. ‘Go!’ squeaked Aunt Zelda, waving her arms about like a demented windmill. ‘Go!’”

The simile comparing Aunt Zelda’s gesticulations to “a demented windmill” adds a little humor to a tense scene. At the same time, the figure of speech emphasizes the peril facing the characters by highlighting the panic the wise White Witch feels. The repetition of the command “Go!” adds to the scene’s frenzy and reflects Boy 412’s attachment to Aunt Zelda, which makes him reluctant to leave her.

“In the middle of the temple, resting on the mosaic floor, lay the most beautiful boat anyone had ever seen. The golden Dragon Boat of Hotep-Ra. The huge green and gold head of the dragon reared up from the prow, its neck arched gracefully like a giant swan’s. The body of the dragon was a broad open boat with a smooth hull of golden wood. Folded neatly back along the outside of the hull were the dragon’s wings; great iridescent green folds shimmered as the multitude of green scales caught the light of the lantern. And at the stern of the Dragon Boat the green tail arched far up into the darkness of the temple, its golden barbed end almost hidden in the gloom.”

The passage contains an abundance of visual imagery, including the description of how the Dragon Boat’s “green scales caught the light.” The repetition of the word “golden,” as well as precise adjectives and adverbs like “beautiful,” “iridescent,” and “gracefully,” conveys the magical vessel’s majesty. The Dragon Boat plays a key role in the novel’s climax, and the lavish descriptions help to express her importance.

“Marcia had stood up. She was still staring at the Dragon Boat in disbelief. Surely it was just a legend? But, as the dragon swooped down toward Marcia, her dragon eyes flashing a brilliant green and her nostrils sending out great jets of orange fire, Marcia could feel the heat of the flames and she knew that this was real.”

Sage provides visual imagery through the colors of the Dragon Boat’s “brilliant green” eyes and “jets of orange fire” and tactile imagery through the “heat of the flames.” The contrast between the adjectives “legendary” and “real” adds to the scene’s excitement as Marcia realizes the storied vessel truly has come to rescue her.

“Soon the clouds drifted away out to sea, and the moon appeared to light their way back home. The Dragon Boat glimmered green and gold in the moonlight, her wings held up to catch the wind as she sailed them home.”

The visual imagery of how the boat “glimmered green and gold in the moonlight” and the repetition of the word “home” create a serene mood. This emphasizes that the crisis has passed and allows the characters and readers to savor a moment of peace after the climactic confrontation with DomDaniel.