The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
The 14th century alchemist alchemyst Nicholas Flamel has the secret codex containing the recipe for the elixir of life hanging around his neck. For centuries, Dr. John Dee has been hunting for him because he wants that book. Dee has finally traced Flamel to his bookstore in 21st century California. He busts in, gets all but the last two pages of the book, and kidnaps Flamel’s wife. Now the world is in danger because Dee plans to bring the dark Elder gods to power and they will enslave humans. When twins Josh and Sophie witness the crime, they get dragged into the mess. Along the way, they learn that, OMG, there’s a prophecy about twins saving the world!
The most intriguing aspect of The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is the overall worldview that Michael Scott has developed. His elder god mythology accounts for all the other known pantheons, numerous archeological discoveries, various myths and legends (e.g., vampires, ghosts, Atlantis), historical events (e.g., the flood, the great fire of London, the Irish famine), real historical figures, and even fictional characters such as Frankenstein. I’ve seen this done before and I think it’s a fun idea and has tons of educational potential for its YA audience, but I tend to become gradually annoyed as the author continues to add more and more to it until it just gets messy. I groaned out loud when Excalibur showed up and then nearly turned off the audiobook when the Witch of Endor had a New York accent and claimed to have given humans both fire and the alphabet. I have to admit, though, that the thought of the Morrigan shopping on eBay is pretty funny.
Unfortunately, this world-building seems to be the main intent of the book, so the plot and characterization suffer. The characters are only superficially developed. We’re told a lot about each of them, but by the end of the book it feels more like we’ve read their biographies than that we really got to know them. The plot mostly consists of running away, hiding, discovering prophecies, and suddenly gaining magical powers. It’s predictable and lacks intensity and excitement. Instead, there’s lots of dialogue and repetitive explanations designed to incorporate all of those disparate mythological and historical elements into the worldview.
The plot has other problems — people just don’t behave reasonably. It was hard to take The Alchemyst seriously from the very beginning when, after centuries of hiding the codex from Dr. Dee and after telling him it had been destroyed, Nicholas Flamel whips it out so he can consult it to cast a spell at Dee… What? You’ve had that little book around your neck for 600 years and you didn’t bother to learn the spell you need to cast against the enemy who’s been chasing you for that long? And then you whip it out right in front of him when you know he’s stronger than you? Unforgiveable.
The Alchemyst is likely to be enjoyable for YA readers who like learning about mythology and history — they’ll learn a lot and perhaps their zeal will make them less prone to notice the shallow plot and characters. Adults with full bookshelves will probably be less satisfied. I read the audiobook version of The Alchemyst and found that the performance of the narrator, Denis O’Hare, made this book bearable for me. His delightful accents and inflections, and his genuinely serious performance, were entertaining. I hope to read more from him in the future.
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel — (2007-2012) Young adult. Publisher: He holds the secret that can end the world. The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty. The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects — the Book of Abraham the Mage. It’s the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That’s exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won’t know what’s happening until it’s too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it. Sometimes legends are true. And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.
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I must not be awake yet this morning. I thought Nicholas Flamel was a JK Rowling character. Also (and this is just silly, I know) I can’t suspend disbelief enough to see Dr John Dee as a villain who wants to release the Elder Gods. I can see him thinking he’s releasing angels, and getting it wrong, though.
@Marion, he is…but Rowling drew him from history; he was a real guy. But I suspect he is not actually still alive. ;)
I don’t know. . . he had that book around his neck. . . :)