The Alchemyst

Michael Scott

May 2007 · The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Book 1 · Sold by Delacorte Press

About this ebook

Nicholas Flamel appeared in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter—but did you know he really lived? And his secrets aren't safe! Discover the truth in book one of the New York Times bestselling series the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.
 
The truth: Nicholas Flamel's tomb is empty.
 
The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives.

   Nicholas Flamel is the greatest Alchemyst to ever live. The records show that he died in 1418, but what if he's actually been making the elixir of life for centuries?
    The secrets to eternal life are hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed, and in the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. And that's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it.
    There is one hope. If the prophecy is true, Sophie and Josh Newman have the power to save everyone. Now they just have to learn to use it. 

“The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel has everything you loved about Harry Potter, including magic, mystery, and a constant battle of good versus evil.”—Bustle

Read the whole series!
The Alchemyst
The Magician
The Sorceress
The Necromancer
The Warlock
The Enchantress

Ratings and reviews

This one sets itself apart from the multitude of fantasy books mainly because of its intellectual tone. I recommend it for strong readers who really enjoy fantasy with a more serious tone. Twins Sophie and Josh are working at their summer jobs when one ordinary day a stranger and his magical servants show up where Josh works and all kinds of magic and mayhem break out. It turns out that Josh's boss is Nicholas Flamel, who's been hiding out w/ his wife for 500 years from the evil stranger, John Dee. Flamel has this codex, or magical text, that would allow Dee to awaken the Dark Elders, ancient gods and goddesses who hate humans and would be happy eradicating them and "rebooting" the world. Dee steals the codex that day, but not before Josh ripped out the two most important pages before escaping. When Dee learns that these pages are missing, he comes after Josh, Sophie, and Flamel with a very powerful goddess bent on revenge.

I may be too old to read young adult novels like this. After finishing Harry Potter I felt like giving another YA author a try. The story is very simple at the path is very linear. I liked the premise of the story and the characters always seem to be in a conflict, which made the book a quick read. The author uses unrelated mythological gods and known historical people together in the story. I constantly was questioning why these characters would be in the story together. The background for these characters felt contradictory to what I knew about them before reading this story. At the end of the book, I was not compelled to read the next book. Maybe after time my preconceived feeling will fade and I will have a desire to continue to read.

The Alchemyst is a great book for anyone who loves fantasy and adventure. It's full of exciting characters, magical creatures, and dangerous quests. The worldbuilding is amazing, and the story is full of twists and turns. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good adventure.

About the author

Michael Scott is an authority on mythology and folklore and one of Ireland’s most successful authors. A master of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and folklore, Michael has been hailed by the Irish Times as “the King of Fantasy in these isles.” He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series: The Alchemyst, The Magician, The Sorceress, The Necromancer, The Warlock, and The Enchantress. You can follow Michael Scott on Twitter @flamelauthor and visit him at DillonScott.com.