The Seventh Son. Seventh Seal. Seventh Magpie, that legendary mischievous creature. From the moment you read the title, you know you’re in for something mystical and spiritual,and Ms. Sharrock doesn’t disappoint. At the same time, the book is firmly placed at the center of the human heart. No frothy, bubbly faerie stuff here.
The book spans four centuries–1606 to 2060–opening with a Welsh witch burning, then jumping to a post-apocalyptic time travel adventure, then returning to times in between. We soon realize we’re following the descendants of that original witch through time and the world–oh, and the descendants of her parents, too, who are not exactly 17th century folks. The central focus eventually settles on the 1980’s and Helen, a woman truly caught in the middle. She begins to realize her paranormal abilities, fights them, but eventually follows her visions, and is left with the burden of knowledge of the spellbinding past and present as well as the armageddon future. And she has to decide what she can or should do to stop it all from happening.
And the magpie? Well, he’s been there all along. Watching, delivering messages, waiting for the moment. And of course, we’re waiting, too, wondering what that moment is and what will happen when it comes. How can we have a 400-year-old magpie? I wouldn’t want to rob you of the experience of discovering that by reading this delicious adventure for yourself. Follow this magpie to his hidden treasure.
