History Literature / SeptimusHeap

* JokerImmunity: [[spoiler:Averted. [=DomDaniel=] is [[KilledOffForReal So Utterly Obliviated He Doesn't Even Leave A Ghost]] in ''Queste'', since he wasn't fully killed when falling from the Wizard Tower.]]

A SequelSeries, ''Literature/TodHunterMoon'', began in 2014.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: {{Justified|trope}} with Septimus's fear from heights, as most powerful Wizards are afraid of heights.

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: The series employs some decidedly family-unfriendly ways to die, of which [=DomDaniel=] melting down in a pool of slime or Merrin Meredith being reduced to a hollow skin are probably the worst.

* CoolBoat: The ''Cerys'', sporting among others ventilated safe rooms, lots of fancy equipment etc.

* MagicalSeventhSon: Septimus Heap. [[spoiler:Though this doesn't seem to have a major impact on the series after the first installment (aside from the villains' motivation for wanting him in Physik and Syren)]].

* [[spoiler: RomanticFalseLead: Septimus spends a lot of time in ''Darke'' checking in on Syrah, who was left in a magic coma, but when she finally wakes up she no longer remembers and actively avoids him, while he starts dating another girl.]]

* MicroMonarchy: The Castle.

* PrincessesRule: At least for the time being, Princess Jenna is acting as queen without being crowned as one.

* AntiMagic: The Darke Vortex that [=DomDaniel=] uses to incapacitate Marcia Overstand in ''Magyk''.

* BanOnMagic: The Supreme Custodian attempted to enforce one in the Castle, without much success.

* DarkWorld: The Darke Halls in ''Darke'' are basically this.

** ''Queste:'' Merrin Meredith with Tertius Fume about a Thing and sending Septimus onto the '''Queste'''.

* DieOrFly: In ''Darke'', Septimus must try the '''Flyte''' spell without its charm in order to escape from Dungeon Number One, and succeeds at it.

** The Shadow-Safe in ''Flyte'' will only work as a Shadow-Safe [[spoiler:and as a DeathTrap engineered by [=DomDaniel=]]] when it is complete, [[spoiler:and it gaining completeness is the prelude of the climax of ''Flyte''.]]

** The Custodian Youth -- and especially their Tell-Tale hour -- is very similar to the Hitler Youth groups in Nazi Germany.

* {{Fingore}}: There's only one to get that two-faced ring, which can never go off the same way it went on, away from Merrin Meredith...

* FreeRangeChildren: Probably not so unusual for a medieval society such as this, but given how Jenna is the Princess, Septimus is the Extraordinary Apprentice, and Beetle becomes the [[spoiler:Chief Hermetic Scribe]], and they've all been within a hair's breadth of being killed, you'd think the adults would start to rein them in a bit.
* GenderBender: Before he became a genie, Jim Knee was a woman. It's implied that occasional GenderBending is par for the course for genies.

* ItTastesLikeFeet: In ''Fyre'', Septimus thinks that the ghost of Alther Mella would feel that flying through the heavy wind was like being Passed Through by pixies with boots on, though "How Alther knew what being Passed Through by pixies with boots on was like, Septimus had no idea."
* ItWasADarkAndStormyNight: The beginning of ''Darke'': "It is a '''Darke''' and stormy night."

* LoopholeAbuse: In ''Fyre'' [[spoiler:the ghost of Jillie Djinn makes a major pest of herself. Unfortunately for Marcia Overstrand, Jillie died on her sofa, and the rules of ghosthood state that a ghost must spend a year and a day in the place where they died. Jillie continues to drive Marcia nuts until Hotep-Ra presents a simple solution-- since Jillie Djinn is entirely on the sofa, all that's necessary is to remove the sofa from the study.]]
* LostTechnology: ''Syren'' displays quite a bit of it, and it is even called "Beyond ''Magyk''."

* NiceJobBreakingItHero:

** In ''Flyte'', only Beetle and Nicko trust Septimus when he tells them that Jenna has been kidnapped by Simon Heap.

* ChildrenForcedToKill: In ''Queste'', [[spoiler:Septimus and Jenna are forced to throw the [=InHabited=] Toll-Man into the Abyss to escape from the [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Thing]] that is controlling his body.]]

* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Witch cloaks are the main source of a Witch novice's '''Magykal''' abilities, including protection from the '''Darke''', [[spoiler:as experienced by Jenna in ''Darke''.]]

* ContrivedCoincidence: So the protagonists flee the city, and on their way they pick up a half dead ChildSoldier. Turns out, [[spoiler: he's the Heaps' long lost son.]]

* CrazyPrepared: Though not in the usual sense -- Epheniah Grebe, who can't speak, has a box filled with ''hundreds'' of cards, apparently written to apply to any occasion, including one written just for the off-chance that he somehow meets the Queen ("Greetings, Your Majesty"). When his cards fail him, he resorts to a pen and paper.

* BeQuietNudge: Happens several times, including an example from ''Syren'' where Jenna yanks at Lucy Gringe's cloak to tell her to be quiet while they are deciding upon how to take the ship ''Cerys'' back from Theodophilus Fortitude Fry.

* CharacterTitle
* [[CatGirl Cat Man]]: Miarr in ''Syren''.

* ShoutOut: ''Fyre'', the last book, contains at least contains two:
** One is to the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series, with an Ordinary Wizard named Bertie Bott being among the deceased.
** Another is made by Hotep-Ra, referencing the FamousLastWords of Captain Oats, one of the men on Scott's Antarctic expedition.

The ''Septimus Heap'' series is a series of YoungAdult {{fantasy}} novels written by Angie Sage. Like the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books, they take place in a rather whimsical fantasy world resembling a sort of mash-up of MedievalEuropeanFantasy and the modern day. Like the Harry Potter books, they do not skimp out on the NightmareFuel for young readers.

* TellHimImNotSpeakingToHim: The message rat Stanley is initially relieved when asked to a job for wizards. Before being asked to deliver his message to the Marram Marshes, Stanley the message rat was stuck delivering messages between two feuding sisters in a situation that had descended into this. His job eventually consisted of simply running back and forth between them and not talking, until finally the sisters' mother was shocked by the huge bill and canceled the service.

* ChestOfmedals: The Supreme Custodian is depicted as this.

* MistakenForCheating: When Sally Mullin sees Silas and Marcia fleeing from the Custodians she thinks they are eloping. Sally also thinks Jenna was conceived by Sarah in an affair (as Jenna is secretly adopted she doesn't look like Silas or Sarah).

* AerithAndBob: The Septimusverse features such normal names as Sam and Simon along with more unusual ones as Etheldredda and Septimus.

* OurGeniesAreDifferent
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: Most, if not all, people who die become ghosts. These are tied to the places they visited when they were alive, and while they cannot touch or grab things, they have the limited ability to '''Cause''' things to happen.
* OurWitchesAreDifferent: Witches in the Septimus-verse mostly work with potions and '''Magykal''' items rather than outright spellcasting, and have icy blue eyes. They are often in rivalry with Wizards.

* BigBad: [=DomDaniel=] in ''Magyk'' and ''Flyte'', Queen Etheldredda in ''Physik'', Tertius Fume in ''Queste'' and ''Syren'', and [[spoiler:Merrin Meredith]] in ''Darke''.