This month’s list is a rather interesting one, in my opinion anyway. I have often been intrigued by the concept of a double seventh son, that is a seventh son of a seventh son, and the supposed mystical or magical abilities they are believed to possess. As such when I come across the concept in a book I frequently end up reading said book. Having recently read three different series that all utilize that idea, albeit all in rather different ways, I thought I would share them with you and discuss the different ways this idea can appear in literature. Before I get started though I want to go over the idea of the double seventh son a bit more. Best I can find the idea originates in the British Isles or Northern Europe and dates back at least a millenia if not more. The idea is that being a seventh son of a seventh son confers both extreme good luck and, depending on the version, any of a number of other abilities. However, almost all versions emphasise the idea that there has to be two generations of seven sons without daughters between them. It has to be seven uninterrupted sons which is not an easy thing to have happen. Now let’s dive into this month’s picks shall we.
- The Last Apprentice
My first pick is the one that comes closest to the original idea and concept of a double seventh son and that series is The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney. In this series the double seventh sons are the only ones allowed to be trained as spooks due to their inherent resistance to the forces of darkness. The books outright state that only a double seventh son is born with that resistance but it also is fairly vague about what that actually means beyond just increased resistance. It also seems to imply that this is really the only thing that makes them special in any way. As you can imagine this seems to be fairly close to the original idea and puts it to pretty good use in the story overall even if it is frequently relegated to the background. While this may be a series for teens I would still say that it is an interesting read and worth trying if you want to see a good example of a double seventh son.
2. Septimus Heap
My second choice is the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. Now this was an interesting choice because the main character is a double seventh son and this is frequently mentioned in the first few books as a reason behind why Septimus is so gifted in his magical ability, more so than of his older brothers. However, it again doesn’t explain much beyond the fact that he is a double seventh son means that he is gifted. In comparison to the previous book though there is not much of anything to suggest that this provides him extra resistance to dark forces or anything similar. It merely means that he is inordinately gifted at magic which may not seem like much but it does still contain the potential to mean a lot. The idea of a double seventh son fades to the background in this series though and has no major importance really even though it is present. Either way the idea is still present even if less so.
3. Frontier Magic
My last choice I almost didn’t pick because it uses the concept of a double seventh son but in some rather surprising ways. The Frontier Magic trilogy by Patricia C. Wrede is about a young girl who is the twin sister to a double seventh son. Here is where it diverges from my previous choices though. In this series the seven sons are not uninterrupted as the twin sister is the older twin and the seventh daughter in the family. Definitely diverges from the original concept quite a bit there. While the series may focus on the sister, the thirteenth child who is cursed with bad luck, the double seventh son still has a presence in the background. Outside of there being more than just the seven sons, this particular version is remarkably similar to the version that was used in Septimus Heap. A double seventh son is extra gifted in the use of magic and is more than likely more powerful than the average magician or wizard. While not quite the original concept it still echoes the idea in many ways. The one thing that I have noticed though in my reading that seems to be pretty important. I have yet to come across the concept of a double seventh son in any book written for adults. They have all been kids or teen books which is rather interesting. Either way, for those interested here is this month’s list. I hope you will consider trying them and feel free to let me know in the comments any books you are familiar with that also feature the idea of a double seventh son.