The Magician's House is a quartet of children's fantasy books by William Corlett. Two mini-series were produced in 1999 for British television, which were directed by Paul Lynch. The series featured Jennifer Saunders and Stephen Fry voicing some of the animal characters.
The books were published in the early 1990s, and named as follows:
Although in a rural setting, this series' focus on subjects such as industrial development and the combining of present-day and past settings in the plotline gives it a feeling tending more towards urban fantasy than simply contemporary fantasy.
In addition, though there is no specific mention of Welsh myths and legends, the strong part nature plays in the stories and the settings bring to mind other British children's authors. Authors like Alan Garner, who is perhaps best known for The Owl Service and Elidor, and Susan Cooper, famous for The Dark Is Rising sequence of books, who allude more specifically to British myth and legend in their writings.
All four books centre on young siblings William, Mary and Alice Constant. They spend their holidays at Golden House, a large, 16th Century house in the British countryside. The house is given no specific location except for Wales, supposedly on ley lines; reference to standing stones is made in the books.
During these holidays, the children's parents are apparently carrying out humanitarian work in the Third World, so the children stay with their uncle Jack and his partner Phoebe.
The books follow the children as they discover the secrets of Golden House and the Magician who once lived there. It is unclear if the Magician, Stephen Tyler, is actually still in the house, or if he can speak to the children through manipulating and travelling through time.
The events of the four books take place over about ten months; with the events of each book occurring during a traditional British school holiday period. Effectively, each book reflects a season: The Steps up The Chimney takes place during the winter and over the Christmas holiday; The Door in the Tree takes place in spring, during the Easter holiday; The Tunnel behind the Waterfall takes place during the long summer holiday; The Bridge in the Clouds takes place during the shorter autumn half-term.
The storylines of the respective books incorporate various ecological and animal rights issues, such as badger baiting and industrial development. In addition, the children fight against the Magician's evil assistant, Matthew Morden, whose quest for power leads him to disturb the magical and ecological balance in Golden Valley.
Stephen Tyler's precise abilities are unknown and there are many loose ends left at the conclusion of the series. It is known that he can communicate with the children over time, but it is unknown whether he actually travels through time or merely sends messages across it. In addition, most communications occur only in his secret room at the top of the chimney. He can also inhabit the bodies of animals, such as Jasper the owl, Cinnabar the fox and Sirius the dog, and teaches the children to do the same. His assistant, Morden, has an accomplice in the form of a rat. Stephen Tyler also appears to have a link with the house across time, as is clear when Phoebe gives birth to a girl, though the magician had expected a boy, and names her Stephanie, as if after Stephen Tyler.
There are many references made to alchemy and the changing of substances, and we are told that Stephen Tyler has the ability to change substances into gold. Some of these references are in metaphorical terms, but all amount to the same thing.
Alchemy is also supposed to be the downfall of Morden; his lust for power and riches leads him to abuse his alchemical abilities. However, later in the stories Morden also appears to be able to influence present-day events to his own and his descendants' advantage, for example in encouraging industrial developments in the proximity of Golden House.
| The Magician's House | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy/Children's television |
| Created by | William Corlett (books) |
| Directed by | Paul Lynch |
| Starring | Ian Richardson Neil Pearson Siân Phillips Katie Stuart Christopher Redman Olivia Coles Steven Webb |
| Voices of | Jennifer Saunders Stephen Fry Gary Martin |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Helena Cynamon Stephen Garrett |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC 1 |
| First shown in | United Kingdom |
| Original run | 31 October 1999 – 17 December 2000 |
The television adaptation altered the relationship between the children slightly, with Mary becoming Jack's daughter and William and Alice's cousin. Her character is also considerably more argumentative and headstrong than in the books, as well as having apparently relocated from Canada to Jack's home country, as had Phoebe whom, like Mary, has a Canadian accent.