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The Alchemyst
 
 
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The Alchemyst [Paperback]

Michael Scott (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Hardcover, Deckle Edge CDN $15.87   -- --
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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Twin 15-year-old siblings Sophie and Josh Newman take summer jobs in San Francisco across the street from one another: she at a coffee shop, he at a bookstore owned by Nick and Perry Fleming. In the vey first chapter, armed goons garbed in black with "dead-looking skin and... marble eyes" (actually Golems) storm the bookshop, take Perry hostage and swipe a rare Book (but not before Josh snatches its two most important pages). The stolen volume is the Codex, an ancient text of magical wisdom. Nick Fleming is really Nicholas Flamel, the 14th-century alchemist who could turn base metal into gold, and make a potion that ensures immortality. Sophie and Josh learn that they are mentioned in the Codex's prophecies: "The two that are one will come either to save or to destroy the world." Mayhem ensues, as Irish author Scott draws on a wide knowledge of world mythology to stage a battle between the Dark Elders and their hired gun—Dr. John Dee—against the forces of good, led by Flamel and the twins (Sophie's powers are "awakened" by the goddess Hekate, who'd been living in an elaborate treehouse north of San Francisco). Not only do they need the Codex back to stop Dee and company, but the immortality potion must be brewed afresh every month. Time is running out, literally, for the Flamels. Proceeding at a breakneck pace, and populated by the likes of werewolves and vampires, the novel ends on a precipice, presumably to be picked up in volume two. Ages 12-up. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 6-9–Scott uses a gigantic canvas for this riveting fantasy. The well-worn theme of saving the world from the forces of evil gets a fresh look here as he incorporates ancient myth and legend and sets it firmly, pitch-perfect, in present-day California. At the emotional center of the tale are contemporary 15-year-old twins, Josh and Sophie, who, it turns out, are potentially powerful magicians. They are spoken of in a prophecy appearing in the ancient Book of Abraham the Mage, all but two pages of which have been stolen by evil John Dee, alchemist and magician. The pursuit of the twins and Flamel by Dee and his allies to get the missing pages constitutes the book's central plot. Amid all this exhilarating action, Scott keeps his sights on the small details of character and dialogue and provides evocative descriptions of people, mythical beings, and places. He uses as his starting point the figures of the historical alchemist Nicholas Flamel and his wife, who have found the secret of immortality, along with mythical beings, including the terrifying Scottish crow-goddess, the Morrigan; the three-faced Greek Hekate; the powerful Egyptian cat-goddess, Bastet; and Scathach, a legendary Irish woman warrior and vegetarian vampire. While there is plenty here to send readers rushing to their encyclopedias of mythology and alchemy, those who read the book at face value will simply be caught up in the enthralling story. A fabulous read.–Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
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 (6)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. John Dee will set you free, May 2 2008
By 
bernie "webviator" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (Audio CD)
The twins Josh and Sophie start out thee day as normal to find that people they know, they really did not know, and a sane mundane world is anything but. Soon they find themselves part of a ten thousand year old prophecy that may bring about the demise of the world as we know it.

Needles to say I was drawn in to this title by the name of Nicolas Flámel. Instead of a biography I found a story that incorporated many mythical creatures and historic events into a consistent chase of bad guys against good guys that covers many of the major world's well know landmarks mostly in California or off shore. My favorite character is the Witch of Endor only a grand daughter could love.

One warning is that this book is a true cliffhanger and of no use without the second book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Wasn't able to finish it, April 6 2010
By 
Liana (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Alchemyst (Paperback)
I think I made it about halfway through before giving up. As such, I can't give an opinion of the book as a whole, however, there are a few problems I can discuss which led me to tossing the book aside.

There is little time for introduction to the characters before Scott takes you right into the action side of things. Therefore, there is no rapport between the reader and the main characters, as you have no idea who they are, what fuels them to act the way they do, what they care about the most, et al. It's all set up so quickly that you just don't feel like you'd care if anything bad happened to any of them, and indeed, it seems trouble is afoot, so it's good to establish that connection from early on.

The writing style itself is a bit juvenile. I went into this expecting a series at least close to the calibre of Harry Potter, but I was severely let down. As J.K. Rowling's narrative can span generations, and can be read by both young and old alike (and still be enjoyable to both), these books have only one target audience: children. I would only recommend it to ages seven to fourteen. Anything above that and you will easily grow weary of how easy it is. I'm well above that, so it's not hard to grasp why I was thrown into tedium by it all.

The book itself, while its subtitle may be 'The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel', didn't seem to focus too much on Flamel himself, rather the people around him. There is surprisingly little insight into the [title] character of Nicholas Flamel, as the book focuses much more on the twins, Josh and Sophie, instead. This could have been manageable, had Scott painted a much more fascinating portrait of the two; again, though, this leads back to not setting up a solid foundation for the characters. There is nothing to know about them and thus, it's not very interesting.

I may consider giving this book to a younger relative instead. Hopefully they will get more enjoyment out of it than I did.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting start to a new series!, Feb 3 2010
By 
J. Scully "withagoodbook" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Alchemyst (Paperback)
I think I've found a new book love! Seriously, I haven't been this excited by a book series in ages. The Alchemyst tells the story of the legendary Nicholas Flamel who - along with two teenage siblings that happen to stumble into his world - is forced to flee from the evil beings that have taken his love and the precious secrets of history that he guards.

One of the first things you'll notice when reading The Alchemyst is the incredible amount of research that went into creating this series. It's extremely impressive - every character in the book (with the exception of the teens) is an actual character from history/mythology. This lends an incredible aura of believability to the story because it's so easy to imagine that all these great characters exist as we've heard of them all before. Along with the vast amounts research, it's also clear that an incredible amount of planning went into this book and the series that follows. And there's almost nothing I love more than a well-planned and thought-out series! Especially when everything comes together so brilliantly. The imagery in The Alchemyst is beautifully written in such a manner that you can clearly picture the surroundings, but are never bored with long descriptive passages that don't add to the overall story.

Filled with wonderful characters, natural dialogue, and a gripping plot, this first book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series does a wonderful job of laying out a complex and intricate world, while drawing the reader into a fascinating adventure. While directed at the YA audience, The Alchemyst will appeal to adults as well, and I for one am absolutely loving it. I've already read the next 2 books in the series, and am eagerly awaiting #4.
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