There’s something strange about the number 7.

Something mystical. Something downright magical.

Looking back through history, literature, religion, and philosophy, one can see this number coming up again and again – usually with a significant aspect invoking holiness, mystery, power or prosperity.

A few examples:

– In Buddhist mythology the newborn Buddha took seven steps right after he was born, declaring “I alone am the World-Honored One.”

– In Christian mythology the Walls of Jericho fell seven days after seven priests marched around the city seven times with seven trumpets.

– In Islamic mythology there are seven heavens and seven hells.

– In the ancient Roman Kingdom there were seven kings who ruled before the birth of the Republic. Rome itself is built on seven hills.

– In the folklore of diverse cultures, the seventh son of a seventh son is either a werewolf or a possessor of strange powers that set him apart from humanity.

The more you examine numbers and numerology, and their links with the past, the more you see patterns and powers associated with each number. Among the ranks of numerologists, 7 is generally associated with Thought and Consciousness. For astrologers, 7 is the number of heavenly bodies that influence our earthly life. These are the seven objects visible to the naked eye from our planet, including Sun, Moon and five planets.

Seven has inspired thinkers, dreamers and artists for many ages. In his famous poem William Shakespeare proposed that there were exactly “Seven Ages of Man,” spanning each portion of his life from birth to manhood to death. Neil Gaiman brought to life seven cosmic beings called The Endless in his phenomenal SANDMAN series. In Tolkien’s THE SILMARILLION there are seven Lords of the Valar and seven Ladies of the Valar, who are effectively the “gods” of Middle Earth. In that immortal book (the fertile soil from which LORD OF THE RINGS grew like a mystical tree), the infamous Feanor, King of the Noldor, has seven fated sons.

Seven’s magic is hard to deny. There are seven notes in Western musical scales both major and minor. Now there’s some real magic for you . . . just listen to some Mozart, some Johnny Winter, or some old-school Black Sabbath. You’ll hear and FEEL the magic of the seven notes. (Substitute any of your favorite music here.) Indian music also features seven tones, or “Saptak Swaras.”

There are Seven Gods of Good Fortune in Japanese mythology. Britain’s folk hero Thomas the Rhymer lived in Faerie Land for seven years. The mythical island-nation of Atlantis was rumored to have seven main islands. Spanish conquistadores in the New World tried and failed to find the legendary Seven Cities of Gold.

Akira Kurosawa’s magnificent film SEVEN SAMURAI inspired the American classic THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Both of these films inspired George Lucas to make the original STAR WARS, which changed cinema forever when it was released in 1977.  There are seven deadly sins and seven holy virtues. Seven days in a week. Seven seas. Seven is the winning number in traditional dice-rolling games. Seven is the most common “lucky number.”

SEVEN PRINCES is the first volume in the Books of the Shaper series. There are indeed seven princes in the book, although one of its main characters is not a prince at all. She’s a brave and headstrong young woman. Sharadza is the sister of three princes, all of whom are children born to Vod the Giant-King and his human Queen.

Not all of these seven princes will survive to become the SEVEN KINGS of the sequel. Nor will many of them join the ranks of the SEVEN SORCERERS in the third book. Yet there are several ongoing characters for readers to follow through all three books.

In SEVEN PRINCES the determined Sharadza strives to understand and master the Seven Tenets of Sorcery. It is a task for which she is more suited than anyone suspects.

Seven is more than a simple number. Seven is Power. Enlightenment. Consciousness. Enchantment. Legend. Myth.

All of which you will find in the pages of SEVEN PRINCES.